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House un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)
HUAC was a government agency created to find and persecute spies within the American government and media. Their desperation to find communists within our country lead them to ruin some people's families in search for them. They falsely accused and arrested innocent people. -
G.I Bill
The G.I Bill was passed to give WWII veterans benefits. Before the G.I Bill many soldiers would not receive the proper care they needed after a war or be able to land a stable job. The G.I Bill serves to keep the veterans healthy and supported upon their return. -
Baby Boom generation
The Baby Boom generation, also known as generation X, was a large boost to the population post WWII. When soldiers returned home from war they started having kids. This new generation popularized rock music and rebellion. -
Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was a divide in ideas that cut through Eastern and Western Europe. The West supported Democracy and Capitalism while the East was under total Communist rule. The term was popularized by a speech from Winston Churchill. -
Containment Policy
The containment police also known as the theory of containment is how the United States responded to the threat of Communism. We would not directly attack a Communist nation but we would defend nations threatened by them. The idea was keep the Communists where they were, not letting them spread. This can also be viewed as a quarantine of sorts. This idea was held in place till the end of the Cold War. -
Levittown
Levittowns were large large suburban communities built to house the new families of generation X. These locations served as alternatives to living in cramped cities. The first Levittown was built in New York. -
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is a term that was popularized by the media when referring to people making accusations. This was due to Senator McCarthy capitalizing on the Red Scare to accuse other politicians of being communists. This destroyed their reputations and any chance of opposing him. -
Truman Doctrine
American foreign policy to counter the soviets. The Truman doctrine pledge American support to any country fighting against Communism. This kept us out of direct conflict with the Soviets while still helping us contain the Communists. -
Marshall plan
The Marshall plan was an American idea to help Europe post WWII. The idea was if we left countries destroyed after a war it would be a become a breeding ground for radicals and communists. We supported the rebuilding of Germany, France and every other country damaged by the war. -
Berlin Airlift
At the end of WWII Germany was divided into sections. The USSR controlled East were starved and in poverty. They would not let the US aid its citizens. This led to the US airdropping supplies in the East. -
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
NATO is a government military alliance. This includes most of Europe and the United States. This was created to prevent further conflict by creating an international platform for countries to voice their concerns and ask for aid. -
1950's Prosperity
During the 50's American men returning from WWII started moving to Levittowns and having families. This was good for the economy and there was a downward trend for poverty. This migration also filled Levittowns with like minded people and boosted overall happiness. -
Rock n Roll
Rock n Roll originated in the US, drawing from all genres of music. Rock n Roll was heavily influenced by the African American community but was more widely accepted for its white artists, like Elvis Presley. Rock n Roll at the time was seen as harmful and dangerous music. -
Beatniks
Beatniks were a group of writers, who were mostly WWII veterans, that wrote about American values and its standings as a society. This was the beginning of a genre of writing known as counter culture. They were prevalent into the 60s. -
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the act of making a bold and definitive statement without evidence to support a claim. The term was coined when senator McCarthy began witch hunting communists in the American government in media. He used this tactic to silence potential political adversaries. This caused widespread distrust of the American's sense of community, people began fearing their neighbors. -
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Korean War
The Korean war was a war promoting the US's involvement in carrying out their theory of containment. The believed that North Korea invading and spreading Communism to South Korea would lead to the fall of Asia. This was also known as the Domino effect. The US backed democratic South Korea while the North was backed by Communist China and the USSR. The war has been halted due to an armistice but technically hasn't come to a conclusion. -
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower was the president of the US between 1953 to 1961. He openly opposed Senator McCarthy helping stop his campaign of McCarthyism. He also signed the interstate highway act and was the president when the Russians launched the Sputnik satellite. -
Rosenburg trial
Julius and Ethel Rosenburg were tried and convicted for conspiracy to commit espionage. Julius had sent information about the Manhattan project to the Russians. He and his wife were executed on this basis even though there were no ties between her and the espionage. -
Ray Kroc
Ray Kroc was an American Business man who joined McDonalds, turning it into one of the largest most successful food franchises across the globe. He helped innovate the way restaurants were franchised by selling them individually rather than by territories. -
Domino Theory
Domino Theory described what was thought to happen if containment failed. It states, as described by Eisenhower, that if one country falls to communism, its neighbors are venerable to the same fate. This helped keep public support of Vietnam at the start of the war. It was seen as a move to defend all of Asia, not just Vietnam -
Jonas Salk
Jonas Salk was an American scientist who studied vaccines. He created the worlds first ever working polio vaccine, nearly eradicating the virus as a whole. His vaccine was deemed safe and successful on April 12th 1955. He did not patten his vaccine so he could get it to those who needed it for little cost to them. -
Bay of Pigs
The Bay of Pigs was a failed invasion of Cuba meant to overthrow Castro. The rebels attacked from Guatemala and were defeated in three days by the Cuban army. This just solidified Castro's position as Prime Minister because he was the acting general for the Bay of Pigs. -
Interstate highway act
The interstate highway act came into effect June 29th 1956. This act signed by Eisenhower granted a 25 billion dollar fund to create an interstate system of roads. It was the largest American public work project in history. -
Sputnik
Sputnik was the first man made satellite put into orbit. This was a USSR satellite pushing the space race into a new chapter. This caused America to ramp up our efforts to beat the Soviets into space. This also caused fear for the Americans because the soviets were winning the space race. -
John F. Kennedy
JFK was president until he was assassinated in 1963. JFK was president during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Berlin Wall Crisis. He avoided going to war over the Cuban Missile Crisis and was assassinated in Dallas Texas 1963. -
Space Race
The Space Race was a competition between the US and the USSR. It was over supremacy in space. This lead to many advances in technology and was basically ended when America put the first men on the Moon. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13 day long conflict between the US and the USSR. The issue was the USSR were building missile silos in Cuba which was seen as an act of aggression by the USSR. The conflict ended when the US agreed to dismantle some of their nukes they had inside of Turkey. -
Betty Friedman
American feminist, activist and writer. She published the Feminist Mystique. This book furthered the feminist movement. She also co-founded the National Organization for Women. -
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson became the President after JFK's assassination. He was the President during a large portion of the civil rights movement and brought the US to war in Vietnam. -
Great Society
The term "Great Society" was used by LBJ during a speech. This was his blueprint he had laid out for improving the US. This included billions of dollars to be invested in schools and infrastructure. -
Gulf of Tonkin resolution
The Gulf of Tonkin resolution was a response to the two alleged attacks in the Gulf of Tonkin. This lead to direct conflict between North Vietnam and United States Armed forces. -
War Powers Act
The war powers act is a federal law meant to limit the power of the president's when it came to declaring war. This was due to the deploying of troops into Vietnam and Korea without a formal declaration of war from congress. This limited the power of the president as the commander in chief.