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Period: to
Rough Waters (1945 - 1975)
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Jackie Robinson Breaks the Color Barrier
Jackie Rob. PicJackie initially played a year of baseball in the Negro Baseball League but was faced with a challenge when the Brooklyn Dodgers president aproached him with an offer to play in the National League. Jackie pioneered the sense of integration in the country and inspired countless young men and women to hope for equality. http://www.jackierobinson.com/about/bio.html -
Dwight D. Eisenhower
As President, Eisenhower avoided the dirty work which he left to his Vice President Richard Nixon. This allowed him to maintain his grandfather like kindness and still exist as a formidable political adversary. He tried to remain as flexible as possible and most importantly delivered on his promise to personally go to korea and end the war.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Comp
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/dwightdeisenhower -
Eisenhower Ends Korean War
Eisenhower Peace Pic.History.com - Armistice ends the Korean War
Eisenhower Kept his promise to the american people when he finally brought the korean war to an end. He did so secretly by threatening nuclear holocaust but externally it seemed like a great peace victory. -
Eisehower describes "domino effect"
As it became clear that the french were at risk of loosing control of Indochina, Eisenhower fearaed complete communist take over of Vietnam. Eisenhower needed to stress the danger of this take over so he described a domino effect in which following north vietnamese domination, nations would systematically fall to communism. History.com - Eisenhower Domino Theory Speech -
Rosa Parks Arrested
Rosa Parks ArrestedAfter Refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Rosa Parks was arrested and put in jail. This act of defiance would initate national rebellion against a corrupt system. http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/par0bio-1 -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Montgomery Bus Boycott PicInitiated by the defiance of an unknown woman on a bus, the montgomery bus boycott was the first major offensive on prejudice. The persistance and courage of the participants resulted in the final adjustment of the law. http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_montgomery_bus_boycott_1955_1956/ -
Eisenhower Doctrine
With the soviets threatening armed conflict in the middle east, Eisenhower wanted to make clear the US' intentions when it came to communist agression. Fearing the Suez Crisis would lead to a disadvantageous war, Eisenhower promised any agressed nation support from the US, both financially and militarily. U.S Dep. of State - Eisenhower Doctrine -
SCLC Created
SCLC PicSCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) is established by MLK and others in order to more effectively congregate the churches into one united force. http://sclcnational.org/our-history/ -
John F. Kennedy
JFK picAs president, Kennedy promised a new frontier for a new generation of Americans. Bringing glamor and youth to the White House, Kennedy's dreams would prove difficult to achieve due to heavy opposition in the government and his eventual assassination. -
The Bay of Pigs Invasion
BoP PictureJFK Library - Bay of Pigs InvasionA CIA planned mission gone horribly wrong, Kennedy faced a political disaster when he was caught with his hand in the proverbial cookied jar. Kennedy pulled air support from the US trained Cuban rebels and essentially left them for dead. Kennedy handeled the incident by sincerely adressing the issue which minimazed damages to his political effectiveness. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis PicJFK Library - Cuban Missile CrisisKeeping a cool head, Kennedy avoided potential nuclear war by compromising with the USSR. In a close call, a ussr ship carrying nuclear warheads to cuba narrowly decided to turn around and avoid conflict in exchange for an American promise to never invade Cuba. This serves as one of the greatest diplomatic successes of the modern era. -
Birmingham Jail
Birmingham Jail PicAfter being jailed for leading mass protests in Birmingham, Martin Luther King Jr. sevretively published his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, which served as a manifesto for the American negro and illustrated the need for rapid change. -
March on Washington
March on Washington PicA peaceful march on washington DC by african american supporters would result in one of the larges mass movements in american history. Many speeches were given and the most influential of these was MLK's I have a dream speech which captivated audiences nation wide.
http://www.core-online.org/History/washington_march.htm -
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Johnson PicIn lue of Kennedy's assassination, Lyndon Johnson was sworn into office with the promise that a "Great Society" would be formed. Under Johnson's administration many of the proposals made during Kennedy's term were finally passed. This was due to his persuasiveness and vast experience as a statesman. However, Johnson also heavily escalated the Vietnam conflict and is primarily associated with its atrocities.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Miffl -
24th Ammendment
Polling Tax PicCornell LawProhibited the regulation of the right to vorte by individual states. This once again secured blacks the right to vote. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Gulf of Tonkin PicBritannica - Gulf of tonkin ResolutionA supposed attack on US ships allowed Lyndon johnson to push onto congress in order further his agenda. The Gulf of Tonkin resolution essentially stated that the President could utilize American forces in order to protect american ideals without recognizing the authority of Congress. This allowed Johnson to escalate the war in vietnam. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
Malcolm X PicKennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006</a>Malcolm X, the man who first initiated the Black Power philosophy, the man who had convinced the bigoted white politicians and citizens that it was MLK's movement of peace, or his alternative, was gunned down at a meeting with the Organization of Afro-American Unity. Hist death once again outlined the devastation and chaos that the Civil Rights movement represented.
