1964 – President Johnson announces his ambition to eradicate racial injustice and poverty and create the Great Society. By the end of 1965, Johnson worked with Congress to pass some fifty bills, many of them of great significance.

The Economic Opportunity Act passed. This act tried to address the major causes of poverty. For instance, it provided funding for training programs such as Job Corps, loans to rural families and urban small businesses, aid to migrant workers, and established the Office of Economic Opportunity.

VISTA or Volunteers in Service to America established. This program sent volunteers into poor areas to teach various job skills.

Civil Rights Act passed. Despite a Southern filibuster in the Senate, the bill passed and barred discrimination in public accommodations like lunch counters, bus stations, and hotels, and disallowed employers from discriminating by race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Harlem and Rochester race riots anticipate the more bloody riots to follow in the years immediately following.

President Johnson wins passage of tax cuts that Kennedy first proposed in 1962. Although the federal budget deficit increased initially, much of the revenue was recovered over the next several years by the economic growth the tax cut fostered.

The National Wilderness Preservation System Act sets aside 9.1 million acres of wilderness to remain "forever wild."

Tonkin Gulf Incident and Resolution. American ships patrolling the Gulf of Tonkin began providing cover for secret South Vietnamese raids against the North. In August, three North Vietnamese boats exchanged fire with the American destroyer Maddox. Neither side sustained losses. Johnson charged the North Vietnamese with "open aggression on the high seas," and ordered retaliatory air raids on North Vietnam. He did not inform the public about the covert activities of the American ships. Congress passed what became known as the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, which provided the president with the power to take "all necessary measures" to "repel any attack" on American forces, without the necessity of consulting Congress.

The Free Speech Movement begins at the University of California at Berkeley. Over the next ten years, students would demand the right to engage in political activities on campus; they would denounce the role of educational institutions in sustaining what they considered immoral or corrupt public policies, and they called for more control of the curriculum. Founded in 1962, the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) became the leading organization of student radicalism. Nearly every major university experienced some disruption from student protest.

Lyndon Johnson elected president in a landslide victory over conservative Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona. Receiving 61 percent of the vote, Johnson won by the largest plurality of popular votes before or since.

"The British Invasion" reshapes rock music and influences American youth culture. Groups like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Kinks were among the most successful and influential.

1965 – Malcolm X assassinated. The Black Muslim religious sect, dedicated to complete segregation from white society, attracted an increasing number of followers as a result of the efforts of Malcolm X. After he broke from the Black Muslims, he was assassinated in Harlem by rivals.

North Vietnamese forces attack an American military base at Pleiku. In retaliation, Johnson ordered American bombings of the North in an effort to cut transportation of Viet Cong soldiers and supplies into South Vietnam. The operation, known as Rolling Thunder, had little success as pilots had a difficult time seeing the Ho Chi Minh Trail under the jungle canopy.

Voting Rights Act passed. This act outlawed literacy tests and other restrictive methods to keep blacks from voting. By 1970, black voter registration in the South increased from 35 to 65 percent.

Watts riots. The first large race riot since World War II began in Los Angeles when, during a traffic arrest, a white police officer used his club to strike a protesting bystander. After a week of violence, thirty-four people died. The National Guard were called in to restore order. In 1966, a racial clash in Detroit led to the deaths of forty-three persons, injuries to 2,000 persons, and homelessness to 5,000.

The Medicare and Medicaid acts passed. The Medicare Act provided health insurance for the elderly, and the Medicaid Act provided funds for the medical expenses of those on welfare or those too poor to afford medical care.

The Elementary and Secondary School Act provides aid to both public and private schools. Aid to private schools was awarded based on the economic conditions of the students, not on the needs of the schools themselves. Federal expenditures on education rose from $5 billion to $12 billion between 1964.

Faculty members hold antiwar "teach-ins" on college campuses. The general argument was that the United States and South Vietnam violated the Geneva accords of 1954 and thus brought on the war. In addition, the Vietcong, an indigenous rebel force, had legitimate reasons to revolt against the corrupt government in Saigon.

Cesar Chavez organizes migrant laborers into the United Farm Workers. In 1969 he gained national attention when he called for a boycott against grapes and lettuce.

By the end of the year, 180,000 American troops are in Vietnam.

1966 – National Organization of Women (NOW) formed. By 1967, NOW persuaded President Johnson to include women along with African Americans, Hispanics, and other minorities as groups covered by federal affirmative action programs.

Miranda v. Arizona. The Court declared that individuals arrested for a crime must be informed of the charges against them, must be informed that they have the right to remain silent, and must be informed that they have the right to have an attorney present during questioning.

By the end of the year, 360,000 American troops are in Vietnam.

Hawks versus Doves. National leaders and the American people were divided between the majority Hawks, who favored America's involvement in Vietnam, and the Doves, the vocal and growing minority who opposed involvement.

1967 – Antiwar demonstrations are widespread. In the fall, some 55,000 protesters marched on the Pentagon.

