The Great Depression & Beyond – 1929-Present – Legends of America

The Great Depression & Beyond – 1929-Present – Legends of America

The narrative of the United States from 1929 to the present day is a tapestry woven with threads of economic despair, global conflict, social upheaval, and technological marvels. It is a story of resilience, innovation, and the ongoing pursuit of a more perfect union. This period, marked initially by the calamitous Great Depression, witnessed the nation grapple with unprecedented challenges, ultimately reshaping its identity and role on the world stage.

The Roaring Twenties, with their veneer of prosperity, screeched to a halt with the stock market crash of October 1929. This cataclysmic event plunged the nation into the Great Depression, a period of profound economic hardship that touched every corner of American life. Jobs vanished, savings evaporated, and homes and farms were lost to foreclosure. At the peak of the crisis, an estimated 25% of the American workforce found themselves unemployed, a staggering figure that underscored the depth of the economic malaise.

Amidst this crisis, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt stepped forward with a bold vision for recovery. His "New Deal" was an ambitious series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations designed to provide relief to the suffering, stimulate economic recovery, and prevent future crises. The New Deal initiatives, such as the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA), put millions of Americans back to work, constructing infrastructure, preserving natural resources, and fostering artistic expression.

The global repercussions of the Great Depression were equally profound. Economic instability fueled the rise of dictatorial regimes in Europe and Asia, setting the stage for World War II. The war, a global conflagration of unprecedented scale, drew the United States into a battle against fascism and tyranny. The attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 galvanized the nation, uniting Americans in a common cause. The war effort spurred industrial production, ending the Great Depression and transforming the United States into a global superpower.

Following the war, the United States emerged as a dominant force in the world. The post-war era saw many Americans achieve unprecedented levels of affluence. However, the benefits of this prosperity were not shared equally. African Americans, Hispanics, and women continued to face systemic discrimination and inequality. This led to a surge in activism, as these groups fought for their full freedoms and equal rights.

The decades that followed were marked by the Cold War, a period of intense ideological rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. The fear of communism permeated American society, leading to political purges and a climate of suspicion. The United States also became embroiled in foreign military conflicts, including the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and interventions in the Middle East.

Key Events and Developments (1929-Present):

