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Smith Act
Domestic:
Also Known as the alien Registration act of 1940, it made it illegal to advoate or be part of a group that advocated the violent overthrough of the government. It also made immigrants register with the government so that they and their "un-American ideas" could be monitered. It was a main act used in the prosecutions of communits and socialist during and after the war. It was repealed on September 1, 1948 and was abosorbed into the 1948 recodification without the conspiracy clause. -
Period: to
Truman
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WWII Ends
Foriegn:
It was an unconditional surrender by the Axis powers. Communism spreads across Eastern Europe -
Iron Curtain Speech
Domestic:
This Speech, "Sinews of Peace", made by the prime miniter of Great Britain in Fulton, Missouri. the irom curtain he refered to in his speech, was the line that fell on the boarder between soviet controlled countries in Eastern Europe and democratic countries of Western Europe. -
Communitst seize Poland
Foriegn: After Poland is shattered from WW2, it is reconstituted as a communist state. Poland falls under the "iron curtain" and is incorporated into the Easthern sphere of influence, and will last this way for 40 more years. -
Hollywood 10
Domestic:
The trial started in October 1947 and the conviction was November 24, 1947. In the rounding up of communists in the 1940s/50s, 10 famous screenwriters and directors were all accused and convicted of being communists. they were sent to jail and were banned for working any major Hollywood studios. -
Marshall Plan
Foreign:
An American initiative, to send aid to Europe after the destruction of WW2. Gave 13 billion in aid, which offered more than the Soviets did; which, was nothing. -
Algar Hiss Case
Domestic:
While working for the State Department, Algar Hiss was accused of being a communist by the House of Un-American Activities Committee. Their key witness, a confessed communist, whittiker chaimbers testified that His was a communist and had given him secrect documents. In 1950, Hiss was convicted of perjury and was sentenced to years in prison. -
N. Korea invades S. Korea
Foreign
New communist leader Kim il Sung unexpectedly invades democratic South Korea. This war was a symbol between the East and the West. -
Sputnik
Foreign:
The first artificial Earth satellite sent up by the Soviet Union. The United States needed to compete so they established NASA -
McCarran Act
Domestic:
Also known as the McCarran internal Security Act, Congress passed it over president Truman's veto. The first clause made it unlawful to advocate or support the creation of a totalitarian government. The second clause restricted the employment and travel of those joining Communist related organizations. the third clause allowed the creation of detention camps for subversives. -
Period: to
Eisenhower
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Execution of the Rosenbergs
Domestic:
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were accused of selling nuclear secrets to the Russian government. Since the United States was not at war with Russia publically, they could not be charged with treason. Their trial lasted nearly a month ending on April 4 and they were sentenced to death row on April 6. They were offered a ddeal, but refused it and were executed on June 19, 1953. -
U-2 incident
Foreign:
U-2 spy plane was shot down from Soviet airspace. Nikita Khrushchev denounces the U.S. -
Period: to
JFK
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Building of the Berlin Wall
Foreign
The Berlin Wall was built becuase the U.S. would not take its troops out of Berlin. This seperated East and West Berlin. -
Cuban Missle Crisis
13-day confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union over Soviet missiles in Cuba. Closest World came to full scale nuclear war. Soviets sent missiles to Cuba in response to the Bay of Pigs -
Period: to
Johnson
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Civil Rights Act
Domestic:
This act signed by president Johnson was very crutial for women and minorites. This act ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. this means that women and minorities were no longer barred from having any job. This also meant that minorities (African Americans) could go to any place resturaunt, theater, pool, or any other public place with whites. -
Period: to
Nixon
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26th Amendment
Domestic:
This amendment changed a portion of the 14th amendment which was created in 1868. This allowed for all citicens, eighteen and older, to vote in any state. This also meant that states could not deny voters because of age as long as they were in the legal requirement. -
Nixon in China
Foreign:
Nixon met with Mao Zedong. He tried establishing closer ties with communist China. -
Apollo 17
Domestic:
The crew made up of Commander Eugene Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt. They launched from Houston, Texas on Decmber 7, 1972 and returned on December 19,1972. This was the last manned mission that the Unted states had land on the moon. -
Period: to
Ford
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Period: to
Carter
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Reagan
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Attempted Assasination of Reagan
Domestic:
Outside the Hilton Hotel one moringin John Hinckey, Jr. atempted to kill president Reagan.He was ten feet away when he opened fire hitting Reagan in the left lung. after his two hour and forty minute surgery, he made a full recovey and contiuned as president. -
Period: to
Bush
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Fall of the Berlin Wall
Foreign:
The cold war began to thaw and the wall was taken down. Two years later would be the fall of the Soviet Union
