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What Decade Did America Peak?

These United States came from humble beginnings in 1776, where founding fathers in funny wigs signed a document forming the country. Since then, America has had many highs and many lows, from incredible, groundbreaking moments like the moon landing and women's suffrage, to the bitter and violent battles waged over race and systemic oppression. Considering it all, the good and the bad, when was the nation actually at its best? We've provided each decade's peak achievements, major moments, and presidents. How you define the best is up to you. It could be a time with a cultural spirit you connect with, or one with new technologies you found the most beneficial. As you vote, remember this: Each decade had its good and bad, triumphs as well as tragedies. A vote up certainly does not condone the “bad” that happened in that decade, just as a vote down does not ignore the good.

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26
Votes
5.2K
Updated
2 days ago

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Source: Ranker, ranked by its voters.

  1. 1

    The 1950s

    Peak Achievements: The “Golden Age of Television,” Brown v. Board of Education integrates schools, Jonas Salk creates polio vaccine, Disneyland opens, the rise of Rock n' Roll and Elvis Presley, formation of NASA Major Moments: Rise of McCarthyism, Korean War, execution of the Rosenbergs, Rosa Parks sparks Montgomery bus boycott, National Guard enforces desegregation in Little Rock, AR Presidents: Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower

    64% upvoted
  2. 2

    The 1980s

    Peak Achievements: Sandra Day O'Connor becomes the first woman on the Supreme Court, “We Are The World” and Live Aid fundraise against famine, The Simpsons debuts Major Moments: “Reaganomics,” rise of AIDS crisis and awareness, Iran-Contra affair, The Challenger space shuttle explosion, Black Monday stock market crash, War on Drugs begins Presidents: Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush

    64% upvoted
  3. 3

    The 1990s

    Peak Achievements: Cold War ends, debut of the World Wide Web Major Moments: The Gulf War, Los Angeles Riots, the “Storm of the Century,” Oklahoma City bombing, OJ Simpson murder trial, Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, President Clinton's impeachment, Columbine shootings, Y2K panic Presidents: George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush

    64% upvoted
  4. 4

    The 1960s

    Peak Achievements: Moon landing, Martin Luther King gives “I Have a Dream” speech during March on Washington, Civil Rights Acts of 1960 and 1964, Woodstock music festival, Harper Lee publishes To Kill A Mockingbird Major Moments: Bay of Pigs Invasion; Vietnam War begins; Cuban Missile Crisis; death of Marilyn Monroe; The Feminine Mystique sparks women's liberation movement; assassinations of JFK, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr.; Beatlemania; counterculture movement; the Manson murders Presidents: Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon

    62% upvoted
  5. 5

    The 1940s

    Peak Achievements: Beginning of regular commercial television broadcasting, Polaroid camera invented, Jackie Robinson breaks color line in baseball Major moments: Attack on Pearl Harbor, US involvement in WWII, Japanese American Internment, NATO formed, President Roosevelt passes in office Presidents: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman

    59% upvoted
  6. 6

    The 1770s

    Peak Achievements: The signing of the Declaration of Independence, America founded Major Moments: The Revolutionary War, Articles of Confederation President: George Washington

    59% upvoted
  7. 7

    The 1970s

    Peak Achievements: Hank Aaron breaks Babe Ruth's home run record, Jaws and Star Wars premiere, Microsoft and Apple Inc. founded Major Moments: Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison all pass at age 27; Roe v. Wade; 26th amendment permits 18-year-olds to vote; end of Vietnam War; Watergate scandal; Nixon's resignation; Iran hostage crisis Presidents: Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter

    54% upvoted
  8. 8

    The 1800s

    Peak Achievements: Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark expedition, Library of Congress founded Major Moments: US-Africa slave trade abolished, Burr-Hamilton duel, Marbury v. Madison establishes judicial review Presidents: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison

    53% upvoted
  9. 9

    The 1780s

    Peak Achievements: End of Revolutionary War (Treaty of Paris signed), Constitution ratified Major Moments: The Revolutionary War, Northwest Indian War (first of the American Indian Wars) President: George Washington

    49% upvoted
  10. 10

    The 1920s

    Peak Achievements: 19th amendment grants women the right to vote, National Football League Formed, first motion picture (The Jazz Singer) with sound, Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart make trans-Atlantic flights, F. Scott Fitzgerald publishes The Great Gatsby Major Moments: Scopes trial addresses evolution in the classroom, Prohibition, Valentine's Day Massacre, Wall Street Crash of 1929 Presidents: Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover

    48% upvoted