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Defining Moments in American History Essay

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American history has had many defining moments over the last five decades which has helped America to develop to the way it is today. Each decade holding many life changing events and discoveries in them it would take a long time to cover each and every one of these so I have chosen a major event that I find to be of great worth to Americans today. We can all learn from the past events and work together to make American a safer and better place to live, and one way to do so is by learning from the past. Starting in the 1950’s we will discuss the most life changing and breath taking moments from each decade that this great county has seen through the 90’s and discover why they are all of significant value to the America we all live in …show more content…

Although African Americans continued to fight for equal rights into the 1960’s and in some parts of America are still fighting today. This movement was sparked in the 1950’s and stands as the most significant event of that time.

The 1960’s with the Vietnam War

Moving from the 1950’s to the 1960’s events changed from having problems at home to once again having problems abroad. I found the Vietnam War to be the most significant event of the 1960’s because it consumed upward to half the decade and even into the 1970’s. The Vietnam War stands as the United States longest military conflict in History. According to a website dedicated to the Vietnam War, “The hostilities in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia claimed the lives of more than 58,000 Americans. Another 304,000 were wounded.” (The Ultimate Resource for the Vietnam War. 2007). This war had a great impact on many Americans especially for the ones who fought in this war. I have an uncle that fought in the Vietnam War. He was one of the unfortunate soldiers in the jungles that got sprayed with Agent Orange. He has major disabilities and has not been able to work for many years. He still has frequent nightmares stemming from his experiences in the War and his life is still hugely affected by his service many years ago. Richard M. Nixon stated in 1985 that, “No event in

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