APUSH - Unit 8

SCLC

Founded by MLK, preached the use of nonviolence and civil disobedience. Was instrumental in the campaign for equality in Birmingham and in organizing the March on Washington.

SNCC

Student organization that advocated for racial equality and justice, organized many sit-ins. Became more radical in the 1960s, calling for black self-reliance and racial pride.

CORE

A nonviolent racial justice organization that used legal defense tactics, became more radical in the 1960s.

Grassroots Movements

Movements in which individuals first gather at a local level and then spread to create a broader social or political change. Responsible for the successes of the CRM.

Greensboro Sit-Ins

Four black students sat at a “whites only” lunch counter and refused to move until they were served. Woolworth abandoned its segregationist policy when sales dropped.

Freedom Riders

Mixed groups rode interstate buses into the south to challenge negligence of a Supreme Court case that deemed interstate bus segregation unconstitutional.

Warren Court

The Supreme Court from 1953 to 1969 - a socially liberal version that helped break many barriers to civil rights and protection of personal rights. Key decisions included Brown v. Board of Education and Miranda v. Arizona.

NAACP

Black civil rights group created in 1909 that helped blacks gain equality through various methods. Won landmark cases such as Brown v. Board.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Landmark decision that stated that there could be no discrimination based on race, sex, or religion in the workforce. Required equal access to public places and enforced the desegregation of schools and the right to vote. Ended de jure segregation, but did little to end de facto segregation.

Selma March

Activists marched from Selma to Montgomery to protest disenfranchisement of African American voters. Faced backlash from white supremacists.

Freedom Summer

Registered African Americans to vote in the South - met with violence from white supremacists and negligence from authorities.

24th Amendment

Removed the poll tax

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Passed after the success of the Selma March, banning literacy tests.

Massive Resistance

Resistance effort to unite white politicians in Virginia in a campaign of new state legislations that would undo desegregation of public schools

White Citizens Councils

Local organizations that used violence to intimidate activists and sought to economically and socially oppress blacks

Black Power

Movement supporting equal rights and political power for black people

Stokely Carmichael

Chairman of the SNCC. Initially advocated for nonviolent resistance, but later challenged it and advocated for the use of violence as a necessary tactic. Popularized the term “Black Power” to shift the focus of the CRM towards Black nationalism and self-determination

Black Panthers

Created in 1966, willing to use violence to protect African Americans against police brutality. Part of the Black Power movement.

Liberal Consensus

• Time period of the 1950s when the liberal ideology was dominant to a point where there seemed to be no opposition.

• Eisenhower Republicans became part of this group, pushing for social welfare and other reforms

• U.S. took a role as a global policeman and made sure to protect capitalism throughout the world, claiming to spread democracy. A consensus to expand military and social spending for the global protection of capitalism.

Johnson’s Great Society

Extension of the New Deal and JFK’s New Frontier

Main focus was the War on Poverty, in which Johnson expanded Social Security, Medicare, the food stamps program, and created Medicaid and Head Start. Supported more funding for education, as well as loans and scholarships for college students.

Economic Opportunity Act of 1964

Part of the War on Poverty, attempting to eliminate poverty through work training programs, more funding for education, etc.

Immigration Act of 1965

Ended quota system that limited numbers of immigrants from certain countries, leading to larger numbers of Latino and Asian immigrants.

Bussing

Took de facto segregation of residential areas into account. Students would be required to take a bus to a school outside their neighborhood in order to comply with the Brown v. Board ruling.

Milliken v. Bradley

Ruled that officials could not force students across district boundary lines, slowing down integration, as district boundaries were drawn to aid segregation.

Miranda v. Arizona

Under Warren Court, established that a defendant must be made aware of their rights - right to remain silent and right to an attorney. Landmark decision in protecting personal rights, including the right to privacy.

Barry Goldwater

Republican libertarian senator who ran against LBJ in the 1964 election. Although he lost, he developed the framework for modern conservatism, known as the New Right.

Nixon’s “Law and Order”

A campaign slogan that emphasized controlling crime and restoring public order, with the belief that incarceration was the best form of crime deterrence. Became prevalent in America due to the chaos of the 1960s during the CRM.

Silent Majority

Group of people who held moderate political views and supported Nixon’s policies during his campaign, but were not vocal about their views.

Affirmative Action

Liberal attempt by the government to provide equal economic opportunities for minorities in the workplace and colleges. White Americans opposed this, considering it as reverse racism.

Bakke v. UC

Supreme Court ruled in 1978 that racial quotas in college admissions were prohibited. However, it allowed race to be a factor in order to take into account the backgrounds of a students and potential disadvantages.

Weathermen Underground

Radical leftist group that advocated for an end of war, as there were were radical and economic issues in the U.S. Used violent tactics to attempt to bring about another revolution in the United States. Bombed government buildings, banks, and war manufacturers, but told people to evacuate, as they didn’t want to harm them.

