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Yalta conference
Conference between Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin about their visions for postwar Europe. Though it did little to ease tensions between the USSR and the Western Allies -
Marshall plan proposed
Post WW ll economic aid from the US to Europe. Helping to rebuild their economy and serve American interests. -
HUAC communism in Hollywood hearings
During the 2nd red scare, HUAC held hearings investigating potential communists in Hollywood. Blacklisting many workers from the industry. -
Truman orders desegregation of the US military
An executive order by president Truman to desegregate the military. A pivotal decision that pushed racial equality. -
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Korean War
A proxy war fought in Korea between the Communist North, Backed by the USSR, and the Capitalist South, Backed by the US. -
Army-McCarthy hearings
Hearings investigating the conflicting accusations between the US Army, and senator McCarthy over favoritism. -
Brown v.Board overturns Jim Crow "seperate but equal"
Milestone Supreme court ruling that deemed Jim Crow's "separate but equal" in violation of the fourteenth amendment. -
Arrest of Rosa Parks
When she refused to give up her seat to a white man, Rosa Parks was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. In reaction, African Americans began boycotting public transit in what was called the Montgomery Bus Boycott -
Fidel Castro leads Cuban uprising
Unsatisfied with the US supported Batista, communist Fidel Castro overthrew the Cuban government. -
Cuban Missile crisis
The closest to nuclear war the US and USSR came to during the Cold War. Soviets had placed nuclear missiles in Cuba facing the US, in response to the US placing missiles facing the USSR in Turkey. Though ultimately each country agreed to remove their missiles from Cuba and Turkey. -
Assassination of President Kennedy
Shot twice, JFK was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald. -
Launch of Great Society program and War on Poverty
Lyndon B. Johnson's plan to address poverty and economic equity in the United States. Seeing success dropping the amount of Americans on the poverty line from significantly -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Reaction to a minor attack on a US battleship by Vietcong, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution grants the president near complete control over the Vietnam War. -
Malcolm X. Assassinated
Shot and during a speech in New York City, the death of Malcolm X raised racial tensions. Bringing attention to how dangerous advocating can be. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Killed on his balcony, MLK's assassination was an attack on the civil rights movement as a whole. But rather than dwindling, the Black Power movement grew. -
American Indian Movement (AIM) established
Created in the summer of 1968, AIM set out to protest the systemic mistreatment of Native Americans. Using their influence to represent and advocate for Natives in situations set to keep them in poverty. -
Stonewall Riots
Sparked by a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in NY, this six day riot is marked as the beginning of the fight for queer rights. -
Roe v. Wade won
Supreme Court ruling that guaranteed women's right to an abortion. A major decision in the steps women were taking to obtain equal autonomy. -
Fall of Saigon to North Vietnam
With an all forces attack from North Vietnam, South Vietnam fell to the North. Reuniting under communism, ending the Vietnam war. -
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AIDS crisis
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the most advanced type of HIV, destroying a person's immune system. When the AIDS epidemic boomed, Reagan was slow to act, due to the disease's association with "immoral behavior", leading to the death of millions. -
Ratification of Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) defeated
An amendment meant to guarantee equal rights for all citizens, regardless of sex. But was ultimately not ratified, being just a couple states short of the 3/4 majority necessary. -
Senate hearings on Iran-Contra affair
A political scandal around the Reagan administration's secret facilitation of arms sales to Iran during an embargo. Done with the hopes of releasing 7 US hostages. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The tearing down of the Berlin Wall was also a tear down of not only a physical separation, but a symbolic one. The reunification of Germany caused other Eastern European countries to turn away from communism in favor of democracy. -
World Wide Web Created
Created in 1989, and made public in 1991, by Tim Berners-Lee for scientists who needed automated information sharing. -
Operation Desert Storm begins; US pushes Iraq out of Kuwait
A bombing campaign on Iraq by the Reagan administration after Iraq forces did not leave Kuwait. -
Collapse of USSR
Several factors led to the downfall of the USSR, the most immediate being the constant challenges to soviet rule from European countries. -
Attack on World Trade Center
Terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, causing the US's declaration of the War on Terror. -
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War in Iraq
With rumors that Iraq was creating nuclear weapons, and Saddam Hussein's government proposed connection to terrorist organizations, namely al-Qaeda, the US in its War on Terror felt justified in its invasion. -
Obama wins presidential election
The 2008 election was held in the midst of a recession that many Americans blamed on the Republican party, and with Obama's sympathetic and modern way of campaigning, he was able to gain the nation's vote. -
Gay marriage legalized
In the landmark Supreme Court case of Obergefell v. Hodges, the court established the right to same-sex marriage. Illustrating the evolving ideas around queer rights.