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Jump Back in Time Modern Era (1946 - present)
 
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Buzz Aldrin on the moon poses next to the Unites States flag, July 20, 1969
"That's one small step for man... and one giant leap for mankind," said Neil Armstrong as he walked on the moon, July 20, 1969

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The development and growth of the United States during this era was influenced by helping Europe recover from World War II and U.S. involvement in other wars--mainly the Cold War with the Soviet Union and the Vietnam and Korean Wars. (The Cold War was not a real war with the Soviet Union; this term refers to the chilly relations the U.S. had with the formerly communist nation, which, since its breakup, is called Russia.) In the States, the "Red Scare" of communism of 1950 resulted in the McCarthy hearings. Senator Joseph McCarthy accused many Americans of being communists, which led to loss of employment for many artists, teachers, and government employees.

Several prominent figures, including Eleanor Roosevelt, Martin Luther King Jr., John Kennedy, and Richard Nixon, helped shape America's modern era. During this time, Americans went to the moon, ushered in the civil rights movement and the fight for equal rights for women, established relations with China, and witnessed the fall of communism in Russia and Eastern Europe.

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More Stories About The Modern Era
The Modern Era
A Negotiator for Peace
"American Diplomat Ralph Bunche Died"
A New Day of Infamy
"Attack on the United States"
A Pillar of Justice
"Thurgood Marshall Became the First African-American Supreme Court Justice"
A Shortcut Through the Jungle
"President Jimmy Carter Signed the Panama Canal Treaty"
Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens
"Louis Jordan's Record "Let the Good Times Roll" Hit the Charts"
Althea Gibson--the First
"Althea Gibson Won Again!"
Before Hip-Hop There Was Be-Bop
"Dizzy Gillespie"
Can You Afford to Vote?
"The 24th Amendment Ended the Poll Tax"
Celebrating the Green
"St. Patrick's Day"
Celebrating the Stars and Stripes
"Flag Day Celebrated"
Demanding Justice on the Bus
"Rosa Parks Was Arrested for Civil Disobedience"
Did He Break the Record or Not?
"Roger Maris Broke the Record"
Frost's Unexpected Gift
"Robert Frost Reads Poem at JFK's Inauguration"
Giddy-Up Little Doggies
"The Final Day Of the 1979 Fall Roundup on the Ninety-Six Ranch"
Go Speed Racer!
"Raymond Loewy Designed His Dream Car"
Head to Head, Coast to Coast
"The Great Debates of Nixon and Kennedy"
Hello Dolly!
"Carol Channing Debuts in Hello Dolly!"
The Fiftieth State
"Hawaii"
Into the Space Age
"Vice President Johnson Was Assigned the Task of Unifying the U.S. Satellite Programs"
Jack Ruby Shoots Oswald!
"Jack Ruby Shot Accused-Kennedy-Assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald"
Jackie Throws the Pitch
"Jackie Robinson Throws the Opening Pitch"
Just Fooling!
"April Fools' Day"
Let Her Sing!
"Marian Anderson Performed at the Metropolitan Opera"
Made in China
"President Nixon Goes to China"
Summer's Here!
"The Beginning of Summer"
Sunday Bloody Sunday
"The First March From Selma"
The ABC's Of Kid's TV
"The American Broadcasting Company Aired Saturday Morning TV Shows for Children"
The Gallant General
"John J. Pershing Died"
The Making of Santa Claus
"Christmas Day"
The Senator With an Arm
"Baseball Great Walter Johnson Died"
The U.S. Witnesses an Assassination
"President John F. Kennedy Was Shot in Dallas, Texas"
The Unseen Picture of America
"Photographer Dorothea Lange Died"
Time for Fireworks
"Independence Day: Americans Celebrate the Birth of Their Nation"
Trick or Treat!
"Americans Celebrate Halloween"
Truman Says He's Got a Fair Deal
"Truman Announced A Fair Deal"
VA Day!
"Veterans Day"
What Did You Do for the Planet Today?
"The First Earth Day"
When Football Was Young
"College Football Coach Amos Alonzo Stagg Retired"
Will You Be My Valentine?
"Valentine's Day"


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