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Feminism
This movement included mostly women and some men in advocating for women's rights in society, the workplace, and for their own body. -
G.I. Bill
The G.I. Bill included certain benefits for soldiers in the military to continue their education by paying for all or most of the cost of tuition -
Little Boy
This was the very first atomic bomb created and dropped on Hiroshima ending the second world war. This ball of mass destruction killed over a hundred thousand people, and destroyed anything it came into contact with. -
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Cold War
A state of tension after WWII between the United States and the Soviet Union where ideologies were questioned, and tensions rised to life-threatening events. -
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2nd Red Scare
The fear of communism that permeated American politics, culture, and society from the late 1940s through the 1950s, during the opening phases of the Cold War with the Soviet Union. The fear of the spread of communism lead spectators to accuse anyone and everyone, and the consequences of being suspected as a communist were life threatening -
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Berlin Air Lift
Berlin had restricted any means of transportation of goods into their area and refused any outside help. The US made way into their borders through the air rather than on land and proceeded to air drop much-needed supplies to the suffering people of Berlin. Most notably, the US dropped chocolate to the Berlin people as well. -
Fair Deal
This was an attempt by Truman to improve conditions at home. This included domestic reform proposals, such as national health insurance, public housing, civil rights legislation and federal aid to education. -
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1950's
The 1950's were a time of extreme societal change after the world wars America had become involved in, and where Civil Rights sparked it's uprising. This was also the time for the rise of Rock and Roll. -
McCarthyism
At a speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, McCarthy proclaimed that he was aware of 205 card-carrying members of the Communist Party who worked for the United States Department of State. By using a "list" of potential communists, he used this to pin down anyone he wanted to drop. However, hysteria rose from this action and many others feared that their neighbor, coworker, or loved one was secretly a communist working as a spy -
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Korean War
The Korean war began when North Korea invaded South Korea. The US allied with South Korea, helping to fight North Korea with gained assistance from both China and some of the Soviet Union. South Korea wanted to stay away from the communistic party of the North, and have their own democratic government. However, North Korea wanted control over them. The war would end with a permanent division between North and South Korea -
Rock N' Roll
Rock N Roll was seen as the Devil's music to the older people of the 50's. This type of music was meant for the younger generation and allowed more freedom of expression. Originally, it belonged to African Americans, who had more soul put into their lyrics. However, white people stole it from them, and created the most iconic figure of Rock N' Roll: Elvis Preseley. -
Bill Haley and the Comets
Bill Haley and the Comets were an American Rock & Roll band founded in 1952 who were the first band of white musicians in Rock and Roll to bring forth attention to the music and style of African Americans -
Hydrogen Bomb
The Hydrogen bomb is a much more powerful and deadly bomb than the Atomic Bomb. As it's range of destruction varies over 10x larger, with the effects much more severe. People at the time had no idea how powerful the hydrogen bomb was, and created useless drills called "Duck and Cover" -
Polio Vaccine
This vaccine was created to prevent the spread of the dangerous disease; Polio. With the vaccine, Polio has become completely eradicated in the US since 1988 -
Jonas Salk
This famous figure discovered the Polio Vaccine in 1953, and allowed for the complete eradication of the disease in 1988. -
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Civil Rights
This movement included the equal rights of all colored people, more specifically African Americans, as well as the equality for women and those of different sexual orientation -
Brown v. Board of Education
This supreme court case issued that the segregation of white and colored schools was unconstitutional, and called for the immediate integrations of schools all over the United States. However, many conservative schools denied this law and refused to integrate for many years. Some, even today. -
Television
Television gradually became popular in the 1950's, giving at-home Americans entertainment, as well as a way to catch up on the news on political issues. -
Emmett Till
This tragedy included the brutal and morbid murder of a little boy named Emmet Till. His mother wanted him to know how ruthless the racism in the south was, and sent him off to go experience it first hand. Little did they know the true severity, as Emmet Till was bludgeoned and beaten into an unrecognizable state and only identifiable by a ring given to him by his mother. She held and open casket funeral to show the world what the south had done to her little boy. -
