-
GI Bill
The GI Bill, or the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, boosted financial benefits for WWII veterans, including paying tuition or giving loans. -
Little Boy
This was the first atomic bomb used for war. Dubbed "Little Boy" at 10 feet long and 2.3 feet wide, the bomb killed 80k people in the initial blast, and covered the surrounding area in radioactive fallout. -
Truman Doctrine
President Truman expressed the necessity to support and defend foreign democratic nations from the spread of communism and totalitarianism in turn to protect the values of the United States. -
Dr. Jonas Salk
In 1942, Dr. Salk had worked on an influenza vaccine. In 1947, he began work on the polio vaccine. He concocted a prototype by 1953, and national testing began 1954. In 1955, the vaccine was declared safe and was available for use. Dr. Salk's last project was against AIDS. -
Marshall Plan
President Truman signed the Marshall Plan proposed by George C. Marshall to deter Europeans from communistic sympathies, or other threats to capitalism, by giving economic support (about $13 billion). -
Fair Deal
President Truman announced a so-called Fair Deal that built on the New Deal and focused on nationwide healthcare, raising minimum wage, and improving public interests and rights such as housing, education, and communications. Truman was able to raise minimum wage and ban segregation in the military, but didn't meet much success due to Cold War interruptions. -
Rock 'n' Roll
R&R was inspired by African music, and popularized by TV, movies, and white adaptions of black R&R like Bill Haley's "Rocket 88". The sexual connotation in the name interested teenagers and gave more cause to listen to the race music to defy parents in their rebellion years. -
Period: to
Korean War (The Forgotten War)
Communist North Korea invades democratic South Korea, and the US intervenes, determining it to be a communistic threat to the world. The outcomes are 5 million deaths and a two-mile demilitarized zone drawn near the 38th parallel. -
TV Shows
In the 1950's, TV shows commonly portrayed American ideals of nuclear families, traditional gender roles, and living, such as in "I Love Lucy" (1951), "Leave It To Beaver" (1957), and "Father Knows Best" (1954). -
Polio Vaccine
In the early 1950's, polio had a spike in cases and deaths to the tens of thousands, so researchers searched for a cure. In 1953, the vaccine was developed, and cases were minimal by 1964. -
Brown v Board of Education
This monumental court case from Topeka, Kansas ruled segregation unconstitutional in public schools. It rejected the Plessy v Ferguson ruling of "separate but equal", and helped the civil rights movement get started. -
Television
In the 1950's, television sets began to populate throughout American homes. By 1955, 75% of homes had a black and white TV. They were used to entertain, spread ideals, and broadcast news, which politicians, such as Kennedy and Nixon, took advantage of. -
Little Richard
He's an influential black musician for R&R, hip hop, and R&B. His songs "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally" were two of his successes. -
Period: to
Vietnam War
After Southern and Northern Vietnam started a power struggle, America's fear of communism and the Truman Doctrine prompted Eisenhower to intervene. During the war, the US army released weapons such as Napalm and Agent Orange, faced growing internal reluctance for war which lead to fragging and college teach-ins, and the creation of the War Powers Act which limited executive war powers, forcing the army to leave Vietnam before a conclusion was reached (March 29, 1973). -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The boycott started off small, when Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man. After she was arrested, blacks all over Montgomery decided to boycott the buses, and because the majority of their customers were black, they had no choice but to give in after a little over a year. -
Elvis Presley
His debut R&R song in 1956 with "Heartbreak Hotel" wasn't followed up until 1960, where he begun to rise in fame. Known as "Elvis the Pelvis" and the "King of Rock", some people believe he created R&R. Although false (it came from African-Americans), he was a key figure in getting R&R popular with his sexual style. -
Little Rock 9
Three years after Brown v Board, nine black students were put into Arkansas' Central High School as an attempt to integrate. The students were followed by a white conservative mob on their first day, and had to be escorted every day by federal troops that Eisenhower sent. Most of them stuck through the integration, and went on to live successful lives. -
Beat Generation
This movement represented the early hippies, rejecting materialism and embracing literary freedom and exploring drugs and sex. Beatniks were the negative aspects of the movement, the way the media publicized them. Howl, by Allen Ginsberg, passed a court case and allowed additional obscene books to be published, bringing fame to the movement. -
Sputnik
This beach-ball sized Soviet invention was the first satellite to be launched into orbit, and sparked tension with Americans, which lead to the space race. -
NASA
In response to the Soviet's Sputnik, President Eisenhower prompts the creation of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) to bolster America's efforts in the space race. -
Counterculture
The counterculture followed the beat generation. It was spurred on by rock music, with bands such as the Beatles and the Woodstock festival. It opened doors for new lifestyles and experimenting again with drugs like LSD or Heroin. -
