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G.I. Bill
The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, or G.I. Bill, was enacted to offer WWII veterans, it provided loans with low interest rates on houses, college tuition and also to start businesses. It also gave them a one year unemployment compensation. Benefits are still available for those veterans (and their dependents) that were honorably discharged from the armed forces. The G.I. Bill helped millions of veterans pay for college and start successful civilian careers. -
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1950s
The 1950s were the start of marketing growth and the change of the nation. Post WWII, the 50s included an increase in manufacturing and home construction. With Europe rebuilding their cities, American production increased like their economy providing them what they need creating a boom. As homes became more affordable the suburbs began increasing in population creating the living condition much of us experience now. Rock and Roll became a form of teenage "rebellion" and expanded the music world. -
Atomic/Hydrogen Weapons
The Atomic Bomb was first developed and dropped by the US. The US first tested the Trinity Bomb in Alamogordo, New Mexico and later dropped "Little Boy," on Hiroshima, Japan. Then 3 days later they dropped "Fat Man" on Nagasaki. When the Atomic Bomb was developed something stronger was sought to make, thus the Hydrogen Bomb was made. In a time of high tensions between the Soviets and US, Eisenhower created the Interstate System as a fast way to evacuate in case of a nuclear war. -
Iron Curtain
Was popularized by the British Prime minister, Winston Churchill, when he described it to describe the Soviet Union's policy of isolation during the Cold War. The barrier was used to isolate the Eastern Europe from the rest of the world. It was an impenetrable barrier to communication or information that kept the Soviets in secrecy to create the high tensions. -
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Cold War
The Cold War was a time of high tension between the Soviet Union and the Western Powers. A state of hostility existed that was characterized as threats, propaganda short measures of open warfare. The Cold War dominated international affairs for major crisis that occur later on and create a growth of weapons of mass destruction. -
2nd Red Scare
The Second Red Scare was the fear of Communism making itself apparent in American politics. Joseph McCarthy created what we now call, McCarthyism. McCarthy waved a piece of paper around claiming it contained every name of government officials that secretly were spies. But it was a hoax and only accused many without actual proof. The House-Select Un-American Committee or HUAC was made to actually find and deport communist in and out of the government system to keep communism out. -
Berlin Airlift
The Berlin Airlift was after WWII the allies divided Germany into a Soviet occupied zone. Berlin was divided into a British occupied zone, a French occupied zone, an American occupied zone, and a Soviet occupied zone, Berlin was deep within the Soviet zone but was also divided into 4 sections. The Soviets closed off all access to the others who habituated Berlin and they had no other choice but to airlift everything in. The Allies used planes to supply those in Berlin with what they needed. -
Fair Deal
Truman added to the New Deal, making it the Fair Deal. Truman wanted to focus on health care, public housing, education, and public works. This was Truman's domestic agenda for most of his term, put forth to Congress. Forced to scale back because of Korea and the anti-communist agenda, it needed bi-partisan support. It also included Civil Rights legislation and repeal of the Hartley Act, but only some extensions of the New Deal programs were enacted. -
Elvis
Elvis Presley rose to fame during the 1950s by taking African American's songs and turning them into Rock 'n' Roll. His music styles was a melting pot of gospel and country. Born extremely poor, Elvis adopted rhythm and blues from African Americans. He adapted a sexually suggestive dance, Elvis the Pelvis, that at some point didn't allow his lower half to be shown on TV. His sexually suggestive moves offended millions of older Americans while the teens were loving it. -
Rock 'n' Roll
Rock 'n' Roll made itself prominent in the 50's resulting from African American culture. Most parents believed that this type of music was the source of teenage rebellion. Rock 'n' Roll actually stood for sex and that's why many parents prohibited their children from listening to it. Thanks to rock 'n' roll the term "teenager" was made," and before this time it wasn't used. The teenagers at the time culturally rebelled against their parents and had lots of leisure time and money from jobs. -
Korean War
The Korean War is often referred to as "the forgotten war," due to the lack of involvement from the US citizens back home; the end wasn't as largely celebrated like WWI or WWII. After WWII Korea was split by the 38th parallel, which divided the North and the South. The 38th parallel was controlled by the Soviet Union, and North Korea followed Communism while South Korea followed Capitalism. The US was helping South Korea fight off communism but eventually gave up leaving it to the South Koreans. -
