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Roosevelt 1st Election
In this election Republican Theodore Roosevelt defeated his Democratic opponent Alton B. Parker with 336 electoral votes; compared to Parker's 140. This was the first term Roosevelt won in his own right after becoming president following the death of a predecessor. He had much success in foreign affairs with his firm stance against monopolies. He had immense public support and and received a lot of money for his campaign from popular capitalists. -
Stock Market Crash
This was a dramatic four-day collapse of stock prices; the worst financial crisis in history of the U.S. The caused the failure of banks all over America, production to drop and unemployment to rise dramatically. This event was a huge contributor to the start of the Great Depression because of all the economic turmoil. -
CCC
The CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) was a public relief program that employed millions of unskilled men between the ages of 18 and 25 with environmental and conservation projects during the Great Depression. This was one of Roosevelt's highly successful new deal programs; as it helped plant more than 3 billion trees and trails in 800 state parks in the nation. Its work can be seen today in modern national and state parks. -
Social Security Act
Responding to the impact of the Great Depression, this act established a safety-net for disadvantaged, elderly and unemployed Americans. It was highly successful, as tens of millions have received financial assistance from it. -
FDR Court Packing Scandal
On this day, Roosevelt announced this plan to expand the Supreme Court with a maximum over six additional justices over the age of 70 in order to make the court more efficient. He was criticized of neutralizing the court to fit his new deal tactics-FDR wanted justices who wouldn't strike down his plans. This plan ultimately failed due to lack of support. -
HUAC formed
The House of Un-American Activities Committee was formed to investigate suspected communists in the United States. It war very prominent in 1947 when "communist witch hunts" began in the country during the Red Scare Era of the Cold War. They did investigations especially in the Hollywood movie industry which resulted in a blacklist-people who were denied employment because they accused of being communist. -
Germany Breaks Munich Pact
The Munich Pact was an agreement that permitted Nazi Germany to annex Sudetenland in Western Czechoslovakia. On this day Hitler broke the Pact by seizing the rest of the country. This proved that Hitler could not be trusted and his appeasement policy came to an end. -
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Battle of Britain
This was a military campaign during World War Two where the Royal Air Force defended the United Kingdom against Nazi Germany's Air Force in the English Channel. This was a big turning point in the war because Britain's victory saved the UK from a possible invasion and an eventual defeat of Nazi Germany. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
This was a surprise military attack by the Japanese on the US navy base of Pearl Harbor. Hundreds of their planes destroyed 20 American naval vessels-including 8 battleships and 300 airplanes. More than 2,400 Americans died over 1,000 wounded. This triggered the US to declare war on Japan, leading to World War Two. -
Operation Overlord/D-Day
This was an Allied Invasion of Normandy, France during World War Two-launched by President Eisenhower. More than 4,000 allied troops lost their lives in the invasion; but 156,000 troops successfully stormed the beaches. The purpose of this was for the Allies to get a foothold in Europe since Nazi Germany was controlling France and most of Western Europe at the time. -
FDR dies/Truman becomes President
On this day President Roosevelt unexpectedly died after fainting. This left people with a lot of shock and grief-FDR had been president for 12 years with great leadership. This left the new President Truman with a lot of power during the Second World War-he had to decide whether or not to use the atomic bomb. -
Nuclear Bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Near the end of World War Two, the US dropped a bomb over Hiroshima and three days later dropped another over Nagasaki. These killed tens thousands of people and wiped out 90% of the city. This caused Japan to surrender to the Allies six days after the bomb on Nagasaki. -
United Nations Created
The purpose of the United Nations was to negotiate peace, security and international cooperation. The principles of the UN were created in San Francisco. It was created shortly after World War 2 to prevent such an extreme war from happening again. -
Truman Doctrine
This was a U.S. Foreign Policy which established that the U.S. would provide military and economic assistance to other countries under the threat of communism in order to prevent Soviet expansion. This set the stage for the Cold War and future relations between the U.S. and Soviet Union. -
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Berlin Airlift
This period of time was when the Berlin Blockade occurred-during this period the Berlin Airlift was used. The Soviet Union had blocked all road to and from West Berlin so people could not cross. This massive airlift carried food, water and medicine to over 2 million citizens of West Berlin. Over 20,000 planes carried over 1.5 million tons of supplies. -
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Korean War
This war began when communist North Korea crossed the 38th parallel into non-communist South Korea. In July, the U.S. entered and became South Korea's aid-Truman ordered an American fleet. At the same time, the Soviet Union backed North Korea with planes and money. 5 million soldiers and civilians lost their lives. Although the war accomplished barely anything, it had many effects. It increased the fear of communism nationally, money was wasted, and it led to a witch hunt for communist Americans -
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Rosenberg Trials
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg-former members of the American Communist Party-were accused of selling nuclear secrets to Soviets. They were tried, convicted and executed after two years in prison. -
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Brown Vs Board
This court case helped establish the "separate bu equal" education. It set a legal precedent that was used to overturn laws in the future regarding segregation in public facilities. -
DNA discovered
On this day two men from Cavendish Laboratory of Cambridge University; Watson and Crick discovered DNA. It was important because it completely changed biological sciences; they had found the basic building block of life. -
*Murder of Emmett Till
Emmett Till was an African American boy from Chicago who was murdered in Mississippi because he whistled at a white woman. This was important because it was showed the inequality of the south and was a catalyst for the civil rights movement-leading to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. -
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Vietnam War
North Vietnam wanted to unify the country under communist rule , while South Vietnam more closely aligned with the United States as allies. The war began when American military advisors landed in French Indochina. The US joined forces teamed up with Republic of South Vietnam to fight communist forces. The Paris Peace Accords ended the war to restore peace in Vietnam-more than 3 million people died- half of them being Vietnam civilians. Opposition to this war deeply divided Americans. -
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*Montgomery Bus Boycott
This was a civil rights mass protest where African Americans refused to ride city buses because of segregated seating-sparked by Rosa Parks when she refused to give up her seat for a white person. Many decided to walk or use taxi drivers to their destinations. Also during this time MLK became a prominent leader with nonviolent resistance and formed the SCLC. It was important because it set the tone for the civil rights movement and led to the bombing of MLK's house. -
*MLK's House Bombed
On this day, MLK's house in Montgomery, Alabama, was bombed by segregationists in revenge for success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. It was enough force to blow out the windows of the house-no one was harmed. When MLK heard of the bomb, he rushed home to find a mob of angry black men seeking to defend white police. MLK urged them to find peace in midst of the violent act with a short speech. This event led to the SCLC being founded to further emphasize non violent protesting. -
*SCLC Founded
The SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) is a civil rights organization founded in Atlanta, Georgia- MLK was a prominent figure in it. It included boycotts, marches and other forms of nonviolent protest-they also believed that churches should be involved in political activism, so they held meetings at black churches. They held many protests promoting nonviolence resistance, one being the Greensboro sit ins. -
Sputnik
Sputnik was the first artificial satellite built by the Soviet Union- it was 23 inches long in diameter and weighed 184 pounds. This caused the space race where the U.S. and Soviet Union competed to have scientific technology superiority. The U.S. responded by funding for another space project and built Explorer 1 satellite. It also led to the creation of NASA- an organization in charge of science and technology in space. -
*SNCC Founded
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was a civil rights committee formed intended to give younger blacks a stronger voice in the civil rights movement. The group played a big role in Freedom Rides and directed a lot of the black voter registration drives in the south. The SNCC was heavily involved in the civil rights movement; for example they were part of the Albany Movement. -
Greensboro Sit-Ins
Four African-Americans students from North Carolina State University sat at a white only lunch counter in a store. It was a civil rights protest-because they were denied service and refused to give up their seats. The four men were influenced by Ghandi and his non-violent techniques. It was important because it led to the Woolworth department store chain which removed its policy of racial segregation in the south U.S. -
*Greensboro Sit-ins
Four African-Americans students from North Carolina State University sat at a white only lunch counter in a store. It was a civil rights protest-because they were denied service and refused to give up their seats. The four men were influenced by Gandhi and his non-violent techniques. It was important because it led to the Woolworth department store chain which removed its policy of racial segregation in the south U.S. This set the stage for the creation of the SLCC. -
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*Albany Georgia Failure
This movement challenged racial segregation and discrimination in the city. Members of the SNCC, NAACP and later the SCLC were involved. It mostly focused on desegregating travel facilities. Furthermore it formed a biracial committee to discuss more desegregation and the release of those in jail for protesting. King was also involved, which attracted national attention. This led to King being imprisoned. -
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Bay of Pigs
This was a failed invasion of Cuba by the US CIA. The plan was to destroy Castro's Air Force and overthrow his government, however Castro found out and removed his planes. The CIA wanted it to be a secret but the radio broadcasted all of it in Cuba. Although it achieved little, this had a lasting impact on Kennedy's administration and -
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Freedom Rides
Freedom rides were bus trips through the American South to protest segregated bus terminals. The freedom riders were groups of white and African American civil rights activists. The Freedom Rides were organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). -
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Cuban Missle Crisis
This crisis began when the U.S. U-2 spy plane data photographed Soviets building nuclear-armed missiles in Cuba- just 90 miles from the U.S. In response, President Kennedy place a naval blockade around Cuba, demanding the removal of the sites. In order to prevent a nuclear war, the U.S. agreed to Soviet leader Khrushchev's offer to remove the cuban missiles as long as the U.S. did not invade Cuba. -
*MLK goes to Jail
On this day MLK was arrested and sent to jail because he was protesting the treatment of black in Birmingham, Alabama. While in jail, he wrote a letter regarding non-violent strategies to racism. He was in jail for about a week after being released. While confined in the jail, he wrote a Letter to Birmingham. -
*Letter to Birmingham
On this day a letter from MLK which explained strategies for nonviolent resistance to racism was released. It also emphasized that people have a moral responsibility to take direct action rathe than letting justice come to the courts. It was a response to white clergymen who criticized him and though the civil rights movement would cause violence. It was important because it showed a path for freedom and sparked more protesting which led to the civil rights act of 1964. -
