Research paper
America is the greatest country of all time. It has had many important years and each and every one of those years have been eventful. But there lies a question… What is the most important year for America in the Twentieth century? The answer to that question would happen to be the year, 1962.
There are many reasons why 1962 is one of the most important years for America in the twentieth century. The first reason why 1962 is one of the most important is because of the Baker vs. Carr Supreme court case. In the case, Charles Baker (plaintiff) was a resident of Shelby County, Tennessee. He filed a lawsuit against Joe Carr, a Secretary of State for Tennessee. Baker said that the Tennessee legislature had not drawn its legislative districts since 1901. If the statement made by Charles Baker was true, it would be a violation of the Tennessee State Constitution. The Tennessee State Constitution requires redistricting according to the federal census every ten years. Because of this rule, Baker claimed that his vote was in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the fourteenth amendment. Baker sought an injunction prohibiting further elections, and sought out to seek the remedy of reapportionment at large scale elections. The district courts denied this claim because redistricting presented a political question and would ultimately not be heard by the courts. The case had to be put over for re-argument because no clear majority emerged for either side. Almost a year later, the opinion was finally handed down. The court was split 6:2 coming to the ruling that Baker’s case was justiciable. Justice William J Brennan reformulated the political question doctrine, identifying six factors to help in determin...
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...stro accused the Russians of backing down to the Americans and deserting the Cuban revolution. Allies of the U.S. were also irate. They were upset because the Kennedy administration kept them out of the negotiations that might have led to war.
The year 1962 was definitely an eventful one. It contained Supreme Court cases, civil right movements, and almost a nuclear war between two powerhouse countries. If none of these events had happened, America would not quite be the same country that it is today. We wouldn’t be known as the most bad-ass country if these events did not happen. Hell, we even scared away the Big Bad Wolf, A.K.A the Soviet Union. With all of the events that had happened within a single year, proves the point that the year 1962, is amongst the most important years of the twentieth century in the United States of America.
1 The missiles were being brought to Cuba by Russian leader, Nikita Khrushchev, who guaranteed President Kennedy that the missiles would never be used as a weapon against the United States. This is a lie. Khrushchev fully intended to use the missiles as a mechanism of defense against the United States and as a way to further pursue a relationship with Fidel Castro, who was the President of Cuba at the time. The United States needed to find a way to stop the development of missile sites without causing a break out of violent warfare.
The space race, Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Peace Corps all help contribute to President Kennedy’s success as an influential person in history. Apollo 11, part of the space race, was set in place by President Kennedy in 1961 to perform a moon landing and to return safely to Ear...
During the 1960’s, there were many events that changed the way America worked. Some of the situations made a huge impact on the routines that existed since the beginning of our country. Some of these events were The Civil Rights Movement, The War in Vietnam, the “Flower Power” movement, and when we first landed on the moon.
Where american citizens afraid during the 1950’s? From the films we see about this certain time period most would say no because from the looks of the film they had no problems. People had on smiles and families greeted each other happily as they came home from school or work. What you don’t see in those films is what was really happening during the 1950’s movie magic can cover up the parts of the 50’s that were basically pure nightmares to go through. Though it may be true that families in the fifties would still greet each other when they walked through the door but like was all just black and white smiles. When you imagine the fifties after seeing it on tv you don’t bother imagining things like The red scare, Nuclear attack threats, or the Korean war. During the 1950’s you basically had to watch what you say or you’d be considered communist or practice your drill’s in school in case a nuclear attack ever happened (though I seriously don’t believe duck and cover as you hide under your desk would really protect you from a nuclear bomb). The 1950’s weren’t a dream when you think about it.
There were many major crises and policy initiatives during the Kennedy presidency. John F. Kennedy's administration is known as a time of high hopes and U.S. world leadership. However, in his three years as president, he accomplished very little in domestic affairs. In his 1961 inaugural address, Kennedy that the new generation of Americans would take the punch, whatever it may be, in order to assure the survival and success of American liberty. To many, it seemed as if he was asking Americans to leave 1950's consumerism behind and sacrifice for the greater good. However, Kennedy procrastinated the growing civil rights movement and gave all of his attention to fighting the Cold War.
There are two different positions taken about the 1960's in America. One side says that the sixties were good for America and changed the way Americans live for the better. The other side says that the sixties were bad for America and gave Americans new freedoms and ideas that changed their lives for the worse. Both positions have evidence to support their arguments and make the sixties look like a time of social and economic freedom and reform or make the sixties look like a time of ignorant rebellion and youthful playfulness that is not acceptable in the real world. This essay is going to touch on most of the important reforms of the sixties but concentrate mostly on the Vietnam War in the sixties and its impact on the American people back home and in the war. The essay will also concentrate on the popularization of drug use in the sixties and its effect on the society and America's view on drug use.
