-
Rosa Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley parks was born on February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee AL, she was famously known as the "First lay of Civil Rights" because of her part in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. She was arrested because she refused to surrender her seat to a white man. Parks helped spark the fire in MLK and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. -
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was an American who had many hits such as Jailhouse Rock, Hound Dog and Blue suede shoes. He is the 3rd highest-certified music artist in the U.S., he also won many awards for his songs which got his name as the "King of Rock and Roll". He stared in many movies during the 50's and 60's, which made in impact to the celebrity he really was. -
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, he was an influential musician in popular music and culture for more than 60 years. His most famous songs were Tutti Frutti, and Long Tall Sally he wrote other hits throughout his career which has one him many awards throughout his life time. -
Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald was born on October 18, 1939 he was a former U.S. marine. His childhood he claimed himself to be Marxist and and wrote to the Socialist Party of America and began attending C.A.P. meetings very frequently. Oswald enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps but got into much trouble with weapons and dishonorable acts. Oswald traveled to the Soviet Union to become a citizen but later his visa expired and went back to America to commit a national crime assassinating JFK -
Fission vs. Fusion
Fission and Fusion are both nuclear reactions that produce energy, however the application are different. Fission is when the splitting of a heavy and unstable nucleus into 2 lighter nuclei. While fusion is the process in which 2 lighter nuclei combine and release large amounts of energy. -
Dr. Jonas Salk
Jonas Edward Salk was born on October 28, 1941 he was the first member of his family who attended collage. He earned his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine in 1939. Throughout his career he was appointed director of the Virus Research Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1947. The era’s prevailing scientific opinion, Salk believed his vaccine, composed of “killed” polio virus, could immunize without risk of infecting the patient. -
LSD
LSD was first discovered in 1938 by a Swiss chemist Albert Hoffman. 5 years later in 1943 it was later discovered that it had psychedelic properties, however the first test of LSD was a self test which Hoffman experimented with. He recalled his experiment as intense changes in perception and feelings of anxiety also a constant flux of shapes and colors. Between the 40's and 70's the drug was really controversial and used for psychiatric purposes. -
G.I. Bill
The G.I. Bill was passed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to help veterans of WW2 have funds for college education, unemployment insurance, and housing. This Bill was provided many services and benefits to veterans and established hospitals and vocational rehabilitation also made low wage mortgages available. -
Trinity Test
The Trinity Test was the first detonation of an atomic bomb which was conducted by the United States Army and was part of the Manhattan project. -
Hiroshima Bombing
The Hiroshima bombing was ordered by president Truman which involved an American B-23 bomber called the "Little Boy". It killed at least 80,000 people and injured 35,000. It was the first ever atomic bomb ever deployed and the effects of the radiation killed people years after. -
Nagasaki Bombing
Nagasaki was the second town that President Truman ordered to be a target for an atomic bomb. The bomb was called " Fat Man" this bomb led to the unconditional surrender of Japan and set a nuclear example of what the America could do. -
38th Parallel established
Korea was split at the 38th degree of the Earth's equator between the U.S and U.S.S.R, as a result of this North and South Korea had an official boarder. The U.S.S.R spread communism to the North and appointed leader Kim ill- Sung and the U.S creates a capitalist government in the south. -
Berlin Airlift
The Berlin Airlift happened after the second world war the U.S, British military planes dropped supplies everyday into West Berlin. Which kept West Berlin from falling under Stalin's control. -
Joseph McCarthy
Joseph McCarthy was a Wisconsin senator who claimed that he had 205 known communists on a piece of paper but was actually blank. He settled on 75 communists to reveal, McCarthy attacked democrats, celebrities and government officials. -
McCarthyism
McCarthyism was the false and inaccurate practice that was started by Joseph McCarthy which was carried through the 2nd red scare that caused false accusations which ruined the lives of many innocent people. -
North Korea invades South Korea
Stalin gives support to Kim ill- Sung to invade South Korea which results in a surprise attack from the North. The North takes the capital of Seoul and pushes Allied forces to the end of the peninsula, resulting in President Truman supporting the South. -
China enters the Korean War
As a result of the Allied forces and General MacArthur pushing North Korea to the Yalu River Mao Zedong unknowingly had forces across the river. Which pushes back the Allied forces back towards the 38th parallel. -
U.N and MacArthur aides South Korea and invades North Korea
General MacArthur is sent by the U.N to aide South Korea when he arrives he lands behind the Northern lines on the other side of the peninsula. He quickly pushes the North Korean forces out of the South, the allied troops push the Northern forces towards the Chinese boarder (Yalu River). -
