Presidents of the 1970’s

8G History Lesson 140 Assignment

In this week’s assignment, I will be summarizing the lives of three different presidents. They are Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter, and they were all president during the 1970s.

Richard Nixon

Richard Milhous Nixon was born on January 9, 1913 in California. He received an education from Duke University, and decided to pursue law. He met Thelma Ryan and married her in 1940. Nixon also served a short term in the Navy during World War I. After the Navy, he became a member of the House of Representatives. Nixon’s popularity was boosted after his role in the investigation of Alger Hiss.

In the 1952 election, Nixon became Eisenhower’s vice president. Nixon didn’t do much while vice president, but he gained a large amount of popularity.

As president, Nixon was involved in overseas relations, like helping to improve relations between the U.S, China, and the U.S.S.R. But the main thing he is remembered for is the Watergate Scandal. The scandal involved a break-in of the Democratic Party Headquarters. 5 men broke in and stole important government documents. The men were on the Republican Committee to re-elect the president. Nixon tried to cover up this, and it led to an investigation.

Nixon decided to resign to avoid becoming impeached. This was the end of his political career, and he died on April 22, 1994.

Gerald Ford

Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. was born on July 14, 1913 in Nebraska. His parents divorced while he was a baby, and he went with his mom to Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ford was a good football player when he was at the University of Michigan.

Ford served in Congress for 25 years, and was very popular and well-liked. He was thrust into the vice presidency when Nixon’s VP resigned, then when Nixon himself resigned, Ford became president. One of Ford’s first acts was to completely pardon Nixon. This was very controversial. Ford tried to limit inflation and helped to end the Vietnam war. Ford was almost assassinated twice!

During Ford’s reelection, he ran mostly behind Jimmy Carter, and eventually lost. Ford retired after leaving the White House, and enjoyed golfing and skiing. On December 26, 2006 Ford passed away.

Ford enjoying a game of golf

Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter (full name James Earl Carter Jr.) was born on October 1, 1924 in Georgia. Carter, like both Nixon and Ford, went to college before serving in the Navy for a few years. Carter left the army after he heard the news that his father had passed away. He was elected to the Georgia State Senate, and then became governor of Georgia.

After his term as governor ended, he decided to run for president in the Democrat party. He was not very well known at the time, but he won the main election by a margin of 57 electoral votes.

Carter helped to form peace between Israel and Egypt and formed the Department of Energy and the Department of Education. The presidency was also marked by a few small scandals, but they were not very large in comparison to the Watergate Scandal when Nixon was in office.

Carter was defeated in the 1980 re-election by a large margin. After leaving the White House, Carter became a humanitarian and a diplomat. He is the longest lived former president, and he passed away at the age of 100 in 2024.

(Left to Right) Presidents George Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, and Richard Nixon.

References:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Richard-Nixon

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gerald-Ford

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jimmy-Carter/Life-after-the-presidency

John F. Kennedy

8G History Lesson 135 Assignment

In this assignment, I will summarize the life and accomplishments of John F. Kennedy, also known as JFK.

Childhood and Early Career

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917 in Massachusetts. He was the second of nine children, and his parents were Roman Catholics. His father was a multi-millionaire businessman. John joined the U.S. navy in 1941, and when his time serving was up, he returned home in 1945 to pursue a career in politics. The war impacted him for the rest of his life, he suffered from many sustained injuries, and he also had Addison disease. This didn’t stop him from pursuing a career in politics.

Career in Politics

At age 29, he decided to run for Congress. He easily beat his opponent, and served 3 terms in the House of Representatives as a liberal Democrat. After his terms in the House, he ran for Senate, and again easily won.

As senator, Kennedy wanted to abolish the Electoral College vote, protested for labor reform, and supported civil rights legislation. Slowly, Kennedy achieved higher levels of recognition, and then decided to run for president in the 1960 election.

In the 1960 election, Kennedy and vice president Lyndon B. Johnson barely defeated Richard Nixon, Kennedy became the youngest president ever, at the age of 43.

Kennedy’s main accomplishments as president included helping to avoid a potential nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis, helping to lay the foundations for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and challenging a man to land on the moon by the end of the century. Kennedy also increased the military presence in the Vietnam war, and cut taxes.

On Friday, November 22, 1963, JFK was riding with his wife Jacqueline Kennedy (whom he married in 1953) in a procession in Dallas, Texas, when suddenly he was struck by two bullets. He died shortly after arriving at the hospital. Lyndon Johnson took the oath of office to become president the next day. On the same day, Lee Oswald was accused of the assassination, but it remains a controversy today. Nobody has been able to explain Lee’s motives as to why he committed the act.

Kennedy is often remembered as one of the greatest presidents, but sadly, he didn’t really have much time to accomplish anything outstanding. His family line still lives on today. U.S. politician Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is JFK’s nephew.

Reference:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-F-Kennedy

America in the 1950’s

8G History Lesson 130 Assignment

In this assignment, I will be summarizing the events and culture in America during the 1950’s.

