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13th amendment
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. -
14th amendment
All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. -
Plessy vs Feguson
Brewer took no part in the consideration or decision of the case. Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 US 537 (1896) was a landmark constitutional law case of the US Supreme Court. It upheld state racial segregation laws for public facilities under the doctrine of "separate but equal". -
Mendez vs. Westminster School District of Orange County
Mendez, et al v. Westminster [sic] School District of Orange County, et al, 64 F.Supp. 544 (S.D. Cal. 1946), aff'd, 161 F.2d 774 (9th Cir. 1947) (en banc), was a 1947 federal court case that challenged Mexican remedial schools in Orange County, California. -
The first modern credit card was introduced
In 1950, the first modern credit card was introduced, and that would eventually change the financial lives of every American in the years to come. It was also the year when the first "Peanuts" cartoon strip appeared and doctors achieved the first organ transplant. -
Color TV was introduced
In 1951, color TV was introduced, bringing life-like shows into American homes. Truman signed the peace treaty with Japan, officially ending World War II, and Winston Churchill again took the reins in Britain as prime minister. South Africans were forced to carry identification cards that included their race. -
Britain's Princess Elizabeth became queen at age 25 after the death of her father, King George VI.
In 1952, Britain's Princess Elizabeth became queen at age 25 after the death of her father, King George VI. London suffered through the Great Smog of 1952, with deaths numbering in the thousands. In the "firsts" department, seat belts were introduced, and the vaccine for polio was created. -
Joseph Stalin died,
In 1953, DNA was discovered, and Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first men to ever climb to the summit of Mount Everest. Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin died, and Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed for espionage. Another first: Playboy magazine made its debut. -
segregation was illegal in the Brown v. Board of Education decision.
In a landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled segregation was illegal in the Brown v. Board of Education decision. In other news, the first atomic submarine was launched, Jonas Salk's polio vaccine was given to children in a massive trial, and cigarettes were reported to cause cancer. -
Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas
On May 17, 1954, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren delivered the unanimous ruling in the landmark civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. State-sanctioned segregation of public schools was a violation of the 14th amendment and was therefore unconstitutional. -
Viet Cong Emerge
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U.S. Buildup Begins
White Paper advises increased U.S. presence in Vietnam. -
U.S. Will Fire Back
Kennedy declares U.S. advisers in 'Nam will defend themselves. -
$2 Billion Wasted
Kennedy hears from Senate leader after Saigon trip to see outcome of U.S. aid. -
Gulf of Tonkin
The USS Maddox is on spy patrol 30 miles off the coast of Vietnam when it reports an attack by three enemy vessels. Another U.S. ship reports an attack on Aug 4. (Later inquiries will cast doubt on both reports.) On Aug 7, Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, allowing Pres. Johnson to wage war against North Vietnam without a formal Declaration of War. -
15th amendment
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.