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were an American couple who were convicted of espionage and executed because they gave atomic bomb secrets to the Soviets. It was reviled that Julius was an actual Soviet spy but Ethel was found innocent. -
Tv shows during the 1950's
Television during the 1950's was filled with many family orientated shows. Many of them were comedies that dealt with family, talk shows, gritty and light westerns and game shows. Throughout the era color tv had just introduced it's self and many shows began to change form black and white to color. -
Hydrogen Bomb
The H- bomb was created to one up the Soviets after they successfully detonated and atomic bomb. President Truman ordered the creation with the help of the polish mathematician Stanislaw Ulam and Edward Teller. It was named the Hydrogen bomb because it employed the fusion of hydrogen isotopes, this was the first scale thermonuclear test and the concept was one of the most dangerous bombs in the world. -
Korean War stalemate
The Korean War resulted in a stalemate because the North and South forces were unable to advance or retreat. Eisenhower negotiated a truce and cessation of hostilities but no peace treaty was ever signed which resulted in a stalemate for 2 years. -
Domino Theroy
The Domino Theory was found by President Dwight Eisenhower during a conference during the Vietnam War. He described it as held that a communist victory in one nation would quickly result in neighboring states falling to communism. It justified the support of non- communist South Vietnam fighting against the communist North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The Brown v. Board case was argued by Thurgood Marshall and overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896. The Brown v. Board case declared that " separate educational facilities are inherently unequal". This decision helped helped break state- sponsored segregation and help spark the American Civil Rights Movement. -
Emmett Till Tragedy
14 year old Emmett Till was an African American from Chicago who was visiting in Money Mississippi. While in a store he tried flirting with White lady which her husband and brother-in-law found out and were furious with him. In the early mourning of August 28 they took Emmett from his great uncles house and brought him to a lake carrying a cotton gin. Later they beat and murdered him for what he did. They pushed his body in the river and 3 days later his body was discovered. -
Little Rock 9
9 African American students enrolled in at Central High School which was an all white school. However on the first day of classes Governor Orval Faubus of Arkansas called in the National Guard the school from the students entering. This caught the attention of President Eisenhower which made him send federal troops to escort the 9 inside the school. This conflict was a key event in the Civil Rights Movement. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was passed by the House of Representatives which propelled many civil rights groups like the NAACP and the Eisenhower Administration. They passed this bill because of the rise of Communism which was a growing movement . If they would have kept segregation then Communism would have succeeded and Democracy would have fell. -
Eisenhower's Intervention
President Eisenhower signed an executive order to deploy federal troops in order to upheld federal law also because governor Orval Faubus opposed integration. Eisenhower sent 1,000 troops in order protect and escort the 9 through the Central High School blockade which was a success. -
NASA
NASA was created to inspire a new generation of American astronauts and scientists. It was quickly assembled to develop satellite technology to challenge the Soviets first orbiting satellite. -
Greensboro, North Carolina
In the early year of 1960 young African-American students non-violently protested at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter. They did this by sitting in the only white section in the restaurant which made the waiters not serve them. Many of them were abused and taunted by teens that didn't want them to sit there however many of the protesters were arrested for trespassing, disorderly conduct or disturbing the peace. This event left an impact which changed the segregation laws. -
Nashville, Tennessee
The Nashville sit-ins started 12 days after the Greensboro sit-ins, a group of local college students entered Kress, Woolworth's, and McClellan store's at 12:40 pm in Downtown Nashville. After the students bought items from the stores they sat at the lunch counters waiting to get severed. The store owner's refused to serve them and claiming that it was their "moral right", these sit-ins continued and spreaded to bus stations and major department stores. -
SNCC
The SNCC started after the sit-in protests, the committee recruited young black students to help push civil rights in a non-violent way. Theses students were fiercely independent from King's organization and had their own agenda. Their most famous involvement were the "Freedom Rides" designed to test a 1960 Supreme Court ruling that declared segregation in interstate travel facilities unconstitutional. They later became more militant and created the phrase "Black Power". -
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps was established by President Kennedy to " promote world peace and friendship" through 3 main goals. The first goal was to help the peoples of interested countries in meeting their trained men and woman. Second goal was to help promote a better understanding Americans on the part of the peoples served. The third goal was to help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of the Americans. -
Fallout Shelter
Fallout Shelter's were created and designed to protect people form radiation and gamma ray exposure during the 1950's and 60's. The FCDA educated suburban families on how to protect and use their fallout shelter in case of a nuclear attack. It helped eased peoples anxiety of an nuclear attack. The shelter was buried at least 3 feet underground and made up of metals and sand that protected against radiation. . -
