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Eisenhower is elected
After serving as the Supreme Commander of the Allied forces and a five star General in World War II, Eisenhower gained votes easily. He ran against Robert A. Taft with Richard Nixon as his running mate -
Geneva Conference
Representattives from the world powers meet in Geneva to resolve problems in Asia (including the war between the French and Vietnamese). It represented the turning point for the U.S. involvement in Asia. -
Brown v.s. Board of Education
Court denied the Plessy vs Ferguson doctrine of separate but equal facilities saying that seperate schooling facilities were inherently unequal and denied black students equal protection under the law. -
Rosa parks is arrested
A woman named Rosa parks is arrested in Montgomery, Alabama for refusing to give up her seat on the bus up to a white person. This sparks a bus boycott led by Martin Luther King Jr. that lasted 381 days and eventually the supreme court banned segregation in public transportation. -
Eisenhower Intersate Highway System
The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 was signed by Eisenhower June 29, 1956 and created a 41,000-mile “National System of Interstate and Defense Highways” to eliminate unsafe roads, inefficient routes, and traffic jams. -
Dwight D. Eisenhower sends U.S. troops into Little Rock, Arkansas
After African American students were prevented by Arkansas National Guard from entering Central High, Martin Luther King sent a letter to President Eisenhower urging him to take a stand against the injustice of segregation. In response Eisenhower sent in troops from the Army’s 101st Airborne Division to protect the students. -
Woolworth's Lunch counter issue
Four black college freshman were denied service at the Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensborrow, Noth Carolina, but refused to leave. By the end of the week approximately 1,000 of their classmates were gathered at the restaurant to protest the unfair treatment and became known as the Greensborrow sit-ins. -
Peace Corps is created by John F. Kennedy
As Senator, John F. Kennedy created the peace corps after he gave a presidential campaign speech to a group of university students and 1,000 of them signed a petition saying they would be willing to serve abroad. This greatly helped Kennedy in his campaign. -
John F. Kennedy is elected president
Upon being elected, Kennedy had already made history winning by the smallest margin the U.S. had seen. As well as being the first Roman Catholic to be President of the U.S. This election was also extemly significant for the U.S. because it was the first time the presidential debates were telivised, which is what gave young Kennedy his edge. -
24th Ammendment
Proposed by U.S. congress August 27, 1962 the 24th ammendment prohibited the federal and state governments from imposing poll taxes before a citizen can participate in a federal election. -
March on Washington
20,000 Americans gathered on August 28, 1963 for the March on Washington that was organized by a number of civil rights and religous groups. It is most famous for Martin Luther King's "I had a dream" speech. -
Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing
Just before the Sunday Morning Services at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama a bomb went off killing four young girls and injuring many. Although it was a terrible event it brought light the to the fight for Civil Rights especially because the victims were so young. -
John F. Kennedy is Assasinated
As the President and his wife turned off Main Street at Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas around 12:30 p.m gun shots rang out. Kennedy was hit in the head and neck and was pronounced dead at 1:00 P.M. -
Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn into presidency.
Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn into office as president just 99 minutes after the death of John F. Kennedy. -
Civil Rights Act
Originally drawn up by President John F. Kennedy in response to Martin Luther KIng Jr. and his protestors being attacked by police with tear gas, dogs, and fire hoses in Birmingham, Alabama. The act was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964. It prohibited discrimination in public places, provided for the integration of schools and other public facilities, and made employment discrimination illegal. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
On August 4, Johnson announced that U.S. ships had been attacked by the North Vietnamese at the Gulf of Tonkin two days earlier. The president then dispatched plans to react and asked congress to make a joint resolution to support his actions. They did and it was passed August 7, 1964. -
The Viet Cong attack on Pleiku airbase
Viet Cong guerillas attacked an American Air base at Pleiku, South Vietnam and the president immediatly ordered retaliating bombing raids against millitary installations in North Vietnam and for the first time ordered attacking U.S. air troops to land. -
Malcom X is assasinated
Three gun wielding men who rushed the stage while Malcom X was delivering a speech on February 21, 1965 and assasinated him. Malcom had been famous for his opposing beliefs to MLK as he believed that violence was at times necessesary for the civil rights movement. -
Selma to Montgomery March
Martin Luther King led non-violent protestors all the way to Alabama's capitol, Montgomery, from Selma as part of his campaigning for voting rights. -
Voting Rights Act
Johnson urged congress to pass the Voting Rights Act, ensuring all people the right to vote, in response to civil rights violence in Selma Alabama. -
Tet offensive
Both the South and North had made a two day truce for the holiday of Tet in Vietnam, but the Viet Cong violated it when they attacked the South storming the highland towns of Banmethout, Kontum and Pleiku, and invading 13 of the 16 provincial capitals of the heavily populated Mekong Delta. -
Martin Luther King Jr. is assasinated
Standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, Martin Luther King Jr. was killed by a single shot hitting his face and neck. -
Richard M. Nixon as President
Nixon came into office promissing to end the war in Vietnam and was well known for pursuing "Vietnamization". Amoung his greatest accomplishments were improving relations with the U.S.S.R. and China, a broad environmental program, and ending the draft. -
Nixon signed the Clean Air Act
Nixon signed the Clean Air Act December 31, 1970 to help promote human health and improve the environment. -
Watergate scandal
Several burglars were caught trying to wiretap phones and steal secret documents inside the office of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), located in the Watergate building in Washington, D.C.and they were suspected to be working for Nixon. -
Nixon resigned
The Watergate scandal ruined Nixon's career and he announced his resignation August 8, 1974. -
Gerald Ford becomes president
Ford took the oath of office just after Nixon resigned due to the Watergate scandal. However, Ford immediatly pardoned Nixon for his actions and it was believed that he was chosen as V.P. to cover for Nixon if something like this ever happened. This belief hurt him in the 1976 election. -
Siagon Airlift
By 1 April 1975 the North Vietnamese were advancing through South Vietnam and the Americans realized Saigon would fall next.Evacuation control Centre evacuated American personnel and South Vietnam inhabitants. The sealift was from Saigon to Vung Tau.
