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The Long Decade
Unit 1: FSTY The Sixties -
Eisenhower Elected
Dwight D. Eisenhower "Ike" is sworn in as president succeeding Harry S Truman as president of the U.S. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
Thirteen Topeka parents appealed to the Supreme Court on behalf of their twenty children, including Oliver L. Brown for his daughter Linda. The appeal was to abolish segregation in schools as Linda had to walk six blocks to her bus stop for the "black school" when the white school the neighborhood was zoned for was only seven blocks away. The Supreme Court ruled in Brown's favor and schools began to desegregate. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The arrest of Rosa Parks spurred the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which lasted until December 20th, 1956 when segregated buses were deemed unconstitutional. -
Elvis Debuts on The Ed Sullivan Show
Elvis Presley "The King of Rock 'n' Roll" debuted rock music on the show, thus beginning a new era of music. Presley played what was considered to be "race music", or music usually associated with black teens. Presley created the bridge for this music to crossover into the mainstream. -
Central High School
Nine African- American students known as the "Little Rock Nine" were denied entrance by the Alabama National Guard under the orders of Arkansas Governor Orville Faubus. Eisenhower would later on send in the 101st Airborne Division to safely escort the students all year long. -
First General Election Presidential Debate
Kennedy- the Democratic nominee- faced up against Nixon- the Republican nominee. Nixon actually won the debate which led to shock when Kennedy won the election. -
JFK Elected
John F. Kennedy is sworn in as president, in a surprising win over Nixon, despite having lost the presidential debate. JFK's presidency was geared towards his "New Frontier", an ideal for the ever changing society in which he was governing. TV plays an important role in JFK's presidency as his presidency occurs when television sets become common place in American homes. -
Lyndon B. Johnson Sworn In
Lyndon B. Johnson succeeds Kennedy as president of the U.S. The focus of Johnson's presidency is to shape Kennedy's "New Frontier" into a "Great Society". Johnson first declares a war on poverty and eventually shifts to civil rights and the Vietnam War. Johnson is met with much less opposition than Kennedy from the legistlative branch and is able to pass more laws and ammendments than Kennedy ever could. -
JFK Assassinated
John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas by Lee Harvey Oswald -
Civil Rights Act
Originally proposed by Kennedy, it was Johnson who was able to pass this act which would ban segregation and pave the way for The Voting Rights Act. -
"Into the Darkness"
1965 marks the end of the light era of the 60s and the beginning of the dark era. LBJ has difficulty passing anything, and he shifts his focus from poverty to the Vietnam War. Post 1965 sees the emergence of the counter culture, and the struggle to resume law and order. People including the Democrats and Republicans were dissapointed with the major hype of the Great Society and complained it may people self reliant and even the poor felt it did too little. -
Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act prohibited the use of literacy and competency tests as a blockade or pre requisite for U.S. citizens to vote. Many of the strategies were employed by segregationists to keep blacks from voting. -
Nixon Sworn In
Richard Nixon succeeds Johnson as president after winning 49 out of 50 states in the electoral college.1968 also marks the assassinations of MLK and Robert Kennedy (JFK's brother), as well as the debut of 'The Beatles' movie, 'Yellow Submarine'. The focus of Nixon's presidency was to bring back law and order. -
Tet Offensive
At its peak involvement, America had placed 500,000 troops in Vietnam, much to the chagrin of its citizens. Constant pressure from angered veterans and protesters would lead to the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam. On this day, Lunar New Year was being observed by the South Vietnamese, and an agreement had been made that a ceasefire would occur during this time. Ho Chi Minh instead unleashed an attack on an unsuspecting Saigon and secured the city. -
MLK Assassinated
A Missouri State Penitentary fugitive named James Earl Ray assassinated MLK and was sentenced to 99 years in prison after pleading guilty. -
Gerald Ford Becomes President
Ford becomes the only president who was never elected president or vice president. This was due to both Nixon and his vice president resigning on the same day after the Watergate scandal was exposed.
