Most Significant Events of the 1950s-1990s Essay -- American History

During the course of our American History, there have been events that have changed the course of the nation. In the more recent times, our nation has been through the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam War, and even the Reaganomics. Despite all the turn of events in the American history, our nation has overcome and survived. Civil Rights Movement of 1954 – 1965 The Civil Rights Movement has been a changing point in the lives of countless minorities. The Civil Rights Movement started in 1954 when Linda Brown was denied entry to a school in Topeka, Kansas due to her race, thus creating the Brown v. Board of Education case. The Brown v. Board of Education case helped mark a turning point for minorities and ruled that it segregation in schools was unconstitutional. In 1955, one of the most famous events in the history of the Civil Rights Movement occurred. Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1, 1955 after refusing to give up her bus seat for a white man. Rosa’s refusal sparked the Montgomery bus boycott. Finally, in 1964, President Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. According to John Simkin, â€Å"The 1964 Civil Rights Act made racial discrimination in public places, such as theaters, restaurants and hotels, illegal. It also required employers to provide equal employment opportunities. Projects involving federal funds could now be cut off if there was evidence of discriminated based on colour, race or national origin.† (Spartacus Educational, 1997) The fight for civil rights has been going on for decades in our nation. During the Civil War, President Lincoln tried to fight to end slavery of African Americans in the south. According to the National Archives and Records Administration, â€Å"Presiden... ...source. Retrieved on August 11, 2008 from http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAcivil64.htm The Watergate Files. August 19, 1974. (Date Unknown) Online Website Resource. Retrieved on August 16, 2008 from http://www.ford.utexas.edu/museum/exhibits/watergate_files/content.php?section=5&page=d The Watergate Files. July 24, 1974 The United States v. Richard Nixon. (Date Unknown). Online Website Resource. Retrieved on August 14, 2008 from http://www.ford.utexas.edu/museum/exhibits/watergate_files/content.php?section=5&page=d Tull, Matthew Ph D., Chronic PTSD in Vietnam War Veterans. (April 3, 2008, Para. 2). Online Website Resource. Retrieved on August 9, 2008 from http://ptsd.about.com/od/ptsdandthemilitary/a/Vietnamlongterm.htm Vietnam War. Vietnam War. (2007). Online Website Resource. Retrieved on August 16, 2008 from http://www.vietnamwar.com/