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Stock Market Crash
On black tuesday the stock market sky rocketed downward millions of dollars evaporated, and people lost everything. The effect of the crash took out many banks, and in turn wipped out everything that had been bought on credit This meant many people lost there homes, jobs, and stores leaving many people completley bankrupt. This lead to the great depression because no one had any money or infastucture as the bank kept taking anything they could to make up for what they'd lost. -
*The Great Depression*
The Great Depression was a long lasting world wide economic depression that started in the us but spread world wide. The depression left many homeless and straving. Many had to make do with nothing as things like dandelion recipes and schedueld meal times, when the family would take turns eating dinner throught the week. Thing like shanty towns were also popular as almost no one owned homes and builfing a shanty town was the only shelter they could find. -
*Dust Bowl*
This was a period of severe dust storms caused by soil erosion caused by awful environmental practices. The dust storms made it impossible to grow any crops witch added to the famine during the great depression and it was nearly impossible to live in the midwest which lead to a migration problem in states like California and Texas. -
Roosevelt 1st Election
In the election of 1932, Franklin Roosevelt defeated incumbant President Herbert Hoover. This marked the end of a twelve-year dominance by the republican party. Roosevelt's victory was the first of five democratic administrations, this election was critical because it was three years into the great depression. His campaign marked the beginning of Roosevelt's New Deal program. -
CCC
The Civilian Conservation Corps was created by executive order on April 5th, 1933. This organization created millions of jobs. it was onne of the most important New Deal programs because it helped create the foundation for national and state parks. Over 300 billion trees were planted by the CCC. Although it is no longer in existence, it's goals were absorbed by the US Forest Service. -
Social Security Act
The Social Security Act was created as a "Federal old-age benefits". FDR's plan was to create a retirement account for every American that would be collected and invested by the United States government. This law also extended benefits to those with disabilities and the unemployed. -
FDR Court Packing Scandal
During FDR's second term, he proposed a bill that would increase the number of Supreme Court justices. His objective was to increase support for his New Deal programs. His agenda was severely critisized by republicans because it would strengthen the democrats' ideas for guiding the country. This proposal was never signed into law and negatively impacted FDR's popularity. -
*Neutrality Act*
This resolution passed by Congress made it illegal to sell arms to spain who was in the middle of a civil war. This was later extented to cover all civil wars. US ships could not transport people or cargo related to civil wars. These efforts toward neutrality were being supported by isolationists in America. -
HUAC Formed
The House Un-American Activites Committee was formed to look into activities that were considered to be un-American, such as those having communist connections. It was strengthened during the cold war and questioned hundreds of Americans about their backgrounds. The HUAC was intimidating and created fear in the early 1950s. -
Germany Breaks Munich Pact
This was an agreement signed in October of 1938 between Germany and Great Britain. It gave Germany the Sudetenland. Hitler declared that he would not advance on any other territories.This agreement was broken in March of 1939, when Germany invaded Czechoslovakia. -
*Germany Invades Poland*
Earlier in 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact toward each other. They conspired to invade Poland, resulting in the declaration of war to begin WWII. Germany executed the lightning war and rapidly overtook Poland from the west while the Soviet army invaded Poland from the east. -
Battle of Britain
This battle is also known as the Blitz. The Luftwaffe, the German airforce, targeted port cities and manufacturing centers in Great Britain. Germany's goal was to cripple Great Britain so that German forces could successfully invade England. London was bombed for several months consecutivealy and thousands of civilians were killed. -
*Atlantic Charter*
This was a pact made between FDR and Churchill that outlined their plans for WWII. Essentially, the goal was to defeat Hitler first, then Japan. These two leaders also designed a plan for the post-war world, laying the foundation for the United Nations. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
On a sunday morning, the US Naval Base near Honolulu, Hawaii, was attacked by Japanese forces. Japan destroyed and/or damaged 20 naval vessels (8 battleships, 300 airplanes). Over 2,000 Americans were killed and 1,000 were wounded this event marked the entry of the United States into World War II. -
*Fire Bombing of Dresden*
The bombing of Dresden, Germany was carried out by the US and Great Britain. 3900 tons of explosives were dropped on Dresden that killed about 25,000 people. This was controversial because Dresden was a civilian target, not a military one. -
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the allied invasion of France that took place on the beaches of Normandy. This was the largest armada in world history. Troops from the US, Great Britain, Canada, and Australia landed on five different beaches. Their objective was to liberate France from Nazi control. The liberation of France was the 25th of August. -
FDR Dies/Truman President