Bill Haley and the Comets
Bill Haley and the Comets were a rock n roll bad that continued until the death of Haley's death in 1981. They were one of the first bands to popularize rock and roll by once again stealing those songs from the African American cultures. Although that's how they gained their fame they were able to expand rock and roll and make it a cultural phenomena along with other artists of the time. -
Beat Generation
The Beat generation, or "bearniks", were artists, novelists, and poets. They rejected American values, materialism, and culture. They also rejected home ownership, careers, marriages and believed in individual freedom and pleasure (drugs, sex). The Beat Generation were called the "proto-hippies," and insides and lays the foundation for war protest in the later 1960's. The Beats also borrowed slang from the African American communities like, "dig it," and "man." -
Earl Warren Supreme Court
Earl Warren was the Chief of Justice during the 50's and 60's who used a loose interpretation to expand rights for both African Americans and those accused of crimes. Warren believed that the Supreme Court should be the center of the Civil Rights change. He led the Supreme Court with an activist direction, like Brown v. Board of Education, which pushed further the boundaries of Civil Rights in the US. He was also apart of the Browder v. Gayle, which stopped bus segregation. -
Polio Vaccine
For years polio has impacted many people including one of our presidents, Franklin D. Roosevelt. Polio, short for poliomyelitis, is an infectious viral disease that affect the central nervous system and can cause permanent or temporary paralysis Dr. Jonas Salk developed the first polio vaccine while Albert Sabin developed the first oral polio vaccine. Thanks to this vaccine the Polio cases around the world dropped immensely, keeping many safe from acquiring this very dangerous disease. -
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civil rights
The Civil Rights movement was driven to gain political, social, and economic equality for African Americans. The movement began as a nonviolent protest that including boycotting the buses, thanks to Rosa Parks. Many Civil Rights leaders had their own way of getting stuff done, whether it was non-violent like Martin Luther King, or militarized like Malcom X. The Civil Rights movement included sitins, Watts Riots, Letter From Birmingham, and much more events like Freedom Summer. -
Domino THeory
The Domino Theory was a foreign policy that states if one land in a region came under the power of communism then the surrounding countries would fall as well. Eisenhower believed in this and when other countries like Vietnam started falling to communism he felt it was true. When North Korea attempted to take over South Korea then the US intervened to have one less communist country to worry about and later went after Vietnam to stop the spread. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education was the Supreme Case that overturn the Plessy v. Ferguson case. Lead by the Chief Justice, Earl Warren, the case overturn the "Separate but Equal," that allowed segregation to take place all across the country. School for blacks were considered unequal and unconstitutional so therefor they were not what they needed. Schools were told to be integrated but cities in the South largely repressed that keeping schools largely segregated. -
Television
By 1955, 75% of American homes contained a black and white television, and were for entertainment and news. Shows like "I Love Lucy," and "Father Knows Best," portrayed the misogynistic views of the 50's with women only being house wives or ditsy characters. Thanks to Television Richard Nixon's "Checkers Speech," was broadcasted for millions of Americans to see. Because of the power of Television the Kennedy-Nixon debated were shown, giving Kennedy what he needed to win the election. -
Emmett Till Tragedy
The Emmett Till Tragedy is what is said to have lit the spark that lit aflame the Civil Rights movement creating a a much bigger known cause to fight for. Emmett Till was a young boy who was killed and thrown into the river after he "whistled at a woman." Emmett was beat by two men until he was unrecognizable and later tied to a cotton gin fan and thrown into the river. If it wasn't for Emmett's ring, he would've never been identified. Recently the woman he "whistled" at admitted it was a lie. -
Little Richard
Little Richard was one of the African American artist, influential in the popularization of Rock and Roll. His hit song, "Tutti Fruitti," was his first hit that came to shape the beginning of Rock and Roll with its wild lyrics, and intro. The visually flamboyant singer and pianist used his frenetic performance style to create a name for himself and distinguish himself from the other artists. -
Anti War Movement
The Anti War Movement was started as a free speech movement in California by student protesters. The movement later spread around the world, all the members of the Anti War Movement all held and opposition for the Vietnam War and renounced the American presence there. The movement resulted in growing activism on college campuses that were aimed for social reform. This cultural movement was mostly for the middle class and the students. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a protest against the buses for their discrimination against African Americans. Knowing that the African Americans gave the buses most of their business they refused to ride and instead walked. The boycott was started when Rosa Parks was forcefully removed and arrested for not giving up her seat to a white man. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was then taken to court and they ruled that segregating buses was not something that should keep going and then were integrated. -
