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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.


Walter Johnson baseball card
The Senator With an Arm
Truman Says He's Got a Fair Deal
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More Stories About The Modern Era
The Modern Era
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A New Day of Infamy
"Attack on the United States"
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"President Jimmy Carter Signed the Panama Canal Treaty"
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Before Hip-Hop There Was Be-Bop
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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
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Head to Head, Coast to Coast
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"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!
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Sunday Bloody Sunday
"The First March From Selma"
The ABC's Of Kid's TV
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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
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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"
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"Veterans Day"
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"The First Earth Day"
When Football Was Young
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