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Bracero Program
Roosevelt and the president of Mexico sign a order which allowed thousands of Mexican national to be contracted for work in American agriculture and the railroad industry. -
Roosevelt's Executive Order #9066
Roosevelt orders the removal of Japanese American citizens and places them in detainment camps. -
Battle of Coral Sea
US naval forces prevent further Japanese invasion in the Pacific. -
Battle of Midway
U.S. naval victory against additional Japanese invasion. -
Manhattan Project
Expensive project to harness atomic energy which would allow for a single weapon that was capable of leveling entire cities. -
Meeting of Big Three
Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin met in Tehran to discuss America and Britain invading France to force back German troops. -
D-Day
Largest amphibious assault in history. Allies invade Normandy, France in an effort to push German forces back and defeat them. -
G.I. Bill
Act set up Veterans Administration which handled education expenses, unemployment benefits, home loans, and provided help for farming and managing a small business. -
Battle of the Bulge
Last major German offensive to push the Allies back though it ultimately failed. -
Beginnings of the Cold War
Cold War grew out of a failure to achieve an agreeable postwar settlement between Soviet Union and U.S. The Cold War expanded over decades and included military arms expansion, political propaganda, economic support of nations. Boiling point occurred during the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 1960s. -
Franklin D Roosevelt 4th Inauguration.
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Battle of Iwo Jima
One of the greatest battles between the U.S. and the Japanese military that resulted in a massive loss of life. -
Harry S. Truman becomes the 33rd president
Truman becomes president after the death Franklin D. Roosevelt. -
V-E Day
Victory in Europe Day when Allies accepted Germany's unconditional surrender -
UN Charter
UN Charter signed by 50 nations -
Atomic Bomb dropped on Hiroshiman
US forces detonate bomb in Japanese city of Hiroshima -
Atomic Bomb dropped on Nagasaki
US forces detonate bomb in the Japanese city of Nagasaki -
Emperor Hirohito
Announces surrender of Japan -
Japan signs surrender
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Kennan Telegram
Kennan issued a lengthy telegram to U.S. State Department Department. He recommended that the Soviet Union be contained and that the U.S should not cooperate with them in any way -
Winston Churchill
Churchill delivered a speech describing the takeover of communism in Europe. -
Jackie Robinson
Robinson becomes first African America to play baseball in the major leagues when he signed on to play with the Brooklyn Dodgers. -
Marshall Plan
George Marshall encouraged U.S. officials to financially support Western European countries after WWII. Soviet leader Stalin believed that the U.S. was attempting to lure the countries into a capitalist web -
Taft-Hartley Act
Although President Truman vetoed the bill, Congress passed the Taft-Hartley. This law regulated forms of speech within labor movements and removed "communists" from labor unions. -
Molotov Plan
Soviets response to the Marshall Plan. They pledged to provide assistance to the Eastern European nations. -
Smith-Mundt Act of 1948
Bill passed by Congress to strengthen international ties and promote ideas and values of the United States to the World -
U.S. officially recognizes the state of Israel
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Berlin Blockade
Soviet Union blocks all access to the city of West Berlin. In response Truman orders a airlift of supplies to the city for eleven months. -
Alger Hiss
Alger Hiss was accused of being part of a secret communist underground spy ring in the 1930s. At his trial, he was convicted of perjury since the statute of limitations for espionage had expired. -
Harry S Truman reelected President.
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NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization was a joint agreement of military, political and economic support between U.S., Canada, England France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands. Italy Portugal, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. -
Germany officially split in half
The Western half of the country was named the Federal Republic of Germany and was democratic. On the other side, the Eastern half of the country was communist and was titled the German Democratic Republic. -
Soviet's Atomic Bomb
Soviet makes a successful test of their atomic bomb years earlier than American officials estimated. -
People's Republic of China established
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Television Introduced
Television becomes the forerunner in home entertainment. -
NSC-68
National Security Memorandum which warned of increasingly terrifying weapons of mass destruction and the plans for the Soviet Union to hold onto and solidify their power. The document recommended a rapid increase of political, economic, and military strength on the part of the United States -
McCarthy's Speech
McCarthy spoke at the Women's Republican Club in Wheeling, West Virginia to inform those in attendance he had a list of 205 communists in the U.S. State Department. -
Korean War
North Korean forces battle against the American backed South Korean forces resulting in multiple skirmishes north and south of the 38th parallel. General MacArthur expressed frustration with the war plans and proposed the use of nuclear weapons. -
Internal Security Act
A bill vetoed by Truman but overridden by Congress mandating all communist organization register with the federal government. -
22nd Amendment passed
Place a limit of two terms for the presidency. -
Rosenberg's Sentencing
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are sentenced to death for their involvement to pass American atomic secrets to the Soviet Union. They were executed on June 19, 1953. -
General Douglas McArthur Dismissal
McArthur was dismissed by President Truman for challenging the policies in the Korean War. -
Sarah Keys' Refusal
Keys refused to give up her bus seat on a state to state chartered ride. The Supreme Court rules that "separate but equal" violated the Interstate Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. -
America's Hydrogen Bomb
U.S. hastens the arms race after detonated the first hydrogen bomb. -
Dwight D Eisenhower becomes 34th president
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Soviet leader Stalin Dies
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Korean Armistice Agreement signed
Formal end to the Korean War -
Soviet Hydrogen Bomb
Soviet Union successfully detonates their first hydrogen bomb. -
Atoms for Peace speech by President Eisenhower
In a speech to UN General Assembly, President Eisenhower suggests a sharing of nuclear energy information from American scientist to others in order to develop the power to improve the world and not destroy it. -
Army-McCarthy hearings
McCarthy accuses Army personnel of being communists and held televised hearings questioning military officers and soldiers. -
Vietnam War begins
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Brown vs Board of Education
U.S. Supreme Court rules unanimously that segregated schools are unconstitutional. -
Pledge of Allegiance revised.
"One nation, under God" added to the Pledge of Allegiance . -
National Motto established
"In God We Trust" -
Release of the Ten Commandments
One of the most popular movies of the decade, The Ten Commandments retold the Biblical account of the Israelites leaving Exodus. It was said to have echoed characterization of Soviet Union as a "slave state" at the time.