Junior Docent School Program - Milwaukee Art Museum

1941-45 U.S. in World War II
1945 The United Nations is founded
1946 Televisions are available for home use. Colored televisions become available in 1953
1947 The Taft-Hartley Act is passed – seeking control over labor unions in response to the
many labor strikes since the end of the war
1949 NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is founded to thwart communist moves
against Western nations
1950-53 War in Korea – North against South Korea; U.S. economic aid to Southeast Asia begins
1953 Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes President
1955 Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on a public bus in Montgomery, Alabama
1956 Martin Luther King Jr. rises as a leader of the nonviolent civil rights movement
1956 Federal Highway Act – beginning of the interstate highway system
Modern America (1956 – Present)
The United States remains a world power and represents liberty and democracy. The
country is a multi-ethnic, immigrant nation, and a nation with many natural resources.
The information revolution followed the industrial revolution. Television, computers, and
the Internet bring instant news and information.
World affairs, free markets, rogue nations, and domestic issues continue to present
challenges.
1958 The National Defense Education Act passed – giving federal aid to schools to strengthen
their math and science programs
1961 The Peace Corp is started by President Kennedy
1963 President John F. Kennedy assassinated
1964-65 The “Great Society” legislation is passed as President Johnson declares a “war on
poverty” – included is: the Economic Opportunity Act (provides for job training); VISTA (a
domestic Peace Corp); Head Start (program for children); Elementary and Secondary
Education Act (provides school grants); Medicare Act (provides federal health benefits)
1964-68 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is passed to outlaw racial discrimination in employment and
public accommodations
1964-75 War in Vietnam – North against South Vietnam
1966 National Organization for Women (NOW) is founded
1968 Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated
Richard Nixon elected President
1969 First manned landing on the moon – Apollo spaceship
1970 Environmental Protection Agency founded to set standards for clean air, water, and land
1972 President Nixon visits China and relations with China improve
The World Trade Center opens
1976 James Carter elected President
1980 Ronald Reagan elected President
1981 Sandra Day O‟Connor becomes the first woman named to the Supreme Court
1984 The Macintosh computer is built
1987 The commercial Internet is introduced
1991 The U.S. becomes involved in the Persian Gulf War
1993 www.com addresses are introduced
1988 George H. Bush elected President
1992 William Clinton elected President
1994 Congress votes for Global Trade Alliance
1995 Federal office building in Oklahoma City, OK is target of terrorists attack
2000 George W. Bush elected President
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JDSP – Docent Packet