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*Story Event* Society for Human Rights
This is the first documented organization in support of gay rights. The founder was a soldier in World War I, and came in contact with a German gay rights group. The group was persecuted by police and was not able to sustain its work. -
National Origins Formula
The US creates a quota system to determine who is eligible to immigrate to the US. The quota is limited to 150,000 per year and bars all Asian immigration. -
Stock market crash
A gigantic market crash now refered to as black tuesday that left the whole world in a depression. -
National Recovery Act
As part of the Depression, this act prevented more than one family member from holding a government job. The effect was that many women lost their jobs. -
Roosevelt Elected
During the Great Depression, Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt beat the incumbent Herbert Hoover. This ended the domination of the Republicans and ushered in the Progressive Era. -
Civilian Conservation Corps Founded
In order to provide work for the many unemployed, FDR's New Deal included jobs relating to conservation. Over 3 million participated, and the program was very popular. It ended in 1942. -
Equal Nationality Act
The law allowed children born in other countries to American mothers and alien fathers to become citizens. It also made the naturalization process easier for spouses. -
Social Security Act
The Social Security, signed by FDR, established benefits for older workers, victims of work-related accidents, unemployment, and support for dependents and people with handicaps. The Act is still in place, and is considered to be one of the most effective and popular programs. -
FDR Court Packing Scandal
FDR planned to increase the Supreme Court to up to 15 judges. His critics felt that he was trying to create a court that would be more neutral or supportive to his New Deal policies. -
Formation of HUAC
The House of Un-American Activities Committee was founded in 1938 in order to investigate communist activities in the US. The Committee gained power in 1947 during the cold war, and conducted "witch hunts." This era is also described as the Red Scare and McCarthyism. -
Fair Labor Standard Act
The minimum wage is established and is the same for both men and women. -
Germany Break Munich Pact
The Munich Agreement allowed Nazi Germany to annex parts of Czechoslovakia where German speakers lived. The agreement was signed by Germany, France, UK, and Italy. The agreement was meant to curtail military invasion by the Nazis. Hitler broke the terms and invaded Czechoslovakia, which led to the start of WWII in 1940. -
Alien Registration Act
The US requires all aliens living in the US to register and be fingerprinted if they are over the age of 14. -
Battle of Britain
From July through October, the Royal Air Force defended the United Kingdom against the German Air Force. This is the first major battle fought in the air. This was also the first major defeat of the Nazis. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The Japanese Navy bombed the U.S. naval base in Hawaii, in a surprise attack. This led to the U.S. decision to enter WWII. 2,403 Americans were killed. -
Braceros Program
Millions of guest workers from Mexico were allowed into the US to help with the labor shortage caused by WWII. -
Operation Overlord/D-Day
Allied forces led the successful invasion of German-occupied Normandy. This was the largest water-based attack in history. Many consider this successful attack the beginning of the end of WWII. -
Nuclear Bombing
The US dropped two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Japan). President Truman wanted to avoid invading Japan, and thought the bombs would speed the end of the war. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed. -
War Brides Act
Foreign born wives of US citizen soldiers were allowed to immigrate to the US. This was extended to include fiancees as well. -
FDR Dies
The first and only president who served more than two terms, FDR died in office. Harry Truman took over the presidency. FDR led the country through both the Great Depression and WW II. -
United Nations Founded
To replace the League of Nations, the United Nations was founded after World War II in order to prevent such an event from occurring in the future. -
The Truman Doctrine
President Truman set forth that the US would assist all democratic countries being threatened by authoritarian forces. This was a major shift in US foreign policy, with the US now intervening in foreign conflicts. -
Berlin Airlift
This was the first big crisis of the Cold War. As many nations occupied Germany in post-WWII, the Soviets blocked the Allies access to parts of Berlin. The Allies started organizing air drops of supplies. The Soviets ultimately lifted the blockade in 1949. -
*Story Event* Kinsey Report
Alfred Kinsey conducted research on sexual behavior and his research revealed that homosexual behavior is far more widespread that the public perceived. -
Displaced Persons Act
People who had been displaced by WWII were allowed to started immigrating to the US. 200,000 people from Eurpore and 17,000 orphans were allowed to come to the US. -
*Story Event* Founding of the Mattachine Society
