-
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was a foreign aid program created to help Europe recover after the destruction they experienced during World War 2. The recovery plan put into place by George Marshall and signed by Truman allowed Europe's economy to bounce back quickly and head on a path of rapid development like the US. It also demonstrated to the world that capitalist nations were powerful in the face of communism. -
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NATO was originally was created between the United States, Canada, and ten other European nations as a political and military alliance against the threat and control of the Soviets. NATO pushed for the spread of democratic values, prevention of future conflict, and security from all nations involved. The Soviets combatted this with their own alliance, the Warsaw pact. -
Fair Deal
In 1949, Truman announced his agenda to Congress for better social security, education, and public housing, as well as an increased minimum wage and an end to racial segregation. As the United Stated transitioned into a peacetime economy after WW2, Truman wanted to raise the standard of living for all Americans. Throughout his presidency, these policies were a big part of his administrative agenda. -
NSC-68
NSC-68 was drafted by the Department of State and the Department of Defense and put into place by President Harry S. Truman as a plan for the United States' national security in the wake of the Cold War. As the Soviets began expanding their reach into China and other nations, the United States committed to expanding their military in order to ensure "the survival of the free world". This document led to increased funding into the US military and a nuclear arsenal to combat the Soviet threat. -
McCarran-Walter Act
The McCarren Walter Act, also known as The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, did some good and bad as far as policy on immigration in the United States. On one hand it ended parts of the Chinese Exclusion act that banned Chinese immigration and citizenship which allowed for these immigrants to reunite with families. However it upheld many existing quotas on immigrants in place and led to the deportation of Mexicans and suspected communists. -
Period: to
Geneva Accords
The Geneva accords affectively divided Vietnam in half at the 17th parallel as well as decided on French troops being removed from Northern Vietnam. The accords attempted to set an agreement that Vietnam would have two years until they would hold an election, choose a president, and reunite the country. However, this was difficult and caused controversy because of the differing leadership of Minh's communist north and Diem supported by the US in the south. -
Brown v Board of Edudation
Brown v Board was a landmark Supreme Court case that determined that the segregation of public schools was a violation of the 14th amendment, a step in the direction for equal access to education for all. The Chief Justice at the time, Earl Warren played a big role in the result of this case. -
Geneva Accords (see timespan for full dates)
The Geneva accords affectively divided Vietnam in half at the 17th parallel as well as decided on French troops being removed from Northern Vietnam. The accords attempted to set an agreement that Vietnam would have two years until they would hold an election, choose a president, and reunite the country. However, this was difficult and caused controversy because of the differing leadership of Minh's communist north and Diem supported by the US in the south. -
Period: to
Montgomery bus boycott
The Montgomery bus boycott was an event caused by Rosa Park's refusal to give up her spot on the bus and her arrest afterwards. It was a protest against racial segregation on public transportation. The protest led to the eventual decision by the Supreme court that this segregation was unconstitutional and was a catalyst for many other civil rights movements in the southern United States. -
Southern Manifesto
In January and February of 1956, in reaction to the decision in the Brown v Board court case, the Southern Manifesto was written and signed by 96 southern congressmen with the goal for southern states to reject the integration of public schools. They claimed that the Court's decision violated the Constitution and was an abuse of power. This caused many southern states to block desegregation laws or implement other techniques to ensure their white-only schools remained white. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott (see timespan for full dates)
The Montgomery bus boycott was an event caused by Rosa Park's refusal to give up her spot on the bus and her arrest afterwards. It was a protest against racial segregation on public transportation. The protest led to the eventual decision by the Supreme court that this segregation was unconstitutional and was a catalyst for many other civil rights movements in the southern United States. -
Sputnik Launched
Sputnik was launched by the Soviets in 1957 and was the first artificial Earth satellite. The launch of Sputnik fueled the American government to create programs like the National Defense Education act to combat the innovation happening in the Soviet Union. The advances made with Sputnik also heightened Cold War tensions and the competition in the space race between the US and Soviet Union. -
Period: to