• 1929: Herbert Hoover becomes the 31st President of the United States. The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre shocks Chicago. The Great Depression begins, triggered by the stock market crash.
• 1931: The Empire State Building opens in New York City. "The Star-Spangled Banner" is officially adopted as the national anthem.
• 1932: Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to complete a solo non-stop transatlantic flight.
• 1933: Franklin Delano Roosevelt becomes the 32nd President. He launches the New Deal to combat the Great Depression. The 21st Amendment repeals Prohibition.
• 1934: The Dust Bowl begins, devastating the Great Plains. John Dillinger is killed. The Indian Reorganization Act aims to revitalize Native American cultures and self-governance.
• 1935: The Social Security Act is passed, providing a safety net for the elderly and unemployed.
• 1937: The Hindenburg disaster in New Jersey ends the era of airship travel. The Golden Gate Bridge is completed in San Francisco.
• 1938: Superman makes his debut in Action Comics #1, ushering in the age of comic book superheroes.
• 1939: Germany invades Poland, igniting World War II. President Roosevelt delivers the first televised presidential speech at the New York World’s Fair.
• 1940: The Selective Service Act establishes the first peacetime draft in U.S. history.
• 1941: Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, prompting the U.S. to enter World War II. Commercial television broadcasting begins.
• 1942: Japanese American internment begins.
• 1945: Harry S. Truman becomes the 33rd President. The U.S. drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II. The United Nations is established.
• 1946: The Cold War begins between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The credit card is invented.
• 1947: Alleged U.F.O. crash at Roswell, New Mexico. Jackie Robinson breaks the color barrier in baseball. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is established.
• 1948: The Nuremberg Trials prosecute Nazi war criminals. Cable television is first utilized. President Truman desegregates the armed forces.
• 1950: Senator Joseph McCarthy gains power, initiating Communist witch hunts. The Korean War begins.
• 1951: President Truman speaks in the first live coast-to-coast television broadcast.
• 1952: The first artificial heart is implanted. The U.S. detonates its first hydrogen bomb.
• 1953: Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes the 34th President. The Korean War ends with an armistice.
• 1954: Brown v. Board of Education declares segregation in public schools unconstitutional. The Tonight Show premieres.
• 1955: Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her bus seat sparks the Montgomery bus boycott. Disneyland opens in California. Jonas Salk develops the polio vaccine. Rock and roll enters the mainstream.
• 1957: The Soviet Union launches Sputnik, initiating the space race. Little Rock school desegregation crisis.
• 1958: NASA is formed.
• 1959: Alaska and Hawaii become the 49th and 50th U.S. states.
• 1960: The Greensboro sit-ins challenge racial segregation. The F.D.A. approves the oral contraceptive pill.
• 1961: John F. Kennedy becomes the 35th President. The Peace Corps is established. The Vietnam War officially begins with U.S. military advisors in Saigon.
• 1962: The Cuban Missile Crisis brings the U.S. and USSR to the brink of nuclear war. John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the Earth.
• 1963: President John F. Kennedy is assassinated. Lyndon B. Johnson becomes the 36th President. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers his "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington.
• 1964: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlaws major forms of discrimination. The Beatles arrive in the U.S., sparking the British Invasion.
• 1965: President Johnson escalates U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Medicaid and Medicare are enacted. The Watts riots erupt in Los Angeles.
• 1966: The National Organization for Women (NOW) is formed.
• 1967: Detroit race riot. The first Super Bowl is played.
• 1968: Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy are assassinated. The Civil Rights Act of 1968 prohibits discrimination in housing.
• 1969: Richard Nixon becomes the 37th President. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the Moon. The Stonewall riots mark the beginning of the modern gay rights movement. The Woodstock Festival takes place. Sesame Street premieres.
• 1970: The Kent State shootings occur during an anti-war protest.
• 1972: President Nixon visits China. The Watergate burglary occurs.
• 1973: The Vietnam War ends with the U.S. withdrawal. The Watergate scandal breaks. The Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling legalizes abortion nationwide.
• 1974: President Nixon resigns over Watergate. Gerald Ford becomes the 38th President and pardons Nixon.
• 1975: The Vietnam War ends.
• 1976: Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne found Apple Inc.
• 1977: Jimmy Carter becomes the 39th President. The first home personal computer is released. Star Wars debuts.
• 1978: The Senate votes to turn the Panama Canal over to Panamanian control.
• 1979: The Three Mile Island nuclear accident occurs. The Iran hostage crisis begins.
• 1980: The U.S. boycotts the Summer Olympics in Moscow. Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington.
• 1981: Ronald Reagan becomes the 40th President. MTV is launched. The Space Shuttle Columbia is launched.
• 1986: The Space Shuttle Challenger explodes. The Iran-Contra scandal breaks.
• 1989: The Exxon Valdez oil spill devastates Alaska’s Prince William Sound.
• 1990: George H.W. Bush becomes the 41st President. Iraq invades Kuwait, leading to the Gulf War.
• 1991: The Gulf War begins.
• 1992: The Los Angeles riots erupt after the acquittal of police officers in the Rodney King beating case.
• 1993: Bill Clinton becomes the 42nd President. The World Trade Center bombing occurs.
• 1995: The Oklahoma City bombing kills 168 people.
• 1999: President Clinton is acquitted in an impeachment trial. The Columbine High School massacre occurs.
• 2001: George W. Bush becomes the 43rd President. Terrorists attack the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. The U.S. invades Afghanistan.
• 2002: The Department of Homeland Security is created.
• 2003: The Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates upon re-entry. The U.S. invades Iraq.
• 2005: Hurricane Katrina devastates the Gulf Coast.
• 2007: Wildfires in California force hundreds of thousands to evacuate. A mass shooting occurs at Virginia Tech.
• 2009: Barack Obama is elected as the 44th President.
• 2010: A catastrophic explosion on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico causes an environmental disaster.
• 2011: U.S. forces kill Osama bin Laden. The last U.S. troops leave Iraq.
• 2015: Same-sex marriage is legalized nationwide by a Supreme Court ruling.
• 2017: Donald Trump becomes the 45th President.
• 2021: Joseph Biden becomes the 46th President.

The period from 1929 to the present is a complex and transformative era in American history. From the depths of the Great Depression to the heights of technological innovation, the United States has faced profound challenges and achieved remarkable progress. The nation’s journey continues, shaped by its past and driven by its aspirations for the future.