JFK and LBJ Presidencies

Flashcards about the JFK and LBJ presidencies, civil rights, Vietnam, and cultural changes in the 1960s.

New Frontier

John F. Kennedy's domestic program that included increases in the minimum wage, federal spending on public facilities, and investment in defense and space exploration.

Bay of Pigs

Failed invasion of Cuba in April 1961 by Cuban exiles trained and funded by the CIA during Eisenhower's presidency. It was intended to overthrow Fidel Castro but resulted in a major embarrassment for Kennedy.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A tense confrontation in October 1962 between the United States and the Soviet Union over the presence of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba. It was resolved when Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles in exchange for Kennedy's promise not to invade Cuba and the removal of U.S. missiles from Turkey.

Operation Mongoose

A secret program against Cuba aimed at removing Castro from power through invasion or espionage.

Vietcong

Communist forces (Viet Minh) found in South Vietnam, who aimed to destabilize the region through ambushes, assassinations, and control of South Vietnam.

Camelot

The image of the Kennedy administration as youthful, vigorous, and beautiful, filled with young intellectuals.

Warren Commission

The group that investigated the assassination of JFK and concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Landmark legislation that outlawed discrimination by employers against African Americans and women, and prohibited racial segregation in public accommodations.

Great Society

LBJ's domestic agenda that declared a 'war on poverty' and aimed to improve living standards and opportunities for all Americans.

Economic Opportunity Act of 1964

Part of the Great Society program, it created programs like Job Corps to train the unskilled and finance local antipoverty efforts.

Medicare

A program established in 1965 that provides hospital insurance for retired people (Part A) and optional coverage for doctor bills (Part B).

Medicaid

A program established to help states pay medical expenses for the poor, including those under 65.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Legislation that authorized the federal government to intervene in state, local, and federal elections to protect black registration and voting rights.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

A resolution passed by Congress in 1964 that granted LBJ broad authority to increase U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War following the Gulf of Tonkin Incident.

Tet Offensive

A series of surprise attacks by the Vietcong during the Tet holiday in 1968, which significantly altered public perception of the Vietnam War.

Ho Chi Minh Trail

A logistical system that ran from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) to the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) through the neighboring kingdoms of Laos and Cambodia.

Free Speech Movement

A student protest that took place during the 1964-1965 academic year on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley under the direction of Mario Savio

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)

A student organization that was created in 1962, that protested the Vietnam war and wanted to rid America of poverty, racism, and violence. Believed in participatory democracy.

National Organization for Women (NOW)

An organization founded in 1966 that fought for women's rights and challenged traditional institutions.

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

A proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex