-
Period: to
The 1950s- 1990s
-
Little Rock Nine
In the court case Brown v. Board of Education, the previous ruling of "separate but equal" was deemed unequal. It called for desegregation, in schools and public places. When forced to desegregate, white schools resisted and would not allow the kids to enter by various means. The president of the United States, Eisenhower sent in the National Guard to guide 9 students into Little Rock Central Highschool. -
Laika Space Dog
The Soviets dominated the "Space Race" and showed this clearly when they launched the first animal in space. Laika was a stray off the streets of Moscow and died within hours of the launch. Preperations for her return were never made because it was not expected to be succesful. The Soviets were not forthcoming with the information about her status when she was in space. -
I Have a Dream
Pastor Martin Luther King Jr. was the leader of the nonviolent movement in the Civil Rights Movement. He delivered the most famous speech of the 20th century on the stairs to the Lincoln Memorial. His speech told of the type of future he saw where everyone was equal and able to hold hands together and go about their day together. -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
The USS Maddox was struck by North Vietnamese torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin, off the coast of the Vietnam's. Similar to the sinking of the Lusitania in 1918, during World War I. This incident let Americans support the war in Vietnam and allowed Congress to suppot the sending of troops to Asia. -
Black Panthers
In the fight for civil rights in America for African Americans, there were 2 types of fights, violent and nonviolent. Martin Luther King Jr. led the nonviolent fight and the violent fight was led by the Black Panther Party and Malcolm X. The Panthers advocated for
"Black Power" and they openly carried weapons. -
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive was one of the biggest turning points of the Vietnam War. It was a strong psychological victory for North Vietnam. The army attacked five Southern Vietnam cities including the capital at Saigon. Many Americans deemed this war unwinable after hearing of this event -
My Lai Massacre
US soldiers invade the city of My Lai, killing, burning, and destroying everything in its passage. This occured after the Tet Offensive and it had anegative effect back on the homefront. Soldiers were not looked at as honorable because they were killing citizens they may or or may not have been a part of the Vietcong. -
Moon Landing
The "Space Race" was on! The US and the Soviet Union were in a silent battle for firsts in space. The Soviets already launched the first satellite in space and JFK promised to put a man on the moon. That promised was fufilled when Apollo 11 landed on the moon and out walked Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. They placed and American flag and marked the American print in space officially. -
The Pentagon Papeers
US involvment in Vietnam had been documented since Truman was president. Daniel Ellsberg, who opposed to the war and the illegal happenings sent the papers to the NY Times who published it and put it on display for the world to see. After the American public saw this, they started to lose faith in their government and they could not believe the lies they were being told. -
Watergate Scandal
This scandal occurred during Nixon's presidency. The Republican members of Nixon's Party broke into the Democratic Headquarters. When the information was leaked, it was also discovered that Nixon attempted to cover it up. Those that were guilty were indicted and Nixon resigned. -
Assassination Attempt of Ronald Reagen
To assassinate is to kill another person because of their beliefs. John Hinkley had romantic delusions and thought killing the president would impress his favorite actress. The secret service were very heroic and helped to cover the president from the gunshots. Three were shot and all remained living. Hinkley was found not gulity by reason of insanity and to this day resides in a psychiatric facility. -
Black Monday
Black Monday was a stock market crash that started in Hong Kong and then Spread west. It was the largest one-day percentage decline in the entire Dow Jones. Some causes were program trading and overvaluation,.Safe guards were put into the stock market system after this tragic event to prevent another abrupt decline. It took 2 years to gain back all that was lost.
