U.S. History: 1877-2008 By Seth Maksuta Period: 1776 to 1860 Early American History Period: 1860 to 1877 Civil war Reconstruction Period: 1877 to 1900 The Gilded Age Period: 1890 to 1900 The Progressive Era Period: 1898 to 1910 Imperialism Period: 1914 to 1918 World War 1 Period: 1920 to 1929 Roaring Twenties Period: 1929 to 1939 The Great Depression Period: 1939 to 1945 World War 2 Period: 1940 to 1950 HUAC Period: 1945 to 1960 Early Cold War 1947 Truman Doctrine Period: 1948 to 1949 Berlin Airlift Apr 3, 1948 Marshall Plan 1950 McCarthyism Period: 1950 to 1970 Civil Rights Era Period: 1950 to 1959 Beat Generation Period: Mar 6, 1951 to 1951 Rosenberg Trials Period: 1954 to 1976 Vietnam War Oct 4, 1957 Sputnik 1962 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis The USSR secretly helped Cuba, which didn't make the US happy. 1964 Gulf of Tonkin resolution 1965 Medicare and Medicaid established 1968 Tet Offense Feb 24, 1969 Tinker vs Des Moines Right to free speech in public schools 1970 Kent State University shooting Period: 1970 to 1991 End of The Cold War 1971 Pentagon Papers Leaked Mar 23, 1971 26th amendment This reduced the voting age from 21 to 18. 1973 War Powers Act 1974 Watergate Scandal, which leads to Nixon's Resignation. 1975 Fall of Saigon The end of the Vietnam war. 1978 Camp David Accords. 1979 Three Mile Island Disaster Period: 1979 to 1981 Iran Hostage Crisis Period: 1985 to 1987 Iran Contra Affair Period: 1990 to 2008 1990s-21st Century