Key Events in U.S. History: WWII to Modern America

Isolationism

U.S. foreign policy in the 1930s to stay out of foreign wars.

U.S. stance on Isolationism (1930s)

The U.S. avoided involvement in European conflicts, even ignoring Jewish refugees.

St. Louis Incident

Proved U.S. indifference to Jewish refugees-ship of Jews turned away.

Garden Hose Analogy

FDR compared Lend-Lease aid to lending a neighbor a garden hose to stop a fire.

Lend-Lease Plan

U.S. helped Allies by lending military equipment and supplies.

Pearl Harbor

Surprise Japanese attack on December 7, 1941, bringing the U.S. into WWII.

Rationing

Government-controlled limits on food, gas, and supplies during wartime.

WWII Economic Impact

War production ended the Great Depression, unemployment dropped.

Atomic Bomb (Hiroshima/Nagasaki)

U.S. dropped bombs on Japan in 1945; massive civilian casualties ended war.

Japanese Internment

Japanese Americans were forced into camps over fear of espionage.

Containment

U.S. strategy to stop the spread of communism.

Marshall Plan

U.S. economic aid to rebuild Europe and stop communism.

Truman Doctrine

Promised support to countries resisting communism.

Berlin Airlift

U.S. and allies dropped supplies into West Berlin during Soviet blockade.

HUAC / Rosenbergs / McCarthyism

All related to fear of communism in the U.S. during Cold War (Red Scare).

Duck and Cover

Cold War drills for students in case of nuclear attack.

Space Race

U.S. and USSR competition in space exploration.

Bay of Pigs

Failed U.S. invasion of Cuba in 1961.

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 standoff over Soviet missiles in Cuba.

Nixon Visits

President Nixon visited China and USSR to improve relations.

End of Cold War

Fall of Berlin Wall, USSR collapse in 1991.

Conformity

Social pressure to fit into norms (suburbs, family life, roles).

Baby Boom

Post-war birthrate surge (1946-1964).

Levittowns

Mass-produced suburban housing communities.

The Other America

Book revealing hidden poverty in a time of supposed prosperity.

JFK Traits

Young, inspiring, focused on civil rights and space race.

Great Society

LBJ's plan for eliminating poverty and racial injustice.

Haight-Ashbury

San Francisco neighborhood known for hippie culture.

Woodstock

Famous 1969 music festival tied to counterculture movement.

Nonviolence

Philosophy used by leaders like MLK.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Symbol of nonviolent resistance.

Malcolm X

More militant approach to civil rights; not nonviolent.

Sit-ins / Montgomery Bus Boycott

Peaceful protests challenging segregation.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Desegregated public schools; overturned Plessy v. Ferguson.

Black Power / Black Panthers

Focused on racial pride, self-defense, and empowerment.

Kerner Commission

Concluded racism caused urban riots.

AIM

American Indian Movement fighting for Indigenous rights.

Domino Theory

Fear that if one country falls to communism, others will follow.

Tonkin Gulf Resolution

Gave LBJ power to escalate U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

Credibility Gap

Public distrust in government due to Vietnam War reports.

1968 Election

Turbulent year; Nixon elected partly due to Vietnam issues.

Vietnam War Outcome

U.S. withdrew; North Vietnam won.

Watergate Scandal

Nixon's cover-up of break-in; led to resignation.

Ford Pardon

President Ford pardoned Nixon to 'heal the nation.'

Political Shift (1970s-1980s)

Rise of conservatism (Reaganomics, less government).

Reaganomics

Tax cuts and deregulation to grow economy.

Iran-Contra Affair

Scandal: illegal arms sales to fund Nicaraguan rebels.

NAFTA

Trade agreement between U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

9/11 Attacks

Terrorist attacks in 2001; led to war in Afghanistan.

U.S. Since WWII

Economic growth, aging population, less manufacturing.