Modern US History 1945-Present

1930s and 40s: Post-War Boom Air Conditioning units in homes Baby Boom Population of the South increases Baby Boom 1945-1980 Levittown The first American subdivision https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT_A9PFOY18 Radios in most homes TVs in many homes Americans want their news

1930s and 40s: Post-War Boom Jackie Robinson & MLB https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX3tv9uKj1I Truman integrates the US military Had been black regiments and white regiments https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ1RfJLayMk

1950s: Cold War gets Hot Cold War heats up Space Race Churchhill states, “America at this moment, stands at the summit of the world.” Continued fight against communism Space Race Sputnik US encourages Math and Science education Neil Armstrong walks on the moon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvaEvCNZymo Brown v Board of Education Continued civil rights conflicts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1siiQelPHbQ&pbjreload=10 TVs in most homes Rock and Roll baby!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj0Rz-uP4Mk

Cold War Heats Up Communists Democracies Stalin/Khruschev: Soviet Union Castro: Cuba Zedong: China Ho Chi Minh: Vietnam Democracies Truman: US Kennedy: US Nixon: US Reagan: US

Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro Bay of Pigs Cuban Missile Crisis Communist leader Allied with Soviet Union Bay of Pigs Cuban exiles sent to overthrow Castro Complete disaster Cuban Missile Crisis Russian missiles on Cuba Brink of War

Cold War Arms Race

1960s: Progress, Assassinations, and Civil Rights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpIuO3P68q4 TV’s influence on American culture Kennedy/Nixon debates Civil Rights movement Continued struggle with Jim Crow African Americans want equal rights Crusades for freedom Freedom Rides Civil rights activists rode buses on interstates to the South to protest segregated buses Sit-Ins Blacks would purposefully enter all white establishments and refuse to leave Violent and non-violent protests https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URxwe6LPvkM

1960s: Progress, Assassinations, and Civil Rights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0DgX0Tlv1s Civil Rights Environment Martin Luther King Letter From a Birmingham Jail Defends his plans for non-violent resistance Modeled his method of protest from Ghandi I Had a Dream Speech Urges Americans to “Make real the promises of democracy.” Tells of a world in which divisions by color no longer exist https://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=F0DgX0Tlv1s *For the first time citizens became aware of issues related to preserving the environment *Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring” -documented the detrimental effects of the use of pesticides on the environment -encouraged gov’t intervention -Led to Earth Day -Led to the EPA *Environmental Protection Agency

1960s: Progress, Assassinations, and Civil Rights Civil Rights Act 1964 Voting Rights Act 1965 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVMH5u6bPGA

1960s: Progress, Assassinations, and Civil Rights The Warren Court Supreme Court had a liberal majority Expansion of federal gov’t power Many landmark decisions regarding civil liberties and civil rights Expansion of rights of the individual Miranda v Arizona Brown v BOE JFK’s assassination JFK had plans for monumental civil rights legislation Assassinated Nov 1963 in Dallas, TX Johnson picked up where JFK left off

1960s: Progress, Assassinations, and Civil Rights Johnson’s Great Society War on Poverty Medicare Cesar Chavez United Farm Workers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znQKueSDpvI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns5NMHTk-yY

1960s: Progress, Assassinations, and Civil Rights National Organization of Women (NOW) Anti-War protesters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI6VU5drptk

1960s: Progress, Assassinations, and Civil Rights 1968 MLK Assassination RFK Assassination Democratic National Convention Vietnam War protesters Democratic candidates split over Vietnam Stay and fight? Bring troops home? Hotly debated! Fights broke out on the convention floor Led to a weakening of the Democratic party https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRC1WYa7-7k

1960s: Progress, Assassinations, and Civil Rights Conservative Movement Reaction to the liberal changes of the late 1950s and early 1960s Republican nominee 1964: Barry Goldwater Republican nominee 1968: Richard Nixon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJyWWM9OHKA

1970s: Goodbye Vietnam, A sneaky president, and the Middle East heats up Nixon Opens China Watergate Scandal President Ford https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHnmriyXYeg

1970s: Important Legislation Roe v Wade Abortion legal Right to privacy Right to end pregnancy Regents of the University of California v Bakke Affirmative Action Quotas for college admission

1970s: Goodbye Vietnam, A sneaky president, and the Middle East heats up Jimmy Carter Tension in the Middle East Camp David Accords Iran Iranian Hostage Crisis Iranian Revolution https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYASjRMEWeA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-WgNf6mn2k

1980s: Cold War Cools, the US Economy Reagan Reagonomics “Trickle down economics” Huge tax cuts, esp for business Money would trickle down to Lower classes Iran Contra Collapse of the Soviet Union “Good” relationship with Gorbechav Supported Russian attempts at reforming the economy Perestroika https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWrJGWkK4oU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiA-0HHDIAc

1990s: Balancing the Budget, Impeachment, Trade Clinton NAFTA Impeachment Acquittal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaMCK-Sec7Y

2000s: Who is the President?, 9/11, and the War on Terror Bush 2000 Election 9/11 War on Terror Afghanistan Taliban Osama Bin Laden Al Qaeda Iraq Weapons of Mass Destruction Ending the Saddam Hussein regime