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Cold War
The US moved towards Containment policies in fear that the Communism of the USSR would spread. On the other hand, the Soviet Union resented the death of millions of Russians due to the late entry of the US into WWII. These causes created tension, thus starting the Cold War. During the span of the Cold War, the US and USSR entered the Space Race and we came extremely close to entering a nuclear war. The Cold War is known as a proxy war where wars are fought through smaller allied countries. -
Decolonization
The horrors of World War II made countries more aware of the importance of autonomy and freedom of demographic groups. Supporters of colonial independence urged Truman to install decolonization across the world. In 1946, the Philippines declared independence from the US and in the following year, India and Pakistan declared independence from Britain. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was initiated under Secretary of State George C. Marshall and strived to financially assist Europe and is compared to the New Deal in the United States. The goal was to increase the standard of living and create "political and social conditions" that allowed for the prosperity of businesses and the economy. With the US being the main patron of the plan to several counties, it solidified the alliance and underscored the Iron Curtain even further. -
Korean War
This divide between Communist North Korea and the pro-Western South Korea. When Northern troops invaded the south, American troops got involved in South Korea to combat the communists. -
Military Industrial Complex
As Eisenhower was leaving office, he warned Americans to avoid a military industrial complex where the military infiltrates American industries. This was in his Farewell Address Speech. -
Army-McCarthy hearings
A senator from Wisconsin, Joseph R. McCarthy accused 205 state department workers of being communists without real evidence. In the Army-McCarthy hearing, McCarthy had been investigating the Army for communists when the Army accused him of giving preference to a Private. This series of hearings revealed McCarthy's dishonesty and coined the term McCarthyism. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The saying "separate but equal" was extremely relevant to this time period but was not necessarily followed through with. Schools were not integrated and there was unequal funding between the white and black schools. Proper plumbing nor proper transportation were priorities for the black children. In this case, Oliver Brown went against the Board because his daughter had to walk over dangerous railroad tracks to get to a black school far away from the house. -
Interstate Highway System
President Eisenhower allotted a lot of spending towards the highway system which largely contributed to suburbanization. Now people could commute to work from outside of the city center and we also saw an increase in personal transportation methods such as cars. -
Sputnik
One of the major events in the Cold War was the Space Race between the US and the Soviet Union. The success of the launch sparked fear in Americans that this was an indicator that nuclear weapons from the USSR could easily reach the US. The American government passed the National Defense Education Act to fund advanced education in support of technological developments. -
Baby Boom
During this time, the male was considered the primary provider while the females stayed at home and tended to the house and family. There was an emphasis on family life and the average number of kids per family increased to 3.2. In turn, the population rose by nearly 20 %. The timespan of the boom lasted into the end of World War II and into the mid 1960's. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
After the US had placed missiles in Turkey, the USSR put missiles in Cuba pointing towards to the US. President Kennedy put a quarantine on Cuba which led to Nikita Krushchev extracting the missiles. -
Voting Rights Act
This legislation made discrimination in voting procedures. Black people could now vote and with the addition with the 24th Amendment, no fee was required to vote. This was a huge stride towards equality in the social reform. -
American Indian Movement
Since the discovery of America, the American Indians have been neglected and mistreated. During this period of social reform, Clyde Warrior, President of the National Indian Youth Council, proclaimed the injustices that tribes faced. They did not have basic freedoms. This movement was a series of protests in support of autonomy and economic aid. The effect of this movement led to land claims, resources, and self government. -
My Lai massacre
American support for the Vietnam war was already low. College students believed they should be excused from the draft after that policy ended. Morale of soldiers was also extremely bad as troops started to slowly extricate themselves from Vietnam. In this massacre, troops were found to have killed many Vietnamese civilians from a village and had covered it up until it was revealed to the press. Support for the war was nearly nonexistent. -
Stonewall Inn
This time period was integral for the gay community. Police broke into Stonewall Inn, a gay bar. There were riots for 5 days leading to gay "pride" to show that they should be considered like any other demographic and treated equally. While there was definitely still prejudice towards homosexuals, it led to a more familiar outlet for gays and lesbians. -
Watergate
After Daniel Ellsburg had published the Pentagon Papers about Vietnam, President Nixon hired investigators to raid his office. Members of Nixon's team broke into the headquarters of the opposing Democratic party and were found and arrested at the Watergate apartment complex. Nixon later resigned in 1974 after the House voted in favor of his impeachment. -
Roe v. Wade
The conservative society present was pro-life while the counterculture was opposed to this idea. Using the fake name Roe, they went against Henry Wade a Dallas district attorney. The Supreme Court was against the idea of abortion but ultimately ruled it fine to terminate the the pregnancy at the end of the first trimester. -
Oil Embargo
In the war between Israel and their neighbors, America supported our allies, Israel. Other Middle Eatern countries put an embargo on oil to the United States in turn for our support of their rivals. To lower the amount of fuel needed, speed limits were lowered and energy standards became tighter to conserve. -
Affirmative Action
The affirmative action we have today was modified many times to include women and to be acceptable for use by university admissions. Affirmative Action increases the chances for minorities to be employed or accepted into colleges. Institutions had to meet a certain "quota" of minority groups. Later, the term reverse discrimination came into play when whites felt that they would likely have a lower chance of being employed because of preference to the minority. -
Stagflation
During the oil embargo, oil prices, unemployment, and inflation rose. The economy was at a standstill or was "stagnant". As a result, people had to invest in smaller cars to save gas and Japan become a prominent exporter of these cars. These effects are still relevant today.