ICBM
An ICBM, or Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile, was produced by the Soviets after the launch of Sputnik. The ICBM was capable of allowing nuclear warheads to target areas thousands of miles away. Then the US later began producing ICBM's due to the growing fear and feelings of uneasiness. The ICBM was capable of of going to the US from the USSR in 30 minutes and vise-versa. This was a part of the arms race that caused so much anxiety and fear. -
Little Rock 9
The Little Rock 9 were nine teenagers who were sent to Central High High School but kept from entering by the Arkansas Governor, Faubus. Faubus sent the Arkansas National Guard to keep the nine students from entering and get harasses instead. Eisenhower intervened and sent the National Guard to escort them in and follow them around to class making sure they made it safely. This showed that once again, the federal court trumps the state court. -
Space Race
The Space Race was exactly as it sounds, it was a race to get more space technology out into space faster between American and the Soviet Union. Nikita Khrushchev became the Soviet Premier when Stalin died in 1953 and challenged JFK to create more space technology. Sputnik was the First orbiting satellite launched into space in Fall of 1957, and market the winning of the Soviets. NASA on the other hand quickly scrambled to create space technology and catch up to the Soviet Union. -
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1960s
The 60s were taking a downtown from the 50s and created a drop in the market. As inflation in the housing market went up those homes that were bought in the 50s were being foreclosed. Our president at the time, JFK was assassinated in Dallas, Texas by Lee Harvey Oswald and sparked conspiracies ever since. Martin Luther King Jr was also assassinated in the 60s on a balcony, leading the Civil Rights movement into a violent campaign. While the 50s showed immense happiness the 60s was going down. -
Sit ins
Sit ins were African American's peaceful protests that often ended in violent watchers. Africans would sit in the white only areas in restaurants demanding to be served but were refused. They wouldn't move until they were served or were forcefully moved but the white watchers. They often had food dumped on them, were dragged out of their chairs, and often beat up just for not moving. Mostly teenagers did this due to their extra time and were able to be jailed without consequences. -
Hippies
Hippies made up most of the Counter Culture. Hippies are more largely associated with the 70's but they made up most of the 60's. With their "rebellious" views, hippies made their own movement and created something bigger. They were in favor for sexual liberation and embraced their non christian views. Largely experimenting with drugs, they were always know for making drugs like LSD and Cocaine largely popular, and illegal. Woodstock was a music festival especially for hippies that became iconic -
New Frontier
The term New Frontier was used by liberal JFK in his acceptance speech in the 1960 United States presidential election to the Democratic National Convention as the Democratic to inspire America to support him. It was the "new" Liberal and Civil Rights ideas advocated by Kennedy, in contrast to Eisenhower's Conservative views. It included a proposal to provide medical care for the elderly, to rebuild rejected urban areas, to aid education to bolster the national defense, and to expand NASA. -
Politics (Nixon, Kennedy)
Thanks to the power of television presidential debates could now be broadcasted, something we now take advantage of. In the 50's the very first Presidential debate broadcasted was Nixon v. Kennedy, allowing Kennedy to win by a little in the end. Nixon had just gotten over a cold and was sweaty but refused to wear makeup. Kennedy had just got back from California and had a golden look. People who watched the debate thought Kennedy had won but those who listened to it thought Nixon had won. -
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps was proposed by John F.Kennedy The Peace Corps was inspired by young college graduates to work in poor countries, like humanitarian projects. It spread good thoughts about capitalism and succeeded. The Peace Corps was a program in which assistance of U.S. volunteers is offered to the developing nations of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It was one of three of Kennedy's New Frontier initiatives during his presidency term. -
Freedom Rides
