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Dwight D. Eisenhower
PresLibrary&MuseumPhotosWar hero, Dwight D. Esienhower won the presidential election in 1952. He promised he would go himself to Korea to end the war, which he did go. One of his great accomplishments was the creation of the Interstate Highway System. However, he did little for civil rights.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Period: to
1954-1975
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The Second Red Scare
PicOne problem in the U.S. during much of Eisenhower's presidency was a second "Red Scare". Senator Joseph McCarthy went on a communist witch-hunt. He accused hundreds of being communist, while he failed to root out a single one. He was the most ruthless of the "red-hunters," doing the most damage to fair play and free speech in America. While Eisenhower loathed McCarthy, he failed to do anything about his rampage. McCarthy was finally taken down when he attacked the U.S. Army in 1954. Kennedy, Dav -
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas
ArchivesPicThe Supreme Court ruled that segregation in the public schools was "inherently unequal," therefore, it was unconstitutional. This ruling completely reversed the court's previous decision of 1896 in Plessy v. Ferguson, "that separate but equal" facilities were constitutional. The justivces declared that desegregation must proceed with "all deliberate speed". Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth ed -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
BlackPastPicIn December 1955, Rosa Parks boarded a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, where she sat in a "whites-only" section and refused to give up her seat. She was promptly arrested for violating the city's Jim Crow laws. This sparked a yearlong movement by blacks to boycott city buses. They were finally successful in having the laws of segregated buses declared unconstitutional. It was landmark in showing that blacks would no longer submit to the indignities of segregation. Kennedy, David., et al. The America -
Interstate Highway Act of 1956
PicThe Interstate Highway Act was an emnormous public works project backed by president Eisenhower. It was a $27 billion plan to build forty-two thousand miles of motorways across the U.S. The construction of the roads created countless construction jobs and sped up suburbanization in America. Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Creation of SCLC
BlackPastPicMartin Luther King Jr., formed the Sothern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). It aimed at mobilizing the immense power of the black churches on behalf of black rights. It was successful in becoming a major force in the civil rights movement.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
"Sit-In" Movement
AmerHistory.siThe "sit-in" movement began with four black college students in Greensboro, North Carolina who demanded service at a whites-only lunch counter. They were refused to be served but kept their seats. The following days they returned with more and more fellow classmates. The movement quickly spread across the South, aimed at compelling equal treatment. In April 1960, southern black students formed the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to provide more focus and force to their efforts. -
John F. Kennedy
JFKLibrary&MuseumPicJFK was elected president in 1960. He won the popular vote by one of the most narrow in American hisotry. From the beginning, JFK inspired high expectations. He talked of a "New Frontier" and created the Peace Corps. While he proposed much civil rights legislation and poverty programs, they failed to go anywhere in Congress. Sadly, however, he was never able to live up to his potential. Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Freedom Rides
COREGroups of Freedom Riders journeyed across the deep south to challenge the non-reinforcement of the Supreme Court rulings. They sought to end the segregation in facilities. Sadly however, they were met with much opposition. There were many attacked by mobs and were horribly beaten. But the movement continued where they gained greater publicity and inspired dozens more to join the cause. -
Kennedy Sends Advisors to Vietnam
history.compicThe corrupt Diem government in Saigon, had ruled shakily since the partition of Vietnam. Agitators threatened to topple the government from power. Kennedy finally decided to order an increase in "military advisers" (U.S. troops) in South Vietnam. American forces allegedly came in order to foster political stability and to protect Diem from the communists long enough to enact social reforms favored by the U.S. Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Miff -
Kennedy and the Economy
JFKLibrary&MuseumPicThe economy was a problem JFK had to face. His administration helped negotiate a noninflationary wage agreement with the steel industry in early 1962. He also supported a general tax-cut bill, choosing to stimulate the economy by cutting taxes and putting more money into private hands.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Birmingham
PicIn spring of 1963, Martin Luther King Jr., launched a campaign against discrimination in Birmingham, Alabama. The peaceful civil rights protesters had police dogs and high-pressure water hoses turned against them. The world was horrified by the event that took place. President Kennedy called for new civil rights legislation to protect black citizens. Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Kennedy on Civil RIghts
PBSWhile in the beginning not able to push extremely hard for civil rights, considering also that none of his bills were able to get passed through Congress, he still pushed for it on many fronts. After Birmingham, JFK announced he would send civil rights legislation to Congress, including access to public facilities, voting rights, and support for school desegregation. Sadly, he was assassinated before legislation had passed and it would be up to LBJ to see them through. -
March on Washington
history.compicMartin Luther King Jr. led 200,000 black and white demonstrators on a peaceful "March on Washington" in support of Kneedy's proposed legislation. There, he delivered his historic "I Have a Dream" speech. He dreamt of a nation where blacks would "not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Lyndon B. Johnson
