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House Un-American Activities Committee
The HUAC was created in 1938 in order to investigate supposed disloyalty and spies that might be giving information to the Soviets. The Committee is often associated with Joseph McCarthy as it was a response to the fear of communism, but McCarthy had no direct ties with the program. The committee investigated many people and was responsible for the executions of spy Julius Rosenburg and his wife, Ethel. -
G.I. Bill (Servicemen's Readjustment Act 1944)
The G.I. Bill was a law that provided benefits for soldiers returning home from WWII. Some benefits included paying for school tuition, living expenses for college, low cost mortgages, low interest loans to star businesses, and many other opportunities. The G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act, was signed into law on June 22, 1944. -
Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was the name given to the divide in Europe from the end of WWII in 1945 to the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolized Russia's efforts to blockade itself from invasion by conquering satellite countries, or bordering countries. On the East side were countries and states not controlled by the Soviets while the West side of the Iron Curtain was countries under the influence of the Soviet Union. -
Containment Policy
The Containment Policy was first suggested by George F. Kennan in 1946. He asserted that the goal of the U.S. should be to "contain" communism within its borders and not allow it to spread. It is for this reason that the U.S. got involved in the Korean and Vietnam wars. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was used because western Europe struggled to revive after the war and millions were in refugee camps during the coldest winter in memory in 1946. The Marshall Plan proposed aid to all European nations to rebuild. This was done to monitor the European nations and ensure they did not become communist. -
Baby Boom Generation
Baby boomers are the group of people born between the years 1946 and 1964 after soldiers started returning home from World War II. This includes people who are between 53 and 71 years old in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The baby boom generation is typically associated with rejection of traditional values. They also see themselves as a "special" generation. -
1950's Prosperity
The 1950's saw a great deal of prosperity due to the end of WWII. By 1961, over 90% of homes owned televisions. Technology was rapidly advancing with new electronics and appliances, nuclear power, the first computer, and the birth of Silicon Valley. This was largely possible after the war due to the GI Bill of Rights which allowed soldiers to get an education etc. The 50's also saw the birth of the first American suburb, Levittown, in 1947, which was a huge symbol of American prosperity. -
Levittown
Levittown was the first American suburb which was developed on Long Island in 1947. It featured affordable, mass-produced housing for the first time and was very popular among newlyweds. The name comes from the mastermind behind it all, William Levitt. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was designed to contain communism. Truman announced on March 12, 1947 that he would be giving economic aid to Greece and Turkey in exchange to support a non-communist government. The Truman Doctrine extended this aid to any nation that agreed to stay non-communist. -
Berlin Airlift
The Berlin airlift, 1948-1949, came about because when Germany was divided after WWII, the city of Berlin lay in Soviet territory. The Soviets closed all rail and highway routes into the city, but air routes remained opened. The U.S. code name for the airlift was "Operation Vittles" and U.S. and British forces dropped supplies like food and clothing into Berlin. Because of this, Germans and Americans became allies. -
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949. There were twelve original member states, but it is now 26. The point of this organization was to guarantee alliances and aid in the event that any of them became involved in a war. The Soviets were not invited to this organization and developed the Warsaw Pact in response. -
Beatniks
The Beatniks were stereotypes associated with the Beat Generation. This was the counterculture during the 1950's that rejected traditional American culture such as what would be seen as typical adult life like getting married and having children. Instead, some elements of the beatniks were drug use, depression that was seen as "cool" and being so-called "woke" or seeing what others in society do not see. -
Korean War
When Korea was divided after WWII along the 38th parallel, North Korea was communist, while South was non-communist. In an attempt to unify the two, North Korea invaded the south in June 1950. UN forces then got involved and supported South Korea, as did the U.S. -
Rock n' Roll