The Mattachine Society was one of the first LBGT organizations in the U.S. At the time, homosexuals were largely considered to be subversive by mainstream culture. The group took its name from medieval troupes of men who traveled from village to village supporting social justice through their ballads and performances. The group advocated for the formation of a gay cultural and political movement. -
Korean War Starts
This war was between North and South Korea, with North Korea invading. North Korea was supported by China and the Soviet Union. The US assisted South Korea. Fighting ended on July 27, 1953, creating a demilitarized zone. -
Rosenberg Trials
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were tried, convicted and executed as spies for the Soviet union. They were accused of sharing the US nuclear weapons information with the Soviet Union. The two were impacted by Cold War paranoia, and the trial is considered to have multiple improper procedures. -
*Story Event* Psychiatric Association Lists Homosexuality as Sociopathic
The American Psychiatric Association published its first edition of Diagnostic and Statistic Manual, widely used to diagnose people with mental health conditions, in 1952. In it, it described homosexuality as a sociopathic personality disturbance, and in a later edition, as a form of sexual deviation. The manual removed homosexuality as a diagnosed mental illness in 1973. -
*Story Event* President Eisenhower Bans Homosexuals
President Eisenhower issued an Executive Order banning anyone engaged in "sexual perversion" from federal employment. Many were impacted by this, and several committed suicide. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
The Supreme Court declared that state laws that allowed for separate public schools for black and white students were not constitutional. This was an important step in the civil rights movement. -
Operation Wetback
Thousands of undocumented Mexican workers were forced to leave the US. There were questions about the ethics of the program, as people complained of being harassed for "looking" Mexican and for using police state methods. -
*Story Event* Daughters of Bilitis
The Daughters of Bilitis is the first known lesbian rights organization, founded in San Francisco. -
Vietnam War Starts
All of Vietnam wanted Ho Chi Minh to lead all of Vietnam, while the US wanted Diem to be the president of South Vietnam. The US sent in troops to make sure he wasn't overthrown by communist forces. -
Sputnik
The Soviets launched the first artificial Earth satellite into space. This came as a surprise to the US, and started the Space Race. -
Cuban Adjustment Act
Cubans fleeing Cuba after the Cuban revolution were largely middle and upper class families. They were granted permanent resident status after being in the US for one year. -
Greensboro Sit Ins
In Greensboro, North Carolina, a series of non-violent sit ins at lunch counters helped to highlight the ongoing segregation in many states. These sit ins spread across the South and helped the movement to gain momentum. -
Freedom Rides
Civil rights activists protested racial segregation in transportation and accomodations. The riders rode in mixed race buses, to challenge Southern norms. The riders faced violent responses, forcing many Americans to face the continued segregation and discrimination and building more support for civil rights. -
Berlin Wall
After WWII, Germany was divided between the US, UK, France and the Soviet Union. As tensions between the Soviets and the Allies increased, a wall was constructed in Eastern Germany, which became a communist country, while WEst Germany was capitalist. The Soviets wanted to prevent the outflow of people to West Germany. -
*Story Event* Illinois Decriminalizes Homosexual Activity
Illinois became the first state in the U.S. to decriminalize homosexual acts between two consenting adults in private. Prior to that ruling, sodomy laws would have prohibited such activities. -
Migration and Refugee Assistance Act
The federal government started to provide support to non-profits assisting immigrants and refugees. As refugees flowed in from Cuba, the federal government played a bigger role in supporting the financial needs. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The US and Soviet Union were in a conflict because the US had missiles in Italy and Turkey and the Soviets had missiles in Cuba. After a tense 13 days, where the war seemed probable, both sides withdrew missiles. The US also agreed to not invade Cuba. -
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights leaders led a march on Washington, D.C. to create awareness for the civil and economics rights of black people. During this march, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered the now-famous "I Have a Dream" speech. This march was one of the largest political marches in history. -
Bombing of Birmingham Church Kills 4
Racial tensions flare and white supremacists bomb a black church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four young girls and injuring an additional fourteen members. This unfortunate event led to more widespread support for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Interestingly, the Ku Klux Klansman who bombed the church were not prosecuted until 1977. -
Assassination of JFK
President John F Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested, and later fatally shot. Vice President Johnson became president. -
End of Braceros Program
