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Vietnam War https://worldhistoryproject.org/topics/vietnam-war
The VW (1954-1975) was a war between N. Vietnam, backed by the USSR and S. Vietnam, supported by the US. After the nation split, the US supported to the South to combat communism in the North and stop the spread into SE Asia. At first, support was money and supplies, but in the late 1960s, LBJ increased the number of troops. The unpopularity of the war and draft resulted in many protests and a decline of LBJs appeal. The US lost the war in 1975 when the North captured Saigon and united Vietnam. -
Hippies
A new counterculture that would be marked with unconventional styles of dress, drug use, and promiscuity emerged. Hippies were in staunch contrast to the ordered society of the 50’s and became the embodiment of the 60’s. Hippies arose when many Baby Boomers began going to college and needed a way to break away from the rigor of society. The movement would lead to many alternative communities such as Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco. -
Desegregation of the University of Alabama
Adhering to a campaign promise to keep, “segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever,” Alabama Governor George Wallace stood in the doorway at the University of Alabama to prevent two black students from entering. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) called for the desegregation of schools, but Wallace only moved after Kennedy sent federal marshals and the Attorney General to the University of Alabama. The incident made Wallace popular among segregationists. -
JFK Assassination https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEVfKKjODBg
While riding in his motorcade through Dallas, shots were fired and Kennedy was hit twice. About thirty minutes later, he was pronounced dead and shortly after, Lee Harvey Oswald, a Marxist, was arrested for the assassination. Oswald’s guilt was later disputed by some who suspected a larger conspiracy behind the shooting. Kennedy’s death resulted in an outpouring of public grief, which allowed Lyndon Johnson to secure passage of many of Kennedy’s proposals. -
Anti-War Protests During Vietnam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13vuJrwpZgQ
During the 1960s, anti-war protests increased significantly. Main opponents of the war were hippies, students and African Americans. In 1967, 100,000 protesters gathered in Washington and MLK began to argue that the war was taking funds away from domestic programs and that it was negatively impacting blacks. By February 1968, only 35% of Americans supported the war. Protests at Kent State and Jackson State Universities in 1970 led to the deaths of six students at the hands of law enforcement. -
Black Panther Party https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8SRcIbLQBg
The BPP was a radical militant group founded in 1966 that promised to defend black rights with violence if necessary. The group organized along semi-military lines and wore weapons openly and proudly. The BPP became a group of harsh contempt and were often met with pushback. They took on the image of militant radicals willing to fight for justice “through the barrel of a gun”. The BPP provided help to communities in poverty and supported programs that provided food to children in school. -
RFK Assassination
Robert Kennedy, the younger brother of John Kennedy and a strong contender for the Democratic nomination for president, was shot in a hotel in Los Angeles. His attacker was a young Palestinian who was angered by some pro-Israeli remarks that Kennedy had made and RFK died the following morning. RFK was extremely popular, especially amongst African Americans, Hispanics and the poor, which made his untimely death particularly shocking and tragic. -
Moon Landing
Three Americans, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, travelled to the moon on the Apollo 11 mission. The first two actually walked on the moon and collected samples from the surface to bring back to Earth. Armstrong famously referred to the moon landing as, “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. The moon landing ended the Space Race and accomplished JFK’s goal to have a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s. -
Watergate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjKqibPnE5Y
Burglars were arrested in the Watergate buildings, which were home of the DNC national headquarters. It was revealed that the break-in was part of spying by the Nixon re-election campaign in order to gain an advantage over the Democrats. After an investigation and the prospect of impeachment arose, Nixon resigned in 1974, becoming the first US president to do so. His resignation would trust in government, which played a significant part in allowing a conservative comeback. -
Hurricane Carmen
Occurring during the 1974 Hurricane Season, Hurricane Carmen was one of the most powerful that year. The hurricane caused major damage to the Gulf Region and greatly affected the crop yield in the region. The Governor of Alabama originally estimated crop damage to be about $400 million. Many people lost homes and as a result the recovery period from the hurricane was unusually long and costly. Carmen would eventually be surpassed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 in terms of destruction. -
Beginning of Apple Computers
Founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, Apple Computers would become on of the most powerful American technological companies. Apple Computers would first introduce the Macintosh, which would become the world’s first personal home computer. The introduction of computers into the home would lead to an information revolution and pave the way for a new future and economy. -
Assassination Attempt of President Reagan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTEi27JpwBY
On March 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot in Washington DC by John Hinckley Jr.. While Reagan survived the attempt on his life, the incident greatly shook him and was never the same after it. Hinckley erotomania had caused him to develop an obsession with actress Jodie Foster and the belief that he would impress her with such an act caused him to shoot Reagan. The event was highly publicized and the nation held its breath in anticipation of Reagan getting better.