The Black Panthers Party of Oakland, California, a militant group, calls on African Americans to arm themselves against police harassment. Leaders included Huey Newton and Eldridge Cleaver.

By the end of the year, over 500,000 American troops are in Vietnam.

1968 – Tet offensive. On January 31, the day of the Vietnamese New Year (Tet), communist forces attacked American strongholds throughout South Vietnam and even entered Saigon. However, the Tet offensive was largely ineffective, as American and South Vietnamese troops drove the Viet Cong from most of the positions they seized and inflicted heavy casualties on the communists. Much of the Tet offensive was broadcast on American television to a horrified public who saw firsthand the brutality of the fighting in Vietnam. Opposition to the war grew substantially.

Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota runs a close second to President Johnson in New Hampshire presidential primary. As a result, Senator Robert Kennedy of New York decided to enter the race. With poles showing Johnson trailing badly in the next primary, he went on television to announce that he would not seek reelection.

On April 4, Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated in Memphis by James Earl Ray. The assassination caused a tremendous display of national grief, as well as violence, as riots broke out in some sixty cities.

On June 6, Robert Kennedy is assassinated in Los Angeles after he delivers his California primary victory speech. Sirhan Sirhan, the assassin, was a young Palestinian, especially upset by Kennedy's recent pro-Israeli remarks.

Riots at Democratic Convention in Chicago. While the Democrats were nominating Hubert Humphrey as its presidential candidate, police clashed with protesters in the Chicago streets. Television cameras captured the violence, which shocked Americans and hurt Humphrey's campaign at least initially.

Peace talks to end the Vietnam War begin in Paris, but are largely ineffective.

Richard M. Nixon defeats Vice President Hubert Humphrey and third-party candidate Governor George Wallace of Alabama for the presidency.

U.S. troops in Vietnam peak at 536,000.

1969 – In July, American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first men to walk on the surface of the moon.

In the spring, Nixon orders the bombing of North Vietnamese supply depots inside neighboring Cambodia. Fearing public outcry, Nixon kept the bombings secret.

President Nixon announces the withdrawal of 60,000 American troops from Vietnam. The Vietnamese military would begin to assume the burden of combat in place of American forces.

The Nixon Doctrine proclaims that the United States would "participate in the defense and development of allies and friends," but would leave the "basic responsibility" for the future of those countries to the nations themselves.

The Woodstock Music Festival attracts 400,000 people to the largest rock concert ever organized.

1970 – In late April, Nixon sends American troops into Cambodia to wipe out North Vietnamese bases there. Protests followed. Congress was so upset by Nixon's action that it repealed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution.

Kent State and Jackson State. Four college students were killed when the National Guard opened fire on antiwar demonstrators at Kent State University in Ohio. Ten days later, police killed two black students during a demonstration at Jackson State in Mississippi.

100,000 antiwar protesters march on Washington.

Clean Air and Water acts passed. The Clean Air Act reduced the legal level of car exhaust emissions and the Clean Water Act made polluters liable for their negligence.

The Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA) is established to enforce safety and health standards in the workplace.

Recession creates "stagflation." Usually during a recession, a decrease in demand for goods leads to unemployment; then manufacturers cut prices to stimulate demand and cut wages to preserve profit margins. However, at this time, unemployment rose, but wages and prices kept rising, hence the term "stagflation."

1971 – Nixon imposes wage-price controls. To provide short-term relief, wages and prices would be frozen for ninety days.

Former Defense official Daniel Ellsberg leaks the Pentagon Papers to the press. The papers revealed that the United States government was not being honest with its citizens concerning the motives and the progress of the Vietnam War.

In Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, the Supreme Court supports the use of busing to achieve racial balance in schools.

1972 – Nixon visits China. During his visit, President Nixon pledged to normalize United States relations with China, an announcement the American public received enthusiastically.

SALT I. President Nixon traveled to Moscow to visit Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev. Nixon arranged for America to sell wheat to the Soviets, but the most important development was the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty. Both sides agreed not to develop new antiballistic missiles and to limit the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles each side could deploy.

The North Vietnamese launch the Easter Offensive, their biggest offensive since 1968. The South Vietnamese and the United States halted the attack. Nixon responded with orders to bomb North Vietnam and called for the mining of seven North Vietnamese harbors, including Haiphong.

Nixon orders "Christmas bombing" of North Vietnam. The most destructive air raids of the entire war, the "Christmas bombing" lasted almost two weeks in late December. Nixon claimed the bombing exerted pressure on the North Vietnamese to return to the peace talks.

Revenue Sharing Act passed. This act, with strong support from President Nixon, distributed $30 billion over five years to local governments to use for whatever programs or problems localities decided needed attention.

In June, burglars break into the Democratic National headquarters, located in Washington's exclusive Watergate apartment complex. Although it was obvious that those arrested had strong political connections and were not average house burglars, the break-in could not be linked with the White House by Election Day.

President Nixon reelected in a landslide victory over Senator George McGovern of South Dakota.

