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G.I Bill
Designed to help service members and eligible veterans cover the costs associated with getting an education or training. It established hospitals, made low-interest mortgages available and granted covering tuition and expenses for veterans attending college or trade schools. From 1944 to 1949, nearly 9 million service members received close to four billion dollars total from the bill's unemployment compensation group. -
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The Cold War
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Truman Doctrine
President Truman promised to help any country facing a communist takeover politically, economically and with military assistance. -
Marshall Plan
This was a programme of economic aid offered by the United States to any European country. The plan was rejected outright by Stalin and any Eastern Bloc country considering accepting aid was reprimanded severely. Consequently the aid was only given to Western European countries. -
Little Richard
Little Richard helped define the early Rock and Roll era of the 1950's with his driving and vibrant sound. He won a contract in 1951 with RCA after playing at an Atlanta radio audition. Richard took a break from music and and entered Oak-wood College in Huntsville, Alabama where he received a B.A and was ordained a minister in the Seventh- Day Adventist Church. Richard did not return to rock until 1964. -
The Berlin Airlift
Western countries delivered much needed food and supplies to the city of Berlin though the air because all other routes were blocked by the Soviet Union -
The Fair Deal
Signed by President Harry Truman, this included national health insurance, public housing, civil rights legislation and federal aid to education. President Truman also advocated an increase in minimum wage, federal assistance to farmers and an extension to Social Security. -
Beat Generation
Also called "beats" or "beatniks" were artists, novelists and poets who rejected American materialism and culture. They also rejected home ownership, careers and marriage. The Beats laid a foundation for war protests in the later 1960's and they also borrowed slang from the black community. -
Television
By 1955, 75% of Americans had TV's in their homes, it was they way people were entertained. Politicians invoked the power of television with Richard Nixon and his "Checkers" speech and the Kennedy vs. Nixon debates. During this time period, television shows such as "I Love Lucy" and "Father Knows Best" were popular at this time. -
Rock and Roll
Originally African American rhythm and blues, it referred to a slang for sexual intercourse. Mostly listened to by teenagers which allowed rock and roll to grow but led to teens culturally rebelling against their parents . Ike Turner made the first rock and roll song "Rocket 88" -
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The 1950's
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The Korean War
The War began when some 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean army poured across the 38th parallel, this was the military action of the cold war. By July, American soldiers entered the war on the South Korean side. It was a war against international communism. The war came to an end in July 1953 with 5 million solders and civilians losing their lives. -
Ike Turner
Izear Luster Turner, a.k.a Ike Turner is a musician who was married to Tina Turner. He is one of the best known performers of the early 60's and 70's. In 1951, he joined a rhythm and blues group called The Kings of Rhythm which had a hit song called "Rocket 88". Soon after Ike became a talent scout and discovered Annie Mae Bullock also known as Tina Turner whom he later married. -
First Hydrogen Bomb Test
Detonated by the US in 1952 as part of Operation Ivy. It is more approximately 1,000 times more powerful than the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. -
Elvis Presley
Makes Rock and Roll and phenomenon but adopts rhythm and blues from African Americans and melds it with gospel and country. Elvis created his own sexually suggestive dance styles which offends millions of older Americans. -
Albert Sabin
Albert Sabin is a Polish- American medical researcher who developed the oral polio vaccine which has played a key role in destroying the polio disease. -
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Civil Rights
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Brown vs. Board of Education
Landmark for United States Supreme Court case in which the Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional. Brown vs Board was filed against the Topeka, Kansas school board by representative- plaintiff Oliver Brown. -
Bill Haley and the Comets
Bill Haley and the Comets were American singers and songwriters who were considered by some to be the father of Rock and Roll. The group signed with Decca Records and recorded "Rock Around the Clock" which was the first to make Roll and Roll popular. -
Dr. Jonas Salk
Invented the vaccine against Polio. In 1955 the results from testing the vaccine came back as safe and effective. Two years before the vaccine became available, the average number of polio cases in the U.S was more than 45,000 and by 1962 the number dropped to 910 due to the vaccine Salk created. Salk spent his last years searching for a vaccine against AIDS but died on June 23, 1995. -
Emmett Till Tragedy
14 year old Emmett Till was killed on August 28, 1955 by two white men after he took the dare to flirt with a young white woman four days earlier. The death of Emmett Till brought to light the brutality of Jim Crow segregation in the South and was an early impetus of the African American civil rights movement. -