Hippies
Hippies were all about peace and living freely, taking drugs and challenging the norm. They wore long hair, bell-bottoms, and tie-dye to express themselves, and cared about the environment. They were anti-war, and opposed the Vietnam War. -
LSD
LSD was created in 1938, but didn't become popularized until the 1960's when the counterculture as well as some misled individuals promoted the use. It remained available until 1967 when it was banned. -
Chicano Mural Movement
Mexican-Americans began a cultural movement in the Southwest in the 1960's. Murals were painted on buildings and contained Mexican-American slogans and features. -
Sit-Ins
Sit-ins were part of the civil rights non-violence protests, and involved taking up seats or spaces where they would be noticed, in efforts to spur integration. The trend started in Greensboro, North Carolina at lunch counters. They were effective in some cases, but the participants were usually harassed to no end. -
Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
For the civil rights movement, it was tricky business for adults with jobs to participate, since they had more to lose. Instead, students and young people made up the backbone of the protests. They formed the SNCC, and dedicated themselves to sit-ins, freedom rides, and other forms of non-violent protests. -
Peace Corps
President Kennedy created the Peace Corps to carry out voluntary humanitarian activities in poorer nations. It's intended to educate Americans on other countries and cultures, and promotes world peace. -
Lee Harvey Oswald
The supposed only killer in the JFK assassination was Lee Harvey Oswald, but there are conspiracies that accuse LBJ or the CIA ordering the assassination. Oswald was captured, but was killed by Jack Ruby, a nightclub owner, before he could get transferred to the appropriate facility. -
JFK Assassination
While JFK was in Dallas, Texas for a PR appearance, he died from a bullet through the neck and head. Governor John Connally was also hit in the chest, but survived. His blood and brains were splattered on his wife, and he died a few hours later in a hospital. -
The Great Society
LBJ's presidency was highly liberal, and his goals of reform for poverty, education, elderly healthcare, housing, and beautification were grouped under the name of the Great Society. -
Freedom Summer - The Missing 3
Mississippi's Freedom Summer kicked off with the abduction and murder of three civil rights workers, two white and one black. After an investigation by the FBI and local officials, the bodies were found two months later. The deaths sparked outrage, and the state court didn't punish the perpetrators. These circumstances helped pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act is a powerful force that stops discrimination based on race, skin color, religion, sex, or nationality. This is the culmination of the civil rights movement, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 soon passed as well. -
Daisy Girl Ad
LBJ launched the Daisy Girl Ad to destroy Goldwater in the 1964 elections. The ad itself consisted of a little girl counting daisy petals while the threat of nuclear bombing grew imminent. -
Warren Commission
LBJ organized a commission led by Chief Justice Earl Warren to investigate the details on JFK's assassination. The commission declared there was no conspiracy, and that Oswald was the only killer; however, people didn't believe it and controversy continued. -
Agent Orange and Napalm
These two chemical weapons were used in the Vietnam war. Napalm aided in burning forests and villages, causing fires to burn longer and hotter. Agent Orange was used for disintegrating forests, but had tragic consequences such as cancer, skin disease, and worse on all people who came in contact with it. -
Anti-War Movement
As the first war to be viewed en-masse by the US population through TV, civilians were shocked and dismayed by each mistake and lie. The My Lai Massacre, Tet Offensive, and LBJ's misleading claims roused the opposition, and the counterculture, hippies, and college students were the main anti-war groups. -
Tet Offensive (Turning Point)
The Viet Cong planned a surprise assault on Lunar New Year on more than 100 cities to shock the Southern Vietnamese and US army. The reason it was so effective laid with the anti-war sentiment it garnered from the US homefront. -
MLK Assassination
While at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, MLK Jr. was shot to death by James Earl Ray. His death incensed the civil rights movement, but without their leader, the movement fell apart and violent rioting would soon end it. -
Stonewall Riots
The Stonewall Riots were the backlash from the LGBT community after police raided the gay club known as Stonewall Inn. Resentment had been building against police, but Stonewall sparked the violence. -
Apollo 11
Neil Armstrong becomes the first human to step onto the Moon, along with pilot Buzz Aldrin and the lunar module, Eagle. This day marks a prided victory of the Americans in the Space Race against the Soviets. -
The Silent Majoity
The term was first coined by President Nixon in his speech where he asked for the support of a "great silent majority". The silent majority was the group of people that Nixon thought supported his policies, but didn't speak up, allowing the anti-war minority to proliferate. -
