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Brown II: Integration in Public Schools becomes law
The Supreme Court in a 9-0 vote declares segregation in public schools unconstitutional. Brown II, as the case is usually called, forces schools to integrate whites and non-whites. -
Rosa Parks is arrested
Parks refuses to give up her seat to a white male and is subsequently arrested. The arrest stirs up protests across the nation among civil rights activists. -
Federal-Aid Highway Act: The birth of the interstate highway system
The Act provides funds for constructions of highways spanning across several states. -
President Eisenhower secures a second term
Eisenhower defeats Stevenson again, this time with 457 electoral votes. -
Little Rock, AR: Federal Troops protect black students in an all-white school
The governor of Arkansas uses the National Guard to prohibit nine black students from attending an all-white college. Eisenhower responds by sending federal troops to escort the men to school. -
Explorer I: the first U.S. space satellite
During its mission, the satellite discovers the Van Allen radiation belt, a magnetic field that protects the earth from radiation. -
The 49th State: Alaska joins the United States
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The 50th State: Hawaii joins the United States
Hawaii is the last state to join the union until now. -
Nikita Khrushchev is the first Soviet leader to visit the United States
Eisenhower hots Khrushchev for the thirteen-day visit and Cold War tensions begin to relax. -
Greensboro Sit-ins
The sit-ins, which spread rapidly across the South, start with four black men who sit inside a whites-only lunch counter, refusing to leave unless they are served. Desegregation eventually takes place in Greensboro, encouraging others to stage similar sit-ins. -
The 1960 census shows 18.5% population increase
The population is 179,323,175, with New York and California holding the most residents. -
The first televised presidential debate between JKF and Nixon
Television favors John F. Kennedy's visible charisma on stage, which helps sways the nation even further in his favor. -
John F. Kennedy wins the 1960 election to become the 34th U.S. President
Democrat Kennedy defeats incumbent Vice President Richard Nixon with 303 electoral votes. -
The Bay of Pigs Invasion
The American supported invasion of Cuba fails to defeat Fidel Castro's forces. -
The Berlin Wall: Construction begins
Construction on the wall dividing West and East Berlin begins under the command of the Soviets. -
JFK announced American soldiers in Vietnam will fight if attacked
The United States has sent several military advisors for several years to help the French put down the communist revolutionaries. JFK's declaration of willingness to fight pulls America deeper into the Vietnam War. -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
Khrushchev sends missiles to Cuba to deter future attacks on the island by the United States. Americans are in an uproar as tensions between the US and Russia escalate. Khrushchev agrees to withdraw the weapons if Kennedy will remove American missiles in Turkey. -
Civil Rights March on Washington & I Have A Dream
Thousands of protestors march through Washington asking for equal rights for everyone. Dr. Martin Luther King delivers "I Have Dream" speech to over 200,000 protestors. -
President John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, TX
Lee Harvey Oswald shoots President Kennedy from a building overlooking the motorcade. Jack Ruby kills Oswald while he is being transported. -
Vice President Lyndon B. John is sworn in as the 36th U.S. President
Johnson is sworn into office on Air Force One by Judge Sarah T. Huges at the Loveland Airport in Dallas, TX. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Act becomes effective with Johnson's signature. It prohibits segregation in public settings and makes illegal discriminations based on race, ethnicity, gender, and religious views. -
President Lyndon B. Johnson wins the 1964 elections
Johnson, a southerner, takes 468 electoral votes over Republican Barry M. Goldwater's 52 electoral votes. -
Vietnam War escalates with American bombings bellow the 20th parallel
Johnson is willing to destroy resisting forces in Vietnam but faces much criticism within America for keeping soldiers in the war. -
The Voting Rights Act of 1965
Among other things, the Act gives eliminates literacy test requirements to vote. -
National Welfare Rights Organization
Founded by Lilian Craig, the organization lasted from 1966 to 1975 and fought for welfare benefits for women and children. -
Peace between the United States and the Soviet Union
In a three-day meeting, President Johnson and Premier Alexei Kosygin discuss peace between the countries at Glassboro State College in NJ. They agree that any conflict between the countries will not lead to war. -
The first African-American Supreme Court Justice: Thurgood Marshall
Kennedy had originally nominated Marshall to the Supreme Court in 1961, but several Senators from the South delayed his hearings. Johnson reappointed Marshall to the Court on June 13, 1967. Marshall is sworn in on October 2 of the same year. -
North Korea takes USS Pueblo in the Sea of Japan
North Korea claims the American ship is trespassing and spying on them. The ship is still in N. Korean custody to this day. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, TN
King lead the Civil Rights movement in America for several years, even winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. His murderer was never caught, although the court placed the guilt on James Earl Ray, despite a lack of verifiable evidence. -
Richard W. Nixon wins the 1968 election to become the 36th U.S. President
Republican Nixon defeats his two opponents, Hubert H. Humphrey and George Wallace, with 301 electoral votes. -
American troops begin to withdraw from Vietnam
The United States engages in peace-talks with North Vietnam for several years, attempting to have South Vietnam's independence recognized by North Vietnam. Henry Kissinger workouts a deal with the North Vietnamese after nearly five years. -
The Nixon Doctrine
Nixon tells Asian allies that America will support them with economic and military aid rather than ground troops. Many within the United States are still unhappy with this level of involvement in Asian wars. -
Creation of the Internet by the U.S. Department of Defense
Arpanet, as the internet is first called, connects databases of several universities in the United States. The military will go on to use the net to improve connections between their bases. -
The 1970 census shows a 13.4% population increase
The United States has over two hundred million inhabitants, increasing by one hundred million in the fifty years after 1920. -
The 26th Amendment to the Constitution is passed
The voting age is lowered from 21 to 18. The states ratify the Amendment on June 30 and President Nixon signs it on July 5, 1971. -
China opens up to the United States
President Nixon travels to meet Mao Zedong in China. Relations between the countries improve and lead to business partners in the future. -
War reignites in Vietnam
North Vietnamese troops enter South Vietnam, leading America to send airstrikes on the cities of Hanoi and Haiphong in North Vietnam. -
President Nixon is the first U.S. President to visit Moscow
Nixon and Premier Leonid Brezhnev agree to limit missile developments in their countries by signing the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks I agreement. Russia will go on to purchase 400 million bushels of wheat from the United States for s subsidized price of $700 million. -
Watergate Scandal begins
Four men are arrested after breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters. Talk of their association with the Nixon administration does not phage Nixon from continuing his presidential campaign. -
President Nixon secures his second term in the 1972 election
Nixon defeats Democratic George S. McGovern with 520 electoral votes. The Watergate scandal quickly overwhelms the Nixon's second term, revealing questionable campaigning tactics used by his administration in 1972. -
Roe v. Wade
The Supreme Court rules 5-4 that abortion within six months of pregnancy is legal. The ruling overrides the state's laws. -
U.S. Troops leave Vietnam for good
After signing a peace treaty in Paris, the United States begins to withdraw troops from Vietnam. -
The Arab Oil Embargo
The United States, in her support of Israel during the Arab-Israeli war, refuses to receive oil imports from Arab nations. An energy crisis follows. -
Vice President Gerald R. Ford is sworn in as 38th U.S. President
President Ford pardoned Nixon in 1974 for his connection to Watergate. -
President Richard Nixon resigns after impeachment for the Watergate Scandal
The Watergate hearings expose tapes with evidence incriminating Nixon and several of his staff members for approving of the raids on the Democratic National Committee. Nixon resigns the presidency to avoid further humiliation. -
North Vietnam invades South Vietnam
The invasion highlights the futile efforts made by the United States to contain communism in Vietnam.