COLD WAR & CIVIL RIGHTS

1. COLD WAR & CIVIL RIGHTS Chapter 10

2. Post War Washington • People were relieved when World War II ended, but many worried about losing their jobs as a result. • The GI Bill was passed after the war to assist returning soldiers. • The bill provided money for college tuition and helped veterans buy houses. • The years 1946 to 1964 were called the “Baby Boom” because 77 million babies were born during this time. • Families with young children often moved from the cities to the suburbs. • Suburban living led to the construction of housing, highways, and big shopping centers.

3. From Hot to Cold • Even though the United States and Soviet Union were allies during the war, the United States didn’t like the Soviet government because it was Communist. • After the war, the two countries feared the other might attack at any time. This fear began the Cold War. • People started worrying that members of the Communist party would take over the U.S. government. • Many people suspected of being Communists were fired from their jobs. • The University of Washington was one of the first universities in the country to fire professors who were suspected Communists.

4. New Technologies and Industries • During the Cold War, there was a competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to have the most powerful weapons. This was called the arms race. • The arms race also caused people in Washington to worry that the Soviets might attack at any time. • Washington seemed like a good target because of the Boeing plant and the Hanford nuclear site. • Washington built bomb shelters and practiced how to evacuate, if necessary. • The two countries also competed in a space race. • At first, the Soviet Union led the race by launching the world’s first satellite called Sputnik. • America eventually won the space race by being the first to land on the moon in 1969.

5. New Technologies and Industries (cont’d)… • As with previous wars, the Cold War provided jobs for many people. • Many people in Washington worked in the aerospace industry at the Hanford site and for Boeing making airplanes, missiles, and space vehicles. • The Cold War created a lot of prosperity for Americans. • The U.S. government began building freeways. • These highways linked Washington to the rest of the nation.

6. The Cold War Turns HOT • American soldiers battled in Korea and Vietnam. Enemy troops were supplied by the Soviet Union. • In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea. This started the Korean War. • The United States and 15 other nations sent troops to help South Korea. This war lasted three years. • The Korean War lasted from 1950 to 1953. • American involvement in Vietnam lasted for 20 years. More than 58,000 Americans died in Vietnam. • Unemployment increased dramatically after the end of the Vietnam War because the need for war materials decreased.

7. The Cold War Ends • The Cold War ended in 1991. • The United States emerged from the Cold War as the world’s main superpower. • During the war, the United States dealt with communism, racial inequality, women’s rights, and concern for the environment.

8. Second Class Citizens • Although African Americans fought in both world wars, they were still considered second-class citizens. • Jim Crow laws separated white people from black people in many Southern states. Jim Crow was the name given to laws that made segregation legal. • Blacks were not welcome at most restaurants, hotels, or public swimming pools. They could only buy homes in certain neighborhoods.

9. Challenging Inequality • Martin Luther King Jr. was the leader of the Civil Rights Movement. He led nonviolent forms of protest. • The first major victory of the Civil Rights Movement was the Brown vs. the Board of Education Supreme Court ruling that ended segregation in schools. • Other victories followed: • The Civil Rights Act of 1964 • The Voting Rights Act of 1965 • The Fair Housing Act of 1968

10. The Movement Spreads • The Civil Rights Movement was an inspiration to other minority groups in the United States, including Mexican Americans, Native Americans, and women. • These groups joined in the fight for rights and were successful in many areas.

11. Uniting Farm Workers • Many Mexicans continued to migrate and settle in the central part of Washington. • They moved to escape poverty, but it ended up being just as bad in Washington. • Caser Chavez was a Mexican American civil rights leader who believed in nonviolent protest. • He founded the Farm Workers Union and organized a nationwide boycott for California grapes.

12. Native American Movement • Native Americans fought to improve conditions on reservations. • After World War II, the government wanted to move Native Americans into the cities to find better jobs. • Native Americans faced much discrimination in the cities and life was not easy. • They organized protests to raise awareness about their struggles. • After two years, the government agreed to create a Native American cultural center in Seattle. • The 1974 Boldt ruling restored Native American fishing rights.

13. The Women’s Movement • In the 1970s, women fought for equal rights. • The national movement for women’s rights was called feminism. The goal was to gain equal rights. • People worked to add an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the U.S. Constitution, but it failed to become a law.

14. A Multicultural Washington • Washington is home to many ethnic groups. • After the war, the Japanese left the relocation camps and returned to their homes. • In the years following World War II, Latinos became Washington’s largest minority. • Immigration of Asian and Pacific Islanders increased 60 percent since the last census. • The number of Native Americans increased 20 percent.

15. Concern for the Environment Grows • The view from outer space shows an environment in danger. • In the 1970s, people in Washington became aware of the damage being done to the environment. • Seattle’s abundant rain and green plants earned it the nickname “Emerald City” in 1981. • In 1999, satellite photos showed that Seattle’s tree cover had declined 50 percent in 20 years. • Asphalt and concrete had taken over much of the city. • Traffic congestion remains Seattle’s biggest problem.

16. Industrial Pollution • Many of Washington’s rivers have been polluted with industrial waste. • A study was done on Lake Roosevelt that showed fish from the lake had high levels of metal. • The pollution was coming from a few companies in British Columbia who were dumping their untreated waste into the Columbia River.

17. The Hazards of Hanford • Decades of producing plutonium for nuclear weapons left Hanford one of the most contaminated places on Earth. • Nuclear tests were done that showed high levels of cancer-causing elements in the atmosphere. • These toxins poisoned animals and people who ate fish from the river or drank milk from contaminated goats or cows. • In 1989, the state agreed to clean up the radioactive waste. This was the largest and most expensive public works project in American history.

18. Where Did All the Fish Go? • The fish population in the Columbia River system has shrunk from 16 million a year to less than one million. • Pollution, careless logging and grazing, and dams have contributed to the decreasing numbers. • Dams disrupt the natural environment of fish. They slow down the water flow and increase the temperature of the water, which can kill fish. • One solution has been to build fish ladders to aid fish in going upstream to breed.

19. Timber – A Shrinking Resource • Although timber companies plant new forests, it takes at least 25 years for the trees to mature. • This caused timber companies to start cutting down trees in national forests. This made many people very upset. • When an old-growth forest is gone, it’s extinct, or gone forever!

20. Looking to the Future • Although timber companies plant new forests, it takes at least 25 years for the trees to mature. • This caused timber companies to start cutting down trees in national forests. This made many people very upset. • When an old-growth forest is gone, it’s extinct, or gone forever!