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Brown v Board of Education
(Key concept 8.2. IB)- Promoted greater racial equality.
This was a landmark supreme court case over a dispute of an African American girl being forced to attend a distant black school instead of a nearby white one. Overturned separate but equal doctrine established in Plessy due to the equal protection clause in the 14th amendment. Declared separate institutions are inherently unequal and desegregation to occur quickly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1siiQelPHbQ -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
(Key Concept 8.2. Ia)- Direct action against racism.
This was in response to Rosa Parks being arrested for breaking a segregation rule on the bus. Martin Luther King Jr. encouraged African Americans to carpool and walk to work instead of using the bus system. This resulted in bus companies and downtown businesses that rely on Blacks the most to lose funds and go bankrupt. Bus companies gave in and desegregated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABcXaN6OhEA -
Cuban Missile Crisis
(Concept 8.1.1c)- Military confrontation in cold war
Begun with the discovery of Soviet missiles in Cuba that were in range to strike on New York. Kennedy established a blockade and demanded the missiles be removed. For these 12 days, tensions were high and nuclear war seemed possible. In the end, the USSR gave in a removed their weapons in exchange for the U.S. removing their missiles from Turkey.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2012/oct/14/cuban-missile-crisis-50-years-in-pictures -
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
(Key Concept 8.2 1a) Example of nonviolent civil rights protest
Pretest organized by A. Phillip Randolph on the 100-year anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Assembled a coalition of blacks AND whites advocating for civil rights. MLK gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech and affirmed him as leader of the civil rights movement. Changed some votes in Congress over new civil rights bill.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhuSyFHGes0 -
Gulf of Tonkin
(Key Concept 8.1. II C) The resolutions sparked debate of president in military policy.
The USS Maddox and Turner Joy claimed to be attacked by Vietnamese ships. This led to President Johnson using this attack to gain support for War against Vietnam. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution passed 5 days later gave him full power to over money and troops in fighting the war against Vietnam. Increased troop numbers and money spent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crALHjTiXbk -
Tet Offensive
During the Vietnamese holiday of Tet, the North Vietnamese broke a prior agreement of ceasefire on this holiday t attack Saigon, the capital. Despite winning the battle, this battle was televised and it shows citizens at home that the war would not be easily won. Opposition to the war began to emerge and the Johnson administration could not convince Americans that victory was possible.
https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/ask-steve-tet-offensive-video -
Kent State Massacre
(Key Concept 8.1. IIB) Example of an anti- Vietnam war protest gone violent. This was a response to Nixon's announcement that the Vietnam War was expanding into Cambodia. Kent State was the site of one of many student-led anti-war demonstrations. Four students were killed when the national guard fired into the crowd in response to protesters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmd6CHah7Wg -
Pentagon Papers released
Daniel Ellsberg leaked to the New York times confidential documents that revealed that the Vietnam War was unlikely to be won and that they lied to the public about the number of casualties. It revealed misconduct in the White House dating back to the Kennedy administration. This led to decreased trust in the federal government.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_-efpukppE -
Watergate Scandal
(Key concept 8.2.IIIe)
Nixon's committee broke into the Democratic National Committee HQ t steal documents and wiretapped phones. In order to avoid getting caught, Nixon instructed the CIA to stop the FBI investigation. Once this was discovered, Nixon was going to be impeached by the Congress for obstruction of justice. He resigned from office before being removed and this decreased trust in the federal government.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXCxZE0hZ40 -
Roe v Wade
(Key Concept 8.2. III F)Conservative and liberal clash over a social issue of abortion.
A landmark supreme court case that established that abortions in the first trimester were constitutional based on a woman's right to privacy MAde all state laws prohibiting these abortions unconstitutional. Disagreed on by Roman Catholics and the Right.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HZj8Qp4p2A -
Paris Peace Accord of 1973
This was an agreement signed between North Vietnam, South Vietnam and the U.S. to end the Vietnam war. It stated that the U.S. would withdraw their troops from Vietnam, release war prisoners, and allow unification between the two sides. However this was not carried out as two years later, North Vietnam captured Saigon and ended the war by taking control.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sLxzmvW41o -
3 mile island accident
(Key concept 8.2. II d) Fuel environmental movement against nuclear power
This was an incident in Pennsylvania where a partial meltdown of a nuclear power plant occurred due to a mechanical failure, This led to 2 million nearby residents being exposed to radiation. This led to a decrease in public support for nuclear power and an increase in safety measures in nuclear power plants.
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/03/the-three-mile-island-accident-40-years-later-a-readers-guide.html
