American History 2nd Semester Exam Review

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering major 20th and 21st-century American history topics, including the Vietnam War, the Cold War, environmentalism, the Watergate Scandal, and the War on Terror.

Mainstream Culture Values

Values characterized by patriotism, the "American dream", good education, holding a job and home, and conforming to traditional values in behavior and fashion.

Beat Movement

An anti-conformist youth movement of the $1930s$ that rejected middle class American values in favor of exotic jazz, art, and literature; it eventually led to the hippie movement.

Hippie Movement

A movement that rejected individualism and capitalism, distrusted established authorities, studied Eastern philosophies, and embraced communal living where members shared everything.

Tet Offensive

A massive surprise attack by the Vietcong on south Vietnamese towns and cities.

Vietnamization

President Nixon's plan to gradually withdraw US troops from Vietnam to allow the South Vietnamese to take a more active combat role in the war.

Kent State Protest

An event where Ohio National Guard soldiers shot unarmed college students who were protesting the expansion of the Vietnam War into Cambodia.

Silent Spring

A book written by biologist Rachel Carson arguing that human actions, specifically the use of pesticides, were harming animals and humans.

EPA

A federal agency created in July $1970$ to help clean and protect the environment.

Cuyahoga River Fire

A fire caused by an oil slick and decades of industrial waste that resulted in $100k$ worth of damage and helped spark the modern environmental movement.

Watergate Scandal Cause

An attempt by President Richard Nixon's re-election team to sabotage political opponents and gain an advantage in the $1972$ election.

Watergate Scandal Consequences

Resulted in the unprecedented resignation of Richard Nixon, widespread public distrust in government, and major finance and ethics reforms.

Berlin Wall

A barrier built by the German Democratic Republic to prevent economic collapse from a shrinking workforce and solidify control, separating East and West Berlin for over $28$ years.

SDI

Strategic Defense Initiative; a nuclear defense system.

Reagan's Cold War Strategy

A combination of intense military and economic pressure on the Soviet Union followed by pragmatic negotiations with reformer Mikhail Gorbachev.

National Security Directive $75$

A directive aimed at increasing national military defense spending.

Mikhail Gorbachev

A reformer whose policies of openness and restricting control enabled German reunification and the end of the Cold War.

$9/11$ Attack Targets

The World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsilvania (intended for the White House but taken over by passengers).

$9/11$ Death Toll

Over $3,000$ people killed.

Causes of $9/11$

Motivations cited include the U.S. occupying Islamic lands like Saudi Arabia, serving the Jews, and a desire to force the U.S. to leave Saudi Arabia and defend Palestinian Muslims.

Department of Homeland Security

A federal agency created to coordinate efforts to avoid terrorist attacks.

PATRIOT Act

A law passed after $9/11$ giving law enforcement broader powers to monitor terrorist activities; it was replaced by the Freedom Act in $2015$.

Operation Enduring Freedom

The war in Afghanistan (running from $2001$ to $2014$, and up to $2021$) with the purpose of overthrowing the Taliban and finding Osama bin Laden.

Taliban

An ultraconservative, fundamentalist Islamic militia and political movement that governs Afghanistan.

$2003$ Iraq War

A conflict from $2003-2011$ aimed at finding weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and removing Saddam Hussein from power.

Saddam Hussein

An Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from $1979-2003$, later removed from power during the Iraq War.

Al Qaeda

The terrorist organization associated with the $9/11$ attacks.

War Powers Resolution

A law requiring the President to consult Congress before sending troops and limiting hostile actions to $60$ days plus a $30$ day withdrawal period unless Congress votes otherwise.

My Lai massacre

A March $1968$ event where humans of Charlie Company killed $300-500$ Vietnamese civilians (mostly women, children, and elderly), strengthening the anti-war movement.

Abu Ghraib

A prison in Iraq where Americans were accused of torturing Iraqi insurgents using controversial interrogation techniques.

Sputnik

The first Soviet satellite; its launch made America fear it was falling behind in the space race.

National Defense Education Act

An act that provided $1$ billion to produce more scientists and teachers and gave loans to help students continue education in science.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

A plan to use Cuban exiles to invade Cuba and start a rebellion against the communist government of Castro.

Cuban Missile Crisis Resolution

Kennedy used a sea blockade, public pledges not to invade Cuba, and a private agreement to remove U.S. missiles from Turkey.

Warren Commission Findings

Concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone when shooting from the $6th$ floor and Jack Ruby acted alone when killing Oswald.

Operation Ajax

A $1951$ CIA intervention that helped overthrow Mohammad Mossadeq's democratic government in Iran and replaced him with the Shah after oil fields were nationalized.

Blowback

Unintended results of a covert operation or political action.

Vietnam War Goals

The U.S. aimed to stop the spread of communism, while North Vietnam aimed to gain independence from foreign rule.

Ngo Dinh Diem

The leader of South Vietnam and the ARVN who was supported by the U.S. until his assassination in $1963$.

Ho Chi Minh

The leader of communist North Vietnam and the NVA until his death in $1969$.

Vietcong

A communist group within South Vietnam that used force to oppose the U.S. and the South Vietnamese government.

Ho Chi Minh Trail

A supply route running from North Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia used to send weapons and troops to the Vietcong.

Elephant v. Tiger

Ho Chi Minh's strategy of Gurrilla Warfare involving small, mobile irregular forces carrying out surprise attacks against regular forces.

Gulf of Tonkin Incident

A congressional resolution that provided the president with broad powers to wage war in Vietnam.

Operation Rolling Thunder

A sustained U.S. bombing campaign against North Vietnam designed to pressure them into stopping support for communist forces in the South.

Conscription

The practice of ordering individuals to serve in the armed forces.

Conscientious objector (CO)

A person who refuses to serve in military combat due to moral or religious beliefs.

Draft Deferments Criticism

The argument that college deferments were unfair because, during the Vietnam era, primarily the wealthy attended college, leaving them exempt from service.