http://abcnews.go.com/meta/search/imageDetail?format=plain&source=http://abcnews.go.com/images/US/ap_malcom_x_intro_wm_nt_120217 -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Voting Rights Act PicThe voting rights act made it finally possible for black Americans to vote in elections in the south. It abolished literacy tests, poll taxes and other unconstitutional methods used to exclude blacks from voting. http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=100 -
LBJ appoints Thurgood Marshall to the SUpreme Court
Thurgood MArshall PicLBJ made a landmark domestic decision when he appointed Thurgood Marshall to be the first african american supreme court justice. MArshall continued to be a fighting foce for the next 24 years. -
Tet Offensive
Tet OffensiveTet Offensive PicAbout.com - Tet OFfensiveDuring a Vietnamese celebration, the Norhth Vietnamese led a mass onslaught in one of the largest "battles" of the war. The attacks were widespread and devestating and changed the homefront's view of the war. -
My Lai Massacre
My Lai Massacre PicAmerican Experience - My Lai massacreOne of the most tragic of the american offenses in vietnam, the massacre of countless vietnamese villagers. The extreme unprovoked brutality of the massacre was covered up but would serve as the face of the war's legacy for years to come. -
MLK Assasssinated
MLK Assassination PicAt the Lorraine motel in Memphis, Dr. King was struck by a bullet whilst standing on a balcony. For many this meant the end of the nonviolent movement and after this movement it was true that a much more militant civil rights movement was beginning to form. -
Richard Nixon
Nixon PicRichard Nixon was a supreme foreign diplomat. He made outstanding gains towards resolving communiost-american conflicts and opened relations with China after an extreme period of ignorance. Nixon also began reducing American involvement in Vietnam with his plan of "vietnamization". Nixon was however caught in a gargantuin lie which would tarnish his integrity and presidency. Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Vietnamization
Vietnamization Pic
History.com - VIetnamizationNixon vowed to slowly hand over miitary responsabilities from the US to the South Vietnamese in a process he called vietnamization. This would allow the US to leave the conflict without risking total communist take over. -
Nixon Visits China
Nixon China Pic
History.com - Nixon Visits China Richard Nixon finally aknowleged China when he visits there and adamantly shakes hand with Prime Minister Zhou Enlai. By doing this he not only built a relationship with China but also turned the communist nations against each other in an incredable diplomatic power play. -
Watergate Scandal
Watergate CartoonHistory.com - WatergateAfter Burglars were caught breaking into the DNC at the Watergate hotel, links to the presidents administration began t crop up and finally the news broke that Nixon had recorded all conversations within the white house, even those that were supposed to remain confidential. Upon being demanded to release the tapes, Nixon resigned as the tapes incriminated his involvement in the crime. -
Paris Peace Accords
Paris Peace Accords PicLooking Back - The End of Vietnam CombatHenry Kissinger met with NV officas in Paris and finally brought an end to US involvment in vietnam. The long and confusing struggle was finally over bringing with it the question, "what was the purpose?" -
Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford PicGerald Ford was "accutely aware"that he had not been elected president. Ford's main contribution was his pardoning of Nixon in the hopes that the country could move past this emberassing patch of history and speed up the healing of the US. http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/geraldford -
Ford Pardons Nixon
Nixon Pardon Pichttp://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ford-pardons-nixon
The most controversial action of the Ford administration, the pardon issued to Nixon was essential in allowing the nation to heal and recover from the tragic loss of a leader. Though criticized, Ford was viamently thanked for his role a=in boosting american recovery. -
2 Assassination Attempts on Ford's Life
Assassination Attampt Pic1st AttackFord 2nd AttackWithin a three week period, Ford faced 2 attempts on his life. In both cases he was incredibly lucky, and narrowly escaped severe harm. This emphasized the lack of respect for the government generated by the Watergate Scandal.