Freedom Rides were once again to challenge the Jim Crow laws. Buses of African Americans and maybe whites would drive down to the deep south and challenged the Jim Crow laws that inhibited the deep South. During these rides many of the riders would be sent to the hospital and many beaten badly. In some occasions the bus would be badly damaged and even lit on fire. The whites sat in the back and challenged what the bus boycott was trying to change, integration. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was once again a build up of tension between the Soviets and the US. Castro first wanted protection from the US and the Soviet Union secretly sent troops and medium range ICBM's to Cuba. A U-2 spy plane found the missile sites in Cuba and advised Kennedy, which he found unacceptable. A total of 40K Soviet Troops were sent to Cuba. Tensions built up for 13 days until Khrushchev called the USSR ships back. Later the US got to make sure the ICBM's left Cuba. -
Assassination of JFK
John F. Kennedy was assassinated November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas during presidential campaigning. Lee Harvey Oswald was alleged killer of JFK but was killed later by a night club owner, Jack Ruby. The Warren Commission was made by his successor Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination of JFK. The Warren Commission determined that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the killing of the president. Conspiracy has risen that it couldn't be only him considering the direction it came from. -
Feminism
Feminism took a rise when "The Feminine Mystique" by Betty Friedman changed the feminine mentality. The feminist movement changed from voting right to equal treatment, opportunities, and pay. Feminism split from Civil Rights and took it's on route, fighting for what they believed in. Helen Gurley's, "Sex and the Single Girls," empowered women through sexuality. The book encouraged women to explore their sexuality and told them to wait to get married when looks started going away. -
Chicano Mural Movement
The Chicano Mural Movement began in Mexican American barrios all across the Southwest. Mexican American artists began using walls from houses, churches, schools, and city buildings to depict the Mexican American culture and educated others of its problems. The pieces of art are still seen around the area with pictures of religious figures and others like the one seen with this. The movement created a better appreciation of the Mexican American culture. -
Great Society
The Great Society was a set of domestic programs in the United States launched by Lyndon B. Johnson in 64. The main goal of the Great Society was to eliminate poverty and racial injustice. In 1965 Congress passed many of the Great Society reforms including, Medicare, Civil Rights Legislation, and federal aid to education. Medicare was a federal insurance program people over 65 and qualified disabled or blind people regardless of income. Medicaid was for low income families. -
Daisy Girl Ad
The Daisy Girl Ad was released in a time of Atomic Bomb fear. Lyndon B Johnson released this controversial ad. The ad was only aired once but it is considered to be the reason why he won the presidency. The ad contained a blonde little girl playing with a flower and it seems totally normal. Later toward the end it ends with a BOOM and a flash which signified a bomb being dropped. Although it was only aired once, it is said to be the most controversial ad in history. -
Ascendancy of Lyndon Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson took the presidency after JFK was considered dead and he took oath on the plane becoming the US president alongside a blood stained Jackie Kennedy. When creating another presidency campaign Barry Goldwater was the Republican candidate against Johnson. His Daisy Girl Ad showed the greater scare of Atomic Bomb attacks. In the ad a little girl is playing with a Daisy and we don't notice till the end that the bomb is dropped and it ends with a flash. -
Counter Culture
The counter culture is a group who rejects the values, norms, and practices of the larger society and replaces them with the new set of cultural patterns. The counter culture was said to be born in Haight-Asbury, a district in San Francisco and later grew to a bigger extent. The Counter Culture created Woodstock, a 3 day music festival in upstate New York that had nearly half a million attendees. This festival encourage the exploration of sex and drugs. -
Selma March
The Selma March included the civil rights leader, Martin Luther King. 600 marchers set out, walking 50 miles to Montgomery for the right to vote. The county police were waiting at the end of Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma with gulf clubs and gas. The protesters were ordered to go back but instead got on their knees and prayed. White speculators watched and were cheered as they were beaten, but the TV cameras were there to see the violence and display it to the world. -
Black Panther Party
The Black Panthers Party was a para military organization that dressed in black commando attire. It was originally founded in Oakland, California and were armed in self defense of black people. Many whites feared the Black Panthers because of their military style that was unusual to the civil rights movement. The Black Panther leader, Huey Newton was later jailed for manslaughter, killing a cop. By the time he got out of jail the Black Panthers had destroyed themselves. -
Stonewall Riot
