- Historical Eras > Postwar America (1946-1975) (x)
We found 154 items that match your search
A Letter from Perry Watkins on his Mistreatment in the Army
Perry Watkins was a gay African American soldier who was drafted to serve in the army during the Vietnam War. He was open about his sexuality throughout his entire career. Despite this, in 1981, the army revoked his security clearance after 13 years [...]
Perry Watkins Describes his Mistreatment by the Army
Perry Watkins was a gay African American soldier who was drafted to serve in the army during the Vietnam War. He was open about his sexuality throughout his entire career. Despite this, in 1981, the army revoked his security clearance after 13 years [...]
Background Essay on the LGBTQ+ Community and the Military
This essay outlines broad trends in LGBTQ+ American history and traces the evolution of LGBTQ+ people’s involvement in and relationship with the United States military.
Black Activist in Appalachia Argues for Food Stamps (1968)
Mary Rice Farris, a Black woman born and raised in Kentucky, became an activist and fought on behalf of poor, Black Appalachian citizens. In February 1968, she testified as part of U.S. Senate hearings on federal aid to low-income families. Facing [...]
Construction of Freeway Displaces Black Detroiters (1959)
After World War II, local, state, and federal governments invested in building new highways, civic developments, housing, and other infrastructure. These urban renewal projects claimed to “revitalize” and “modernize” American cities by [...]
A Cartoonist Comments on American Economic Priorities (1969)
This December 1969 drawing by political cartoonist Eugene Payne was published in The Charlotte Observer. The cartoon shows a man holding items labeled "Defense," "War," "Foreign Aid," and "Space," representing the spending priorities of the American [...]
A Cartoonist Sees a "Cockeyed World" (1968)
In this 1968 political cartoon, Tom Engelhardt commented on the standard of living in the United States and inequalities of wealth and poverty. The cartoon was published in The St. Louis Post-Dispatch on election day. In it, Engelhardt contrasted [...]
Farm Workers Warn About Dangers of Pesticides (1969)
In the mid-1960s, a group of mostly Filipino farm workers created the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee and organized a labor strike against grape growers in Delano, California. After the AWOC joined together with the National Farmworkers [...]
Farm Workers Suggest Alternatives to Lettuce (1971)
In 1970, the United Farm Workers (UFW) launched the Salad Bowl Strike, the largest farm worker strike in U.S. history. For many months, farm workers refused to work, picketed, and organized boycotts. Their action caused lettuce shipments to halt [...]
Indigenous Activists During the Occupation of Alcatraz (1969)
On November 20, 1969, eighty-nine Native Americans, led by activist Richard Oakes, seized control of Alcatraz. Originally occupied by Native Americans, from 1934 until 1963 this small island in San Francisco Bay had been home to the federal prison [...]