The Vietnam War
Fought between communist North Vietnam and South Vietnam, The North was supported by communist countries such as the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union and the South was supported by anti-communist countries, primarily the United States. The war lasted for approximately twenty years and ended on April 30, 1975 -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
In Montgomery Alabama, after the Rosa Parks incident, African Americans refused to ride city buses in Montgomery to protest segregated seating. The U.S Supreme Court ultimately ordered Montgomery to integrate it's bus system. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
Enacted by President Eisenhower, it was meant to project African American voting rights across the country while whites int he south were heavily resisting black voting rights. -
Little Rock Nine
Nine African american students that wanted to attend a non-segregated school became known as the "Little Rock Nine", when the nine arrived to the school in Little Rock, Arkansas they received verbal threats and abuse from the students that attended the school. Hearing what happened, President Eisenhower ordered military troops to escort the students to school and to keep them safe. -
Race to Space/Moon
20th century competition between the United States and the Soviet Union for supremacy in spaceflight capability. This race was considered important because it showed which country had the best science, technology and economic system. When both countries announced that they would soon be launching satellites into space, the Soviets took the US announcement as a challenge and established a commission whose goals was to beat the United States in putting a satellite into space. -
Sputnik
Created and launched by the Soviet Union, Sputnik was the first satellite to be put into space. It was the first to go around Earth and was approximately the size of a basketball. -
Period: to
The 1960's
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Sit In's
Began in the late 1950's where the first occurred in Greensboro, North Carolina. Protesters went to white lunch counters and sat in seats only for whites and remained there and were denied service. Sin in's hurt businesses and brought Civil Rights to everyday lunch counters. -
OPEC
Controls much f the world's oil, places an oil embargo in U.S for supporting Israel, the embargo ends when President Richard Nixon convinces Israelis to give up some of their territory. Containing 13 nations, it was founded in Baghdad by the first five members which are Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Arabia and Venezuela. -
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The 1970"
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Peace Corps
Founded by President John F. Kennedy, the Peace Corps was used to help inspired young college graduates to work in poor countries. Since 1961, more than 180,000 American have joined the Peace Corps serving in more than 134 countries. -
Freedom Rides
Whites and blacks traveled on interstate buses together into the deep South and challenged southern resistance to SCOTUS cases. They wanted southerners to violently clash with them to force the government to do something.When the violence began, the riders were forced to flee when a bus was pelted and the tires were slashed, riders were beaten and buses were firebombed. -
New Frontier
The New Frontier was President Kennedy's way of making America great by wanting to raise the minimum wage, relieve overcrowding in school, cutting taxes for business from 90% and wanting to increase spending to alleviate a downturn but on top of all of this, Kennedy challenged the U.S to land a man on the moon. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
This event occurred when the Soviet Union began to install nuclear missiles in Cuba. The Unites States refused to allow this and after thirteen days days and many negotiations, the Soviet Union agreed to remove the missiles. These missiles were discovered after an American spy plane flying over Cuba captured pictures of long range missiles that could reach any point of the Unites States with nuclear warheads causing mass destruction. -
Feminism
Many white women split from Civil Rights to focus more on feminism. Women such as Helen Gurley and Betty Friedan encouraged women to focus on fighting for equal treatment, opportunity and pay but also to explore their sexuality. The movement tries changing the mentality instead of legislating female equality. -
Assassination of JFK
John Fitzgerald Kennedy who was the 35th president of the Unites States was assassinated while traveling though Dallas Texas by Lee Harvey Oswald. -
Lee Harvey Oswald
Former U.S Marine with communist sympathies who was accused of killing the 35th president of the United States, John F. Kennedy. While Oswald was in police custody, he was shot and killed by Jack Ruby. Initially, he got away from police but was found later hiding in a movie theater. -
Jack Ruby
Jack Ruby, also known as Jacob Rubenstein was a bar owner and had connections to organized crime. On this day, he assassinated Lee Harvey Oswald who is the killer of 35th president, John F. Kennedy. Ruby got his opportunity to kill Oswald when Oswald to taken to the basement of the Dallas police headquarters on his way to a more secure county jail. -
The Warren Commission
Created by President Lyndon B. Johnson, the Warren Commission was created to investigate the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Kennedy's enemies were on the commission and all came to the conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone when he assassinated Kennedy. Many people did not believe the findings of the commission. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
