1955-1975

  • Sarah Keys v. Carolina Coach Company

    Landmark decision where the Supreme Court ruled that "separate but equal" violated the Interstate Commerce Clause.
  • Rosa Parks

    This lady refused to give up her seat on a bus and was arrested for it.
  • In God We Trust

    This officially became the national motto.
  • Southern Christian Leadership Conference

    Influenced creation by Martin Luther King, in order to coordinate civil rights groups across the South to help sustain and organize boycotts and protests against the Jim Crow laws.
  • Civil Rights Act of 1957

    This act created the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Commission to investigate claims of racial discrimination.
  • NASA

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration was created in place of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.
  • ARPA

    Eisenhower authorized the creation of the Advanced Research Projects Agency which oversaw the production of sensitive new technologies.
  • John Birch Society

    This group was made up of radical anticommunists who attacked liberals and civil rights activists.
  • The Affluent Society

    John Kenneth Galbraith published this book writing about the World War II consumer economy and the political culture.
  • James Meredith

    Became the first African American student to enroll at the University of Mississippi.
  • Silent Spring

    A book published by Rachel Carson which advocated environmental and human health.
  • I Have a Dream

    Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his famous speech.
  • President John F. Kennedy

    Assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
  • 1964 Civil Rights Act

    Outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
  • Miniskirt

    Invented by Mary Quant so that there was a garment you could move in.
  • Voting Rights Act of 1965

    An act that abolished voting discrimination in federal, state, and local elections.
  • Elementary and Secondary Education Act

    The first sustained and significant federal investment in public education.
  • Cuban Adjustment Act

    Signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, this act allowed Cuban refugees to become permanent residents.
  • Black Panther Party

    This party, created by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale called for direct action and self-defense of African Americans.
  • National Welfare Rights Organization

    These activists fought for greater benefits and more control over welfare policy.
  • Martin Luther King Jr.

    Killed on this date, one of the most influential civil rights leaders.
  • Woodstock

    Concert which idealized the new youth culture and its mixture of politics, protest, and personal fulfillment.
  • Women's Strike for Equality

    A protest for women based on employment discrimination, political equality, abortion, free childcare, and equality in marriage.
  • National Environment Policy Act

    Act signed by Richard Nixon requiring environmental impact statements for any project directed or funded by the federal government.
  • Watergate

    This huge scandal brought political corruption in the White House to light.
  • Paris Peace Accords

    An accords marking the end of U.S. force commitment in the Vietnam War.
  • War Powers Resolution

    Dramatically reduced the president's ability to wage war without congressional consent.
  • American Psychiatric Association

    Stopped classifying homosexuality as a mental illness.
  • Richard Nixon

    The first president to resign from the White House.
  • Jimmy Carter

    Takes office as the 39th president.
  • Camp David Accords

    Had limits for both Israel and Palestine, but held negotiations for peace.
  • Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment and Training Act

    Promised to end unemployment through extensive government planning.