One month before the end of World War II, FDR suffered a fatal cerebral hemorrage while spending time in Warm Springs, Georgia. Earlier that evening he complained of a severe headache and collapsed. The news of FDR's death was given to Vice President Harry Truman by Eleanor Roosevelt.Truman was now commander in chief of the military and was given the responsibilty for guiding troops to victory in World War II. -
Nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima/Nagasaki
In an effort to end World War II, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. The first bomb hit the city of Hiroshima, killing over 80,000 people. A second bomb was dropped three days later on Nagasaki, killing over 40,000 people. This resulted in Japan's surrender to the United States, ending World War II. -
United Nations created
The United Nations replaced the League of Nations in order to protect international order. It began with 51 member countries, it's headquarters are in New York city, it's agenda includes: peace and security, human rights, protecting the environment, and assisting in humanitarian activities. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was part of America's foreign policy that provided military and economic assistance to those nations threatened by communist forces. This policy assisted Greece and Turkey as these countries had been weakened during World War II. 400 million dollars were committed to these two countries along with American civilians and military personnel working in those two countries. -
Berlin Airlift
Berlin was split in the same way as Germany meaning that the west side was surrounded by east Germany. The USSR wanted complete control over Berlin and cut off all highways and paths from west Germany into west Berlin. They cut off ties to create a blockade of supplies hoping that this would cause Britain, France, and the US to leave, yet they used military planes to airdrop food and medical supplies into west Berlin. This continued for about a year until the USSR stopped the blockade. -
*Executive order 9981*
President Harry Truman issued this directive order to dissolve segregation in the military. Prior to this, white soldiers were kept seperate from soldiers of minority backgrounds. This began the agenda of equality within the US military. -
*NATO*
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was a military alliance between the US, Canada, and Western European nations. NATO provided security against the Soviet Union. The USSR responded with their own alliance, the Warsaw Pact. NATO headquarters are in Belgium. -
Korean War
This war began when North Korea invaded South Korea. The United States supported South Korea while China and the Soviet Union helped North Korea. This resulted in the division between North and South Korea, with North Korea adopting communism and South Korea adopting democracy. Around 34,000 Americans were killed. -
Rosenberg Trials
Ethel and Julian Rosenburg were a married couple accused of espionage because they were passing atomic secrets to the soviets. They were found guilty and both sentenced to death through electrocution. Their execution amplifier the paranoia and fear of the cold war as they were used as an example of the situation people were afraid of. -
Brown v Board
Brown v board of Education decided that the previous plessy v. fergeson decision, seperate but equal was invalid and that all schools should be desegregated. -
*Geneva Conference*
The Geneva Conference contained leaders from France, China, Vietnam, Soviet Union, and the US. They all meet to discuss the problem in Asia particularly the fight between Vietnam and French colonizers. This was the start of the US involvement in the Vietnam war as they supported the french to prevent Ho Chi Minh's communist control. -
*The Murder of Emmet Till*
Emmett Till was brutalized when he talked smart to a white woman. That night two white men kidnapped the young boy, torturing and killing him and threw his body in a river. His body was so deformed that they had a hard time identifying his body, a problem which the murderers exploited. His mother despite this insisted on an open casket so the world could see his damaged body. This sparked anger in all communities and left the national media with indisputable evidence on southern race relations. -
Vietnam War
Without a government set up in Vietnam, two parties were formed, communist Ho Chi Minh in the north and Capitalist Ngo Dinh Diem in the south. The US, wanting to avoid communism, waited until the gulf of Tonkin which we used to justify declaring war. The North launched a surprise attack gaining South Vietnamese cities. This spurred peace talks between the US and the north, in 1973 North Vietnam and the US reached an agreement to stop fighting. The civil war continued until 1975. -
*Rosa Parks Arrested*
Rosa Parks, secretary for the NAACP, rode a bus home from work, when a white person asked her to move from her seat and she refused to get up and give her seat away, which violated the segregation rules at the time. This caused to get arrested which sparked a ton of anger. That caused a mass boycott of the bus system. The boycott lasted all year, or 381 days. The boycott ended when the supreme court ruled that segregation on the buses were unconstitutional. -
Sputnik
The soviets started the space age by successfully launching the first satellite sputnik. The soviets launched sputnik far before the US was ready and this sparked many fears and lead to the beginnings of the space race. -
Greensboro lunch Sit-ins
The Sit in protest started in Greensboro, North Carolina, when a group of students were denied service at a segregated lunch counter and refused to leave. This type of protest was a symbol of the nonviolent movement and spread throughout many southern college towns. This type of protesting was very effective and helped to bring to light the immorality of segregation. -
Freedom Rides