Rock n' Roll was a form of music in the 1950's that was very popular for rebellious teens. It featured some elements from gospel, blues, and others. While it was African Americans who invented the music type, white artists made it more acceptable. This was seen as "bad" music because it was said to encourage race mixing and immoralities. It was frequently called "the devil's music." In 1951, Alan Freed began playing this music style while popularizing the phrase to describe it. -
Jonas Salk
Jonas Salk was an American medical researcher and virologist who discovered and developed the first polio vaccine. Salk's vaccine was first tested in 1952, and it injected an inactive form of the virus into the body. Because of this, many people were wary about getting it. -
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower served as the 34th president of the United States for two terms from 1953-1961. His main goal in office was to keep pressure of the Soviets. His first year in office he threatened to use nuclear weapons to end the Korean War. -
Rosenberg Trial
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were United States citizens who were executed for conspiracy to commit espionage for the Soviet Union. They were accused of supplying information regarding the atomic bomb to the Soviets. Their defenders argue that they were simply victims of cold war paranoia, but after the fall of the USSR, evidence emerged detailing Julius' job as a spy. They were executed by electrocution on June 19th, 1953. -
Ray Kroc
Ray Kroc was an American business man who joined McDonald's in 1954 to pioneer the start of the modern day fast-food restaurant. After WWII, he partnered with the McDonald's brothers and immediately after visiting the San Bernardino store in 1955, Kroc knew that the setup of this small chain had the potential to explode across the nation, and he was right. -
Domino Theory
The Domino Theory was an idea that if one nation fell to communism, then all other nations would eventually fall as well. LBJ was particularly adamant about this theory as saw it as a just reason to fight in the Vietnam war. Though he never used the actual term "domino", Dwight D. Eisenhower described the theory during an April 7, 1954 news conference when referring to communism in Indochina. -
Space Race
The Space Race was a competition between the two major Cold War powers, the United States and Soviet Union. The competition began on August 2, 1955, when the Soviet Union responded to the US announcement by declaring they would also launch a satellite. The Soviet Union launched theirs first, called Sputnik, on October 4, 1957. The race peaked on July 20, 1969 when the US put the first humans on the Moon with Apollo 11. The USSR tried but failed to do the same. -
McCarthyism
McCarthyism was a phenomenon that played on Americans' fear of communism. This was started by a Republican senator from Wisconsin named Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy claimed that communists had infiltrated government agencies, but this was a lie to get him favor and attention. Due to this, many innocent lives were destroyed because they were accused of being communists, although solid evidence was never produced against the accused. This period of suspicion lasted from 1947-1956. -
Interstate Highway Act
The IHA was enacted on June 29, 1956, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill into law. The purpose was to provide the military with access in order to defend Americans during an attack. The Interstate Highway and Defense Highways was paid for by a Highway Trust Fund that paid for 90% of highway construction costs with the states required to pay the other 10%. -
Sputnik
Sputnik was the first man made satellite which was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. The satellite orbited the earth every 96 minutes. This was a major blow to U.S. prestige as we of course like to be the best, and the first, at everything. This event also started the Space Race. The Soviet Union launched Sputnik on October 4, 1957. -
Bay of Pigs
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was the unsuccessful attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro and his regime in Cuba. This plan, which was a defeat to the foreign policy of the Kennedy Administration, failed due to poor planning and lack of support from the Cuban people, because many were quite fond of Castro. The failed invasion took place April 17-19, 1961. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day situation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in which pilots flew over Cuba and discovered that Soviets were building missiles. After much consideration the U.S. place a quarantine around Cuba to deter further weapons being delivered. This took place on October 16-28 and ended when Kennedy and Krushchev came to an agreement to remove the missiles in exchange for our promise to never invade Cuba again. -
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy served as the 35th president from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963. He is most known for the 13 day Cuban Missile Crisis which lasted from October 16-26, 1962. The crisis involved Russia planting many missiles in the Nation of Cuba which is only 90 miles from the coast of Florida. -
Betty Friedan