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman was an influential African-American singer, songwriter, and musician during the 1950's. -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks boarded the bus after a long and tiring shift of work and was too exhausted to walk all the way to the back of the bus where African Americans were supposed to sit. She sat in the front where the white folks were, and as a white man demanded her seat, she refused as she was too tired to get up. She was then arrested and forced off of the bus and sparked the boycotting of public transportation. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
In an attempt desegregate the public transportation system, African Americans boycotted taking public buses altogether and either walked, biked, or carpooled with other participants to their locations. With African Americans being a major source of income for public transportation, the boycott was enough to open their eyes through the persuasion of money loss and allowed for African Americans to freely sit where ever they pleased on buses. -
Elvis Presley
The most iconic Rock and Roll artist was born and raised around African American music and adopted the sound when Rock and Roll erupted. He has been most notable for his "suggestive" dance moves, and his iconic phrases such as "Thank you, thank you very much." He lead the Rock and Roll movement despite the hate received from conservatives and sparked one of the most famous genres today and in history. -
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Space Race
The Space Race was a competition between the US and the Soviet Union for which nation could reach outer space first successfully. This ricocheted many other events and ways to get themselves into space. -
Little Rock 9
Little Rock 9 included a group of African American students who had to be escorted to and from school by American forces to force the public to integrate public schooling. They faced major racism and criticism, but as advised by the president, it was crucial for them to attend the anticipated integrating school. -
Sputnik
The Soviet Union successfully launched a beeping satellite into Earth's orbit creating mass hysteria and fear of what the Soviet Union was capable of. This triggered the US into gaining more funds into education and research for the Space Race -
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. -
Counter Culture
This group of people included individuals who opposed the views of the majority, generally disliking materialism, and advocated for peace for all, and love with anyone. This sparked the well known "Hippie" generation, but also aided in the movement of Civil Rights. -
Chicano Mural Movement
This movement was meant to educate white folk in what was going on in the world of racism around them. Helping to aid in the Civil Rights Movement, these murals were mostly located in crowded, populated areas to be viewed by many people. -
Sit-Ins
Individuals who supported Civil Rights (mainly African Americans), would enter public spaces or areas where segregation of color was known, and "sit in" as a protest to the outrageous law. -
LSD
This new and highly psychedelic drug was commonly used amongst the hippie culture, as it is a mind-altering drug that the hippies were known to use. -
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is a volunteer program run by the United States government to help those around the world suffering from living in underdeveloped countries. -
Freedom Riders
Groups of Civil Rights activists who gathered into interstate buses and rode into the deep racism of the south to protest for complete equality as their enforcement was limited if not enforced at all. -
Anti-War Movement
This movement was sparked by the Vietnam War, as we were fighting a war that would continue to drag on and kill innocent people in an unnecessary way. Protestors of this war were commonly found on college campuses, and consisted of both peaceful and violent protests against the war in Vietnam -
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
The assassination of JFK occurred while he and his wife were traveling down through Dallas Texas as an attempt to advance their 1964 campaign. They were driving in an open-top convertible, and Kennedy was shot multiple times in the head killing him inevitably. -
Daisy Girl Ad
This political commercial included an innocent little girl in a field of flowers, implying peace and a feeling of calm. While in the distance, a bomb of some sort has gone off and is making its way towards the little girl. This political advertisement insinuated that a vote for Garry Goldwater meant for the inevitable destruction of our most prized possessions. -
Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater was the Republican candidate for the presidential election of 1964 against the Democratic candidate Lyndon B. Johnson. He was the Senator from Arizona and was very conservative, some of which promoted the rid of the New Deal and Great Society -
The Great Society
A revision and addition to the New Deal proposed by Lyndon B. Johnson that promised a higher focus on education, good standards of living, and beautification. Its main goal was the elimination of poverty and racial injustice. -
Hippies
Part of the Counter Culture, these individuals greatly opposed the views of the majority, and would not give in to "conformity". They believe in peace and love for all, and were known to experiment with mind-altering drugs to become more "in touch" with nature. -
Black Panthers
Militant activists of Civil Rights, who believed in the direct action towards equality. They were known to dress in all black, militant clothing, to display themselves as serious protestors of racism. -
Silent Majority
This described a group of individuals who held moderate opinions towards politics, but never expressed their opinions. These individuals were brought to light during a speech Nixon held, stating "And so tonight—to you, the great silent majority of my fellow Americans—I ask for your support." -
