Significant Events in the 20st Century of the United States

Some of the most significant events in the twentieth century took years to come to fruition, while others took only minutes. These events helped to shape the United States into the great and powerful nation that it is today. It is almost impossible to narrow the list of developments that impacted the United States to just a few important events, but some include; women gaining the right to vote in 1920, the dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945, the launching of the Russian Sputnik satellites in the 1950’s, passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and the Watergate scandal involving Richard Nixon in the 1970’s.

Beginning in the 1800’s women petitioned for the right to vote, never realizing that it would take decades to accomplish this goal. Furthermore, women had long worked in the temperance and abolitionist movements, but were still considered second class citizens, property of their husbands and too emotional and irrational to vote. Women began to work tirelessly to lecture, march and lobby to make a radical change to the Constitution. After years of struggles, the 19th Amendment was passed in 1919 and ratified in 1920 guaranteeing all women the equal right to vote. Today, we as women observe this right to vote as commonplace, but without the sacrifice of these early pioneers of women’s suffrage, we would not be where we are today. Today we have many women involved in politics who give a different point of view to situations that, in the past may not have occurred or been heed by just male voters. Without the right to vote, women would have no say over their own reproductive rights, economic security or freedom from violence.

Another significant event was the bombing Hiroshima in 1945; President Truman initiated th...

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...ould have remained in office and possibly would have become more of a dictator and would have great influence over the selection and activities of the next president.

So, while some of these significant events in the twentieth century may have taken years, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or minutes like the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, they all affected the United States in a spectacular way. We will forever remember the strength and courage that it took our forefathers (and women) to bring about women’s right to vote, the struggle our president went through in the decision to drop the atomic bomb, the race to space for technological superiority, the equals rights gained from outlawing discrimination and the scandal of a president infused by paranoia. Good or bad, all these things have come together to produce a Superpower, the United States.