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United States Constitution
The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787. The Constitution is important because it protects individual freedom. It establishes government functions. The constitution also limits the power of the government and establishes a system of checks and balances. The constitution protects the rights of all people and helps us live in an equal society. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The Attack on Pearl Harbor was a sneak attack by the Japanese Navy Air Service on the US naval base in Honolulu, Hawaii. This military strike led to World War II the next day. Throughout the war, Pearl Harbor was frequently used in American propaganda. After the attack, Japanese American residents/citizens were put in Japanese-American internment camps. Regulations were put to evacuate Japanese-Canadians and 12,000 were in camps, 2,000 in road camps and 2,000 forced to work at sugar beet farms. -
Truman orders U.S. forces to Korea
On June 27, 1950, President Truman announced that he is ordering US air and naval forces to South Korea to aid the democratic nation in repulsing an invasion by North Korea. The US was undertaking the major military operation to enforce a United Nations resolution calling for an end to hostility, and to stem the spread of communism in Asia. Truman's commitment of US troops to Korea still stands as the most important precedent for the executive use of military force w/o congressional authority. -
Brown v. Board of Education: Supreme Court declares racial segregation in schools is unconstitutional
Brown v. Board of Education was a Supreme Court case where it was ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. It helped establish that separate-but-equal services were not equal. The Supreme Court’s ruling fueled the civil rights movement in the US. A year after, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus. Her arrest sparked a bus boycott and lead to other boycotts, sit-ins and movements that would eventually lead to the end of Jim Crow laws across the South. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion Fails
A group of 1500 Cuban exiles, trained/financed by the CIA, launched an invasion of Cuba from the sea in the Bay of Pigs. The plan was to overthrow Castro. Instead, it was defeat that pushed Cuba in the arms of the Soviet Union. The US plan was to sneak ashore, secure the area, take the airfield & fly in a government-in-exile who would call for support. More than 1,000 of the anti-Castro fighters were taken prisoner. About 1 yr later, they were sent to Miami in exchange for $50m in food/medicine. -
John Glenn Orbits the Earth
On February 20, 1962, Glenn flew the Friendship 7 mission, becoming the first American to orbit the Earth, and the fifth person and third American in space. The mission renewed U.S. confidence. His flight occurred while the U.S. and the Soviet Union were embroiled in the Cold War and competing in the Space Race. As the first American in orbit, Glenn became a national hero, met President John F. Kennedy, and received a ticker-tape parade in New York. -
I Have A Dream Speech
The Great March on Washington, was held in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, August 28, 1963. The purpose of the march was to advocate for the civil and economic rights of African Americans. At the march, Martin Luther King Jr., stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial, and delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. This speech was forever remembered in history and is credited with helping pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
Gulf of Tonkin incident/USS Maddox incident
On 2 August 1964, North Vietnamese patrol torpedo boats attacked the USS Maddox while the destroyer was in international waters in the Gulf of Tonkin. It led to the US engaging more in the Vietnam War. It eventually became very controversial with widespread belief that at least 1, possibly both, were fake. The outcome of these 2 incidents was that it granted President Johnson the authority to assist any SE Asian country whose gov. was considered to be jeopardized by "communist aggression". -
Civil Rights Marchers Attacked in Selma
State troopers and sheriff’s in Selma, Ala., attacked 525 civil rights demonstrators in a march to Montgomery. The march was to promote black voter registration and to protest the killing of Jimmie Lee Jackson who was killed during a voter registration march. They were ordered by the police to disperse and when they stood in place, they charged at them. The police also fired tear gas at the crowd and charged on horseback. More than 50 victims had suffered fractured ribs, heads, arms/legs, etc. -
First U.S. combat troops arrive in South Vietnam
The first U.S. combat troops arrived in Vietnam as 3500 Marines landed at China Beach to defend the American air base at Da Nang. They joined 23,000 American military advisors already in Vietnam. The arrival at Da Nang was uneventful. One of the planes was slightly damaged by anti-aircraft fire. But none of the marines were hurt. President Johnson authorized the use of Napalm two days later. -
