History Period 8 (1945-1980) Timeline

Period 8 (1945-1980) Timeline Add events to the timeline until you have a minimum of 20 key events. The events you add should cover a variety of topics (economic, political, social, etc.). Consider this timeline a review tool for the Period 8 exam and the end of the semester. 1945 The United States drop atomic bombs on Japan ending World War II. William J. Levitt created the first Levittown on Long Island. He built 17,000 houses that 1946 housed 82,000 people. His plan for the Levittown became the model for new suburban housing developments. The president announced the Truman Doctrine which planned to keep Communism from 1947 spreading to politically unstable countries. Through the Marshall Plan, the U.S. funneled 13 billion dollars into Western Europe to help rehabilitate the region. 1947 The Taft-Hartley Act is passed restricting the activities and power of labor unions. 1948 1949 The United States institutes the Berlin Airlift dropping supplies into the Communistcontrolled West Berlin. Mao Zedong established the People’s Republic of China, a communist regime. Known as 1949 the “fall of China” The NSC-68 is published which outlined a plan to contain communism and emphasized 1950 1950 1953 1950 the American commitment to fighting communism globally North Korea invaded South Korea in order to unify Korea and the U.S. intervened in order to stop the spread of communism. The Internal Security Act is passed in attempt to rid the government of communist supporters 1952 The U.S. tests the Hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean 1952 Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower is elected president 1954 Senator McCarthy leads hearings to expose communists and spreads McCarthyism 1954 Brown v. Board of Education strikes down the “separate but equal” established in Plessy v. Ferguson. 1955 NATO established Warsaw Pact to create an alliance between Western European and North American nations to contain communism. 1955 1956 The Montgomery Bus Boycott begins with Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on the bus and the AA citizens began protesting segregation of public transportation 1956 The Federal Highway Act is passed resulting in 41,000 miles of highways being built 1957 The Civil Rights Act of 1957 is passed creating investigations into voter restrictions 1957 Federal Troops are sent to Little Rock, Arkansas to protect the Little Rock Nine who enrolled in the segregated Central High School 1957 Russia launches Sputnik I leading the U.S. to invest in science research 1958 NASA is established and the space race begins 1960 The first sit-ins of the Civil Rights movement begins in Greensboro, North Carolina 1961 Castro’s forces capture 1,100 U.S. troops in the Bay of Pigs invasion 1961 The Freedom Rides begin to test enforcement of the segregation ban on interstate travel 1962 The Cuban Missile Crisis begins when the U.S. uncovers Soviet plans to install missiles 1963 The U.S. and the USSR sign the Limited Test Ban Treaty to not conduct nuclear tests 1963 The Equal Pay Act is passed which made it illegal to pay men and women different salaries for the same job 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. led more than 200,000 supporters in the March on Washington. He also delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech 1963 John F. Kennedy is assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald making LBJ president 1964 The 24th amendment is passed prohibiting poll taxes. This led to Freedom Summer in Mississippi aimed at registering AA voters A major legislative victory for the Civil Rights Movement, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is 1964 passed outlawing discrimination in public places. 1965 The National Farm Workers Association organized the Delano grape strike to demand more rights for Latino American transient farm workers 1965 Malcolm X is assassinated by the Nation of Islam 1965 Martin Luther King Jr. organizes the Selma Freedom March but his supporters are stopped and beaten by Alabama state troopers. Later, President Johnson calls in the National Guard to protect the 25,000 protestors 1965 The Voting Rights Act is passed prohibiting literacy tests 1965 The Immigration Quota Act of 1965 which abolished the national origins quota system Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., perhaps the greatest champion for American civil rights, is 1968 assassinated in Memphis, TN by James Earl Ray. 1968 Robert Kennedy, the next leading Democratic candidate is assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan 1969 The Stonewall Riot occurs sparking a bigger movement for LGBT rights 1969 Apollo 11 landed on the moon showing U.S.’s superior scientific innovations 1969 500,000 people attended the Woodstock music festival 1969 The 3 Days of Rage occur in Chicago with rioting in the streets and ending with 300 hundred people being arrested 1970 The Clean Air Act of 1970 is passed amending the federal air pollution policy 1971 The Pentagon Papers are published reported gov. Deception in U.S. involvement in Vietnam 1971 The 26th amendment is passed granting the right to vote to any citizen 18+ 1972 The Strategic Arms Limitation Agreement is signed leading to reduced nuclear weapons 1972 The Watergate break-in occurs at the Democratic National Committee headquarters 1973 Roe v. Wade ruled that the Constitutional right to privacy applies to abortion 1973 The Vietnam peace settlement limited U.S. military involvement in Vietnam 1978 The Camp David Accords were signed establishing a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt 1980 Ronald Reagan is elected the 40th President of the United States.