Cuban Missle Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis occurred after US spy planes discovered the Soviets moving missiles into Cuba that had the ability to launch an attack on the US. The tensions lasted 13 days as Kennedy negotiated with the Soviets to both remove their missiles aimed at each other. This event caused Kennedy to move to improve relations with the Soviets and Cuba, as well as make deals to limit the nuclear arsenal of both nations. This is the closest the world came to a nuclear conflict during the Cold War. -
Cuban Missile Crisis (see timespan for full dates)
The Cuban Missile Crisis occurred after US spy planes discovered the Soviets moving missiles into Cuba that had the ability to launch an attack on the US. The tensions lasted 13 days as Kennedy negotiated with the Soviets to both remove their missiles aimed at each other. This event caused Kennedy to move to improve relations with the Soviets and Cuba, as well as make deals to limit the nuclear arsenal of both nations. This is the closest the world came to a nuclear conflict during the Cold War. -
March on Washington
The March on Washington was a non-violent, organized march to advocate for civil rights for all people. It was the largest public march in history as the time and was therefore effective in showing how many people were in support of black movement. The march pressured JFK and the government into creating an effective Civil Rights bill as well as the desegregation of the military and better working opportunities for blacks. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
In response to a North Vietnamese attack on an American vessel, Congress created the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which gave the president what many called a "blank check". It gave the president the ability to take whatever means necessary to prevent any future attacks on the US forces. This led to the US to intervene more in Southern Vietnam as they believed they were doing what was needed to ensure international peace. -
Hart-Cellar Act
The Hart-Cellar Act effectively overturned the previous quotas put into place by the US government that restricted immigrants including those of China and southern and eastern Europe. The goal of this act was to reunite families and attract skilled labor to the US. It led to a drastic increase of immigrants in the US and a shift to a majority of immigrants coming from Latin America and Asia. It allowed to US to be seen as the melting pot it is known as today. -
My Lai Massacre
The My Lai massacre was a planned American military attack on a Southern Vietnamese village. It is considered the most horrific event in the Vietnam War as 350 were murdered, mostly women, children and elders. The details of this event were published by New York Times and resulted in massive resentment towards the war effort and discredited the US government and military for staying in the war. -
Pentagon Papers
The Pentagon Papers were a top secret report created by the US Defense Department that linked the US involvement in the war in Vietnam since World War 2. It revealed bombings, raids, and funds to communist Vietnam that had previously not be reported to the public and how earlier presidents had covered this up to draw public support to the war. This report was leaked by Daniel Ellsberg to New York Times who released the documents secrets to the public. -
Watergate
Watergate was a political scandal that involved Richard Nixon hiring former employees to break into a Democratic Party headquarters to steal documents and wire-tap phones. The burglars were arrested and tried and investigations revealed the president's involvement in Watergate as well as other break ins and recorded conversations. The scandal directly lead to his impeachment and resignation from office. -
Roe v Wade
Roe v Wade was a landmark Supreme Court case that declared denying women the right to an abortion was unconstitutional and protected women without heavy government restriction. This case was successful in making abortions accessible and safe for women and was a huge step for the American feminist movement. This case was highly controversial and still is today. -
Helsinki Accords
The Helsinki Accords, between the US, Soviet Union, and other nations was put into place to reduce tensions between the superpowers and come to an agreement on the boundaries in Europe post-WW2. The accords were a step forward in improving many global issues including more freedoms for the citizens in the communist world. This was a big step in the relationship between the US and the Soviets. -
Period: to
Iran-Contra Affair
The Iran-Contra Affair was a political scandal involving Ronald Reagan and US involvement in the Middle East. The plan was to trade US arms to Iran, at war with neighboring Iraq, in exchange for help in the release of US hostages in Lebanon. The money from the exchange was used to fund the anti-communist group, the Contras, in Nicaragua despite Congresses amendment against involvement. Reagan denied involvement, but the scandal led to public distrust of the president and his administration. -
Iran Contra Affair (see timespan for full dates)
The Iran-Contra Affair was a political scandal involving Ronald Reagan and US involvement in the Middle East. The plan was to trade US arms to Iran, at war with neighboring Iraq, in exchange for help in the release of US hostages in Lebanon. The money from the exchange was used to fund the anti-communist group, the Contras, in Nicaragua despite Congresses amendment against involvement. Reagan denied involvement, but the scandal led to public distrust of the president and his administration. -
SUMMARY
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hjNGBnezxxU73xDo0wEaZToAov05k8ZuTPBDUuuPf1o/edit?usp=sharing
In case link doesn't work theres also a picture
