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Timespan of Project
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*** Atomic Bomb
The creation of the atomic bomb through the Manhattan Project can be seen as the starting point for the Cold War, which was a race for technology against the Soviets. As soon as the CCCP found out that the US had a nuclear weapon it became prudent that they had one too, creating a rivalry between the US and CCCP that lasted for almost fifty years. -
*** Berlin Blockade/Airlift
The Berlin Blockade was when the Soviet Union cut off Berlin from the rest of Berlin, not allowing supplies in or out. This then led to the Berlin Airlift for which over a year the US and others flew in supplies in order to keep the people surviving. -
*** NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organiztaion was created partially in response to the growing threat of Communism from the Soviet Union. To prevent the Soviets from gaining more power NATO states that if one of the nations of NATO is attacked all will fight against the offender. -
*** The Red Scare
The Red Scare was a national conflict that was basically a witch hunt for Communists within the country. -
*** Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong gains control of China and establishes a Communist government. China contains about 1/8 of the world's population. -
$$$ Provide French Aid
From 1949 the U.S. sent aid to the French forces fighting in Vietnam. -
*** Korean War
The US was involded in the Korean War to stop the Northern Communist part from controling the Southern Democratic Part. The Soviets however supported the North therefore the US and Soviet Union were once again using a war between two other nations as a patsy for their own conflict. -
*** Iranian Coup
The overthrow of the Iranian government was carrried out by the United States CIA to replace the Prime Minister with a figurehead. -
$$$ Geneva Accords
The Geneva Accords temporarily devided Vietnam into two seperate states, along the seventeenth parallel. -
~~Brown v. Board of Education~~
School segregation is declared unconstitutional. In this decision, Plessy v. Ferguson’s “separate but equal” declaration was overruled. -
$$$ French Pullout of Indochina
The French began to pullout of Indochina after the first Indochina war. North Vietnam , backed by the U.S.S.R threatened the democracy in place with communism under Diem in Vietnam. -
*** Taiwan Strait Crisis
The People's Republic of China, which controlled China and were Communists, and the Republic of China, which controlled Taiwan and was recognized as the "real" China by the U.N., begin a conflict. -
*** Warsaw Pact
This pact was the Communist counteract to NATO, but this pact created a potential Communist alliance which dominated half of Europe. -
~~Murder of Emmet Till~~
Fourteen-year old Emmet Till was visiting relatives in Mississippi when he was accused of flirting with a white woman. The woman’s husband and his half-brother beat Till and shot him in the head and were later found not guilty of murder. -
~~Rosa Parks~~
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on the bus to a white passenger and is arrested. This protest began the Montgomery bus boycott. -
~~S.C.L.C~~
Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The goal of this group was to ensure economic justice and to advocate for civil rights. -
~~Little Rock High~~
Nine black students entered Little Rock Central high school to act in accordance with Brown v. Board. They were met by an angry crowd, so Eisenhower sent troops from the 101st Airborne to protect the students. -
*** Sputnik
Sputnik was the first manmade object to be launched successfully into space by the Soviet Union. It came as a surprise to the US and officially started the Space Race between the Soviets and the Americans, a major branch of the Cold War. Sputnik was capable of launching intercontinental ballistic missiles which is what propelled the United States to compete with the CCCP during the Cold War and Space Race. -
*** Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro gained power in Cuba and started rulling as a Communist leader. This tension would later lead to further conflicts within the Cold War.+ -
*** U2 Incident
A U2 plane was on a top secret mission to fly over Soviet airspace and photgraph denied territory. However a plane was shot down and the Soviets found that the US had been spying and lying about it. This incident created much tension between the already battling nations. -
$$$ National Liberation Force Created
The National Liberation Force, also known as the Vietcong, was an army that opposed the United States and South Vietnam. Their use of guerilla tactics and hit annd run ambush attacks made the war almost unwinable for the United States. Their unbeatable tactics lead to a slip in U.S. morale. -
~~CORE~~
Students of the campus of University of Chicago found the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). They hoped to bring about non-violent social, political, and economic change. -
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~~Freedom Rides~~