Feminism
Feminism started ever since the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 and has kept a strong and empowering movement ever since. Feminism during the 60's and 70's were more forward and changed women's lives for the better. They were stuck at home doing house work and used to make and take care of children. The role changed as women became more empowered and confident to make a change for themselves. -
Birmingham March
The Birmingham March was lead by the SCLC and MLK which launched with a mass of sit-ins, and boycotts. King spoke to the black citizens of Birmingham about nonviolence and how it appealed to volunteers. They began marching to the county courthouse to register voters, however on the 10th the city government obtained a state court injunction against the protests. After much debate the leaders of the SCLC protested anyway which resulted in King and Abernathy getting arrested. -
MLK's Letter to Birmingham March
While MLK was arrested for his part in the Birmingham March he wrote a letter to respond to the criticism of his leadership and the SCLC on a religious point of view. He wrote the letter describing his and his peoples oppression and how he tried arguing on legal and political grounds. He used many persuasive techniques in his writing to capture the hearts and to justify the goals and reason of the Birmingham Campaign. -
March on Washington
The March on Washington was organized by a number of civil rights and religious groups. The march was created to call attention on the political and social challenges that African-Americans faced across the country. The key moment was when MLK gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. -
"I Have a Dream" speech
On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial MLK gave his "I Have a Dream" speech in front of 250,000 people. He talked about the political and social challenges and used his rhetorical talents he gained from being a preacher to connect and capture the hearts of the people. He used religious and historical examples that conveyed what points he was trying to make. -
Birmingham Bombing
At 10:22 am 200 church members were attending Sunday school classes at the Street Baptist Church before the 11 am service. The bomb detonated on the churches east side, the bricks started moving to the front and the walls started caving in. Most of the members evacuated but the bodies of 4 young girls Addie, Cynthia, Carole and Denise were found under rubble in a basement restroom. The aftermath lead to more violence and protest in Birmingham which resulted in more deaths. -
Freedom Rides
The Freedom Rides were a group of 13 recruited African- American and white civil rights activists who took a series of bus trips through the American South to protest segregation in interstate bus terminals. When the first bus arrived to Anniston they drove past the station and were fire bombed and beaten while the 2nd bus traveled to Birmingham with no police protection. Attorney general Kennedy sent 600 federal marshals to the city to stop the violence against the riders. -
Freedom Summer
Freedom Summer was a voter registration project in Mississippi which was sponsored by many civil rights organizations. It was comprised of 1,000 black citizens and more than 1,000 out of state, the project had mostly white volunteers that faced abuse and harassment from the majority white population. The Ku Klux Klan, police and state and local authorities carried out series of violent attacks against the project. As a result of that 3 civil rights activists went missing. -
Daisy Girl AD
The Daisy Girl AD sparked emotional and political controversy because it showed a young girl picking daisies in a field. later a mission sequence countdown started and ended with a nuclear blast. This commercial was to send a message about Barry Goldwater and why he wasn't a good president and what he would do if he was president. It changed American politics forever and helped Johnson win the election easily. -
Ho Chi Minh Trail
The trail was not one but a network of tunnels that ran along the Laos/ Cambodia and Vietnam borders. It was used to get North Vietnamese troops to the south undetected also was used as a supply route to transport weapons, food and equipment. The total length of the trail was 1,000 kilometer or 10,000,000 meters and consisted of many parts. In 1964 it was estimated that 12,000 North Vietnamese crossed into the South. -
Selma March
The march included protesters attempting to march from Selma to the state capital of Montgomery were met with violent resistance by state and local authorities. It was to focus its efforts to register black voters in the South King’s participation in it, greatly helped raise awareness of the difficulty faced by black voters in the South, and the need for a Voting Rights Act, passed later that year. -
Watts Riots
The black Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, racial tension reaches a breaking point after two white policemen scuffle with a black motorist suspected of drunken driving.A riot soon began, spurred on by residents of Watts who were embittered after years of economic and political isolation. This event made white supporters lose faith in the civil rights movement. -
Black Panther Movement
The Black Panther Party was created by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, its original purpose was to patrol African American neighborhoods to protect residents from acts of police brutality. Later they developed into a Marxist group that called for the arming of all African-Americans. They had a notorious reputation with guns and violence they had chapters in all 48 states and international support as well. -
My Lai Massacre