Home Video Game Systems
Video gaming at home originated in the late 1960's and allowed tech-savvy individuals to enjoy the fun of playing video games (such as in an arcade), at the comfort of their own home. Although the gaming itself was very simple and repetitive, it was a breakthrough in modern technology. -
Watergate
Watergate is a name given to the scandal the Nixon administration committed during the '72 presidential election where hired "goons" broke into Democrat HQ at Watergate hotel for any dirt. This scandal revealed several other dirty plays Nixon's administration did the years leading up to the election and forced him to resign and killed the faith the public had in the government. -
Title IX
This education amendment gave female students the right to no discrimination in their education, including in sports education and male dominated classes. -
Roe v. Wade
This supreme court case played in favor of women's right, granting them the right to legal abortion during the first trimester. This decision was upheld by the "right to privacy" amendment. -
The Heritage Foundation
AKA the "Think Tank", the Heritage Foundation is a research and educational institute whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional values, and a strong national defense. -
Endangered Species Act
This act ensured the safety of species at risk of, or near, total extinction by setting regulations on both land and sea commercialism. After enacted, species began to rise back up and the food chain had become almost fully restored, or at least managed. -
VHS
VHS tapes of entertainment allowed the people at home to enjoy films that they originally enjoyed in the theater in the comfort of their own home. This also allowed individuals to record their own things onto these tapes. -
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Jimmy Carter's Presidency
A simple peanut farmer from Georgia but also a former submarine commander, he was a relatively unknown person for candidacy. Under his administration, he tried for populist excitement by adhering to the people's demands for reform. -
Panama Canal
President Jimmy Carter at the time signed a treaty agreeing to hand control of the Panama Canal back over to Panama. With this treaty, all canal zones were immediately abolished. Tensions with the Panamanians and other Latin Americans were eased, as we gave us our "symbol of power". -
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Iran Hostage Crisis
A diplomatic standoff between Iran and the United States led to the hostage of 52 American diplomats and even more citizens for 444 days. The reason for this hostage began with Carter's decision to allow and Iran autocrat to come to the US for cancer treatment. -
Discount Retailing
Like Walmart, discount retailing would be stores like warehouses where they bought their products in cheap bulk and lowered their prices than competing stores to allow the public to buy cheap, quality goods, without sacrificing their profit. -
Reaganomics
This cut income and corporate taxes to spur the economy and create better jobs for the people. This led to the reduction in welfare spending, and overall skepticized the people of America with his economic ways. -
Election of 1980
This election consisted of former president Jimmy Carter (democrat), and new candidate Ronald Reagan (republican). In spite of Carter's economic crisis and also the Iran Hostage Crisis, Reagan was able to win by a landslide. -
AIDS Crisis
The AIDS Crisis began when more and more gay men had acquired an unknown disease that had suppressed their immune system, and caused death in over 100 gay men. Originally, it was suspected that the disease was spread through sexual contact, however, was then believed to originate in Haiti as more people there had also acquired the serious disease. This sparked fear in many American people, as they had no idea what they were up against. -
Ronald Reagan
An American politician and actor who served the presidency in 1981 through 1989, having been elected twice. He restored the people's faith in their country and made them believe that they were whole again. He appealed to the common man, although not being one himself. However, he was granted the nickname, "The Great Communicator", as he well-informed his people and made them believe that their nation would be okay. -
MTV
MTV was created on live television as a way for new and upcoming artists to display their music in the form of videos. This cable network was a way for music artists to gain recognition, and give young audiences freedom of expression through innovative ways of enjoying music. The very first words uttered by MTV were, "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll.”, -
Internet
The internet allowed for millions of Americans to come together and share information to one another. Also, this allowed the ability to make an income at home, as Amazon had been created, and allowed for users to sell items at their own expense and leisure. -
Cell Phones
Cell phones had been around for a few decades now. However, they were big and bulky, inefficient, and were a hassle of a price to afford for the general public. Later in the 1980's, slimmer, more cost efficient phones were released to the public, allowing mass amounts of people to communicate for either business or personal reasons. Aside from email, this was the next big thing. -
Reagan Doctrine
The Reagan Doctrine was a strategy orchestrated and implemented by the United States under the Reagan Administration to overwhelm the global influence of the Soviet Union in an attempt to end the Cold War. -