President Lyndon B. Johnson gets through this legislation despite much resistance, this act bans segregation in businesses and place open to the public and made it illegal not to hire based on race, religion or ethnicity. -
Daisy Girl Ad
Known as the "Daisy Girl Ad" or "Peace Little Girl" was a political advertisement that aired on television during the 1964 presidential election by president Lyndon B. Johnson. This ad is considered to be an important turning point in political and advertising history. -
The Great Society
Implemented by President Lyndon B. Johnson, the Great Society promised education, good standards of living and beautification also making this deal go farther than the New Deal. -
Selma March
Also known as Bloody Sunday, 600 marchers set out walking 50 miles to Montgomery for the right to vote. County police waited at the end of the Edmond Pettus Bridge in Selma with clubs and gas. When the marchers were ordered to go back, the protesters kneeled and prayed. White spectators cheered as blacks were beaten and tv cameras were there to display the violence that was taking place. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
After seeing what occurred during the Selma March, President Johnson announced the next day he would send a bill that gave equal voting rights to everyone. In August 1965, the act was signed into law and prohibits literacy tests, poll taxes and other discriminatory laws. -
Hippies
Hippies were about living the moment without inhibition. Composed mostly of teenagers and young adults, hippies inherited a tradition of cultural dissent from beatniks of the Beat Generation. Festivals such as Woodstock highlighted the popularity of hippies and musicians such as Bob Dylan, the Beatles and others transformed their music to match counterculture ideas. -
Equal Rights Amendments
Passed in 1972 by congress, goes to states for ratification and fails by 3 states in 1979. Proposed amendment to the UNITED States Constitution which was designed to guarantee equal right for all citizens regardless of gender. It seeks to end the legal distinctions between men and women in terms of property, employment, marital status and other matters. -
Watergate
Headquarters of the Democratic party, 5 of Nixon's "plumbers" stole campaign information and were caught by a security guard and arrested. Into the investigation, it came out that the white house paid the "plumbers" to keep quiet. During the time of the election of 1972, Nixon distances himself fro the Watergate Hotel. -
Phyllis Schlafly
Instrumental in defeating the Equal Rights Amendment, organizes movement in conservative women, conservative Illinois lawyer who received support from conservatives across the country, feared it would reduce the rights of wives and harm family life. -
Roe vs. Wade
Lawsuit in which a 1973 U.S Supreme Court ruling recognized abortion as a constitutional rights. Many states outlawed this and sometimes only allowed only for the life of the mother. Women protests for legalized abortion for years and SCOTUS rules outlawing abortion is unconstitutional. Provisions included that women can't be criminalized for abortion during the 1st trimester and still remains a controversial topic in today's society. -
Heritage Foundation
Promoted conservative policies such as free enterprises, limited government, individual freedom, values and strong national defense, it is a non-profit lobbying group -
Sam Walton's Just In Time Inventory
Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart created a chain of stores offering large varieties of products at low prices. He used the Just In Time Inventory method for his chain to get products to arrive at the store at the precise time in they are needed. Computers tracked the big orders which made things easier so there wasn't a need to large in house stock. -
Camp David Accords
Historic peace agreements signed by the leaders of Egypt and Israel, established a framework for peace between the two countries and established diplomatic relations between Egypt and Israel and opened the Suez Canal to Israeli ships. -
Three-Mile Island
A series of mechanical and human errors at Three Mile Island nuclear generating plant near Pennsylvania resulted in an accident that profoundly affected the utility industry. This led to a partial meltdown of the reactor core and the release of radioactive gases into the atmosphere. After this incident, many Americans were weary of nuclear power. -
Moral Majority
Founded by Jerry Falwell who was an evangelical preacher who believed in pro-life, pro-family, pro-American and pro- morality. Falwell and others such as Pat Robertson and Oral Roberts preached this new movement. They form conservative political bloc in the late 1970's and early 1980's. -
Iran Hostage Crisis
The United States supported Shah of Iran who was a major oil supplier and brutal dictator and anti-communist, 52 Americans were taken hostage from the American embassy in Tehran after the U.S gave amnesty to the Shah. Special forces were went to rescue the American hostages and were released on January 20, 1981 after spending 444 days in captivity. -
Soviet War in Afghanistan
Fought between Afghanistan rebels called the Mujaheddin and the Soviet supported Afghanistan government. The United States supported the Afghanistan rebels in order to overthrow the communist government and to prevent the spread of communism. The leaders of the Soviet Union became concerned that President Amin was having discussions with the United States and the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. -
Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson is the first black billionaire who founded the TV network BET which is short for Black Entertainment Television. He turned BET into one of the richest franchises in the cable industry with only $15,000 to start. It was the first company controlled by African Americans to sell shares on the New York Stock Exchange. -
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The 1980's
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Election of 1980
Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter both ran during the presidential election of 1980. Ronald Reagan who was the former governor of California and former actor during the 40's ad 50's testified before HUAC about communism and had the United Conservative Coalition behind him. Jimmy Carter was incumbent and was haunted by a bad economy. The Iran Hostage crisis brought down his popularity and Special forces mishap in the desert seals his defeat. Ronald Reagan won this election in November of 1980. -
Space Shuttle Program
Also called the Space Transportation System, it was the United States government's manned launch vehicle program from 1981 to 2011. The 1st space shuttle launched in 1981, Sally Ride was the First American woman in space and in 1986, the Challenger exploded -
Reaganomics
Reaganomics was created by President Ronald Reagan and was used to cut income and corporate taxes to spur the economy and create better jobs. This causes deep recession in 191 and 1982 and cause the value of the dollar to rise on the international exchange market making American goods more expensive abroad. -
Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor is the first female Supreme Court Justice. She was nominated by President Reagan. She is a moderate who sided with the conservatives of the court and sides with the liberal members later on. She retires in 2006 due to her husband's declining heath and battle against Alzheimer's. -
Strategic Defense Initiative
Also know as "Star Wars" the program first initiated under President Ronald Reagan. The program was created to develop a sophisticated anti-ballistic missile system in order to prevent missile attacks from other countries. This defense system was the United States' response to possible nuclear attacks from afar. -
Reagan Doctrine
The Reagan doctrine served as a foundation for the Reagan administration's support of "freedom fighters" around the globe. It supports guerilla group fighting communists, it is used to no longer contain communism but to get rid of it for good. -
Iran Contra Affair
Also known as the Iran-gate, arose due to the foreign policies of President Ronald Reagan and his administration regarding the change of government in the two countries of Iran and Nicaragua. People in Reagans' administration continued to illegally support the Contras and the administration got money by selling weapons to Iran to fight Iraq. Colonel Oliver North played a big role in covering up their actions. A plane that crashed revealed the weapons being sold which exposed what was going on. -
Challenger Explosion
The American shuttle orbiter, Challenger exploded mid-air just 73 seconds after liftoff. This tragedy brought a devastating end to the spacecraft's 10th mission. This event claimed the lives of seven astronauts that were aboard.It was discovered that the shuttle exploded due to the two rubber O-rings which are designed to separate the sections of the rocket booster failed to to extremely cold temperatures the morning of the launch. -
Oprah Winfrey
One of the richest women in the world, founded well known talk show about issues and trend of the day called "The Oprah Winfrey show" which ended in 2011. Oprah was also a supporter of Barack Obama during the 2008 Presidential election. <(date below is when the Oprah Winfrey show first aired)> -
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The 1990's
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Rodney King Incident
Rodney King was chased approximately 78 miles in his car by Los Angeles police. Once was he was caught he was severely beaten with the whole thing video taped by near by security camera. Riots began to take place and lasted for four days. Asian shops began to be looted by black and Latino residents because they were angry for Asians not hiring people of color. -
Internet
The internet starts on military bases in the 1960's to exchange data, in the 1980's supercomputers allow communication on college campuses. Tens of millions of people have internet in their homes by the late 1990's. -
Election of 1992
Bill Clinton and George H.W Bush compete in the presidential election of 1992. Bill Clinton who was the governor of Arkansas is understanding and charismatic white George H.W Bush is incumbent and popular for the Persian Gulf War. Bill Clinton wins 43% of the vote but some votes were taken away from Bush by Ross Perot who was a third party nominee. -
World Trade Center Attack
Terrorists exploded massive car bombs in the basement parking garage of the World Trade Center hoping to make the whole building collapse but instead only a six story hole was made in the ground. After a massive manhunt went underway, several Islamic fundamentalists were arrested days later after the incident. This incident was quickly forgotten. -
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy
President Bill Clinton announced the military's policy on gay service members. It allowed closeted members of the military to serve, while prohibiting those in the military who were openly gay to serve their country. In 2010, both the Senate and House of Representatives voted to repeal the policy making it officially end on September 20, 2011 after former President Barack Obama signed the legislation -