The My Lai Massacre was one of the most horrific incidents of violence that involved civilians. during the Vietnam war a company of American soldiers who brutally murdered the majority of the population of My Lai. It was believed that 500 people were killed including women, children and elders, high ranking Army officers managed to cover it up for a year. However in the 1970's 14 officers were convicted. -
Death of MLK
MLK was assassinated by a single shot in the the neck by James Earl Jones. The shot occurred at 200 feet from a nearby motel, MLK stayed in a hotel in Memphis, Tennessee when he walked out to a balcony and was shot which he later died from his wound to the neck with a Remington rifle. Jones fled from the cops but was later caught on June 8th at Hearthrow Airport. King's death sparked many riots in black communicates around the country. -
Native- American civil rights movement
Native Americans are citizens of their tribal nations as well as the United States, and those tribal nations are characterized under U.S. law as "domestic dependent nations", a special relationship that creates a particular tension between rights retained via tribal sovereignty and rights that individual Natives obtained as U.S. citizens. -
Stonewall Riot
The riots began with a police raid at the Stonewall Inn which was a a gay club located in New York on Christopher Street. The people and local sympathizers turned violent and began rioting against the police. The police had legal justification raiding the club because they were serving liquor without a licence and other violations. The riot lasted for several days which ended with the deployment of New York's riot police. -
Apollo 11
The Apollo 11 launch was the first ever rocket to reach and land on the moon. This event had one of the most significant events in the Space Race between United States and Soviet Union. The mission consisted of a 3 men crew and Armstrong famously said " That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” -
EPA
President Nixon created the EPA to protect human health and the environment by enforcing and creating regulations based on laws by Congress. It helped regulate the effects that domestic projects would have on the environment. -
Watergate
The Watergate scandal happened on the mourning of June 17 when several burglars were arrested inside the office of the DNC located in the Watergate building. The burglars had been caught wiretapping phones and steal secret documents, they were connected to President Nixon in order to have dirt o his opponents for reelection. Afterwards Nixon gathered up hush money for the burglars who were caught, Nixon tried to destroy and tamper with evidence and fired uncooperative workers. -
Title IX
This Amendment of Education of 1972 is named Title IX which protects people from discrimination based on sex in educational programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance. This benefited girls that played sports because they could be awarded a scholarship that boys received and had a girl team available. -
Roe v. Wade
This case was ruled unconstitutional a state law that banned abortions except to save the life of the mother. However this law violated her constitutional rights because she could not afford to travel out of state and had a right to terminate her pregnancy in a safe medical environment. The case made it to the Supreme Court and was controversial because the 1st, 9th and 14th Amendments were threatened. -
War Powers Resolution Act
The War Powers Resolution Act is the federal law that checks the presidents power to commit the Untied States Army to an armed conflict without the consent of the US. Congress. This act was passed over Nixon's veto and set limits for executive and congressional orders that dealt with the Army. -
Endangered Species Act
This act was passed by Congress to protect ecosystems and animals that are deemed endangered or threatened. This act helped saved much flora and fauna from being extinct because of the guidelines that this act enforces which makes it illegal to kill or pick a certain animal or plant that is endangered. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The amendment was proposed by the National Woman's political party in 1923 which was to provide for the legal equality of the sexes and prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex. While this amendment gained traction and was approved by the U.S. Senate it began to have backlash because of the feminist movement of the 1960's. -
VHS
The peak of the VHS's was during the in 80's and 90's, it was apart of the videotape format wars. The VHS was in 60% of the North American market but was later beaten by the DVD. -
Camp David Accords
The Camp David Accords was a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel under the Carter Administration. The accords were negotiated during 12 days of intense talks at President Jimmy Carter’s Camp David retreat in the Catoctin Mountains of Maryland. He wanted to make peace and achieve stability also recover of the Sinai. -
Three-Mile Island
Reactor number 2 had a meltdown on Three Mile island which was the most significant accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant history. The incident was rated a 5 on the International Nuclear Event Scale, the accident began with failures in the non-nuclear secondary system, followed by a stuck-open pilot-operated relief valve in the primary system. The aftermath of this event caused many families to leave their homes and evacuate the area. -
BET
It is the most prominent television network targeting African American audiences. It was started by Robert L. Johnson the network's lineup consisted of music videos and reruns of popular black sitcoms. -
MTV
MTV launched during the 80's which started a culture filled with new and influential music. MTV went on to revolutionize the music industry and become an influential source of pop culture and entertainment in the United States. The early years of MTV showed music videos and gained fame for many famous singers of its generation. -
