-
Fair Deal
The Fair Deal was a plan set in place by President Truman after the end of World War II. His objective was to shift America away from a wartime economy and towards a peacetime economy. He wanted to "revive" the New Deal, and took actions such as increasing minimum wage, creating Social Security programs and expanding public housing in order to better American life. -
Cold War
The Cold War was a period of time in which Americans and their allies, who valued freedom, went through a struggle in order to combat communist advances from the Soviet Union and their allies. -
Baby Boom
In the late 1940's and early '50s, the U.S. went through a sudden and dramatic population increase of nearly 30 million people.The increase in population stemmed from the large, rising number of births. -
Iron Curtain
At the start of the Cold War, Winston Churchill, Britain's Prime Minister, declared that an iron curtain went through Europe. This "curtain" acted as a metaphor for the separation of communist countries in the East from the free West. -
Marshall Plan
Secretary of State George C. Marshall illustrated one of the pillars of containment in the Marshall Plan, which focused on rebuilding economic and political stability in Europe after the war in order to combat communism. -
Korean War
During the Cold War, Korea was also split into Communist North Korea and Anticommunist South Korea. As a result, the North Korean army invaded the South, and the U.S. got involved under the Truman administration. They attempted to repel the invasion, thus starting the Korean War. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The court case, Brown v. Board of Education, made a massive advancement in ending segregation. The court's decision declared that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, even if the schools were seemingly "equal" in quality. -
Massive Retaliation
John Dulles, President Eisenhower's Secretary of State, updated the policy of containment to a policy of massive retaliation. This stated that if the Soviet Union attempted to attack the U.S. or any U.S. ally, then we would launch a nuclear assault back on the Soviets. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks, a black woman, was arrested in 1955 for refusing to give up her seat for a white man on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. After her arrest, blacks across the town started the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which in turn began a massive civil rights movement in the South. -
National Defense Education Act
In response to the launch of Sputnik, the Soviets' creation of the first artificial Earth satellite, the Eisenhower administration created the National Defense education act. This law provided funding for schools in America and worked to promote higher education in order to compete with the Soviet Union in terms of science and technology. -
Sit-Ins
Sit-Ins, which got their start in Greensboro, North Carolina, became a form of protest among the African American community. The Sit-In Movement was a form of peaceful protest that called for integration of parks, pools, restaurants, libraries, and other public facilities. Typically, blacks would sit in an area reserved for "whites only" to protest segregation. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Occurring during the Kennedy administration, one of the most dangerous events of the Cold War started when U.S. spy planes found out that the Soviet Union had missiles in Cuba that were capable of reaching the United States. In response, President Kennedy set in place a blockade of the island, demanding that the Soviets withdraw the missiles. -
Civil Rights Act
When Johnson became president, he made it the first order of business to enact laws pertaining to civil rights. Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned discrimination based on race and/or sex in public institutions, such as schools, theaters and restaurants. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
At the time of the Vietnam War, President Lyndon B. Johnson was in the middle of the conflict. When North Vietnamese vessels fired at an American ship, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was passed, stating that the president could go against congress if necessary in order to repel attack on the U.S. -
Watergate Scandal
President Richard Nixon was re-elected for a second term of presidency in 1972. He was known to be quite skeptical of everyone who criticized him. He soon formed an "enemies list" that included reporters, celebrities and politicians, and Nixon sent an investigative unit to break into the office of Daniel Ellsberg, a former government official who leaked top secret U.S. information to the press. The intruders were arrested, and Nixon soon resigned from office. -
Title IX
As the Sexual Revolution continued and made its way into mainstream society, Congress approved Title IX. This stated that gender discrimination in higher education was banned. -
Roe v. Wade
As individual rights was becoming a more important issue among Americans, Congress made a very important decision in the court case, Roe v. Wade. Congress declared that every woman had the right to terminate a pregnancy through safe methods. -
War Powers Act
During the Nixon administration, Congress passed the War Powers Act. In a way, it worked to reverse the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, declaring that the president must have congressional approval to send American troops overseas. -
Stagflation
Due in part to factors such as the energy crisis, the oil embargo and large demand for fuel for automobiles, a period of stagflation occurred, characterized by stagnant economic growth and high inflation in the U.S. economy. -
Reagan Revolution
After Ronald Reagan's election, he launched the Reagan Revolution. He claimed that he would use the principles of conservatism in order to restore moral values in America, and revert the social and economic changes that the U.S. had underwent in the past.
