ACE Class Report #65 – US History 1945 – 1988.
Begin: 5/21/2024
Finish: 8/6/2024
Title: United States History 1945 – 1988
Instructor: Rodrigo Santos
Why I choose to take this class:
History after World War II shows how the US involvement in world politics and rebuilding Europe and Japan after the war. The cold war with the Soviet Union, establishing ties with China, conflicts in South East Asia and progress of US.
What I learned in this class:
Facts in Brief (1945 – 1988)
Presidents:
Franklin D. Roosevelt , Democrat, 1933-1945
Harry S Truman, Democrat, 1945-1953
Dwight D Eisenhower, Republican, 1953 – 1961
John F Kennedy, Democrat, 1961-1963
Lyndon B Johnson, Democrat, 1963 – 1969
Richard M. Nixon, Republican, 1969 – 1974
Gerald R Ford, Republican, 1974 – 1977
Jimmy Carter, Democrat, 1977 – 1981
Ronald W Reagan, Republican, 1981-1988
Important Dates:
1941-1945 US fought in World War II
1945 US Dropped the First Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima
1950 – 1953 US fought in the Korean War
1954 US Supreme Court ruled segregation in public schools is unconstitutional
1955 Martin Luther King Jr protest of discrimination against blacks
1957 Soviet launched Sputnik 1
1965 American combat troops entered in Vietnam war.
1969 Neil Armstrong – set foot on the moon
1973 US removed troops from Vietnam. The war ended in 1975
1974 Richard Nixon resigned from office
1976 Bicentennial Celebration
Postwar prosperity:
On May 7, 1945, the German empire surrendered. Vice president Harry S Truman has become president after Roosevelt’s death a month earlier. The allies demanded Japan’s surrender but Japan continue to fight. Truman ordered the use of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. A second Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki on Aug 9. Japan surrendered on Sept 2, 1945.
Major spending during World War II drew the United States out of the great depression. Major industries such as automobile, manufacturing and housing construction resumed and new industries as electronics, plastics, frozen food and jet aircraft became booming business. Prosperity and technological advances changed American life. Television became a feature of most American homes in the 1950s. But prosperity did not include a high percentage of the nations black and other minorities.
Suburban Growth: Construction companies built huge clusters of houses in suburbs. A rise in automobile ownership accompanied the suburban growth.
Poverty and Discrimination: Despite the general prosperity, the poor included members of all ethnic groups, but the blacks seemed especially bleak. Blacks faced discrimination in both North and South in jobs, housing, education and other areas. A lack of education and jobs made poverty among blacks widespread. In 1954 Supreme Court ruled compulsory segregation in public schools illegal. In 1955 Martin Luther King Jr led a successful boycott of bus in Montgomery, Alabama.
The Cold War: The struggle between the US led non- communist nations and the Soviet Union and its communist allies became know as the cold war. Both the US and Soviet buildup arsenals of Nuclear weapons, capable of destroying each other. Cold war strategy emphasized propaganda. In 1949 the US and 11 other countries established North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to discourage Soviet attack.
The Korean War: Resulted from the Cold War friction. On June 25, 1950 troops from the communist North Korea equipped by the Soviet Union, invaded South Korea. Truman sent US troops to help South Korea. The war lasted three years ending in a truce on July 27, 1953.
Protest and Progress (1960 – 1999)
The Space Race: US and Soviet competition to develop space program. On April 12, 1961, Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri A. Gagarin became the first person to orbit earth. On July 20, 1969 Neil A Armstrong set foot on the moon. The space race faded in the late 1970’s.
Civil Rights Movement: became the main domestic issue of the nation in the early 1960’s. Lyndon B Johnson persuaded Congress to pass many major Civil Rights laws. the Civils Right Act of 1964. Th Voting Right Act of 1965. The drive for equality spread to other minority groups and woman.
The Vietnam War (1957-1975). Johnson sent troops to aid South Vietnam. It was not a popular war. Th Vietnam War was the longest war which the US took part and failed to achieve its objective.
Political Scandals: In 1973, Spiro T Agnew, Nixon’s Vice President resigned from grafting issue. Nixon resigned on Aug 9, 1974 from the Watergate issue.
Hostage Crisis: A revolution to overthrow the Shah of Iran. Revolutionaries held American hostages until January 1981. Armed rescue attempt failed in April 1980.
The Revival of Conservatism: Supporters of the new right included millions of Conservative protestants called Evangelical Christians. With the support of the new right, Ronal Reagan won the presidency in 1980. Reagan, a conservative Republican, scaled back government, cut taxes, rebuild the nations military strength and unleashed the energy of market place to solve economic and social problems.
How will this class contribute to my success upon release:
History knowledge from 1945 -1988 helps my analytical and critical thinking skills. The knowledge learned will be conveyed to other communities when I volunteer my services.