The Stonewall Riot was five days of rioting from homosexuals against the police. The Stonewall Riots took place in New York during 1969. When police raided the Stonewall Bar, a gathering for homosexuals, it created rage and resulted in the protests. For the first time, homosexuals fought back and signified the beginning of the Gay Pride movement that we all know today. Because of this LGBT rights were brought to light. -
Race to Space/Moon
After a largely competitive space race the US became the first to put a man on the moon. Before Kennedy's passing he had challenged the country to put a man on the moon and gain a tooth hold on the Soviets. Before Neil Armstrong became the first man on the moon, several missions around the moon were made to prepare for this moment. John Glenn and Neil Armstrong were among one of the first to step foot on the moon aboard the Apollo 11 and make history. -
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1970s
The 70s as we all know it today was full of hippies and the oil crisis. As our oil production reached its peak gas was very limited and gas prices rapidly went up. As the Vietnam War was coming to an end the Cold War still raged on. The housing market was still experiencing inflation creating less jobs. The hippies experimented with all types of new drugs, like LSD, and started a festival called Woodstock. Exploring their inner sexuality and avoiding problems the hippies became icons of the 70s. -
Environmental Protection Agency
This agency was created by Congress to coordinate the implementation and enforcement of the federal environmental protection laws. Pollution was monitored, many regulations were enforced and is one of the largest federal agencies. It controlled pollution in the air, water, and of solid waste, pesticides, radiation, and of toxic waste. -
Equal Rights Amendment
"Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex." Thanks to Carter this amendment was passed to end sex discrimination in a permanent and uniform way by the government in all levels. Quick ratification by states but no state ratified after 1977, and when they extended the deadline to 1982 the amendment quickly died. The states that didn't sign were other Mormon or Southern. -
Watergate
The Watergate scandal is what took Nixon down. Watergate was a hotel where a break-in had occurred in 1972. 5 of Nixon's "plumbers" were sent in and stole campaign information by fixing a broken wire tap. The "plumbers" were caught by security and were arrested. During the election of 1972 Nixon distanced himself from the scandal and still crushed McGovern. During the trial of the "plumbers" it came out that they were paid to keep quiet and led to Nixon's resignation. -
Title IX
"No person in the US shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participating in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." The law was signed into motion during 1972 as a part of the Education Act. Because of Title IX more teams and sports were made for female athletes. Title IX demonstrated that laws could be challenged and still receives a lot of backlash. -
Roe v. Wade
The Roe v. Wade brought the issue of abortion of abortion into the light, making abortion legal during the first trimester. Women have been protesting for legalized abortion for years and most states totally outlawed it, it was sometimes allowed only for the health of the mothers. Norma McCovey sued Texas under the name of Jane Roe for her right to privacy. SCOTUS ruled outlawing abortion is unconstitutional and was allowed for the first trimester. But when does life start? -
Beginnings of the Personal Computer
The Altair 8800 was a microcomputer by MITS that was based on the Intel 8080. The interest grew quickly after is was featured on the cover of the January 1975 issue of popular electronics. The compute was sold by mail orders. The designers only expected to sell a couple hundreds but were surprised when they sold thousands in the first month. Although it doesn't compare to our technology we have today it was what allowed the industry to grow. -
The New Right
The New Right was a combination of Christian Religious leaders and conservative business bigwigs that claimed that environmental and labor regulations undermined the competitiveness of American firms in the global market, and political groups. These conservatives emphasized social issues like opposition to abortion, the equal rights amendment, porn, homosexuality, and affirmative action. -
Camp David Accords
The Camp David Accords were signed by the Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem after 12 days of secret negotiations. The signing of the Camp David Accords signified the peace and the end of Egyptian and Israeli disputes. The achievement made possible by Carter was considered one of his greatest achievements in office. Both sides received military and financial aid by us later on. -
Three Mile Island
The Three Mile Island incident was caused by a nuclear meltdown by reactor 2 of Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in Pennsylvania. A mechanical failure and human error created an escape of radiation for a 16 mile radius. This incidents woke up American people and caused them to change their energy from coming from nuclear energy, instead they started changing to healthier less toxic forms. -
Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson was the creator of BET. Johnson became the first black billionaire and later sold the program to Viacom in 2001. Creating one of the first black entertainment television networks he pioneered his way through a prominently white industry to make a network still around today. BET, or Black Entertainment Television, has now spread out to having their own awards that gain a lot of attention when on and contain many shows that are owned by them. -
Iran Hostage Crisis
During the Iran Hostage Crisis 52 American diplomats and citizens were held hostage for 444 days after a group of Iranian students took over the US Embassy in Tehran. It is said that they did it because the Shah was allowed to the US for cancer treatment and that angered them.The hostages were separated into small groups and were not allowed to communicate and were very stressed. This was a humiliating event for the US and caused us to dramatically change our foreign policy (terrorism). -
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1980s
Ronald Reagan came into presidency and introduced what we all know now as "Reaganomics" as a way to help the economy. He believed in trickle down economics which meant if the high businesses are wealthy then eventually the wealth would reach the lower class, creating a wealthier economy. Through the Reagan Doctrine we provided economic and military aid to those countries who were under the threat of falling into communism. New technologies allowed families to enjoy shows and movies at home. -
Video Head System (VHS)
VHS tapes were invented in the 70s but during the 80s they reached their peak in popularity. During the 80s there was video format wars going on. Two of the formats, VHS and Betamax, received some of the most exposure. VHS won eventually and took 60% of the North American market, trumping over Betamax. VHS became known as one of the home video format dominating the whole VHS time period of popularity. Although they aren't used anymore it lead it's way through home entertainment. -
Discount Retailing
Discount Stores started becoming more popular in the 80's. Stores like K-Mart, Home Depot, and Best Buy started making their chains and spreading all over the country. With stuff coming over from China stuff started becoming more affordable and easier to get. The 80's were seen as times that were wealthy and successful. Walmart's "Just-In-Time inventory was a change from all the other overstock stores. -
Reaganomics
Reaganomics were the policies that were implemented by Ronald Reagan that were associated with the reduction of taxes and the promotion of unrestricted free-market activity. Supply-side economics, or Reaganomics, was based on the theory that allowing companies to make profits will benefit the economy later on and lead to a higher standard of living. It argued that tax cuts can be used to stimulate the economy and it's growth. -
A.I.D.S. Crisis
The A.I.D.S. Crisis broke out among mainly homosexual mean and was perceived as nothing less. People began resenting homosexual people thinking that just being around them would cause it to be spread. They said the homosexual population was getting what they deserved and 32,000 people died in the span of seven years. A.I.D.S. started spreading after people started having relations with bisexual partners. -
Music Television (MTV)
MTV became the first global music network founded by Robert Pittman. The first song aired was Video Killed the Radio Star by Buggles. At first the network aired mostly white artist but as time when on they introduced black artists like Michael Jackson and extended their careers. MTV is still going today and although they don't have a strong influence in music they now have shows that many enjoy and recently they've been trying to bring music back to television. -
Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor became the first female Supreme Court Justice after Reagan nominated her. She was first a moderate who sided with the conservatives of the court but now sides with the liberal members. She retired in 2006 due to her husband's declining health with Alzheimer. O'Connor lead the way for female government employees and was the role model lots of little kids looked up to. Still she pioneered her way through the Supreme Court for many other future female members. -
Home video game systems
Due to the rising popularity for entertainment how gaming systems and arcades started becoming popular. Although one of the first gaming systems was released in the 70s they took popularity in the 80s thanks to the growing availability of TVs and growing leisure time. Gaming arcades began to take a hold for children and teens making them the place to be and gaining their attention. Gaming started in the 80s and from then on they kept growing to what we know now. -
Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) "Star Wars"
The Strategic Defense Initiative was a missile shield defense against Soviet incoming missiles. Satellites were set up that had lasers to shoot down incoming missiles The US intended to give the Soviets the same technology and hoped they would go bankrupt in doing so. The SDI was ultimately a failure for the US and the Soviets took the challenge and spent more resources than the US originally did. Because of this the Soviets started resenting communism due to the fact they weren't getting food. -
Challenger Explosion
