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12 Events Between 1950-1990
The Vietnam War created the biggest impact in American history because it impacted the political, economic, and social climate. It was a political impact because of the many different strategies of war and discussions about presidential power. It was an economic impact because with the Military Industrial Complex money was most directly going into the defense budget. It was a social impact because Americans were divided over the issue of war and whether or not it was worth sending soldiers over. -
Hippie Movement
This counterculture movement rejected the "normal" American life which upset many of the older generation. Many hippies pushed for non-violence, practiced open sexual relationships, and religiously used drugs like marijuana and LSD to escape from reality. This generation of hippies felt out of place in the middle class so the created a new way of life for themselves which eventually blossomed into many sub-countercultures.
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African-American Students Enrolling in University of Alabama
James Hood and Vivian Malone were the first two African-American students to enroll into University of Alabama. This became a historical moment in this time period because of the controversy of the Brown vs. Board of Education case which ended the separate but equal doctrine. The Alabama Governor George Wallace stood in front of the school to block the students from coming into the University. This allowed the president to stand in and stop Alabama from infringing on African- American rights. -
Assassination of Kennedy
This event happened in Dallas, Texas during a parade for Kennedy's presidential election. This event affected a lot of Americans because Kennedy was a beloved president that was about to sign the Civil Rights Act for African Americans. This death made Americans lose hope and after the following deaths of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy Americans were raged with violence.
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Black Panthers
The Black Panthers were a political organization that fought against government oppression, police brutality, and fought for black power. This group was founded because of the assassination of Malcolm X and the need for self-defense. They also tried to implement a 10-point program which called for an immediate end to police brutality, employment for African Americans, and land, housing and justice for all.
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Vietnam War Protests
With the causality count at 15,058 killed and 109,527 wounded, many people in the United States were protesting against the war efforts. The protesters came to mistrust the government's reasons for sending soldiers to Vietnam. Students, hippies, and other protesters rallied around the soldiers in many different anti-war movements.
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Emergence of Apple
Apple wasn't a mass-producing company in the beginning like it is today. The beginning of Apple was selling computers made by hand in Woz's garage, but Jobs had bigger plans. Many more versions of Apple products were created, new variations, additions and since has made an impact on life in modern society. -
Watergate Scandal
This scandal was during Nixon's reelection campaign which involved multiple incidents of robbery, abuse of power, and criminal cover-up. Evidence now shows that members of Nixon's reelection campaign broke into Democratic National Committee's Watergate headquarters, stole documents and bugged the office phones. This scandal ended in Nixon resigning as president.
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Roe v Wade
This was a historical Supreme Court case that legalized abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy. The Supreme Court during this era were giving more individual rights to the people of the United States and implementing the Bill of Rights into the state government. This was an example of defining the 14th amendment, specifically the due process clause, giving women privacy over there bodies.
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Environmental Movement
During the 1970s a movement for preservationists were calling for political action to preserve the Earth. The movement expanded to cleaner air, water, and minimizing pollution. In the late 1970s the movement expanded even more to the problem of disposal of toxic waste and global warming. Congress was then able to pass laws to help regulate the people causing the environmental problems.
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PTSD and the Effects of the War on Soldiers
After the Vietnam War many soldiers came back with PTSD, depression, personality disorders, suicidal thoughts, and alcohol abuse problems. After the Vietnam War many psychiatrists made PTSD more well-known around the country so veterans would have an explanation for rash behavior. Not only can soldiers come back from war with physical injuries but also mental. -
Reaganomics
This proposal for cutting taxes was invented by President Ronald Reagan. He believed in the trickle-down theory where if he cut taxes for big businesses they in turn would give more money to the middle class. Reaganomics was good for short-term effects on the economy, like stimulating growth, but created lasting negative effects, like an increase in national debt. Reaganomics is very controversial in modern society.
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Drug Abuse
In the 1980s and 1990s a problem spreading through society was the emergence of a cheap drug, cocaine. Crack influenced gang-warfare, crack babies, and was highly addictive. Funding was used to create drug prevention programs in education. Although this probably worked on some people others died because of the spread of drugs in the society.