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)

Activist groups that protested the Vietnam War and represented the formation of the New Left. Represents the growing liberal movements on college campuses in the 1960s.

Free Speech Movement

Protested banned political activity, especially at Berkeley in 1964. Organized sit-ins that grew into a larger movement throughout the country, where students protested academic policies and U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

Watergate

President Nixon’s operation to use classified information to gain political advantage over Democrats was exposed to the public, fueling national outrage to impeach Nixon. It was confirmed that Nixon was hiding evidence, and he resigned shortly after.

Caused a significant decrease in public trust of the executive branch, a factor in the rise of the conservative right in the 1980s.

Pentagon Papers

Leaked in 1971 - study conducted by the U.S. Department of Defense on Vietnam involvement from 1945 to 1967. They revealed that the government had misled the public about the extent of the Vietnam War, and that the true reason was to contain China, not protect South Vietnam.

Published when public support for the Vietnam War was rapidly decreasing, leading to a distrust in the federal government and the rise of the conservative right.

Boston Bussing

An extension of desegregationist policies that led to forced busing of AfAm to predominantly white schools further away. Urban area decay and whites moving to suburban areas to avoid busing caused schools to be almost as segregated as they were before.

Hard Hat Rebellion

A counter-protest to college students who were protesting the Kent State Massacre. Blue collar workers opposed the anti-war movement, resulting in confrontations between them and college students.

OPEC Oil Embargo

Middle Eastern and some Latin American countries formed this to resist U.S. monopolies over their key exports and to punish Americans for their support of Israel in the Yom Kippur war. They placed an embargo (trade ban) on prominent Western oil companies

1970s Inflation

The rise in oil prices due to the OPEC Oil Embargo led to this, as oil impacted many American businesses.

Iranian Hostage Crisis

Iranian extremists captured the U.S. embassy and took everyone inside hostage due to U.S. alliance with Israel in the Yom Kippur War and their involvement in the overthrow of Mosaddegh. The Carter administration negotiated with the extremists until they were released. This incident created anti-Iranian sentiment among Americans, affecting future policies with Iran.

BEAT Poets

A group of authors who became famous in the 1950s. They experimented with new drugs and sexualities. Their followers were anti-war activists and peace promoters, similar to the hippie era. Central elements of their culture include a rejection of mainstream American values.

Counterculture

Rise of hippie and punk subculture in the 1960s and 1970s. Represents a more radical branch of liberal social policies, promoting values that the New Right condemned as the deterioration of American morals.

Religious Right

Rose to prominence in the 1970s, supported conservative ideals and laws to counter the New Left, basing their ideals, on their Christian faith.

Moral Majority

A political organization made up of conservatives and the Religious RIght that advocated for conservative legislation.

New Right

Broad term for neoconservatives and the religious right. The rise of conservatism began during Reagan’s presidency, and themes included unrestrained individualism, a free market economy, and reduced federal government.

They mobilized opposition to Democrats in response to previously dominant Liberalism and set a precedent for new Republican political, economic, and social changes.

Reaganomics

Reagan’s attempt to fix economic problems and the wealth gap by focusing on supply-side economics through tax cuts to businesses in hopes that they would create more jobs and provide more money to circulate in the economy. He deregulated businesses in a shift from strong federal control during the New Deal to more relaxed policies

Ultimately a failure - vast increase in federal deficit / govt. spends more money than they earn in revenue

Debates over reform

Occurred over the 80s and 90s as conservative politicians wanted to cut social programs. During Reagan’s presidency, cuts to Social Security and Medicare were proposed but were shut down, because Republican voters benefited from these programs and therefore wanted them to continue.

NAFTA

Agreement between U.S., Canada, and Mexico that created a free-trade zone throughout North America. Opposition came from the fact that it cut American jobs, and its anti-pollution laws were weak. Manufacturers supported it because workers’ wages were much lower in Mexico.

Welfare Reform

During this, AFDC was abolished under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, ending the guarantee of cash assistance by requiring adult recipients to find work within two years.

Contract with America

Series of conservative legislations in the mid-1990s passed by a Republican-majority Congress (Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich). Included tax cuts, welfare reform, and consolidation of govt. programs.

Globalization

When regional societies, economies, and cultures join through international trade, transportation, and communication. Benefited American consumers by offering new and varied foreign products at low prices.

G-7

Group of Seven nations - international organization that facilitates economic cooperation among the world’s largest industrial nations.

WTO

International trade organization that prompted strong protests from anti-global trade forces in 1999.

Protestors were concerned over the organization's policies and their potential impact on workers' rights, environmental protections, and developing nations.

Rachel Carson

Advocated that pesticides were detrimental and criticized relaxed acceptance of “clean” claims by industries. Book “Silent Spring” addresses this and the potential harm to humans. Catalyst for the environmental movement.