March on Washington
This was a massive protest where 25,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. It aimed to fight for equality for African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr. presented his "I have a Dream Speech" during this time too. -
Assassination of JFK
Kennedy was shot while traveling through Dallas, Texas in an open top convertible while waving at a crowd. He was struck twice in the neck and pronounced dead 30 minutes later in a nearby hospital. Lee Harvard Oswald was arrested for the killing but was shot 2 days later by Jack Ruby. The debate about the assassination persisted for a while. -
*Civil Rights Act of 1964
This ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination. After this, blacks could no longer be denied service because of their skin color. The act also forbade the use of federal funds for any discriminatory program and prohibited unequal application of voting requirements. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
This authorized President Johnson to take all measures to repel any armed attack against the US to prevent further violence by the North Vietnamese government. It was passed when two US boats staged an attacked off the coast of Vietnam. This launched America's full involvement in the Vietnam War. The resolution was prompted by two previous attacks on two US navy destroyers; USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
Malcolm was an African-American nationalist- and was assassinated by rival Black Muslims while giving a speech about Afro-american unity in New York City. -
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Operation Rolling Thunder
This was an American bombing campaign targeting North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The purpose was to put military pressure on the country in order to decrease their capacity to wage war against the US government of South Vietnam. This represented a huge expansion of the US involvement in the Vietnam war. -
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Summer of Love
The Summer of love was the summer 1967- it was a social gathering in San Francisco with 75,000 young people who were mostly hippies. People traveled across the country looking for music, freedom and drugs. There were free concerts with new music and shops selling hippie accessories. It was important because it awakened and changed the American way of life -
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Tet Offensive
This was a series of North Vietnam attacks on more than 100 cities in South Vietnam. They did this because they were rebelling among the South Vietnamese population and they wanted the US to scale back their involvement in the war. The attacks shocked Americans and led to support for the war effort. These attacks marked a turning point in the war and the start of America's painful withdrawal from the war. -
Assassination of MLK
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee -this event was shocking to the whole world. This caused rioting in more than100 countries-incluing burning and looting. James Earl Ray pleaded guilty to shooting him and sentenced to prison for 99 years Many saw his assassination as a rejection of equality through nonviolent resistance he had spread. -
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Stonewall Riots
The Stonewall Riots were a series of riots over 6 days after a gay bar was raided by New York City police. These riots were protesting the raid and calling for gay rights.This is known as a catalyst for the gay rights movement. Until 1966, it was illegal to serve alcohol to an LGBT individual. This was overturned, but police still harassed gay bars due to the rules against gay behavior in public.The sites of riots are now national monuments to honor the place’s work for gay rights. -
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Woodstock
This was a huge music and art festival in the Bethel, White Lake, New York with more than 400,000 people attending. The event included sex, drugs and rock n' roll and become an icon of hippie counterculture. It during a time when Americans were deeply divided so it helped to bring people together and celebrate "3 days of peace and music". -
Kent State
On this day, members of Ohio National Guard fired at Kent State University; they killed four and injured nine students. Prior to this, students were protesting the bombing of Cambodia by U.S. military forces. This triggered a nationwide student strike that forced hundreds of colleges to close across the country. Some believe this event may have led to the downfall of President Nixon. This event represented a nation deeply divided by the Vietnam War. -
Environmental Protection Agency Created
This agency, created by President Nixon, consolidated federal research, monitoring and activities that ensured environmental protection. One of their early successes was the installment of catalytic converters in cars which reduced emissions by 85%. In the 1980s, the pollution standards in cities improved by 50%, as well as in water quality and waste. It was important because it continued to strengthen laws governing air and water quality, improving environmental standards into the future. -
Refugee Act
After the Vietnam War hundreds of thousands of refugees came into the country; this prompted a change in US policy. This was an amendment created to provide effective resettlement of refugees and assist them achieve economic efficiency in the US. It also changed the definition of refugee to a person with "well rounded fear of persecution". -
Election of 1988
Running against Democratic Michael S. Dukakis, Bush won by 315 electoral votes. He won mostly due to his strength in his organization , speeches and campaign. During his presidency, he dealt with many foreign affairs; he launched successful military operations in Panama and Iraq. -
Berlin Wall
This wall was built to prevent people from communist East Berlin from escaping to democratic West Berlin; it had wires, pipes and trenches built in. They built it because many of the refugees were skilled laborers or intellectuals and East Berlin's economy was suffering. It largely represented the ideological division of the Cold War between communist and capitalists and overall communist oppression. -
Vietnam Day
On this day in 1973, combat troops were withdrawn from Vietnam and the last prisoners of war in North Vietnam arrived in America. This is known as the "welcome home Vietnam veterans" day. It's a national day every year to celebrate men and women denied proper welcome upon returning home. In 2012 Obama pronounced it official; a day to commemorate the 50 year anniversary of the Vietnam war.