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
Launched by the United States, Canada and Mexico, it is the world's largest free trade area and ha brought economic growth and higher standards of living for all three countries. Its purpose if to remove trade barriers to the exchange of goods and services among the three countries. -
Contract with America
Contract with America was the conservative action of more than 300 Republican Congressional candidates who signed it. It was led by the Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. The Contract of America is rooted with three core principles which are accountability, responsibility and opportunity. Among proposals were tax cuts, measures to reduce crime and to provide middle class tax relief. -
The Lewinski Affair
President Bill Clinton has an affair with a white house intern who is Monica Lewinski. Special prosecutor got a hold of the affair from a Linda Tripp. Once the media gets a hold of the story Clinton denies the whole affair and testifies to Starr that he didn't do anything wrong. The House of Representatives impeach Clinton for lying under oath and obstruction of justice. The charges didn't get 2/3 of the vote required to remove Clinton and many Americans were tired of the lies and scandals. -
Defense of Marriage Act
Federal law enacted by former President Bill Clinton, it defines marriage between and man and a woman. State's don't have to accept gay marriages of other states. -
Election of 2000
The Presidential election of 2000 consisted of Al Gore and George W. Bush. Al Gore was president Bill Clinton's vice president, Gore is an environmentalist and wanted to save the government surplus for Social Security. George W. Bush was the governor of Texas and third party nominee Ralph Nadar who ran for the Independent/Green party who was a former consumer rights advocate and also an environmentalist. This election was one of the closest's elections in American history. -
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Contemporary Time
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Bush vs. Gore
Bush vs. Gore was between presidential candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore. Both candidates needing to win Florida to claim the presidency, polls closed with just 537 votes separating them. The closeness of the race merited to a recount of the votes under Florida law. The U.S supreme court immediately ordered the recounts to be halted the following day and founded that the recount ordered by Florida was invalid and the Supreme Court effectively named Bush the President of the United States. -
9/11 Attacks
19 al- Qaeda hijackers boarded 4 planes. Two of the planes hit the World Trade Center buildings and one hit the pentagon, the 4th place was supposed to hit the White House but the white house couldn't be found. Terrorists nose dive the planes into the buildings killing 2,973 people total. -
U.S Patriot Act
Signed into law by President George W. Bush, this act is designed to provide law enforcement agencies with hr ability and tools to prevent future terrorists attacks. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies allowed to conduct wide-sweeping searches and surveillance. Many people opposed this act because of executive overreach in power and because it invades personal privacy. -
No Child Left Behind Education Act
This act authorizes several federal education programs that are administered by the states. Under the law, states are required to test students in reading and math in grade third through eighth and once in high school. This act reports declining school scores across the country and revamps standards and linking federal funding to student performance on standardized tests. -
The Great Recession
In 2008, the economy went bust in the middle of the presidential campaign, falling home prices, poor lending habits by banks and risky investments led to massive foreclosures. The government was forced to bail out failing banks, brokerage houses and insurance companies. This is the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression. -
Election of 2008
The presidential election of 2008 was between Barack Obama and John McCain. Barack Obama was a first term senator from Illinois, he was against the war in Iraq and beat Hilary Clinton who also ran for president. John McCain was a former Vietnam War prisoner of war and was a former Navy pilot. Both candidates promised to end the Bush tax cuts and both promised to get the United States out of the war in Iraq. -
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
This act gave more money to unemployed people for a longer period of time,cut taxes for workers, students and the middle class, gave more money to Medicaid, gave money to improve roads and bridges around the United States and gave millions of dollars to various government agencies. This act was also used to spur the economic growth and to create and save existing jobs. -
First Hispanic SCOTUS judge - Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Sotomayor is the very first Latina Supreme Court Justice in United States history. She was appointed by former president Barack Obama and is the third woman to become an associate justice of the Supreme Court. -
Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
Former President Barack Obama gets passed reforms for private health insurance. This private health insurance company was called "Obamacare" and was intended to help poor people to be able to afford health insurance and requires everyone to have insurance or pay a fine. Many liberals were upset it's wasn't a single-payer system like they do in Europe.
