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House Un-American Activities Committee
HUAC was organized to investigate disloyalty and suspicious activities which were suspected to have communist ties. They focused on un-American propaganda. -
G.I. Bill
the G.I. Bill or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 provided college education for returning World War II veterans. It also provided one-year of payed unemployment and loans to buy homes and start businesses. It was signed by Roosevelt on June 22, 1944. -
Baby Boom Generation
The Baby Boom Generation refers to those born after World War 2. Between 1946 and 1964, the population skyrocketed with the return of soldiers from war. There are about 76 million baby boomers in the U.S. -
The Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was the boundary that divided Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 to the end of the Cold War in 1991. The boundary went straight through Germany. This was Winston Churchill's response to the rise of communism. -
Cold War
The Cold War was a battle between Soviet controlled countries and U.S. led countries. From 1945 to 1990, the two countries never came into contact, but rather threatened each other. The Cold War ended with the fall of the Soviet Union. -
Levittown
Levittowns were mass production techniques to build inexpensive homes in planned communities. They relieved postwar housing shortage. Levittowns introduced the conformity of houses. -
Containment Policy
Implemented by Truman, the Containment Policy was the first policy during the Cold War. It was used to prevent the spread of communism and was a response to moves by the Soviet Union to expand its communist power. It served as the general plan of the U.S. during the Cold War. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine stated that the United States would provide political, military, and economic assistance to countries under the threat of communism. It was meant to be extended to become the basis of the Cold War policy of containment. Containment was a United States policy using numerous strategies to prevent the spread of communism abroad. -
Marshall Plan
Originally known as the Economic Recovery Act of 1948, the Marshall Plan was America wanting to aid Western Europe. It was also hope to prevent the spread of communism. In the end, Europe was given more than $13 million in aid. -
Berlin Airlift
At the end of World War 2, the U.S., U.K., and the Soviet Union divided Germany. Alliances ended which caused the Soviets to put a blockade on things getting access to Allied-controlled places in Berlin. The United States and United Kingdom responded by airlifting food and fuel to Berlin from Allied airbases in western Germany -
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was a formed alliance between North America and Europe. It was founded in order to defend each other from the possibility of communist Soviet Union taking control of their nation. When founded in 1949, there were 12 founding members of the organization: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States -
1950's Prosperity
The 1950's were an ever changing decade for America. People were consuming more and technology, politics, and economics were changing daily. It was an introduction to the world we live in today. -
Rust Belt vs. Sun Belt
The Rust Belt consisted of the Great Lakes to the upper Midwest States. It referred to economic decline and population loss due to the shrinking of its once-powerful industrial sector. The Sun Belt consisted of states from Florida to California. This area experienced rapid economic growth and major gains in population. -
Beatniks
Beatniks refers to a young person in the 50's and 60's belonging to a subculture associated with the beat generation. This generation advocated spontaneity, use of drugs, and rebellion against social standards. They were highly influenced by authors and writers. -
Korean War
The Korean War was a disagreement between North Korea and South Korea. It began when North Korea, with help from the Soviet Union, invaded South Korea. South Korea received help form the United Nations throughout the war. It ended with sides in hostile division. -
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Eisenhower served as the 34th president of the United States. As President, he oversaw the cease-fire of the Korean War, watched over the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and launched the Space Race. He also signed the Interstate Highway Act which led to the Interstate Highway System. -
Jonas Stalk
Dr. Jonas Salk was an American doctor who developed the polio vaccine. Polio killed millions worldwide. This vaccine stopped the disease in it's tracks. -
Rosenburg Trial
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed on June 19, 1953, a few weeks before the Korean War ended. The legal charge the Rosenbergs were convicted of was “Conspiracy to Commit Espionage.” They were guilty for giving the “secret of the atomic bomb” to the U.S.S.R. -
Domino Theory
The "Domino Theory" is the theory that a political event in one country will cause similar events in neighboring countries. This became prevalent in the world during communism. The U.S. used this theory to justify their support for the non-communist regime in South Vietnam. -
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the accusations of subversion or treason without regard for evidence. It was a time period which Senator Joseph McCarthy produced investigations to expose communism throughout the U.S. Government. Today it is used as another term for defamation of character or reputation by means of widely publicized indiscriminate allegations. -
Space Race