1973 – The Vietnam peace treaty ends the war. According to terms, there would be an immediate cease fire; the North Vietnamese would release several hundred American prisoners of war; Nguyen Van Thieu would remain in power, at least temporarily, in South Vietnam, but North Vietnamese forces already in the South could remain. A committee would be formed to arrange a permanent settlement. Nixon claimed "peace with honor." Between 1961 and 1973, 57,000 Americans were killed in Vietnam and more than 300,000 wounded.

Roe v. Wade. The Supreme Court ruled that women should have legal access to abortions in the first three months of pregnancy. Previous to the decision, forty-six states restricted a woman's right to an abortion.

Vice President Spiro Agnew resigns when evidence reveals he solicited bribes as governor of Maryland and as vice president. President Nixon appointed Representative Gerald Ford of Michigan to replace Agnew.

Saturday Night Massacre. In April, as the Watergate investigation closed in on the White House, Nixon accepted the resignations of his closest aides, H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, and fired John Dean, his White House counsel, when he agreed to cooperate with Watergate prosecutors. With increasing information about Watergate being disclosed, Nixon agreed to the appointment of special prosecutor, Harvard law professor, Archibald Cox. When Cox subpoenaed presidential tapes, Nixon refused, citing executive privilege and national security; the courts overruled Nixon. Nixon offered written summaries of the tapes, but Cox refused. The "Saturday Night Massacre" occurred on October 20 when Nixon ordered Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Cox. However both Richardson and his deputy secretary immediately resigned. The third in command fired Cox. The following Tuesday, eighty-four House members had sponsored sixteen bills of impeachment. Leon Jaworski, a Texas lawyer, was appointed as the new special prosecutor.

Supporters of the American Indian Movement (AIM) occupy Wounded Knee to protest conditions on the Pine Ridge Indian reservation. The Indians occupied the town for two months demanding that the government honor its long-forgotten treaty obligations. In a brief clash with federal troops, one Indian was killed and another wounded. The siege ended soon after, but Indians won a series of new legal rights and protections, and instilled a renewed sense of pride in many Indians.

1974 – United States v. Nixon. When special prosecutor Jaworski requested additional tapes, Nixon refused. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Jaworski's favor. The tapes revealed that Nixon knew within days of the Watergate break-in that the burglars had White House ties, thus linking Nixon to the cover-up.

President Ford grants Nixon "a full, free, and absolute pardon" for any crimes he may have committed during his presidency. Ford explained that he wanted to spare the nation years of litigation and Nixon any further suffering.

"Stagflation." With high unemployment and high inflation, the nation struggled economically. President Ford seemed to provide no solutions.

Secretary of State Henry Kissinger engages in Arab-Israeli "shuttle diplomacy." Trying to promote stability in the Middle East, Kissinger flew back and forth from Cairo to Jerusalem. He persuaded Israel to return large portions of the occupied Sinai to Egypt and he arranged a disengagement between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights.

1975 – South Vietnam falls. In March, the North Vietnamese launched a powerful offensive against the weakened forces of the South. President Nguyen Van Thieu appealed to President Ford, who requested funding from Congress. Congress refused. In late April, communist forces marched into Saigon as Americans and South Vietnamese officials fled in confusion and humiliation.

1976 – Jimmy Carter elected president. Although his huge lead in the polls dwindled until election day, Carter held on for a narrow victory: 50 percent to President Ford's 47.9 percent, and 297 electoral votes to Ford's 240.

United States celebrates bicentennial.

Saul Bellow wins Nobel Prize for literature.

1977 – Panama Canal treaties signed. The United States agreed to return the canal to Panama by 1999. The U.S. reserved the right to defend and use the canal.

Department of Energy established.

1978 – Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat meet for two weeks at Camp David in September. President Carter helped the two rivals construct a "Framework for Peace in the Middle East."

Isaac Bashevis Singer wins Nobel Prize for literature.

1979 – Three Mile Island nuclear accident. Approximately 100,000 residents fled their homes near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania when a malfunction in the nuclear power plant caused a cloud of radioactive gas to float into the atmosphere. Officials worried about a meltdown, but it never developed.

The United States extends formal recognition to China. Trade doubled within a year.

President Carter and Soviet Premier Brezhnev negotiate SALT II. The treaty was to set limits on the number of long-range missiles, bombers, and nuclear warheads on each side. Distrustful of the Soviet Union and perceiving the treaty as a sign of America's weakness, conservatives and others in the U.S. refused to support the treaty, which failed ratification in the House.

Fifty-three Americans taken hostage in Iran. Seized from the American Embassy in Teheran on November 4, the hostages remained in captivity for over a year (444 days). A rescue mission in early 1980 on the day of President Reagan's inauguration.

Soviet Union invades Afghanistan.

1980 – U.S. boycotts Moscow Olympics as a response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Ronald Reagan defeats President Carter for the presidency. A high rate of inflation and Carter's own statement that America was mired in "a crisis of confidence" weakened the American public's perception of Carter as a leader. As a result, Reagan won a large margin: 51 percent to 41 percent in the popular vote, and 489 to 49 in the electoral vote.