The government ended the Braceros program, which allowed for short-term agricultural workers to enter the US and was important during WWII. Once it ended, many braceros continued to cross the border and this fueled the rise in undocumented workers. -
Murder of Goodman, Chaney and Schwerner
The Ku Klux Klan ambushed the three because of their involvement in helping blacks to achieve the right to vote. The men were shot and killed. This represents the dangers for black people in exercising their right to vote as well as in organizing people. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
President Johnson was authorized to do whatever was necessary to stop the spread of communism in North Vietnam. -
Hart Cellar Act
Lyndon Johnson responded to calls for immigration reform. Prior quota systems favored immigrants from Western Europe. The new law allowed for immigration from a broader range of countries. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
The US sustained ongoing bombing of North Vietnam for over 3 years. This was the most intense air battle in the Cold War period. -
Malcom X assassinated
Malcom X was a Muslim and human rights activist. He was
as a young man, a member of the Nation of Islam, which grew immensely with his public influence. However, he later renounced it to emphasize Pan-Africanism and black self-determination. -
Black Panther Group Establishes itself
A group of blacks that vowed to protect other blacks from hatecrimes and race based harrasment. ALso worked hard to get higher in the soicioeconomic ladder. -
Loving vs Virginia court case
AN interatial marriage was deemed illegal in virgina by state laws but these restrictions against interacial marriage were declared unconstetuinal by the supreme court although the stigma surrounding it would stick with it for years to come -
Minneapolis Race Riots
Racial tensions even in Minneapolis are high as primarily black rioters vandalize and participate in confrontations against racial injustice. -
Riots in Detroit
Blacks are confronted by the police during a peaceful protest in Detroit, Michigan, adding to racial tensions between whites and blacks. Blacks were protesting police brutality and lack of opportunities. -
Tet Offensive
This was the largest military campaign of the Vietnam War, with the North Vietnamese and communist forces launching attacks against South Korea. This battle played a role in weakening US public support for the war. People doubted the claims that the North Vietnamese were on their last legs. -
MLK Assassinated
Martin Luther King was a key spokesperson for the civil rights movement. He was assassinated in Memphis, TN. He believed in non-violent protest and civil disobedience. He won a Nobel Peace Prize. Following his assassination, riots across US cities occurred. -
Assassination of Robert Kennedy
RIght after a speech in support of civil rights, Robert Kennedy was shot in a kitchen outside of the ballroom hotel in LA. He died the next day age 42, which may have led to the Republicans winning the presidential election -
*Story Event* Stonewall Riots
After a police raid on a known gay bar, the Stonewall Inn, the gay community pushed back against police harassment and violence in a series of protests and demonstrations in New York City in June and July of 1969. Within a few years of these protests, gay rights groups had been started across the United States. -
Woodstock
This music festival attracted 400,000 people was a major part of the 1960s and hippie movement. -
*Story Event* First Gay Liberation March
In New York City, the first Gay Liberation March is held. This sparked numerous events in other cities, and today's Pride events and marches can be traced back to this historic event. -
Kent State
Unarmed college students at Kent State, Ohio were shot by members of the National Guard during a protest against the bombing of Cambodia. Four students were killed and nine were wounded. -
ERA Amendment Proposed
The proposed amendment to the US Constitution sought to guarantee equal rights for women. The origins trace back to 1921, and with the rise of the women's movement, support increased. Despite the lack of success, many states have passed their own equal rights amendments. -
Title IX
All education programs that receive federal money are required to prohibit sex discrimination. -
*Story Event* American Psychiatric Association Removes Homosexuality as Mental Illness
After labeling homosexuality as a pathology and deviation, the updated manual of the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality as a pathology. This was a turning point, as mental health practitioners moved away from stigmatizing homosexuality. Cultural acceptance began to shift with the idea that homosexuality was not an illness. -
Vietnam Day
This marks the day that the last troops left Vietnam and Saigon fell to North Vietnamese. Over 58,000 US soldiers were killed, and many faced ridicule when they returned home. -
Lau v Nichols
In a ruling that impacted schools across the U.S., the Supreme Court ruled that students with limited English proficiency must be provided with full and meaningful access to curriculum, including language instruction. This was an important event that ensured that the needs of immigrant and refugee children were included in the implementation of the Civil Rights Act. -
Vietnam War Ends
The US started to withdraw troops in 1973, and by 1975 Saigon fell and Gerald Ford declared an end to the war.