Miranda v. Arizona
The case had an impact on law enforcement in the US by making the Miranda warning part of police procedure to ensure that suspects know their rights. The purpose is that they are aware of these rights before questioning/actions that might incriminate them. The Miranda decision was criticized by many as they felt it was unfair for suspected criminals to know their rights. Richard Nixon denounced Miranda for disrupting the efficiency of police, and argued it would contribute to increase in crime. -
My Lai Massacre
The My Lai massacre was one of the most horrific incidents of violence against unarmed civilians in the Vietnam War. American soldiers killed most of the people in the village My Lai. More than 500 people were killed in My Lai, including girls and women who were raped and mutilated before being killed. US Army officers covered it up for a year before reporting it. This sparked international outrage. The cover-up fueled anti-war feelings and further divided the US over the Vietnam War. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King
In many ways our nation is still trying to recover from King’s death and the opportunities for racial equality, economic justice and peace that seemed to recede. King proved to be more than just the civil rights movement’s most important national political mobilizer. Over the course of many years, King helped reimagine America’s moral and political imagination. He argued in “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in that racial justice comprised one of the fundamental principles of American democracy. -
Apollo 11
The Apollo 11 mission was an important event for space exploration by the US. It was the first time a man had walked on the moon in Earth's history. This event symbolized America's technological advancement. The astronauts also returned to Earth the first samples from another planetary body. Apollo 11 was "one giant leap for mankind." -
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Crack Epidemic
In the early 1980's and 1990's there was a crack epidemic in the U.S. Cocaine caused increase crime and violence, especially in the black community. Black community homicide rates more than doubled, and there was a 20-100% increase in fetal deaths, low-weight babies, weapon arrests, and children in foster care. In 1985, the number of people who admitted using cocaine on a routine basis increased from 4.2 million to 5.8 million. This crack epidemic ultimately led to the War on Drugs. -
9/11 Attack
9/11 was an attack on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, Virginia, and an airplane that crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The US then increased domestic and border security and expanded surveillance efforts to detect potential terrorism. Thus began a rise in complaints of racially and religiously motivated discrimination against Muslims. In an effort to break the Taliban’s grip on Afghanistan, the US went to war. The conflict has claimed 111,000 Afghan lives and 2,372 US lives. -
Space Shuttle Columbia
The Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon reentering Earth's atmosphere, killing all 7 crew members. During the launch, foam insulation broke from the Shuttle's tank and struck the left wing. When re-entering, the hot atmospheric gases penetrated the heat shield, causing the spacecraft to become unstable. The space program was suspended. Less than a year later, President Bush announced Vision for Space Exploration to be replaced by Crew Exploration Vehicle for travel to the Moon and Mars. -
Virginia Tech Shooting
Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people on the VA Polytechnic and State Univ. campus before taking his life. At the time it was the deadliest shooting by a lone gunman in US history. It sparked debate about gun violence/laws, gaps in the US system for mental health issues, the perpetrator's state of mind, responsibility of college administration, privacy laws, and others. The shooting prompted VA to close legal loopholes that allowed individuals that were mentally unsound to purchase guns w/o detection. -
Killing of Osama bin Laden
Usama bin Ladin was a founder of the pan-Islamic militant organization al-Qaeda. Under his leadership, al-Qaeda was responsible for the mass murder of 2,977 victims of the September 11 attacks in the United States and many other mass-casualty attacks worldwide. Bin Laden was on the FBI's lists of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives/Most Wanted Terrorists for involvement in the 1998 US embassy bombings. He was killed in Abbottabad, Pakistan by US military special operations unit Operation Neptune Spear. -
Inauguration of President Donald Trump
Donald Trump being elected to office has been both significant and controversial. Many people are against Trump being in office. He has increased immigration enforcement which has largely withstood legal challenge. The Trump administration signed an executive order to build the Mexico wall and that will be remembered in history due to the Declaration of National Emergency and the Government Shutdown. The total number of migrants is the lowest since 1971.