The Space Race was a competition of space exploration between the Soviet Union and the United States. It began in 1955 when both countries announced they were sending satellites into space. From then on it was a back and forth competition of who had the better technology. The U.S. ended it when they put a man on the moon. -
Ray Kroc
Ray Kroc was the founder of the first McDonalds. He was an exclusive distributor of multimixer milk shakes. He bought McDonalds from two brothers who were buyers of Kroc's mixers. -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a battle between North Vietnam and their allies (notably the Viet Cong) and South Vietnam and their allies (notably the U.S.). It began in 1954 with the rise of communism in North Vietnam. More then 3 million were killed by the time it ended when communist forces seized control of Saigon. -
Interstate Highway Act
Signed by President Eisenhower in 1956, the Interstate Highway Act created a 41,000-mile National System of Interstate and Defense Highways. It was meant to eliminate unsafe roads, inefficient routes, and traffic jams. The law stated that the construction of these interstates were in the best interest of the nation. -
Sputnik
On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first man-made object to orbit the earth. Sputnik broadcast beeps back to Earth for 23 days until its batteries ran down. It remained in earth orbit until January 4, 1958, when it burned up on re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. -
Antiwar Movement
The anti-war movement was a student protest that started as the Free Speech movement in California. They had a huge opposition to the Vietnam was and U.S. participation. These protest led to growing activism on college campuses. -
Bay of Pigs
The Bay of Pigs was Americas attempt at overthrowing the communist government in Cuba. It ended up in disaster because Americans did not support it. The incident was an embarrassment for the U.S. and ultimately led to Castro pleading for Soviet aid which eventually led to the Cuban Missile Crisis. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The U.S. and the Soviet Union came close to nuclear war when President Kennedy told Nikita Khrushchev to remove the 42 missiles that were secretly placed in Cuba. An American U-2 spy plane detected the missiles. Kennedy and the rest of his team went back and forth for the next 13 days. -
Betty Friedan
Betty Friedan, the author of "The Feminine Mystique", helped break the boundaries of traditional women's roles. She also helped advance the women’s rights movement as one of the founders of the National Organization for Women. Friedan also advocated for an increased role for women in the political process. -
John F. Kennedy
During his presidency, Kennedy was at the center of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Bay of Pigs Invasion. He promised to strengthen the American military during the cold war. His time was cut short when he was assassinated on November 22, 1963, after 1,036 days in office -
Lyndon B. Johnson
As the 36th president of the U.S., Johnson took America further into the Vietnam War. The increased involvement started the antiwar movement on university campuses. He was responsible for the "Great Society" idea that included laws that upheld civil rights, Medicare, Medicaid, environmental protection, and aid to education. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The Gulf of Tonkin resolution was passes on August 7, 1964. It was a joint agreement of the U.S. Congress as a result to a naval engagement known as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. It gave President Johnson authorization to the use of military force without a declaration of war. -
Great Society
Lyndon B Johnson had hopes for a "Great Society". Johnson's policies for fighting poverty and racial injustice. These included Medicare, civil rights legislation, and financial aid to education. -
Tet Offensive 1968
National Liberation Front and North Vietnamese forces launched an attack on the Vietnamese New Year, Tet. After a month of fighting and many thousands of casualties, it was a major defeat for communism. Americans reacted quickly, with declining approval of LBJ and more anti-war sentiments. -
Richard Nixon
Nixon was the 37th president of the United States. He had the idea of Vietnamization, which withdrew 540,000 troops from South Vietnam. He was also the only president to resign from office due to the watergate scandal. -
Vietnamization
Vietnamization was President Nixon's strategy for ending U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. The negotiation with North Vietnamese was in 1973. It was a withdraw of American troops and replacing them with South Vietnam troops. -
Moon Landing
As a part of the space race, the U.S. and the Soviet Union competed to see how could further advance in space. In 1969, Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon. This ended the space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. -
26th Amendment
During the Vietnam War, the national voting age was a popular topic. Seeing as how those old enough to be drafted for the military, should be able to have the right to vote, Congress lowered the voting age as part of the Voting Rights Act of 1970. A constitutional amendment required the age be reduced to 18. -
War Powers Act
The War Powers Act was passed by Congress after the Vietnam War. It addressed concerns and provided a set of procedures for both President and Congress to follow in situations where the introduction of U.S. forces abroad could lead to their involvement in armed conflict. President Nixon vetoed the act, not stopping the passage by both Houses of Congress. -
Rock n' Roll
Rock n' Roll started out in the 40's. It was banned in the Soviet Union because it gave people the idea to break down communism. It introduced new dance movements, rockstars, fashion, and more.