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Due to increasing concern for the environment, President Nixon created the EPA to enforce environmental protection. Opposers are businesses who are held down by the policies, like the coal industry. -
Watergate
In a lasting scandal, Nixon was alleged to be in charge of a plot to wiretap phones and smuggle away secrets. Nixon tried to suppress investigations, and resigned later in August 1974. The next president, Gerald Ford, alienated Americans even more by pardoning Nixon. -
Title IX
Title IX was a breakthrough for gender equality. It asserted that people couldn't be refused benefits, participation in, or be discriminated against in Federally funded activities based on sex. It was used to defend gender equality in sports, like in the addition of women's sports in the Olympics. -
Roe v Wade
This court case focused on the issue of abortion. The court decided that women's 14th amendment right to privacy allowed her to have an abortion, but that it had to protect potential life, so they limited to abortion in the first trimester. -
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
The organization was founded by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. Its purpose is to regulate oil prices between member countries to promote efficiency. In 1973, OPEC pushed an embargo onto the US for supporting their enemies, the Israelis. The embargo created a gas shortage, leading a strained Nixon to launch Project Independence. -
Endangered Species Act
The act protects species in danger of going extinct. There are penalties for attacking an endangered species, including fines and imprisonment. -
Three Mile Island
Three Mile Island was a nuclear unit that melted a bit, and caused panic over future meltdowns. The melt didn't cause much damage, but it lead to the creation of a series of protective changes. -
Discount Retailing
Discount retailing involves selling products at enticingly lower prices, such as in Walmart. They were made popular in the 80's, but existed before then. They attracted customers and made stores more competitive than ever. -
Black Entertainment Television (BET)
BET was started by Robert Johnson. It was the first of its kind in marketing almost exclusively to young black Americans, providing black culture and entertainment through cable. It was later turned into a satellite channel after being sold to Viacom in 2001. -
Election of 1980
It was Reagan vs. Carter, and Reagan won with a huge disparity in the electoral college with 489 to 44. The people were looking for someone who could correct the downhill trend of the economy and inspire hope, and Reagan matched them with his speeches and temporary economic growth. -
Reagonomics
Reagan's policy towards reforming the economy was called Reaganomics. It's methods were called trickle-down economics and involved reducing taxes and more laisse-faire. The plan had negative initial effects and created unfavorable federal debt, but proved successful for citizens after a few years. -
Music Television (MTV)
MTV was one of the TV cable channels owned by Viacom Media Networks, and allowed music artists and video jockeys (VJs) to proliferate and rise in popularity, such as Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Prince. -
Sandra Day O’Connor
In an attempt to cultivate good will between himself and minorities and women, Reagan nominated O'Connor to be an Associate Justice of the SCOTUS, and the first female Justice. -
Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
In a surprising turn-around for gender equality, the ERA failed in 1982 even after a deadline extension. The ERA needed 3/4ths of states to be approved, but only reached 35. Opponents to the ERA used the fact that women would have to be drafted into the military and interfere with traditional family lives to gain female disapproval. -
Phyllis Schlafly
She was a leader of the ERA opposition, and based her arguments on the traditional aspects that women would lose from ERA. She argued that women might have to be drafted into the military, lose child custody support, and lose privileges in rape allegations and bathrooms. -
Just-in-Time (JIT) Inventory
Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, helped spread the JIT technique of pre-ordering inventory in a way such that it arrived just as it was needed to restock shelves. It tracked purchases and had to accurately predict at what rate products would run out. It saves money by not having to house a large inventory, but can run into shortages during natural disasters. -
Iran-Contra Affair
The affair stemmed from the Iran Hostage Crisis, where they demanded US weapons for the hostages. Reagan accepted their offer and traded weapons illegally, but Iran kidnapped more people, which negated any good feeling from the US. -
Challenger Explosion
In a brave attempt to launch seven astronauts into space, the Challenger displayed a majestic lift-off for the first 73 seconds... Following that shows the hair-raising destruction of the shuttle on live TV. After it exploded, NASA temporarily stopped shuttle missions. -
Oprah Winfrey
Winfrey was able to establish her talk show as the highest-rated talk show in America, eventually becoming the first female black billionaire in 2003. Her show was a hit, and it changed pop culture with interviews, philanthropic forays, and educational platforms. -
AIDS
Through the late 1970's to 80's, AIDS became known in the US first by gay men, and started spreading to more people. Scientists rushed trying to create cures, as it had about a 50% fatality rate among cases. The first effective drug was created in 1987; however, there is no permanent vaccine. -
