Jessica Schneider HIS/135 August 11, 2012 Most Significant Events Introduction: There have been many events

that have happened over the course of the Earths existence. Many are considered very significant in our countries history. Since the 1950s there have been many changes from social, economic, political and technology. Many wars have been fought by the United States and we have gone through many culture changes, along with technology increases. There has also been rises in diseases with no cures to them, elimination of superpower, crooked presidents, a change in communication and many economic problems. 1950s: The United States went through so many changes in the 1950s. They were winning the war and because of this, the economy rose. Because of the war, the political stances also drove America out into the spotlight. They were viewed as powerful, rich, and many assumed they would provide aid for other countries. The United States had to worry about their own issues and had to deal with them. World War II was when Americans had to face race issues for the first time because blacks were able to serve. The main focus for the United States was to end Communism,

and so the color of ones skin was no longer an issue for the time being. During this time the Civil Rights movement made a big impact. They took place of a solitary and group effort and it began to unify bringing people together through the hardships and adversity. There were many people who fought for the blacks for equality and justice. One person stands out the most, Martin Luther King Jr. He wanted change and wanted it to be an easy one. Martin Luther King believed that if everyone went against all of the unjust laws in a peaceful manner, it would make those laws fall. It would also show people that it is possible to fight, without violence/fighting. (Morris, 1986, 30-44, 58-89) 1960s: Many children were born years after World War II, so the 1960s was referred to as the Age of Youth. During this time counterculture became a social revolution. Many children and adults behaved so badly and rebelled in a way that the United States had never seen. Many changes happened during this period of time, much of everyones focus was on the Civil Rights Movement, Feminist Movement, Latino Movement and Anti-War movements. There were many events that were considered very significant in history of this time during the 60s including the presidency of John F. Kennedy in 1963, Malcolm X in 1965, Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy in 1968. There were many social and political disturbances, riots, and boycotts that challenged conventional materialism. The televisions show Leave it to Beaver was one that the youth of America turned to in many ways. The war between North and South Vietnam was one to remember. The war was one that caused issues once battle was engaged. It showed difficulty to see who was a

communist and who was not a communist. The Americans were sent to Vietnam to take over the south and help them fight against communism. The war continued into John F. Kennedys presidency. After Kennedys death, Lyndon Johnson did not announce his concern about the war and he leaned towards concern within the United States. As the war continued on it got worse. Many troops were required and more money was invested throughout this period. Many people did not even understand why the Vietnam War started to begin with. 1970s: Dependency on foreign trade (oil and steel), and economic recessions were a big part of the 1970s. The United States had their main focus on political and social equality during this time. The Civil rights movement, environmentalism, and feminism played their part during the 70s still. Many women were finally being able to be seen as equal in society. Europe and America were pushing political and cultural equality and stability (Burns, 2005, inclusive). The presidency of Nixon was the thing that shaped everyones opinions of the world during the 70s. Nixon was included in some illegal activities in the Watergate Scandal. Valuable information was stolen from The Watergate Hotel by Nixon and his colleagues that were going to be used against the Democrats on June 17, 1972. After this break-in, many other scandals were discovered by reporters and Nixon denied being a part of any of them. Tapes surfaced of Nixon and his partners in the scandals and that is when the public found out that he abused his power (Stans, 1978, inclusive). In November of 1973 he stated: People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well, Im not a crook. Ive earned everything Ive got. (Carroll Kilpatrick [1973, 11-18]. Nixon

Tells Editors, Im Not a Crook. The Washington Post). An impeachment was brought up by the Congressional House Judiciary Committee in May of 1974 against Nixon. He no longer had the support of his country when the scandals proved to be true. 1980s & 1990s: Ronald Reagans Reaganomics was the thing that happened in the 1980s. His policies were to cut back domestic spending and increase the military funding. Reagan did a very good job while in office; although it looked to be that he favored the rich over the poor. The rate of unemployment was down, but the United States was still experiencing and economic boom, and tripled national debt (Greenspan, 2007, inclusive). Drug addiction and the distribution of drugs was a huge increase within the minority groups in the United States. Following the events of the fall of the Soviet Union, Easter Communists and the end of the Cold War, an advance in technology occurred. CONCLUSION: It is unavoidable to the United States that the world will continue to change. Many things like technology will advance even more, lines will be broken and even wars between countries will continue to occur. I really want to believe that the people of the world are trying to make things better but Im not sure its happening. We have so many hard economic times right now and will it get any better? I would like to think so. Hopefully the president can change things and be true to his/her word.

References: Burns, Bree, (2005), America In The 1970s, Facts on File. Davidson, Philip, (1991), Vietnam At War: The history: 1946-1975, Oxford University Press. Gaddis, John Lewis, (1994), The United States and the End of the Cold War, Oxford University Press. Jackson, Thomas F. (2006), From Civil Rights to Human Rights: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Struggle For Economic Justice, University of Pennsylvania Press. Kallen, Stuart. (1998), A Cultural History of the United States: The 1990s, Lucent Books. Kutler, Stanley (1992), Wars of Watergate: The Last Crisis of Richard Nixon, WW Norton. McNamara, Robert, (1996), In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam, Vintage Press. Morris, Aldon, (1986), Origins of the Civil Rights Movement. Free Press. Stans, Maurice H. (1978) The Terrors of Justice: The Untold Side of Watergate , W. Clement Stone. Kilpatrick, Carroll (1973-11-18). "Nixon Tells Editors, 'I'm Not a Crook'". The Washington Post.

White, Anne, (1999), Democratization in Russia Under Gorbachev, 1985-91, Palgave McMillan. Wilentz, Sean. (2008), The Age of Reagan: A History, Harper. Greenspan, Alan, (2007) The Age of Turbulence, Penguin Press.