SS Exam

President Johnson's plan to improve the standard of living of every American; to achieve this he asked the nation to join him in a "war on poverty"

George Marshall's large-scale plan to help Europe rebuild its economy for fear that the hungry and homeless may support communism; plan was approved by the President and Congress; Stalin rejected the plan saying that it was a plot to weaken the Soviet Union; Eastern Europe also did not accept aid from Americans because of pressure from the Soviets; plan was accepted by Western Europe, and billions of dollars were sent to help the countries; Marshall Plan decreased the chance of communism in Western Europe

Soon after J.F.K. became President, 1,200 trained Cuban exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs on the southern coast of Cuba; landing was poorly planned and Kennedy canceled air support; Castro's forces quickly rounded up the invaders; in the end invasion strengthened Castro in Cuba and embarrassed US

Was educated and religious; study many philosophers and Gandhi became his biggest role model; helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to carry on struggle for equal rights; leader of the civil rights movement who believed that non violence was the solution in the struggle for equality

During Nixon's second term, a scandal arose from burglary in Washington, D.C. While Nixon was campaigning for reelection, five men were caught breaking into Democrat headquarters in the Watergate apartment building. Clues suggested that these men were associated with Nixon’s reelection committee; however Nixon assured the public that no one in the White House was involved with the Watergate affair. Soon, however, new evidence was found that linked the burglars directly to the White House. The Senate then began public hearings, revealing tapes that Nixon had secretly made in his office of conversations about covering up the truth about the Watergate break-in. In the midst of this, another scandal arose. The Vice President was found to be guilty of taking bribes and was forced to resign. Because of the 25th Amendment, Nixon was able to choose a new Vice President. Nixon elected Gerald R. Ford, a member of Congress from Michigan, and Congress approved the decision. In July, 1974, the Watergate Scandal finally came to a head. A committee from the House of Representatives passes articles of impeachment against President Nixon. Even the President’s strongest defenders could not deny the charges pressed against, and in August, 1974, before the impeachment trials could begin, Richard Nixon became the first President in history to resign from office.

In 1957, a Soviet rocket launched the world's first artificial satellite, called the Sputnik. Khrushchev boasted that Soviet factories were turning out these new rockets rapidly, and the US began to fear that if these rockets could launch a satellite into space, then it could surely shoot an atomic missile at America. Over the next few years, the US spent billions of dollars on weapons and missiles, trying to beat the Soviet Union in an arms race. Also in response to the Sputnik, the US government also created NASA, whose goal was to establish a space program that would compete with that of the Soviets.

In December, 1955, Rosa Parks was riding home from work on a crowded bus in Montgomery. The driver ordered her to get up from her seat so that a white man who had just boarded could have it, as the law required. Parks, who was a well known activist and secretary of the local chapter of the NAACP, refused to leave her seat. The police were called and she was arrest, fingerprinted, and sent to jail.

In 1935, Congress passed the National Labor Relations Act, or Wagner Act. This Act protected Americans from unfair management practices, such as firing a worker for joining a union. It also guaranteed workers he right to collective bargaining, the process in which a union representing a group of workers negotiates with management for a contract. The Wagner Act helped union membership grow during the 30s. With this growth, unions increased their bargaining power and became a powerful force in politics.

Senator of Louisiana who had supported Roosevelt since 1932; soon turned on President and believed that FDR had not gone far enough to help the poor; he called for heavy taxes on the rich and promised to use the money to provide every family with a house, car, and decent annual income; millions of people (especially the poor) supported Long's idea, however overlooked the fact that he had used bribery and threats to win political power

Republican nominee from New York who ran against FDR; lost and Roosevelt was reelected for his fourth term; in 1948 was reelected as candidate for President by the Republican party against President Truman; lost again and Truman won a stunning surprise victory over Dewey