Period 8 timeline (1945-present)

United Nations

organization founded in 1945, aimed at promoting peace, security, and cooperation among countries around the world. Currently has 193 member states

Levitown

planned community 1940s and 1950s, designed to provide affordable housing for WWII veterans. symbolizes the post-war housing boom and the rise of suburban living, characterized by mass production techniques that allowed for quick construction and affordability, reflecting the economic prosperity of the time.

National Security Act of 1947

restructured the United States' military and intelligence agencies after World War II. established the National Security Council (NSC) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

Truman Doctrine

foreign policy strategy established by President Harry S. Truman in 1947 aimed at containing the spread of communism during the early Cold War. Requested funds to support Greece and Turkey

Marshall Plan

U.S. initiative launched in 1948 to provide economic assistance to European countries recovering from World War II. It aimed to rebuild war-torn regions, remove trade barriers, and modernize industry

Truman’s Fair Deal

aimed at promoting economic and social welfare in the post-World War II United State, raising the minimum wage and expanding social security

Berlin Airlift

massive humanitarian operation initiated in 1948 to supply West Berlin with food and other essential goods after the Soviet Union blockaded all ground access to the city.

Berlin Blockade

1948 to May 1949, when the Soviet Union blocked all ground routes to West Berlin in an attempt to exert control over the entire city.

House Un-American Committee

congressional committee established in 1938 to investigate allegations of communist influence and subversion in the United States. Held public hearings where witnesses testified about political beliefs

The Red Scare

intense fear of communism and radical leftist ideologies during the late 1940s and early 1950s. significantly influenced American politics, culture, and society, creating an atmosphere of fear and suspicion.

Alger Hiss

American government official accused of espionage by Whittaker Chambers, a former communist who claimed Hiss had passed classified documents to him for delivery to the Soviet Union.

McCarthyism

intense anti-communist suspicion, associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy. widespread allegations and investigations aimed at uncovering supposed communists in government, entertainment, and other sectors,

The HollyWood Ten

ten screenwriters and directors in the film industry who were blacklisted for refusing to testify before the (HUAC). they opposed the idea of being forced to name others in the industry they believed were communists for first amendment concerns/right to free speech

Ethel and Julius Rosenberg

American citizens who were convicted of espionage for allegedly passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Were executed in 1953

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks II

1979 treaty between the US and the Soviet Union aimed at limiting the number of strategic nuclear weapons and fostering détente during the Cold War. Limited both parties to 2250 strategic nuclear delivery vehicles

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks

series of negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union that took place in the late 1960s and culminated in 1972. This agreement aimed to curb the arms race by limiting the number of strategic ballistic missile launchers

Camp David Accords

a series of agreements reached in 1978 between Israel and Egypt, brokered by U.S. President Jimmy Carter at the presidential retreat of Camp David. Egypt recognized Israel as a legitimate state and Isreal withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula

Watergate Scandal

break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters and the subsequent cover-up by members of the Nixon administration in the early 1970s, leading to Nixon’s resignation.

Roe v Wade

1973 Supreme Court case that established a woman's legal right to have an abortion under the right to privacy

OPEC embargo

1973 when OPEC proclaimed an oil embargo against countries supporting Israel during the Yom Kippur War, leading to skyrocketing prices

Ending Vietnam War

American troops were gradually withdrawn from the Vietnam war and replaced with South Vietnamese forces

Nixons visit to China

1972, meetings with Mao Zedong. reshaped international relations during the Cold War, as it paved the way for a thaw in U.S.-China relations and opened diplomatic channels between them

Credibility gap

public's skepticism about the statements and actions of the government, regarding its honesty and transparency during the Vietnam War. came from discrepancies between official government reports and the reality of the war

Tet offensive

a major military campaign during the Vietnam War, launched by North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces in January 1968. led to increased anti-war sentiment in America due to television coverage of the offensive

Pentagon papers

a top-secret Department of Defense study that detailed the United States' political and military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967. Revealed that the government misled the public/congress about the scope of US actions in Vietnam. Leaked in 1971

Anti-Vietnam War movement

campaign in the 1960s and early 1970s, opposing American involvement in the Vietnam War. brought together civil rights activists, and peace organizations, who were against the military casualties and the draft.

Malcom X

leader/activist that advocated for black empowerment, self-determination, criticized the mainstream civil rights and advocated a more militant stance

Black panthers

revolutionary organization founded in 1966 that combated systemic racism and advocated for the rights of African Americans. Took a militant stance against police brutality and social injustices, promoting self-defense and community programs in urban areas.

The great society

Domestic policy enacted by Lyndon B. Johnson that enacted reforms that aimed at eliminating poverty, reducing inequality, and improving the quality of life for all Americans.

Job Corps

vocational training for youth

Civil rights act of 1964

Prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin

Voting Rights act of 1965

Removed barriers that prevented African Americans from voting

Medicare

Health Insurance for Americans 65+

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

congressional resolution in August 1964 that authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson to take military action in Vietnam without a formal declaration of war after claiming that U.S naval vessels were attacked by Vietcongs

civil rights act of 1968

aimed to eliminate discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. addressed issues related to housing discrimination and segregation

CIA sponsored coup in Iran

covert operation orchestrated by the US and the Uk that led to the overthrow of Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, who nationalized the Iranian oil industry, unrest was generated and replaced by a Shah

Korean war

1950 to 1953, involving North Korea, South Korea, and their respective allies, United States and China. It separated Korea into two with NK being communist

Montgomery Bus Boycott

protest against racial segregation on public buses in Montgomery, Alabama, 1955 to 1956. response to the arrest of Rosa Parks for refusing to give up her, igniting a mass movement led by figures like Martin Luther King Jr. The

Emmet till

14-year-old African American boy who was brutally murdered in Mississippi in 1955, a crime that became a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement after being accused of offended Caryolyn Bryant, a white woman

Brown V Board of Education

Supreme Court case decided in 1954 that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. Challenged Plessy v Ferguson. Faced resistance in southern states

Little rock Nine

9 African American students that enrolled at Little rock Central high school (1957) that faced resistance to segregation and had federal troops sent by Eisenhower to be escorted to school

NASA

established in 1958 during the cold war as a response to the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik, which marked the beginning of the space race. Government agent that does aerospace research

Federal Highway Act of 1956

established the Interstate Highway System in the United States, allocating federal funds for the construction of over 41,000 miles of highways. facilitated the growth of ssuburbs

Bay of pigs invasion

failed military operation executed in 1961, aimed at overthrowing Fidel Castro's communist government in Cuba. covert plan by the CIA and approved by JFK

Policy of flexible response

defense strategy developed by the Kennedy administration that aimed to provide the United States with a range of military options rather than relying on nuclear deterrence, aimed to reduce the risk of nuclear confrontation

Election of 1960

highlighted civil rights issues, with John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon both addressing the need for racial equality to appeal to African American voters. JFK won due to campaigning skills

March on Washington

august 28, 1963, MLK performed his “I have a dream” speech and advocated for human rights with over 250,000 participants. Congress passed the civil rights act and the voting rights act after the march

Cuban missile crisis

13-day confrontation in October 1962 between the United States and the Soviet Union over the presence of Soviet ballistic missiles in Cuba. Nikita Khrushchev agreed to dismantle the missile sites in return for the US to not invade Cuba and remove missiles from Turkey.

Feminine Mystique

1963, book written by Betty Friedan, challenged the traditional roles of women in American society. argued that women were being confined to a domestic sphere and were unhappy as a result of societal expectations