Vice President Johnson was promptly sworn in as the new president of the United States after President Kennedy's ghastly death. The crown of his legislative achievements was his "Great Society" domestic programs. He was successful in creating many aid programs and foundations that are still intact today. Unfortunately though, he was stuck fighting a war in Vietnam that he seemed unable to successfully get out of. -
LBJ Passes Kennedy's Civil Rights Bill
PicLBJ passed through Congress the Civil Rights Act of 1964, originally proposed by Kennedy. The act banned racial discrimination in private facilities and strengthened the federal government's power to end segregation in schools and other public areas. It also created the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
LBJ's Great Society
PicLBJ's domestic program, the "Great Society" was a set of New Dealish economic and welfare measures aimated at transforming American way of life. The greatest of Great Society legislative ahievements were programs giving aid to education, medical care for the elderly and indigent, immigration reform, and a new voting rights bill.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Attack at Pleiku
PicViet Cong guerrillas attacked an American air base at Pleiku, South Vietnam. President LBJ immediatly ordered retalitory bombing raids against military installations in North Vietnam and for the very first time, ordered attacking U.S. troops to land.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
CivilRightsPicLBJ passed through Congress the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It outlawed literacy tests and sent federal voter registrars into several southern states. It could not end discrimination and oppression, but it gave an immense chance for change. The Act also marked the end of the era of nonviolent demonstrations aimed at integrating blacks into American society.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Watts Riots
BlackPastA bloody riot errupted in Watts, a black ghetto in Los Angeles. Enraged by polive brutality, blacks burned and looted the neighborhoods for nearly a week. Thirty-one blacks and three whites were killed, more than a thousand had been injured, and buildings lied in ruins. The Watts riot signified a new phase of the black struggle, one increasingly marked by militant confrontation, aimed not at integration, but black separatism.Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Bosto -
Tet Offensive
PicDuring Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, the Viet Cong launched a savage attack on twenty-seven key South Vietnamese cities. Although beaten off with heavy losses, they demonstrated that vistory could not be gained by LBJ's strategy of gradual escalation.The Tet Offensive ended in a military defeat, but a political victory for the Viet Cong.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated
history.comPicThe nation was plunged into despair when Martin Luther King Jr., was assassinated by a sniper's bullet in Memphis Tennessee, on April 4, 1968. He was one of the greatest civil rights leaders and did incredible things for the cause. He was lost at a time blacks needed him most. The outrage over his death triggered nationwide violence that cost over forty lives.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Richard Nixon
history.comPicNixon won the presidential election of 1968. He was an incedibly paranoid man, but he was a genious in foreign policy in particular. He succeeded in cooling tensions between the United States and China and the Soviet Union. He finally pulled the U.S. out of Vietnam. His insecurities overwhelmed him and he and his administration performed a series of "dirty tricks". He was finally exposed at Watergate, where he shortly resigned as president.Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth -
Vietnamization
PicThe poilicy of Vietnamization was to withdraw the 540,000 U.S. troops in South Vietnam over an extended period. The South Vietnamese, with American money, weapons, training, and advice, could then gradually take over fighting their own war.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Nixon Expands Welfare Programs
Nixon approved the increase on spending for entitalements such as Food Stamps, Medicaid, and Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). He also added a new program, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), to aid the indigent aged, blind, and disabled. In 1972 he signed legislation guaranteeing automatic Social Security cost-of-living increases to protect the elderly against rising inflation.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Watergate
history.compicFive men were arrested in Watergate after attempting to plant "bugs" in the Democratic party's headquarters.They were discovered to have connects with the Nixon administration. Nixon was finally forced to comply and present the evidence of tapes that he had recording his conversations. They revealed him attempting to cover up for the scandal. Articles of impeachment were being drawn up for obstruction of justice, abuse of government programs, and contempt of Congress. Aug. 8, 1974 Nixon resigned -
Gerald Ford
history.comPicFord was the first man ever to be elected soley by congress. Even as vice president, he was selected, not elected. After Nixon's resignation, he was sworn in as the new president. Many were suspicious of him, especially after his pardoning of Nixon. He also dealt with great problems of inflation. Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Ford Pardons Nixon
history.comPicFord granted a complete pardon to Nixon for any crimes he may have committed as president. Suspicions about the circumstances about the pardon lingered. Some people wondered if there was a deal made between Nixon and Ford. The pardon deeply hurt, if not even ruined, his chances of being elected president in 1976.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Ford Battles Inflation
FordLibraryMuseum
Ford inherited a country in economic distress. Unemployment and Inflation were rampant. He sought to fight inflation with his "Whip Inflation Now" (WIN) program. It focused around voluntary anti-inflationary initiatives. However, the movement soon died out as it failed to produce results. -
End of Vietnam
MCAMarinesPicThe South Vietnamese finally overtook the North Vietnamese. The remaining Americans had to be evacuated by helicopter. They also took with them about 140,000 South Vietnamese, who feared the victorious communists. The South Vietnamese were admitted into the U.S. The war was at the close.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006
