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McCarthyism
McCarthyism, part of the Red Scare, was an extreme paranoia of communist spies and Senator Joseph McCarthy took advantage of this and led many investigations and made extensive allegations of communists in government. He made many accusations yet had no real evidence to back them up. McCarthy was found greatly discredited and damaged his reputation instead of helping his reelection. KeyConcept 8.1, II A
An interactive investigation of McCarthyism -
Brown v. Board of Education decision made
The ruling in this case declared that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. This ruling overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson doctrine of "separate but equal." (Key Concept
Details of the Brown case -
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Montgomery Bus Boycott
This was a boycott of the Montgomery bus system to challenge the segregation laws of the bus system. This boycott was spurred by the event in which civil rights activist, Rosa Parks, was arrested after refusing to give up her seat for a white passenger. The boycott achieved success when the Supreme Court upheld the ruling that segregated bus seating was unconstitutional. (Key Concept 8.2, I A)
Montgomery Bus Boycott Video -
Cuban Missile Crisis
In October of 1962, US spy planes spotted missiles in Cuba that were sent from the Soviets and they were close to US territory.A scare erupted and the Kennedy administration created a blockade to prevent the arrival of more missiles and demanded that the missiles already there be removed. Through peaceful negotiations with the Soviet Union, the missiles were removed and nuclear war was prevented. (KC 8.1, I C)
Bob Dylan Cuban Missile Crisis song -
passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
This was a landmark act in the labor movement, the women's movement and the civil rights movement. It outlawed segregation in public places as well as discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, and national origin. This law was passed by Lyndon B. Johnson. -
Tet Offensive attack
This was a series of surprise attacks from North Vietnam onto the US supported, South Vietnamese, as a retaliation against the US involvement. This was seen as a North Vietnamese victory and a turning point in the war because Johnson stopped the escalation of the war after the Tet Offensive. -
Watergate Scandal
On June 12, 1972 burglars were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee office and wiretapping phones and stealing documents and they were in connection to the re-election of President Nixon. Nixon tried to cover up the scandal, including giving "hush money." Nixon was eventually found guilty and he resigned. This decreased the public's trust in the government. Key Concept 8.2,III C
Broadcast of Nixon's Resignation and Watergate -
Roe v. Wade case
In this landmark case, the US Supreme Court ruled that abortions within the first three months of pregnancy were legal. This decision was made under the fundamental "right to privacy." -
War Powers Act
This act put in place constraints to the president's power and control over foreign policy. This was in response to Johnson and Nixon's escalation of the war in Vietnam for example through the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which launched full scale US involvement and the secret invasion of Cambodia under Nixon's order. -
Arab Oil Embargo
12 members of OPEC decided to stop sending oil exports to the US as a retaliation after the US had sided with and supported Israel against Egypt in the Yom Kippur War. This resulted in the price of oil peaking very high, it caused inflation to worsen and it is partially blamed by many for the economic recession of 1973-75. (Key Concept 8.1, II D)
Oil Crisis of 1973 -
Iranian Hostage Crisis
On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian militant students stormed and seized the American embassy in Iran and took dozens of the embassy and military personnel. They were held captive for 444 days through many failed rescue attempts by President Carter and his administration. Carter's inability to get back the hostages resulted in a decrease of public opinion on him. (Key Concept 8.1, II D)
Iran Hostage Crisis News Broadcast -
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Iran-Contra Scandal
This was an operation by the Reagan administration in which they secretly sold weapons to Iran so that in return they could get American hostages back from Lebanon. The money acquired from these transactions were then used to support the Contras, anticommunist guerrillas fighting in Nicaragua, even after Congress had banned the US from supporting them and from selling weapons to Iran. (Key Concept 8.1, II C)
Iran Contras Scandal
