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Period: to
1954-1975
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Dwight D. Eisenhower takes office
Source
In the 1952 election, the democrats nominated Adlai Stevenson. The republicans nominated Dwight D. Eisenhower, the hero from WWII. Ike won easily with 442 to 89 in the electoral. -
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka,Kansas
SourceKennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 The Brown v. Board of Education ruled that segregation was unconstitutional. It reversed the Plessy v. Fergunson case back in 1896, and insisted on desegregation with all haste. -
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Rosa Parks boycotts bus segregation
Source 2Source On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat when she was suppost to get out of the seat for a white man. She was arrested after for breaking the Jim Crow laws. The significance is that Rosa Park's actions sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and really the whole Civil Rights Movement. -
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JFK's New Frontier
SourceKennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 Kennedy said in his acceptance speech on July 15,1960 about a new frontier, which was optimistic and idealistic. In the country it expanded the House Rules Committee, a noninflationary wage agreement was settled, and he promised to send a man to the moon. -
John F. Kennedy takes office
Source
In the 1960 election the Republicans nominated Richard Nixon, and the Democrats nominated John F. Kennedy. Kennedy appeared more favorable and attractive with the new technology of television, and won 303 to 219 in the electoral. The popular vote was practically even. -
Voter Education Project
SourceSource The Voter Education Project, or the VEP, was created by Robert F. Kennedy to help civil rights groups, such as the SNCC, SCLC, NAACP, Congress of Racial Equality, and the National Urban League. By the end of 1964, almost $900,000 was funded, and there were 800,000 new southern black voters. -
Birmingham Campaign
Source
Martin Luther King Jr. organized a nonviolent protest in Birmingham, Alabama. The first day 45 protesters were arrested. On May 2, over 900 children were put into jail. The result was police dogs and high-pressured water hoses were used to stop the protesters from reaching downtown. The brutality of the police was put on T.V. This slowly changed the views of people on the Civil Rights movement. -
Lyndon B. Johnson takes office
Source
On Novermber 22, 1963 John F. Kennedy was assassinated. On Air Force Once back to Washington from Dallas, Texas, Lyndon B. Johnson sworn into presidency. -
Federal-Aid Highway Act
Source
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 The Federal-Aid Highway Act, passed in the Eisenhower Era, created 42,000 new miles of highway throughout the UNited States. The new highways helped businesses and families move to suburbs and such. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Source
On July 2, 1964, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned any discrimination based on race or gender. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was created to help enforce this. -
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"Bloody Sunday"
Source
The SNCC and SCLC organized a voting rights campaign from Selma to Montgomery.On February 18 Jimmie Lee Jackson was shot trying to protect his mother. This led to another march on March 7, but the police used whips and tear gas, and even killing 2 people. The Voting Rights Act started to gain attention and passed, because of the injustice seen at Selma. -
Great Society Legislation
Source
On January 4, 1964 President Johnson outlined his plans for Great Society reforms. This included doubling the appropriation of the Office of Economic Opportunity, creating the Department of Trasnportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Medicaid and Medicare for the elderly, and immigration reform. -
Malcom X Assassinated
Source 2Source Malcolm X was a civil rights leader who was formally part of the Nation of Islam, the religious group that ended up killing him. Malcolm fought for racial equality. He argued against King in that blacks could integrate into white society. He pushed for a separate nation for African Americans. -
Black Panther Party created
Source
In October 1966, Huey Newton and Bobby Seale created the Black Panther Party in Oakland, California.On April 25, 1967, the Black Panther Party marched, carring loaded weapons, to the California state capital, where they were arrested. Other minorities saw this and supported the Black Panther Party. -
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My Lai Massacre
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U.S. troops at the Vietnamese village of My Lai shot down over 300 unarmed civilians. The massacre increased the amount of protest back at home, and created the prejudice of "baby killers". -
Martin Luther King Jr. Assassination
Source
Just after a speech the night before, where he foreshadowed his own death, Martin Luther King was assassinated at around 6 p.m.
At the Morraine Motel in Tennessee, King was shot in the neck with a sniper bullet. The death King resulted in President Johnson's hasty passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. -
Richard M. NIxon takes office
Source
In the 1968 election, the Democrats would nominate Humphrey while the Republicans chose Richard M. Nixon. Nixon won, 301 to 191 in the electoral. -
Invasion of Cambodia
SourceKennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006
Nixon ordered American forces to mobilize in neutral Cambodia, where North Vietnamese were sending supplies. The invasion caused uproar at home, such as at Kent State University. On June 29 Nixon withdrew American troops. The blank check was repealed as well. -
Kent State shooting
Source
The Ohio National Guard fired upon protesters at Kent State University. The result was 4 dead and 9 wounded. The event uproared and many others protested throughout the country, forcing many schools to shut down. The shooting ultimately divided the country even further during the Vietnam era. -
Evironmental Protection Agency established
SourceKennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 Proposed by President Nixon and put into effect on December 2,1970, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) showed the mounting concern for the environment. Nixon also passed the Occupational health and Safety Administration to help as well. -
Twenty-sixth Amendment passed
SourceKennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006
The 26th amendment was put into effect on July 1, 1971. It officially lowered the age limit for voting down to 18. -
Equal Rights Amendment adopted
SourceKennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) stated that equal rights couldn't be denied due to gender. It was quickly ratified by 28 states. -
Watergate Scandal
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Several burglars were arrested when they attempted to break into the office of the Democratic National Committee. The break in was directly realted to Nixon, and Nixon attempted to cover it up by firing uncooperative officials, obstructing investigations, and destroying evidence. When it was revealed, Nixon resigned from office in August of 1974. The scandal changed the American view on the presidency, and to trust the government less -
Social Security Legislation
SourceSource
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 President Nixon proposed Social Security legislation in summer of 1972. It would create COLAs, or annual Cost-of-Living-Allowances. The Supplemental Security Income also helped the blind,old, and disabled. The Aid to Families with Dependent Children, Medicaid, and Medicare increased as well. -
North Vietnamese agree to cease-fire arrangements
SourceKennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 After a two-week bombing, the North Vietnamese agreed to a peace negotiation. The United States agreed to withdraw its 27,000 troops and reclaim its 560 American prisoners of war. The North Vietnamese in return kept 145,000 troops in South Vietnam. The peace was really an American defeat. -
Gerald R. Ford takes office
Source
Gerald Ford was the first person to become President without being elected. Because V.P. Agnew resigned during Nixon's presidency, Ford took his place. Because of the Watergate scandal, Nixon resigned as well, and resulted in Ford taking office.