Internet
The internet was most more popular in the 90's a computer programmer in Switzerland named Tim Berners-Lee introduced the World Wide Web: an Internet that was not simply a way to send files from one place to another but was itself a “web” of information that anyone on the Internet could retrieve. Berners-Lee created the Internet. -
SDI
The "Star Wars" was a technological program initiated under President Reagan on March 23, 1983. The purpose of this program was to develop a sophisticated anti-ballistic missile system in order to prevent missile attacks from other countries, specifically the Soviet Union. The reason it was called "Star Wars" is because the weapon was to be sent in space and use laser and other technological weapons to intercept incoming enemy missiles. -
Reagan Doctrine
The doctrine served as the foundation for the Reagan administration’s support of “freedom fighters” around the globe. His foreign policy comments with the dramatic pronouncement that, “Freedom is not the sole prerogative of a chosen few; it is the universal right of all God’s children.” America’s “mission” was to “nourish and defend freedom and democracy.” -
Oprah Winfrey
A huge success, her daytime television talk show turns Winfrey into one of the most powerful, wealthy people in show business and, arguably, the most influential woman in America.The Oprah Winfrey Show was broadcast nationally for the first time on September 8, 1986. It went on to become the highest-rated talk show in TV history. -
The Collapse of Communism
The reason Communism collapsed was because of Soviet Russia's economy was breaking down and the Cold War rendered them bankrupt. It also was because of the new rule under Mikhail Gorbachev which gave more freedom to its people and neighboring countries under communist control. This sparked many rebellions against Russia because of the starvation of its people and other countries. They were more focused on the Cold War rather than its peoples needs and government rule. -
Health Care Reform
Health care reform includes questions of a right to health care, access, fairness, sustainability, quality and amounts spent by government. The many systems cost to much for just one person which is why many people want one affordable and equal health care system. -
Don't ask don't tell Policy
The DADT policy was the official U.S. policy on military service by gays, bisexuals, and lesbians which the policy was under the Clinton Administration. The policy prohibited people who demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts. -
Contract with America
The Contract with America was a document released by the United States Republican Party during the 1994 Congressional election campaign. The Contract detailed the actions the Republicans promised to take if they became the majority party in the United States House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years. -
DOMA
The Act was a United States federal law that, prior to being ruled unconstitutional, defined marriage for federal purposes as the union of one man and one woman, and allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages granted under the laws of other states. -
Online Gaming
Online gamins started during the 60's but never got the widespread attention and availability until the 00's with Systems of computer terminals were created allowing users to operate the computer from a different room than where the computer was housed. Soon after, Modem links further expanded this range so that users did not have to be in the same building as the computer; terminals could connect to their host computers. -
Bush v. Gore
The case was the United States Supreme Court decision that resolved the dispute surrounding the 2000 presidential election. There had been multiple court decisions regarding the presidential election in Florida The issue is not, as the dissent puts it, whether "counting every legally cast vote can constitute irreparable harm." -
9/11 Attacks
On September 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. The aftermath was a devastating time in American history which left many people distraught. -
PATRIOT Act
its ten-letter abbreviation (USA PATRIOT) expanded, the full title is "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism. Opponents of the Act have been quite vocal in asserting that it was passed opportunistically after the September 11 attacks, believing that there would have been little debate. They view the Act as one that was hurried through the Senate with little change before it was passed. -
No child left behind Act
States are required to test students in reading and math in grades 3–8 and once in high school. All students are expected to meet or exceed state standards in reading and math. The major focus of No Child Left Behind is to close student achievement gaps by providing all children with a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education. -
The Great Recession
Following the bursting of the housing bubble in mid-2007, and the housing market correction and subprime mortgage crisis the following year, the United States entered a severe recession.The recovery after the 2009 trough was weak and both GDP and job growth erratic and uneven. A solid, strong pace of job growth was not seen until 2011. -
Undoing of DOMA
On September 15, 2009, three Democratic members of Congress, Jerrold Nadler of New York, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, and Jared Polis of Colorado, introduced legislation to repeal DOMA called the Respect for Marriage Act.Congressman Barney Frank and John Berry, head of the Office of Personnel Management, did not support that effort, stating that "the backbone is not there" in Congress. Frank and Berry suggested DOMA could be overturned more quickly through lawsuits.