Civil Rights Movement

The 50’s saw increased awareness of the civil rights movement. This was a time when America was segregated. Schools, restaurants, pools, parks, and even water fountains were segregated, separating the Black and White facilities. This was extremely unfair, and people had been against it for a long time, but the movement was brought to light in the 50’s. One of the significant events was the Montgomery bus boycott. This started when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white person that got on the bus. Black Americans at the time were expected to give up their seats anytime a white person got onto the bus. This sparked a full-on boycott of the bus system in Montgomery, with Martin Luther King Jr. as the leader. It lasted almost a whole year.

There were also many other acts of protest, including marches. A famous one was the Selma march. Tragically, many people that peacefully protested during the marches were brutally hurt and sometimes killed by the police force, as in the Bloody Sunday event during the Selma march. The issues of racial equality are still prominent today, and movements such as Black Lives Matter have gained popularity.

Television and Music

Television became very common in American households during the 1950’s. In 1950, only about 9 percent of Americans owned a television set, but by the end of the 50’s it was nearing 90 percent. Popular shows included I Love Lucy, Leave It to Beaver, and many others. Quiz shows also became popular. Today, over 96 percent of Americans have a TV.

A new type of music became popular in the 50’s. Called rock and roll, it was a hybrid of many different styles. One of the first and most famous rock and roll artist was none other than the great Elvis Presley. Rock and roll remains one of the most (if not the most) popular genres of music today.

References:

https://www.britannica.com/event/American-civil-rights-movement

https://www.britannica.com/art/television-in-the-United-States/The-late-Golden-Age

https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States/Popular-music

Great Authors of the 20th Century

8G History Lesson 125 Assignment

Today I will be writing about 2 great authors of the 20th century, J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.

J.R.R. Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892. He lived in South Africa until he was 4, when he moved to England because his father had passed away. Sadly, his mother also died in 1904, leaving Tolkien and his younger brother orphans. They were taken into the care of a Catholic priest. Tolkien attended Exeter College in Oxford, and after graduating he became a teacher. He was an English professor for most of his life. Tolkien met C.S. Lewis at school, and they became friends. They started going to a writing group called the Inklings.

Tolkien wrote many books, but by far his most well-known and best-selling is The Lord of the Rings. It is a fantastical epic, with creatures such as dwarves, elves, ogres, etc. It is usually published in three separate volumes, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. There is also an immensely popular prequel, The Hobbit, (published before LOTR) which sets a background for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The books remain very popular today, and all of the books have movie adaptations, which are very popular. Tolkien has also published a few other books relating to Middle Earth, the fictional world he created, but they are not as popular as the main series.

Tolkien died on September 3, 1973. Some of his works were published after his death.

C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis was born on November 29, 1898. He was interested in writing even at an early age, encouraged by his parents. He attended many boarding schools, and later studied at Oxford college. He was an atheist until fellow writer and friend J.R.R. Tolkien encouraged Lewis to pursue faith.

His first successful work was Out of the Silent Planet, a science fiction book. He followed this up with two others that completed the trilogy. They were reviewed in the Inklings group.

C.S. Lewis’ most famous work is the Narnia series. The first book, the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, was published in 1950. The books have Christian symbolism woven into them.

Lewis died on November 22, 1963.

Both of these authors were very influential, and their books are still wildly popular today.

References:

www.britannica.com/biography/J-R-R-Tolkien

www.britannica.com/biography/C-S-Lewis

World War II

8G History Lesson 120 Assignment

Overview

World War II, also called the Second World War, was an international conflict that involved almost the whole world. There were two main sides, the Axis, which was made up of the Italian, German, and Japanese forces, and the Allies, which were the French, British, Russian, and later American forces.

History of WWII

The war was mostly caused by the German invasion of Poland. This led Great Britain and the U.S. to declare war on Germany. Hitler made a pact with Russia and split up Poland with them.

Germany attacked France and the Netherlands, occupying both countries. Hitler also authorized massive bombing raids of Britain. By this time, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania had joined the Axis powers. Germany broke its agreement with Russia, and launched a surprise attack on the Russian forces. The Germans were stopped by the winter weather, and were forced to abandon the mission.

Japan played a major role in the war, attacking European colonial bases in China. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked the American military base of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The U.S. made the decision to enter the war. Japan went on to conquer almost all of southeast Asia.

The Allies steadily pushed back against the Axis powers, and were able to take back the countries that Germany had claimed. They eventually defeated the Germans and split up the country between France, Britain, Russia, and the U.S.

But the war continued to rage in the Pacific. The U.S. retaliated on the Japanese attacks by dropping not one, but two atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, resulting in the loss of more than 150,000 lives, but it forced the Japanese to surrender.

World War II was another tragic war, and it is estimated that over 40 million people died as a result. But there were some positive developments and inventions that saved people’s lives, like penicillin, radar, and duct tape. Still, I hope you have learned (if you haven’t already) that war is never a good idea!

Reference:

https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II