U.S. History Timeline: 1877 - 2008

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    Early American History

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    Civil War/Reconstruction

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    The Gilded Age

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    The Progressive Era

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    Imperialism

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    World War I

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    Roaring Twenties

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    Great Depression

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    World War II

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    Early Cold War

    Containment: The US (democratic) tried to prevent the spread of communism from the Soviet Union into the rest of the world.
    Arms Race/Space Race: During the Cold War, the US and the USSR competed for who had the largest weapons and who would send the first object into space.
    The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics: USSR/Communist Soviet Union
    Communism: form of government, classless society, gov. owns all production
    Domino Theory: the belief that communism would spread from one place to the next
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    United Nations Formed

    United Nations: China, France, Russia, UK, US, etc....
    The goal was to maintain peace and harmony in order to prevent another world war.
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    Truman Doctrine

    A US policy that gave military and economic aid to European countries threatened.
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    Berlin Airlift

    After the USSR blocked land access to West Berlin, planes flew over and delivered food and other supplies and necessities to the people.
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    Marshall Plan

    European Recovery Program designed to help rebuild European countries damaged in WW2.
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    NATO Established

    North Atlantic Treaty Organization: military alliance between 30 European countries and North American states stating that they are allies and if ONE ally is attacked, ALL allies are attacked and must defend one another.
  • Sweatt v. Painter

    Sweatt v. Painter
    Ruled the separate law school at the University of Texas failed to qualify as "separate bu equal"
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    Civil Rights Era

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    Korean War

    War between North (communist) and South (democratic) Korea which separated them at the 38th parallel line to this day.
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    Rosenberg Trials

    During the second Red Scare, a married couple, Julius and Ethel, were accused of being communist spies giving information to the USSR. Later, Julius was found guilty and both were sentenced to death by the chair.
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    22nd Amendment

    Limits presidential terms to two. Passed after FDR presidency
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    First H-Bomb detonated by the US

    Operation Ivy. First successful hydrogen bomb explosion.
  • Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka

    Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
    overturned Plessy v. Ferguson and mandated desegregation
  • Hernandez v. Texas

    Mexican Americans and all other races provided protection under the 14th Amendment
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    Vietnam War

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    Jonas Salk invents the Polio Vaccine

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    Montgomery Bus Boycott after Rosa Park's Arrest

  • Little Rock Nine integrated into an all-white school in Little Rock, AK

    Little Rock Nine integrated into an all-white school in Little Rock, AK
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    USSR Launches Sputnik

    During the Cold War, the US and the USSR competed for who would send the first man-made object into space. Since America was seen as a world power at the time, everyone was shocked when the USSR sent the first ever Sputnik satellite into space.
  • Bay of Pigs Invasion in Cuba

    Bay of Pigs Invasion in Cuba
  • Berlin Wall built to prevent people from leaving communist Easy Berlin

    Berlin Wall built to prevent people from leaving communist Easy Berlin
  • 24th Amendment

    24th Amendment
    Abolished the poll tax
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    Cuban Missile Crisis

    Communist Fidel Castro took power in Cuba. The "Bay of Pigs" invasion of Cuba by the US failed. The US found evidence of troops and missiles set in Cuba by USSR and issues a quarantine. The Soviet Union removes weapons from Cuba and the US removes missiles from Turkey.
  • Martin Luther King's "I have a Dream" Speech at the March in Washington

    Martin Luther King's "I have a Dream" Speech at the March in Washington
  • John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, TX

    John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, TX
  • Civil Rights Act

    Civil Rights Act
    Made discrimination based on race, religion, or national origin in public places illegal and required employers to hire on an equal opportunity basis
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    Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

    Congressional resolution giving the President authority to take whatever military action he wanted to in the Vietnam War.
  • Voting Rights Act

    Voting Rights Act
    Eliminated literacy tests for voters
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    Medicare and Medicaid

    President Lyndon B. Johnson signed legislation, establishing Medicare and Medicaid programs.
  • Martin Luther King is assassinated

    Martin Luther King is assassinated
  • Civil Rights Act

    Civil Rights Act
    Prohibited discrimination in the sale or rental of housing
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    Tet Offensive

    Attack led by Viet Cong and North Vietnamese communists against South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
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    Tinker vs. Des Moines

    A group of children got expelled from school for wearing black bands around their arms protesting against the Vietnam War. The Supreme Court ruled that it was their constitutional right according to the 1st Amendment and that they should return to school.
  • First Man on the Moon

    First Man on the Moon
  • Title X

    protects people from discrimination based on gender in education programs
  • Kent State University Shooting

    Kent State University Shooting
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    End of the Cold War

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    Pentagon Papers Leaked

    Daniel Ellsburg published a secret government study of US involvement in the Vietnam War.
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    26th Amendment

    President Nixon signed the 26th Amendment which lowered the election voting age to 18 years.
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    War Powers Act

    Law which limited the President's power to send American troops abroad.
  • Watergate Scandal leading to Resignation

    Watergate Scandal leading to Resignation
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    Fall of Saigon, End of Vietnam War

    The Vietcong and the People's Army of Vietnam captured Saigon, the capitol of South Vietnam.
  • Camp David Accords

    Camp David Accords
  • Three Mile Island Disaster

    Three Mile Island Disaster
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    Iran Hostage Crisis

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    Iran Contra Affair

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    1990s-21st Century