The election of 1960 ensured John F. Kennedy of his position as arguably the most powerful man in the world: President of the United States (1960 Presidential General Election Results). His first term in office would not be an easy one due to conflicts which had been festering between the United States and their Southern neighbor, Cuba. Kennedy’s first term would be immediately challenged by Cuban-Soviet Russia relations. The year 1962 was a difficult one in United States history as Kennedy faced various obstacles in foreign relations with Cuba and Russia. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy had various options to pick from to bring an end to the disagreement, but none came with the assurance that retaliation from his opponents would not be in the form of
This failure early in Kennedy’s presidency therefore, arguably, led to the escalation of the Cuban Missile crisis due to the determination of the Kennedy administration to ‘redeem themselves’ from the humiliating event; not only the failure of a CIA military organized operation, but also the loss of many US assets within Cuba during its
The failed invasion of Bay of Pigs had extensive repercussions. It advanced Castro’s political stature in Cuba and also allowed him to establish a more prominent relationship with the Soviet Union. Even though U.S. - Cuban relations were strained since the Spanish-American there was a small possibility that Castro would have been opened to working with the United States considering that Castro did not declare his allegiance to Marxist-Leninism till 1961. The Bay of Pigs invasion served as a catalyst for more bold Cuban-Soviet relations. The more bold Cuban-Soviet relations were seen in the Cuban Missile crisis in 1963.
The sixties was a time period marked by complex political and social issues in the U.S. and internationally. The U.S. was caught between 2 major international conflicts: the Cold War and the Vietnam War. Other countries and political systems threatened America’s stability as a world power when John F. Kennedy was elected into office by a narrow margin. As the youngest man elected into presidency, he had to prove to the people that his leadership was capable of motivating and uniting the Americans to work towards the progression of the nation. In his nationally televised inaugural speech, John F. Kennedy calls Americans into action through his impactful and contrasting language.
In the duration of one year, 1968, the American national mood shifted from general confidence and optimism to chaotic confusion. Certainly the most turbulent twelve months of the post-WWII period and arguably one of the most disturbing episodes the country has endured since the Civil War, 1968 offers the world a glimpse into the tumultuous workings of a revolution. Although the entire epoch of the 1960's remains significant in US history, 1968 stands alone as the pivotal year of the decade; it was the moment when all of the nation's urges toward violence, sublimity, diversity, and disorder peaked to produce a transformation great enough to blanket an entire society. While some may superficially disagree, the evidence found in the Tet Offensive, race relations, and the counterculture's music of the period undeniably affirm 1968 as a turning point in American history.
In the 40s the 2nd World War caused a battle ground all over the globe but mainly in Europe and in the Soviet Union, this war remains one of the deadliest conflicts up to date. The allied powers defeated the Nazi Germans and the rest of the axis powers but caused many deaths and economic loss around the globe. Over 11 million people were killed during the holocaust alone. After WW2 the beginning of the cold war erupted where tension grew between the USSR and U.S and neither nation could trust one another but never got into a full out combat war with one another. U.S believed that the spread of communism was threatening democracy and capitalism everywhere. Nuclear war between the nations was a constant fear throughout the cold war. In the 50s where the civil rights movement really kicked off in 1954, in the Brown vs Board of Education case, the Supreme Court declared that the separation of blacks and whites in school was unconstitutional. 1955, when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white person she caused boycotts all over america and lead to bus companies not discriminating blacks. 1950s/60s, Civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King little by little led americans into a nation without segregation. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ened the public segregation around the nation. These decades established big historical events in history for both the U.S and the
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation between the Soviet Union & the United States. According to The Real Cuban Missile Crisis the issue was that the USSR had placed 36 intercontinental ballistic missiles in Cuba, only ninety miles from Florida (Schwarz, 2013). When a U-2 spy plane discovered these missiles, President John F. Kennedy gathered trusted colleagues to discuss the issue. Many of them had contradicting ideas regarding what actions the country should take against the Soviet Union. As stated in the Cuban Missile Crisis, ultimately the President decided to quarantine Cuba in order to control the imports from the USSR, & saved the United States from a nuclear war.
John F. Kennedy brought about the advancements of science and technology through NASA, Telstar, and the man on the moon. Also, the Civil Rights Movement sparked, and protests led to the passing of numerous laws for the African Americans. Although the 1960s consisted of much violence and protests, there was also an abundance in productivity, which ultimately makes this decade very prominent throughout American
The 1960s was a pivotal decade of American history. So many significant things occurred during that decade that changed America and people’s perspective of it. The sixties witnessed many great and unfortunate things. During the 1960s the Vietnam war took place, the civil rights movement became a huge deal, America witnessed the assassination of it’s thirty fifth president, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, and the most fortunate event amongst the list was the successful landing of the first man on the moon. What a decade?! Although most of the things mentioned were what seemed to be like the worst of times for Americans, there were many other things happening in America that made people feel like they were living their best life