An integrated group boarded a bus in Washington DC bound for New Orleans. They had to travel through South Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia. The trip was meant to “test” the integration law enforcements. -
***First Man In Space
Yuri Garagin was the first man put into space by the Soviet Union. This was a signifigant step within the Space Race, and therefore the Cold War, as the possibility of launching weapons from space became more probable. -
*** Bay of Pigs
The US had an invasion of Cuba planned in order to overthrow the Communist government of Fidel Castro. This event however ended in failure, forever marking a loss of the US within the Cold War. -
*** Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall seperated the Communist controlled East Berlin from West Berlin. This created tensions within the city and the Cold War. -
*** The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis occured when the US learned that Cuba had missiles controled by the Soviets that could be launched and reach the US. This created a lot of tension within the Cold War . -
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~~Project "C"~~
Project “C” (Confrontation) was a series of non-violent rallies, boycotts, etc to confront segregation. Martin Luther King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference led them. -
~~MLK Jr. Arrested~~
Martin Luther King Jr. is arrested in Birmingham. From jail, he writes his famous “Letter from Birmingham jail.” -
~~Civil Rights Legislation~~
President John F. Kennedy addresses the American people over television and passes the Civil Rights Legislation, which ends up leading to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
~~March on Washington DC.~~
Over 200,000 people attend the march on Washington DC. This was where Martin Luther King gave his famous speech, “I have a dream…” -
~~Birmingham church bombing~~
Four suspected members of the KKK bombed a church in Birmingham, Alabama. The explosion killed four girls and injured 20. The case wasn’t closed until 1968. -
~~Nobel Peace Prize~~
Martin Luther King is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. -
$$$ Tonkin Gulf Resolution
The Tonkin Gulf Resolution was a resolution passed by the United States congress after the USS Maddox was reportedly hit by a North Vietnamese torpedo. This resolution gave president Johnson the authoriy to use military force in Vietnam
Incursion into Cambodia -
$$$ Battle of La Drang Valley
The battle of La Drang valley was the first major battle between the United States forced and the People's Army of Vietnam. Both sides calimed victory. -
~~First Kwanzaa~~
The holiday of Kwanzaa, which is based off the African harvest, is created. -
~~Thurgood Marshall~~
Thurgood Marshall joins the Supreme Court. He was the first African American Justice. -
$$$ The Tet Offensive
Eighty-four thousand communist forces attacked and seized hundreds of cities in South Vietnam. The South Vietnamese capital of Saigon was voerrun, but retaken 25 days later. The public perception was that Tet was a US loss, and changed the public opinion. -
$$$ My Lai
A group of soldiers were ordered to destroy the village and cause absolute carnage. Over 500 unarmed civilians, most of which were women and children, were killed. -
$$$ Battle of Hamburger Hill
The Battle of Hamburger Hill was a battle fought in the depths of the South Vietnamese junlge by the united state and south vientma against the north vietnamese army from May 10–20, 1969. U.S. commanders ordered the capture of Humburger Hill, only to abandon it soon later. The action caused an outrage both in the American military and public. -
*** Apollo 11 Moon Landing
The moon landing was a major win for the US against the Soviets during he Cold War. It gave the Americans assurance that the US could defeat the Soviets in the Space Race and gave the US hope for the future of technology. -
$$$ Vietnamization
The program introduced by President Nixon to turn over turn the war over to the South Vietnamese. This started the withdrawl of american troops. -
$$$ Release of the Pentagon Papers
(March 1971) Compiled by David Eilsberg, 4,000 pages of secret documents about the Vietnam war were leaked. They exposed president Johnsons plans and revealed the real reasons why the United States was still in the war. -
$$$ America Pulls Out
United States signs an agreement of restoring peace in Vietnam. US troops withdrew in 60 days and all prisoners of war were released. -
$$$ War Powers Act
Congress passed the War Powers Act saying that the president may not deploy troops for more than 60 days wihtout congresses approval. Nixon vetoed the bill, but congress overruled the veto. -
$$$ Calley Pardoned
Nixon issued a presidential pardo to Calley, ever after he was responsible for the deaths of over 500 unarmed civilians. This showed that the President had authority and power over the matters of the Vietnam war. -
$$$ Fall of Saigon
After the United States pulled out all of its soldiers, Saigon soon fell to the North Vietnamese Army. This was officially the end of the Vietnam War.
