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U.S. History Since 1945

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G.I. Bill

1944

D: A range of benefits for returning WWII veterans.
S: Many veterans returned to school to get an education.

Baby Boom

1946 - 1964

D: WWII veterans started families and had many children.
S: A large increase in population also increased the economy.

Marshall Plan

1947

D: United States gives financial aid to rebuild Europe.
S: Cold war tensions increase.

Truman Doctrine

1947

D: A policy that said the United States was going to contain Communism.
S: The United States made a promise to contain Communism, which caused Cold War tensions to grow.

Berlin Airlift

1948

D: United States drops food and supplies to Berlin.
S: The Soviet Union reopens trade routes, and Cold War tensions increase.

Korean War

1950 - 1953

D: The United States helps South Korea fight Communism.
S: The United States proves that they will fight Communism.

Red Scare

1950

D: Senator McCarthy says communists are within the United States Government.
S: The public panics, and the fear of communism coming to the United States increases.

Rosa Parks Arrested

1955

D: Rosa Parks is arrested after refusing to change seats on a bus.
S: Her arrest brought more awareness to the civil rights problems in the United States.

Vietnam War

1955 - 1975

D: The United States fights North Vietnam to contain Communism.
S: The United States proves they are willing to stand up to Communism.

Highway Act of 1956

1956

D: Government creates 40,000 miles of new highways.
S: The military can move quickly around the United States.

1960 Election Debate

1960

D: This is the first time election debates are viewed on television by a massive audience.
S: Citizens become more actively involved in the election.

Greensboro sit ins

1960

D: Four students stay in a diner to boycott after being refused service.
S: This is one of the events that kick started the Civil Rights Movement.

Freedom Rides of 1961

1961

D: African Americans test the bus riding equality from state to state.
S: People become more aware of Civil Rights issues.

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962

D: Soviet Union delivers missiles to Cuba.
S: The Cold War nearly escalates to nuclear war.

The Berlin Wall is Built

1962

D: Soviet Union builds a wall between East and West Berlin.
S: The wall signifies a divide between Communism and Democracy.

Kennedy is Assassinated

1963

D: Lee Harvey Oswald kills Kennedy.
S: Johnson takes the place of Kennedy as President.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

1964

D: This Act outlawed majors forms of discrimination.
S: This was another major success for the Civil Rights Movement.

The Great Society

1964 - 1968

D: This was an attempted to lessen poverty.
S: Medicare, Medicaid, welfare, and other social programs were developed.

Housing Act of 1668

1968

D: This Act provided equal housing opportunities regardless of race.
S: The Act helped African American families buy houses, which helped the Civil Rights Movement.

Martin Luther King Jr. Assassination

1968

D: Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinating on a balcony of a hotel.
S: This caused a huge uproar in the African American community and scared people away from the fight for Civil Rights.

United States Lands Man on the Moon

1969

D: Neil Armstrong becomes the first man to walk on the moon.
S: The United States wins the space race against the Soviet Union.

Arab Oil Embargo

1973

D: Arab countries increased price of oil by 400%.
S: The Arab Oil Embargo had a negative influence on the economy.

Roe v. Wade

1973

D: Abortion is legalized in the United States.
S: The United States has a drastic shift in morality.

Watergate

1974

D: Nixon has people spy at the Democratic headquarters.
S: Nixon is forced to resign.

Gorbachev Unravels Soviet the System

1985 - 1989

D: Gorbachev implemented glasnost and perestroika to reconstruct the economy.
S: This is a huge step to the Cold War coming to an end.

Iran-contra Scandal

1986

D: United States makes money by essentially selling weapons to Iran.
S: Reagan breaks two laws deliberately, which makes him look like a fool.

Fall of the Berlin Wall

1989

D: The fall signifies the end of the Cold War.
S: Eastern Berlin has more freedoms.

First Gulf War

1991

D: The United States begins a long term war in the Middle East.
S: The United States has been militarily and politically involved in this area of the world since this war.