The Freedom Riders were both white and African American activists that took buses from the north to the south in protest of segregation laws. They protested by using white restrooms and food counters at bus stations in the south. They were met with sheer anger and violence from white protesters and no help from local police. The most violent act occurred in Alabama when white protesters followed the bus and threw a bomb into it. When the riders escaped they were heavily beaten by a white mob. -
Berlin Wall
East Berlin started to build a barbed wire and concrete fence to keep out so called fascists from west Berlin, although the real reason was to stop mass defection from east Berlin to west Berlin. It wasn't until about 30 years later that the wall was taken down. The wall was the physical symbol of the cold war and it symbolized a lot. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
It was discovered that Cuba was constructing missile silos in 1962. Because Cuba was a communist country, they were receiving support from the Soviet Union. Soviet ships loaded with nuclear warheads began moving towards Cuba. The US Navy blocked the Soviet ships from their destination. As a result, the US and the USSR barely avoided a nuclear confrontation. -
March on Washington
The March on Washington was led by Martin Luther King Jr. in a effort to draw attention to civil rights. It was here that King delivered his "I have a dream" speech. More than 250,000 people of all ethnic backgrounds participated in this protest. -
Assassination of JFK
John F. Kennedy was assassinated at a presidential parade in dallas texas. -
*Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Meet*
After the debate of the civil rights bill Martin Luther King and Malcolm X meet but only long enough for the photographers to take a photo. -
*Malcolm X visits Mecca*
Malcolm X discover islam in prison along with teaching himself how to read and write. Outside of prison he kept his philosophy in line with his teachings from the Quran. As he grew more as a civil rights leader he spoke more of his own philosophy but also focused more on faith. As he started reading more and more of the Quran he made the decision to travel to mecca. On his travel to mecca he discovered a different sense of unity and brother hood. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The Gulf of Tonkin was a made up attack on two US military boats that allowed the President to take any means necessary in the Vietnam war. -
Vietnam day
The Vietnam day march was created by the Vietnam day committee and held the march to inform and protest the the Vietnam war. The march took place on the berkley campus in October. They created rallies, and teach-ins they the proceeded to walk down to the Oakland army base to urge new soldiers not to go to war. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
Malcolm X was shot to death by nation of islam while at a rally for his organization. Malcolm X was a follower of islamic teachings and believed in protecting the black identity by any means necessary, including violence. After a pilgrimage to mecca however he changed his ways and started preaching a more moderate approach that was more popular. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation rolling thunder was an ariel bombing campaign that that lasted three days in north Vietnam. This was used to put pressure on north Vietnam and to weaken their forces. -
*Black Panther Party*
The Black Panther Party was formed by Huey Newton to protect their community, and with force if necessary. This went against the nonviolence approach of the civil rights movement. They started by advocating for black history classes, starting a free breakfast program for kids and successfully set up 13 health clinics. Their social programs made them popular but they had several fights with cops in which resulted in member's deaths. The violence was their downfall and in 1982 they disbanded. -
Tet-offensive
Tet is a Vietnamese holiday but in 1968 north Vietnam attacked several key southern vietnamese out posts and cities to encourage southern citizens and soldiers to rebel and join them. The southern vietnamese held their guard and fought off the attacks the media coverage shocked most americans and strengthened the anti-war movement. -
Assassination of MLK
MLK was killed on his hotel balcony in memphis Tennessee. He was in Tennessee to aid striking sanitation workers and was on his way to a dinner with a minister. He stepped out onto the balcony to talk with SCLC colleagues when he was shot. He was shot in the head and rushed to the hospital where doctors pronounced him dead. His death sparked riots across the nation that ended up with 40 others dead and a large amount of property damage. -
Woodstock
Woodstock was a music and art festival that lasted three days and drew a crowd of 40,000. The festival celebrated peace, love and rock 'n' roll many people were considered radicals, environmentalists, anti-war, and hippies. The concert was expecting half as many people that showed up and the lack of supplies was apparent and the festival was described as chaotic despite this there were no reported fights and only two deaths. -
*Moratorium to enter Vietnam War*
This was an extremely large anti-war protest that took place in Washington, D.C. Over 500,000 people participated in this march to influence political leaders to end the war in Vietnam. There were many coordinated protests across the globe as well. -
Kent State
During an anti-war protest at Kent State, Ohio national guard open fired on the crowd killing 4 students and injuring 9 more. This event cause many strikes and shut down colleges all across the nation. -
*Title IX*
This was a ground breaking law that created equality for women in any educational setting. From this point, especially in women's athletics, women were provided with more opportunities to excel. This was a step to end gender discrimination and the law was signed by Richard Nixon.
