-
George Wallace
An US Democratic Party politician and four-time governor of Alabama who led the South’s fight against federally ordered racial integration in the 1960s. He won the governorship of Alabama in 1962 on a platform emphasizing segregation and economic issues. He was made a nationwide symbol of intransigence toward racial integration in the schools. He was willing to challenge JFK and keep Alabama segregated. britannica.com -
John F. Kennedy
35th President of the United States. Became a Democratic Congressman from the Boston area, becoming senate in 1953. He helped with the Space Race, Berlin, and the Bay of Pigs Invasion. whitehouse.gov -
Elvis Presley
Musician and actor Elvis Presley rose to fame in the mid-1950s. One of the first musicians to start the transition of music into rock and roll. His first No. 1 hit was "Heartbreak Hotel" August 16, 1977, he died of heart failure, which was related to his drug addiction. biography.com -
Period: to
Vietnam War
A war in which the communist government of North Vietnam was fighting against South Vietnam and its ally, the US. More than 3 million people were killed in the Vietnam War. Opposition to the war in the US divided Americans, even after President Richard Nixon signed the Paris Peace Accords and ordered the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 1973. The war ended because the communist seized control of South Vietnam in 1975. history.com -
"Charlie"
The name comes from the US calling the North Vietnamese Army Viet Cong. It was commonly shortened to VC, which meant Victor Charlie in military alphabet code. It was further shortened to just Charlie. pritzkermilitary.org -
The Space Race
Space exploration was another part of the Cold War between the US and Soviet Union. On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite and the first man-made object to be placed into the Earth’s orbit. In 1958, the U.S. launched its own satellite, Explorer I, designed by the U.S. Army. That same year, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a public order creating NASA, a federal agency dedicated to space exploration. history.com -
Napalm
A mixture of plastic polystyrene, hydrocarbon benzene, and gasoline that creates a jelly-like substance that sticks to practically anything and burns up to 10 minutes when ignited. The effects of napalm on the human body are unbearably painful and almost always causes death to its victims. U.S. troops used napalm from about 1965 to 1972 in the Vietnam War. vietnamawbb.weebly.com -
Black Panthers
African American revolutionary party, founded in 1966 in Oakland, California, by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. The original purpose of the party was to patrol African American neighborhoods to protect residents from acts of police brutality but they eventually developed into a Marxist revolutionary group. britannica.com -
Anti-war Protest
The largest and most organized anti-war movement in American history arose during the Vietnam War. They were protest to discontinue US involvement in the Vietnam war. The peace movement soon spilled onto American streets with massive demonstrations such as an October 21, 1967 rally at the Lincoln Memorial that drew 100,000 protesters. The anti-war protest may have influenced to president's decision to pull US soldiers out of Vietnam. history.com -
Robert Kennedy
He first came into national prominence in 1953, when he was an assistant counsel to the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. He was assassinated while campaigning for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 1968. If he hadn't been assassinated he probably would've became president. britannica.com -
Richard Nixon
The 37th President of the US in 1969. He ended American fighting in Vietnam and improved international relations with the U.S.S.R. and China. He resigned from presidency in 1974 due to the Watergate Scandal. whitehouse.gov -
Gerald Ford
Became the 38th president of the US Aug. 9, 1974. He pardoned Nixon of all his crimes regarding the Watergate Scandal. Ford acted to maintain US power and prestige in foreign affairs after the collapse of Cambodia and South Vietnam. He won the Republican nomination for the Presidency in 1976, but lost the election to former Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia. whitehouse.gov -
Jimmy Carter
Became the 39th president of the US in 1977. He was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for work to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development. He established full diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China and completed negotiation of the SALT II nuclear limitation treaty with the Soviet Union. He boycotted the summer olympics of 1980. whitehouse.gov -
Ronald Reagan
Became the 40th president of the US in 1981. His goal was to achieve “peace through strength” abroad. He ended the Cold War. He gave support to anti-Communist insurgencies in Central America, Asia, and Africa. whitehouse.gov -
Iran-Contra Affair
a secret U.S. arms deal that traded military weapons to free Americans held hostage by terrorists in Lebanon. It also used funds from the arms deal to support armed conflict in Nicaragua. The controversial deal and ensuing political scandal threatened to bring down the presidency of Ronald Reagan. history.com