E-Mails
This new function available through the internet allowed for the easy transferring of information from one individual to another. This new form of communication was way more time efficient and hassle free. -
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah was a popular actress and star of her own education show where she brought light to world events that were happening at the times, as well as societal events and brought guests in to promote themselves and/or their products. She was one of the most influential women at the time. -
Rap Music
This new style of music was originally introduced by African Americans as a way to combine rhythm and poetry together (RAP). It allowed more freedom of expression, and more soul into lyrics. The first stages of rap were televised and introduced to the public by the means of MTV, and quickly became one of the most popular styles of music. -
Personal Computers
The later affordability of personal home computers allowed for the efficiency of work at home and also the entertainment value of home-bound Americans -
Election of 1992
Bill Clinton was a Democrat, the governor of Arkansas, he was charismatic and understanding. He won the election by 43% of the popular vote. -
World Trade Center Attack
Terrorists parked a rental van in a garage underneath the World Trade Center’s twin towers and lit the fuses on a massive homemade bomb stuffed inside. Six people died and more than 1,000 were injured in the subsequent explosion, which carved out a crater several stories deep and propelled smoke into the upper reaches of the quarter-mile-high skyscrapers. This prompted them to back up their systems. -
Don't Ask Don't Tell
To allow people of different sexual orientation into the military, it was the United States Official policy brought by the Clinton administration that if they didn't ask your orientation, you didn't have to tell them. As these different sexualities were not allowed in the military. -
Rodney King Incident
Officers were caught on tape beating, kicking, and stomping on an innocent African American man. When it came time for court against the police officers, the clear evidence was not used in court, causing riots to erupt about the incident moments later. -
Welfare Reform
During President Bill Clinton's first term in office, much of the United States took for granted that there would be welfare reform of some sort. The question was what it would look like. The answer came 20 years ago when Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. -
Bush v. Gore
A Supreme Court case in which the court ruled that manual recounts of presidential ballots in the Nov. 2000 election would not be allowed because of the inconsistent evaluation standards in different counties violated the equal protection clause. In effect, the ruling meant Bush would win the election. -
9/11
The World Trade Center and the Pentagon were both hit by terrorist-controlled planes, causing massive destruction, mayhem, and the loss of thousands of innocent lives. This terrorist attack ignited the flame in American, where we went to war in Afghanistan and created an abundance of policies to prevent another attack like this one again. -
Patriot Act
This act enabled to government to research otherwise private information on those suspected of terrorism for the saftey of the country. This was passed shortly after the tragic 9/11 attacks, and the government never wanted another copy cat and decided to take action. The acronym for the USA PATRIOT act actually stands for, "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism." -
No Child Left Behind
This enabled students of all public schools to receive the fair education that they deserved. This meant that some schools that could not afford a proper education would be funded by the federal government. However, all public schools would have to give standardized testing to children to evaluate their progress of learning. -
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the United States. When the storm made landfall, it had a Category 3 rating on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale–it brought sustained winds of 100–140 miles per hour–and stretched some 400 miles across.It caused great devastation and left people without homes, many people migrated to other states. -
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
After the recession of 2008, this law's goal was to create available jobs for the public, as well as standards for electronic medical records. -
Barack Obama
The very first African American president to ever step foot in the office. He was a very charismatic man and strived for the pleasant of the people. He advocated for reform and tried to bring the nation back together again after it's first terrorist attack. -
Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia is the first Hispanic supreme court justice judge. -
ACA
The Affordable Care Act. Also known as "Obama Care". This was implemented to give affordable health care to the public in need of it. This allowed for medical insurance companies to be forced to care for pre-existing conditions, and allowed for the improvement of drug distribution. -
Undoing DOMA
DOMA was originally meant to keep marriage to only a woman and a man. It was deemed unconstitutional by Obama in 2011. -
Nixon's Tapes
During the Watergate scandal, Nixon attempted to destroy evidence by clipping out certain parts of tapes and then taping them back together where it would jump cut over the criminalizing information. However, his attempt failed, and he was later forced to send the original tapes, causing him to leave his presidential administration.
