11. The Vietnam War, the “Great Society”, and the Civil Rights Movement

Geneva Accords - July 20, 1954

agreements that temporarily divided Vietnam along the 17th Parallel into communist North Vietnam and anti-communist South Vietnam, ending the First Indochina War.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

US President and general (D-Day), presidency during the early Cold War years.

Ngo Dinh Diem

first President of South Vietnam, known for his role in the Vietnam War.

Republic of Vietnam

South Vietnam, established as a separate state following the Geneva Accords.

John F. Kennedy

US President, played a significant role in advancing the civil rights movement.

Lyndon B. Johnson

US President, escalated American involvement in the Vietnam War, domestic Great Society programs.

Vietnam, 1964-1973

the Vietnam War, a conflict between North Vietnam (supported by communist allies) and South Vietnam (backed by the US and other anti-communist countries).

Gulf of Tonkin Incident - August 2, 1964

North Vietnamese vessels attacked the U.S.S. Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, 1964

granted President Johnson broad authority to take all necessary actions to repel attacks against U.S. forces and prevent further aggression.

Pleiku Raid, 1965

North Vietnamese attack on a U.S. military base in South Vietnam.

Operation Rolling Thunder (1965-1968)

a sustained bombing campaign by the US against North Vietnam.

Tet Offensive, 1968

attacks by North Vietnamese forces against South Vietnam and U.S. troops during the Tet holiday, causing a turning point in American public opinion against the war.

My Lai Massacre, 1968

the killing of 400 unarmed Vietnamese civilians by U.S. soldiers in the village of My Lai.

Kent State University, Ohio, 1970

tragic shooting by the Ohio National Guard during a protest against the Vietnam War → death of four students.

Pentagon Papers, 1971

government study on US involvement in Vietnam, leaked by New York Times.

New York Times v. United States (1971)

Supreme Court case affirming the freedom of the press and allowing the publication of the Pentagon Papers.

Vietnamization

policy introduced by President Nixon aimed at gradually withdrawing U.S. troops from Vietnam and transferring more responsibility for fighting the war to the South Vietnamese.

• term coined by Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird

Richard Nixon

US President, implemented Vietnamization and eventually negotiated a peace agreement to end US involvement in the war.

Henry Kissinger

Nixon's Secretary of State, known for his role in negotiating the end of the Vietnam War.

Paris Peace Accord, 1973

agreement signed in Paris that ended direct U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War.

War Powers Resolution (War Powers Act, 1973)

limiting the President's power to commit American forces to armed conflict without congressional approval.

Great Society

set of domestic programs in the US launched by President Lyndon Johnson.

War on Poverty

set of government initiatives launched by President Lyndon Johnson to fight poverty and improve the living conditions of disadvantaged Americans.

• measures showed declines in poverty rates

Madicare

government health insurance program that provides coverage primarily to people aged 65 and older, as well as to certain younger individuals with disabilities.

Medicaid

state program that provides health coverage to low-income individuals and families.

Civil Rights Movement

social and political movement during the 1950s and 1960s aimed at ending racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans.

Segregation

enforced separation of different racial groups in a community.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine. The case involved Homer Plessy, an African American man who challenged Louisiana's segregation laws by refusing to leave a whites-only train car. The Supreme Court's decision, affirmed the legality of segregation as long as facilities for different races were deemed equal.

“Separate but equal” doctrine, 1896

principle established by the Plessy v. Ferguson case, allowing for segregation as long as facilities for different races were considered equal.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People - NAACP, 1909

civil rights organization that aims to eliminate racial discrimination.

• provided legal support to families in 1951 to enroll their children in schools in Topeka, Kansas

Thurgood Marshall

first African-American Justice of the Supreme Court.

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)

Supreme Court case that declared racial segregation in public schools - unconstitutional, overturning the "separate but equal" doctrine.

Little Rock Nine (1957)

African American students who were the first to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, following the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education.

Montgomery Bus Boycott, 1955-1956

sparked by Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her bus seat to a white passenger → a year-long boycott of the city's public buses in Montgomery, Alabama.

• lasted for 13 months

Rosa Parks

African American civil rights activist known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Montgomery Improvement Association, 1955-1956

formed to coordinate the Montgomery Bus Boycott, leader - Martin Luther King Jr.

• Courteous treatment on the buses.

• First-come, first-served seating, with whites in the front and blacks in the back.

• Hiring of black drivers on black bus routes.

Browder v. Gayle (1956)

declared racial segregation on Montgomery buses unconstitutional, effectively ending the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC, 1957)

founded by Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders to coordinate nonviolent protests and campaigns for civil rights reform.

Congress of Racial Equality (CORE, 1942)

nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience to challenge racial segregation and discrimination.

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC, 1960)

student-led civil rights organization that played a key role in nonviolent protests during the Civil Rights Movement.

Nashville Student Movement, 1960

student-led civil rights movement in Nashville, sitting at lunch counters and other public places where they were not allowed.

Sit-in movement, 1960

The Greensboro Four, members of the NAACP Youth Council staged a sit-in at a segregated lunch counter in the Department Store. They were refused service due to their race but remained seated until the store closed, inspiring similar protests nationwide.

Greensboro Four, 1960

• Joseph A. McNeil

• Franklin E. McCain

• David L. Richmond

• Ezell Blair Jr.

Boynton v. Virginia (1960)

Supreme Court case that ruled that racial segregation in bus terminals was illegal.

“Freedom rides”, 1961

protests against segregation by Blacks and whites who rode buses together through the American South.

March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, 1963

civil rights demonstration in Washington, D.C., where hundreds of thousands of people gathered to demand civil and economic rights for African Americans and hear Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

Martin Luther King Jr.

leader of the Civil Rights Movement, known for his role in organizing campaigns for civil rights reform.

“I Have a Dream” speech, 1963

Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech delivered during the March on Washington, calling for an end to racism and envisioning a future where people are judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin.

Selma to Montgomery March, 1965

marches aimed to secure voting rights for African Americans. It was marked the "Bloody Sunday" on the Edmund Pettus Bridge where protestors were beaten by the police. Despite setbacks, including "Turnaround Tuesday," the march ultimately succeeded in completing their trip.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

prohibited discrimination based on race, gender, religion, and national origin in public facilities, accommodations, businesses, and employment. 

Civil Rights Act of 1965

prohibited the restriction of the right to vote, banned discriminatory restrictions such as the poll-tax and the literacy test.

Civil Rights Act of 1968

prohibited discrimination based on race, religion, or national origin in the selling or renting of homes, provided equal housing opportunity.