The Challenger Explosion was when the US shuttle exploded 73 seconds into the launch killing seven astronauts. Christa McAuliffe was on board she was a teacher from New Hampshire that was picked to join the mission and teach lessons from space to schoolchildren around the country. Later on it was determined that two rubber O-rings, which had been designed to separate the sections of the rocket booster, that didn't separate because of the temperatures were the causes of the disaster. -
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1990s
The 1990's are times of war, innovation, and moving forward. The Persian Gulf War began in 91 that lead to the eventual build up of troops and defense of Saudi Arabia. The first launching of the Hubble Space Telescope was launched during the Space Discovery mission during 90'. With the 90's came the introduction of the world wide web as a daily use, not quite like we use it today but it's getting there. Events like the Lewinski Affair kept the government in the public eye and caused distrust. -
Email
Email now changed the way communication was perceived. Now letters were substituted with email and caused the United States Postal Services to lose money. Emails allowed business deals to be made from the comforts of home and disregarded the need of travel to see others, now they were just a click away. Paper files became digital to save the hassle and were now able to be sent with out the cost and wait of the mail. Email was the first of many new ways the internet changed communication. -
Internet
Internet originally started in military bases during the 60s to exchange data but by the 90s tens of millions of homes had the availability of the web at their hands. American online was one of the first internet providers that is still in business today. Although their internet wasn't like our Wifi boxes it got popular during this time period, making a lot of technologies possible. The internet called for a change of lifestyle with easy communication and stores starting online. -
Rodney King Incident
Rodney King was caught by Los Angeles police after a high speed chase. After he was pulled over he was pulled out of his care and beaten badly while an amateur camera man, George Holliday caught it all on tape, and was aired on news stations. When the video was release riots popped up raising tensions between African Americans and the police, and brought a bigger movement against police brutality. The 1992 Los Angeles Riots were sparked when three of the cops were acquitted. -
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey rose to stardom during the 90s becoming one of the wealthiest women in the world. Oprah created a very well known talk show about issues and trends of the day and now has created her own network. She was one of the many women who led the way in journalism and made her stardom rise. She is one of the influential women who have inspired many and although she isn't the wealthiest now she's still up there. Her show didn't start in the 90s but it got popular then. -
World Trade Center Attack 1993
During 1993 terrorist exploded massive car bombs in the basement parking garage of the World Trade Center hoping to bring it down. When the bombs went off it left only 6 stories to hold in the ground but it did not do what they originally wanted to. Although it was quickly forgotten it showed was to come later on with the September 11 attacks -
Health Care Reform
Clinton sets out to achieve the 100 year old goal of creating a nationalized healthcare. Bill gave the task to his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republicans put it out as media blitz. His goal to create nationalized healthcare was then shut down and ended up failing. They called this socialized medicine and healthcare costs started rising. The healthcare reform fails until 2009. -
North American Free Trade Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, encompassed Mexico, Canada, and the US. NAFTA knocked down trade barriers but put in place rules for several industries. American lost many lives because of NAFTA and it stopped Mexican knock off products from being passed off as real. This created a liberated trade bloc for North America. -
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy
Before this gays, bisexuals, and lesbians were not allowed to serve in the military. Thanks to this policy they were allowed to join as long as they didn't ask about it when recruiting and weren't openly telling others about their own sexuality. It diminished discrimination from the military services and was in place until September 20, 2011. -
Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
DOMA was a federal law that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. It gave states the power of not having to accept gay marriages of other states. It was signed into place by Bill Clinton and prohibited marriages between man and man and a woman and a woman. This sparked a lot of outrage and continued to do so until it was eliminated this past decade. -
Lewinsky Affair
Clinton had an affair with a white house intern and it got out and became a scandal. Bill Clinton had an affair with Monica Lewinsky, who she had told Linda Tripp who later told Kenneth Star. His denial of the whole affair was all over the news and he even testified that he did no wrong. Ultimately the affair was proven with the infamous blue dress that allowed them to trace it all back to Clinton. This lead to his impeachment for lying under oath. -
