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Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an unsuccessful attempt by US-backed Cuban exiles to overthrow Fidel Castro from power. The plan for invasion was approved by President Kennedy, and in 1961, 1300 Cuban exiles, armed with US weapons, landed on the southern coast. They hoped to find support from local population, but it was evident from the first few hours of fighting that they would likely lose. The invasion was stopped by Castro's army. This mistake severely embarrassed the Kennedy administration. -
The Berlin Wall
At the end of WWII Berlin remained divided between the Democratic west and the Communistic east. Late in the night, between August 12th and 13th 1961 the Berlin wall was built. Joseph Stalin built it to keep the democratic ideologies out of the east. The fall of the Berlin Wall came almost as quickly as its rise. The Communist bloc began to weaken and the borders were opened to all. The wall was chipped into pieces. -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The crisis officially started for the US on October 15, 1962 when photos revealed the Soviet Union was constructing a missiles in Cuba, On October 22, Kennedy said that Cuba would be quarantined and that any missile the launched would be an attack on the US. On October 27, Khrushchev sent a letter demanding the US remove their missiles from Turkey in exchange for the Soviet missiles in Cuba. The next day, Khrushchev decided to dismantle the missiles trusting the US would not invade Cuba. -
Immigration Act 1965
This immigration Act had policies that were very different from the ones before them. It allowed more individuals from third world counries to enter the US. The Civil Rights Movement was the main reason for this Act. President Lyndon B, Johnson signed the bill in order to atone for the past of discriminatory immigration. -
Miranda Rights
Before the Miranda Warning, police could use intimidating or coercive ways to get you to confess to a crime you may not have commit. In 1966, Ernesto Miranda confessed to robbery, kidnapping, and rape during police interrogation. Because of intimidating police interrogation methods, the conviction was overturned and it was decided that suspects must be informed of their specific legal rights when they are placed under arrest. In 1968, the official text for the Miranda Warning was made. -
NASA Puts a Man on the Moon
In 1961, John F. Kennedy, the current president at the time, wanted to put a man on the moon. This had only been the beginning of the space race, and landing on the moon was a big step. The mission was assigned to Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, and Michael Collins. On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 blasted off with the three astronauts on board. Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, in a lunar module, The Eagle. Neil Armstrong was first to step foot on the moon. -
Woodstock Music Festival
The Woodstock Music Festival in 1969 symbolized everything that the hippie revolution was about. A three day event, it was a widely publicized promotion of love, peace, the sexual revolution, casual attitudes toward drug use, and rock and roll. This music concert was taken over by 1960s counterculture, and made it clear to America that the country was changing in many ways. -
The First Earth Day
The first Earth Day was in 1970, and it was brought about by the efforts of Senator Gaylord Nelson. He was determined to convince the federal government that the planet was at risk, and he envisioned a day for a large-scale environmental demonstration to gain awareness to the issues in America. The first Earth Day was actually a huge success at transforming public opinion about the planet. A number of legislations were soon passed which protected human health and the natural environment. -
Vietnamization
Nixon's policy of Vietnamization in the 1970s had the goal to train South Vietnam's forces in combat, in order or them to take on the responsibility of the war. At the same time, the number of US combat troops would decrease. The armed force of South Vietnamese was strengthened in numbers, equipment, leadership, and combat. By the beginning of 1972, over 400,000 U.S. personnel had been withdrawn, virtually all combat troops. -
Oil Crisis of 1973
The oil crisis of 1973 began when the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries announced an oil embargo, meaning they increased the price of oil. In earlier 1973, Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel on Yom Kippur. Israel was incredibly outnumbered, so the US re-supplied them. In respone to the US's actions, OAPEC punished them with long term high oil prices. After much negotiation, Nixon got OAPEC to lift the embargo on March 1974. -
National Energy Act
Due to the 1973 oil crisis, Congress felt it necessary to pass the National Energy Act of 1978. Underneath this act was the Energy Tax Act. The objective of this law was to move focus towards energy conservation instead of oil and gas supply, so taxes were created to promote fuel efficiency. Shortly after the Energy Tax Act the National Energy Conservation Policy Act was created. This Act provided utilites with energy convservation devices the helped slow the growing electricity demand. -
Gender Equality
In the 1970s women began to fight against their gender roles and gain equality with men in the work place. Many women began working in previously male-dominated jobs. Even so, in 1979 women still earned only 62% as much as men, and the fight for gender equality in jobs and politics would continue for decades. -
Nuclear Freeze Movement
In the 1980s, the nuclear freeze movement called for the U.S. and Soviet Union to stop testing, producing, and deploying nuclear weapons. The threat of a war between the Soviets and America was great as tensions were rising. The massive use of federal funds to pay for the largest arms buildup in history also fueled support for the nuclear freeze movement. As the threat of a nuclear war grew stronger and stronger, many people began to call for an end to the buildup of nuclear weapons. -
Middle East Policy
In the 1980s, most of the Middle East opposed Israel, and supported the Palestinian Liberation Organization. In 1982, Israel attacked the PLO headquarters in Lebanon. President Reagan, hoping to keep the peace, dispatched thousands of US Marines to the country. This caused a pro-Palestinian terrorist to bomb the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon, killing many marines. The U.S. retreated immediately. -
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
In 1987, the Intermediate-range nuclear forces treaty forced the US and Soviet Union to eliminate all of their nuclear ground-launched missiles with ranges of 500-5500 km. This treaty was the first time superpowers agreed to decrease their nuclear arsenals by eliminating so many nuclear weapons. As a result, America and the Soviet Union destroyed more than 2500 missiles by the treaty deadline. -
Reagan Revolution
During the 1970s the nation went through a bad recession and many other smaller countries began losing respect for the US. There needed to be a change. Reagan was elected in a landslide and provided the much needed change. He lowered taxes, reduced regulations to help the economy, and stood up for American beliefs. He was known as an "American Exceptionalist" because he saw something in America that somehow set them aside from other countries. He truly helped the nation rediscover its greatness. -
Reagan and the New Right
The New Right was a policy that greatly helped Reagan with his success. Although it existed long before he was in office, when he became president he made it his own. It refers to a conservative political movement that began after McCarthyism. It was named the 'new right' because it differed so much from the past political policies such as isolationism and laissez-faire. Reagan support of this New Right wrote him off asa conservative politician. -
Contract with America
The Contract of America was released by a group of Republicans during the Congressional election of 1994. The purpose of the contract was to explain what the Republicans promised to do if they became the majority party in the House of Representatives. It would be the first time in 40 years they were majority. -
Fighting Terrorism
The 9/11 attacks on America by Al-Qaeda opened the eyes of the people to the dangers of terrorism. The US launched an international military campaign to eliminate Al-Qaeda and other militant organizations. The phrase 'War on Terror' was first used by George W. Bush shortly after the attacks, and it has been commonly used by politicians since to refer to the ongoing military campaign. -
Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Wall Street was the name given to a movement the protested against economic ineqauilty, greed, and the influences of corporations on government on Wall Street. Their slogan was "We are the 99%", and it was said to be one of the most successful slogans. It referred to the income disparity of the US, 1% being the wealthiest of the country.
