1955-1973 Timeline

The Little Rock Nine was a group of nine black students who were selected to participate in the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Although they faced brutal oppression from racist students, parents, and local citizens, they successfully began the integration of high schools. It was a huge step in the fight for civil rights.
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John F. Kennedy won the Presidential election against Richard Nixon. He won because of his successful use of the media, young glow, wit, and charm. JFK came to be an influential and motivational president, who's words were needed in the American time of unrest over a war and civil rights.
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The United States had CIA members train and send the paramilitary group brigade 2506 to invade at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. The forces were demolished by the Cuban army, and it made Castro mad. It was failure on the part of the Americans.
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The United States and the USSR came to the brink of nuclear war as Russia taunted the US with nuclear missiles strategically placed in Cuba. The weapons were directed towards the Americans, and the response was that if the missiles came to close, America would launch in response. Russia continued to antagonize the US for a few weeks, and then withdrew the missiles.
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Martin Luther King delivered his most famous speech about ending racism in the United States from the Lincoln Memorial. This speech had a huge impact on the morale of those fighting for civil rights, and got into the heads of those opposing. It went down as one of the most famous speeches in history, and made clear that the US needed to end racial issues.
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JFK was shot during a presidential visit to Texas, by Lee Harvey Oswald. He was shot in his vehicle next to his wife and behind Texas governor John Connally and his wife. The mysteriousness of the way he was murdered led to controversy and conspiracy theories that exist to this day.
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The Beatles' music became a hit in American society. It led to many other British bands making their way into American pop culture, and introduced a new style of music. The Beatles became iconic in many of the young people's minds, and began the psychedelic/hippie era.
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Congress passed the civil rights act, which made a law against all major forms of racism and prejudice in the United States. It gave equal voting rights to all men and women, and it ended most forms of social segregation. President Johnson signed off on the law and put it into effect.
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Freedom Summer was a period of time in the summer of 1964 where a large group of black civil rights supporters tried to get black people registered to vote in the state of Mississippi. It was primarily ran by SNCC members. As a result, many balcks were able to vote and many freedom schools and houses were organized.
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After the assassination of JFK, President Johnson filled his shoes as President of the United States. He was re-elected in the election of 1964, and put many programs into effect that have made lasting contributions to the areas of health, education, conservation and civil rights. He was infamous to many though, because he was blamed for the Vietnam War.
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