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Cold War (1945-1989)
This was the diplomatic tensions between the US and the USSR. This war was not characterized by direct military conflict, but rather with proxy wars. It was a display of global dominance after WWII. Many key features of this war was the mass production of nukes, advances into space, and international interventions. The aim of this war was for the US to claim its spot as a global superpower and spread its liberty (democracy) to the entire world, especially from communists. -
Truman Doctrine (1947)
This doctrine's aim was to stop the spread of (contain) communism in Eastern Europe. In this doctrine, Truman promises US aid to countries wanting to stay away from communism; Truman is especially targeting Greece and Turkey. This was a threat to communist USSR. -
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (1949)
As the Soviets developed a nuclear bomb and continued to spread its communist ideas to Eastern Europe, the US became worried. They created NATO with the aim to have military defenses against possible Soviet nuclear attacks and help contain the spread of communism. NATO is a military alliance created by the US to establish a military alliance with Western Europe and Canada in order to stop the spread of communism. -
Korean War (1950-1953)
After communist North Korea invaded South Korea by crossing the line of demarcation (38th parallel), the US send military aid to South Korea to fight the war. This war lasted for 3 years, and ended with a armistice. US intervention in Korea was mainly done with the aim to prevent communist expansion in Asia. -
Army-McCarthy hearings (1954)
In the rise in fear of communism, Joseph McCarthy accused many of being a communist and against the US. This lead to the Army-McCarthy hearings in 1954, which was one of the first televised trials in the US. This trial started because McCarthy accused people in the military of being communist and the trial ended with Congress establishing that McCarthy was untruthful. The aim of the Army-McCarthy hearings was to lower the nation's fear of communist infiltration as claimed by McCarthy. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956)
Rosa Parks, an African-American, was arrested in 1955 for sitting in the front of the bus and refusing to give away her seat to a white passenger. This act of racism sparked outrage in the black community and caused a year long protest with the aim to get rid of segregation and racism in the US. The protest was led by Martin Luther King Jr and ended when the Supreme Court ruled that segregated public transportation was illegal. -
Southern Manifesto (1956)
In response to Brown v. Board of Education (established that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional), over a hundred congress members claimed the Supreme Court's actions as an abuse of power and supported attempts to prevent racial integration in public schools. The aim of the Southern Manifesto was to keep the US to its traditional roots where the races are segregated. Many believed that mixing races as a sign of communism. -
Sputnik (1957)
Launched by the USSR, Sputnik was the 1st artificial satellite to orbit the earth. The aim of Sputnik was to showcase the intellectual strength and technology in the USSR and showcase the strengths of communism. The outcome of Sputnik was a rise of fear in the US that the USSR was technologically ahead of them in the space race and resulted in defensive measures such as the National Defense Education Act. -
National Defense Education Act (1958)
In response to the USSR's success with the launch of Sputnik in 1957, this act aimed to promote education in science and language in order to ensure US victory in the ongoing space race. The US government tried to achieve this goal by giving grants to state universities, giving loans to college students, and by giving aid to public schools. -
Military Industrial Complex (1961)
Coined by Eisenhower, the complex explains the integration of politics, the economy, and the military. Eisenhower coins this term with the aim to warn the nation that excessive military spending will led to a permanent arms industry. This is because lobbying of industries contracted with the military along with the military will push for an increase in congressional spending. -
Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
This was the height in tensions of the Cold War. The US had found Soviet missile sites in Cuba, so Kennedy declared a naval blockade around Cuba. The confrontation between the US and USSR during this was the closest to nuclear warfare. The aim of the US blockading cuba and causing a standoff was to protect the US and its people from communism and from possible missiles. Nukes were later removed from Cuba. -
Civil Rights Act
This act was passed by Lyndon B. Johnson with the aim to lower racial tensions within the US. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned segregation and discrimination in employment and in public. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964)
In response to the fear of communist North Vietnam invading South Vietnam, allowing the spread of communism to Laos and Cambodia with the domino effect, the US was ready to fight a war in Vietnam. When American warships were attacked off of the northern coast of Vietnam, Congress gave Lyndon B. Johnson unlimited authority to defend the US and its allies. LBJ did not need a declaration of war from Congress. The aim of the this was to contain communism from spreading in Southeast Asia. -
National Organization for Women (1966)
This was an organization founded by Betty Friedan and it appealed to many feminists. The main aim for this organization was to allow women to get their own abortion rights, and create a sex discrimination free workplace with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. -
My Lai massacre (1968)
This was the massacre of 347 Vietnamese people in the city of My Lai, during the Vietnam war. Despite attempts to cover up this event, it was exposed after a year. This is mainly because the Vietnam war was one of the first wars to be portrayed in the media. This caused opposition to the war within the American people. The aim of the My Lai massacre was to ensure that Vietnam did not succumb to communism and spread it to the rest of Southeast Asia. -
Pentagon Papers
These papers were top-secret documents leaked by the New York Times. The leak exposed the mishaps and deceptions that caused the US to go to war with Vietnam. It also exposed the Defense Department's involvement with the war. The goal of the Pentagon Papers. The aim of the papers was to exposed the mistakes and rashness of US interference with the Vietnam war. -
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (1972)
This was a talk between Nixon and Brezhnev that led to the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT). SALT set limits to the number of nukes available to each country and banned the creation of missile defense systems. The aim of this was to prevent nuclear warfare from actually happening since it has devastating consequences. -
Roe v Wade (1973)
This a result from the Women's Rights movement. This ruling was highly controversial. The Supreme Court deemed that state laws banning abortions are unconstitutional and should be allowed during the 1st trimester. The aim of this was to establish that women have their own right to privacy and are in control of their own bodies. -
Three Mile Island (1979)
This event describes the nuclear meltdown near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This released radioactive materials into environment causing air and water pollution. This partial meltdown caused the public to be wary of nuclear energy and somewhat ended the expansion of the industry. The aim for Three Mile Island was to produce large amounts of energy with nuclear technologies, but it failed and caused devastating consequences. -
Iran-Contra Affair (1985-1987)
This was a scandal that occurred during the Reagan administration. Reagan was forced to sell arms to Iran in exchange for US citizens being held hostage in Lebanon. The money earned from the selling of arms was used to give aids to the Contras in Nicaragua despite being told not to by Congress. The purpose of this was to safely return US citizens onto US soil and to pursue the Reagan doctrine by providing support to communist threatened countries.
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