Betty Friedan was an author, activist, and feminist. She is most know for her book, The Feminine Mystique. Written in 1963, the book questioned the common gender roles of the period of women that typically stay home and be obedient wives, and men who go to work to make all the money. -
Great Society
Great Society was a set of programs put in place by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. The main goal of these programs was to eliminate racial injustice and poverty. The new programs helped things like education, medical care, urban problems, and rural poverty. -
Lyndon B. Johnson
LBJ served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. Johnson designed the Great Society by upholding civil rights, public broadcasting, Medicare, aid to education, the arts, urban and rural development, public services, and his "War on Poverty". LBJ escalated involvement in the Vietnam War. In 1964, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which allowed Johnson the power to use military force in Southeast Asia without having to declare war. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was enacted August 10, 1964. It was a resolution that the United States Congress passed in response to the Gulf of Tonkin incident. It gave U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson authorization to use military force in Southeast Asia without a formal declaration of war by Congress. -
Anti-War Movement
The anti-war movement involved several types of protesting by different groups in opposition to the Vietnam War. There were three types of anti-war members: pacifists, radicals, and antiwar liberals. Some acts of protest included burning draft cards, self-immolation, and the 1967 March on the Pentagon. -
Tet Offensive 1968
The Tet Offensive of 1968, which was on the Vietnamese New Year, is when North Vietnam launched an attack despite a cease-fire. While North Vietnam lost militarily, they did gain much land. There was massive destruction in South Vietnam due to this offensive. -
Moon Landing
The United States' Apollo 11 was the first manned mission to land on the Moon, on July 20th, 1969. The first Americans to land on the moon were Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. This was a significant achievement in the Space Race. -
Rust Belt vs. Sun Belt
The Rust Belt is the region of the United States from the Great Lakes to the upper Midwest States, referring to economic decline, population loss, and urban decay due deindustrialization. The sunbelt states included from Florida to California. Warmer climates, lower taxes, and economic opportunities prompted families affected by the war to move to these areas. This phenomenon was largely recognized in the 1970's. -
26th Amendment
The 26th amendment prohibits states and the federal government from using age as a reason to deny the right to vote to citizens who are at least eighteen years old. The support to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 grew during the 1960s by the increased student activism in protesting the Vietnam War. On March 23, 1971, the proposal was adopted by both houses of Congress and the amendment became part of the Constitution on July 1, 1971. -
Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon was the 37th president of the U.S. from 1969 to 1974 when he became the only president in history to resign from office. Nixon is most known for ending American involvement in the war in Vietnam in 1973 and brought the American POWs home, and ended the military draft. He also enforced desegregation of Southern schools and established the Environmental Protection Agency. -
Vietnamization
Vietnamization was Richard Nixon's plan to slowly remove U.S. troops from Vietnam. This was possible as Southern Vietnamese began to fight. Vietnamization took place until around 1973 when the Paris Accords finally ended U.S. military involvement in Vietnam. -
War Powers Act
The War Powers Act of 1973 was passed by Congress which limits the President's ability to commit the United States to an armed conflict without permission from Congress. It states that the U.S. President can only send U.S. Armed Forces into action abroad with a declaration of war by Congress. This came about because during the Korean and Vietnam wars, the United States was involved for many years in conflict without a declaration of war, leading members of Congress to become concerned. -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam war was a war that took place from November 1st, 1955 to April 30th, 1975 with the fall of the southern capital, Saigon. This was a war that couldn't be won because the Vietnamese were fighting for Vietnam, as it was split by the communist north and the non-communist south, and the U.S. was fighting communism which was just an idea. North was backed by the Soviets while we supported the south. -
Cold War
The Cold War was a state of tensions after WWII between the US and Russia due to a lack of communication, secrecy, mistrust, and mutual fear of each other. It was a "cold" war because there was no direct fighting between the two, but they did fight proxy wars by supporting different sides of other nations' wars. (North/South Korea and Vietnam) The Cold War lasted from around the end of WWII to about 1991.