Rodney King Incident
Rodney King was a taxi driver caught by police in a high speed car chase before he was taken from his car and beaten. Everything was recorded and publicized by George Holiday, leading to rising public concerns of police brutality. Riots ensued when four of the police were acquitted. -
The Internet and the WWW
With the creation of computers came the desire to connect between networks. After years of development, Tim Berbers-Lee was able to create the World Wide Web, with the ability to connect worldwide without needing to use the same computer. -
Election of 1992
This election had three main candidates: Democratic Bill Clinton, Republican George Bush, and Independent Ross Perot. Clinton promised to cut taxes, offer nationwide healthcare, better education, and stimulate the economy. His promises let him boast a landslide victory in both the popular vote and electoral college. -
Health Care Reform
True to his word, President Clinton began work on securing healthcare for Americans only five days after his inauguration. With help from Hillary and his cabinet, the reform had begun. However, it experienced delays and alarm over expenses, and failed with the Health Security Act. -
World Trade Center Attack
A group of Al-Qaeda terrorists parked a van carrying a large bomb beneath the north tower of the WTC. It was meant to collapse the tower into the south tower, but only killed 6 with 1000 injuries. The group was contained except for one, who fled to Iraq. -
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
The agreement was a foundation for economic prosperity. The US, Canada, and Mexico agreed to eliminate tariffs between each other, and about $20 trillion in products were exchanged. -
Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
Signed into law by President Bill Clinton, DOMA prohibited the government from recognizing same-sex marriages. Even if they were allowed to marry, they didn't get the same benefits as in heterosexual marriages. Later, the act was deemed unconstitutional. -
Lewinsky Affair
President Clinton had sexual affair allegations tied to his name. During his presidency, he was proven to have had an affair with 22 year-old Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern at the time. Clinton denied having anything to do with it, and was impeached for giving false testimony, feeding American doubts of the government. -
Robert Johnson
He became the 1st black billionaire when he sold his successful Black Entertainment Television (BET) to Viacom. -
Bush v Gore
In one of the closest elections in the US, SCOTUS declares Bush the victor 5-4 after deliberation over the recount of Florida's votes. The counting was controversial because they couldn't agree on how to count each vote, but in the end, Gore won popular vote while Bush won the electoral college. -
9/11
In another terrorist attack by the al-Qaeda, four suicide plane hijackers crashed into the WTC twin towers with their passengers, causing 3000 deaths, 6000 injuries, ten billion in damages, and a lasting hatred for terrorism in the US. The tragedy resulted in American forces heading into Iraq and Afghanistan to battle the terrorist bases. -
USA PATRIOT Act
This amazing acronym stands for "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism" has a simple purpose. It was a response to the terrorist acts on the WTC, made to prevent future attempts by increasing federal control on information acquisition. -
No Child Left Behind Education Act
President Bush released this new reform on education, which focused on giving funding to poor districts, keeping students on par with each other, and requiring standardized testing much more frequently. Educators were concerned over not meeting requirements, but kept on nonetheless, though some did refuse to raise their standards. -
Election of 2008
The 56th US election was between Democratic Barack Obama and Republican John McCain. The result was Obama garnering 53% of the popular vote and 365 of the electoral college votes, giving him the title of America's first black president. Fun Fact: 136.6 million Americans voted in the election, the highest since 1908. -
Housing Bubble
In 2002, a recession hit. Taxes were lowered, and housing prices had doubled by 2006. The real estate field prospered and proliferated, but when the housing bubble popped in 2008, homeowners scrabbled for security. -
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
This was President Obama's response to the Great Recession in 2007. It focused on creating and maintaining new jobs and tax relief programs, but sparked debate over whether the cost of its private spending outweighed public spending. Nevertheless, it was a success. -
Sonya Sotomayor
Sotomayor is known for being the first Hispanic and third female justice of the SCOTUS, nominated by President Obama. She graduated from Yale Law School and rose in the ranks to earn her spot on the SCOTUS. -
Affordable Care Act (ACA) / Obamacare
The ACA's primary goals were to make nationwide health insurance affordable, expand Medicaid, and support the delivery of medical care. Coverage expanded and healthcare costs were successfully reduced, and American life expectancy was increased. -
Undoing DOMA
Clinton's DOMA was shot down during Obama's presidency after the SCOTUS ruling of US v Windsor. Windsor won the case, proving the third section of DOMA to be unconstitutional, allowing the government to recognize same-sex marriages.