Period: to
contemporary
The most resent times in history has a lot more war, national disasters, and new presidents. 9/11 occurred in New York and brought American security on a tighter leash to prevent more events like this. Soldiers are still in Iraq since the early 2000's and are trying to be sent home. History was made when Barack Obama was elected the first African American president in 2008. The Obama administration provided the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). -
Bush v Gore (SCOTUS case)
Bush v Gore was one of the closest elections in American History so naturally controversy was gonna rise.Gore took the loss to court and SCOTUS decided 5-4 that Bush had won the election. Judges couldn't be told how to count votes so they didn't know what was considered an actual vote. Gore won the popular vote by half a million while Bush won the electoral college. Because of this the electoral college has been wanted to be disolved. -
9/11 attacks
The 9/11 attacks involved four hijacked planes under the control of terrorists. Two planes hit the World Trade Center, one hit the Pentagon, and the last one was bravely tried to stopped before it ultimately nose dived into a field. 19 Al-Qaeda hijackers took over the planes and for the most part achieved their plans. A total of 2,973 people died in these attacks and are now remembered with a memorial. The 9/11 attacks were supposed to tear the country into shreds but instead brought us closer. -
PATRIOT ACT
The PATRIOT ACT stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism. This was put into place after the 9/11 attacks was used as a mean to do a nation wide sweeping. This act allowed the government to detain immigrants, monitor bank accounts, and wiretap suspected callers without a warrant. Many opposed it because it used and excessive amount of executive power and threatened individual liberties by invading privacy. -
No Child Left Behind Education Act
The No Child Left Behind Education Act was aimed to help improve school conditions and performance. Reports of declining schools were popping up across the country with low test scores and low conditions. Bush then sends a bill through congress and revamps the standards and started linking federal funding to student performance on standardized tests. It also helped disadvantaged students who couldn't afford a lot of school materials. -
Compassionate Conservatism
Compassionate Conservatism was used when Bush promised to use private industry, charity, and religious organizations to help the poor. Bush argued that the poor became over reliant on the government and thus lost desire to better themselves. Bush wanted to overall reduce the size of the government in daily life. He stressed using traditionally conservative techniques would overall positively impact the society instead of damaging it by improving the general welfare. -
Barack Obama
Barack Obama became president during the 2009 election and lead the way in many new innovations. Barack Obama was the first African American president in US history. He served from 2009-2017. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii he graduated from Harvard Law school. Obama contributed well known things during his presidency and stepped down after eight years (even though i wanted a three-peat). I LOVE OBAMA HE MY HOMIE!!!!!!!! -
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
With a clashing economy, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was put in place to uplift us out of the decreasing economy. $787 million was spent by the government to help the economy. Millions of jobs were created, investment was promoted, and it was also use to revive consumer spending. Helping us out of the still going housing bubble impact the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act spurred economic growth. -
Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Sotomayor is the First Hispanic Supreme Court Judge. Appointed by Barack Obama, and aside from being the first Hispanic SCOTUS judge she is also the third woman to ever be in the Supreme Court. Having Puerto Rican parents, her father died when she was 9 leaving her with her mother. Sotomayor attended Yale Law School and Princeton University, at first she wanted to be a detective but then found out she had diabetes so couldn't. First job as a prosecutor in criminal trials she worked up. -
Affordable Care Act (ACA) "Obamacare"
The Affordable Care Act got passed by Obama and reformed for private health insurance. Everyone was no required to have health insurance or else were required to pay a fine. Many liberals got upset that it wasn't a single-payer system like Europe. Those against it started calling it Obamacare as if it's supposed to be a bad thing but Obama instead embraced it. Donald Trump has now taken this away and is now trying to replace it with his own version. -
Undoing of DOMA
DOMA outlawed gay marriage and in 2013 it was considered unconstitutional. Opening the doors for gay marriage Obama undid DOMA and allowed gay marriage to be allowed and accepted in every stage. Many court cases have tried to go against DOMA and until 2013 it finally succeeded and showed that it was clearly unconstitutional. After he undid DOMA there is very well known pictures of him and vice president Joe Biden running through the White House with a LGBT flag.
