Assessment 4- APUSH

Iron Curtain Speech (1946)

Churchill’s warning → U.S. sees USSR as expansionist. Begins ideological East v. West division.

Containment (George Kennan)

Basis of U.S. foreign policy for 40+ years. Stop communism from spreading, not eliminate it.

Domino Theory

Justified U.S. intervention in Asia (Vietnam, Korea)

Truman Doctrine (1947)

$400M to Greece & Turkey. First major U.S. commitment to containment.

Marshall Plan (1948)

$13B to rebuild Europe →successful containment tool.

Berlin Airlift (1948-49)

USSR blocks West Berlin →U.S. sends supplies by air for a year. Early Cold War victory.

GI BIll (1944)

Education, loans for WWI vets →growth of middle class, suburbanization, college boom.

22nd Amendment (1951)

2-term limit after FDR’s 4 elections. Reinforces fear of concentrated power.

McCarthyism

Senator McCarthy falsely accuses gov’t of communist infiltration →leads to widespread paranoia.

HUAC (House of Un-American Activities Committee)

Investigated communism in Hollywood/government.

Rosenberg Case (1953)

Julius & Ethel executed for giving atomic secrets to Soviets. Height of anti-communist fear.

Lavender Scare

Targeted LGBTQ+ individuals as security risks →shows intersection of homophobia and Cold War fears.

Brown v. Board (1954)

Overturns Plessy v. Ferguson. Begins school desegregation →huge federal judicial action.

Emmett Till (1955)

Brutal murder →televised open casket fuels Northern support for Civil Rights.

Little Rock 9 (1957)

Eisenhower sends troops →fed gov’t enforces desegregation.

Nonviolent Resistance

SCLC, SNCC, sit-ins, Freedom Rides, March on Washington (1963), Selma (1965)

Civil Rights Act (1964)

Bans discrimination in public accomodations.

Voting Rights Act (1965)

Outlaws literacy tests; federal oversight in South.

Fair Housing Act (1968)

Bans housing discrimination post- King assassination.

Violent Resistance

Watts (1965), 1968 riots show urban frustrations.

Nation of Islam/Malcolm X

Criticizes nonviolence, promotes Black self-defense & pride.

Black Panthers

Founded by Huey P. Newton & Bobby Seale. Monitored police, fed kids →symbol of militant resistance.

Fred Hampton Assassination (1969)

FBI/CIA involvement → example of COINTELPRO suppression.

Chicano Movement (Cesar Chavez)

Farmworker rights, grape boycotts.

Second Wave Feminism

The Feminine Mystique, Roe v. Wade (1973), ERA fails.

Stonewall (1969)

Spark of modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.

Marsha P. Johnson

Key activist post- Stonewall

AIM/ Wounded Knee (1973)

Native resistance to federal control.

Environmental Movement

Clean Air Act (1970), Clean Water Act (1972), EPA (1970) under Nixon.

Disability Rights

Push for ADA (1990), inclusion and accessibility.

Korean War (1950-53)

U.S./UN vs. communists in Korea →first proxy war.

Sputnik (1957)/NASA

USSR’s space lead →U.S. funds STEM via NDEA.

Berlin Wall (1961)

USSR seals East Berlin → symbol of Cold War divide.

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

Closest to nuclear war; USSR backs down, U.S. removes missiles from Turkey.

VIetnam War:

1. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964): LBJ gets blank check.

2. Tet Offensive (1968): U.S. public turns against war.

3. My Lai Massacre, Agent Orange →anti war movement grows.

4. Kent State (1970): Students killed protesting war →sparks national outrage.

Great Society (LBJ)

War on Poverty, Medicare/Medicaid, education aid →expands federal role.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

No school- led prayer → confirms separation of church/state.

JFK Assassination (1963)

Launches LBJ into presidency.

Military- Industrial Complex

Eisenhower warns of arms industry influence over politics.

Detente

Nixon’s foreign policy →U.S. and USSR ease tensions (e.g., SALT talks)

Watergate (1972-74)

Nixon resigns after scandal →distrust in gov’t increases.

Camp David Accords (1978)

Peace between Egypt and Israel →major U.S. diplomatic success.

Iran Hostage Crisis (1979)

U.S. embassy workers held → makes Carter look weak.

Moral Majority

Religious right rises →shapes GOP.

Supply- Side Economics (Reaganomics)

Tax cuts for wealthy, deregulation →growth +deficits.

AIDS Crisis

Slow federal response →activism grows.

Soviet-Afghan War (1979-89)

“Soviet Vietnam” →drains USSR.

Fall of Berlin Wall (1989), USSR collapse (1991)

U.S. “wins” Cold War.

Rodney King Riots (1992)

Police brutality →sparks LA unrest.

Waco Siege (1993)

Government standoff with cult →deaths raise questions.

Oklahoma City Bombing (1995)

Domestic terrorism.

9/11 Attacks (2001)

Al-Qaeda hijacks planes →leads to global war on terror.

Patriot Act

Expands surveillance powers.

Afghanistan Invasion (2001)

U.S. removes Taliban.

Iraq War (2003)

Claims of WMDs →no weapons found →long occupation.

First Black President

Huge milestone in U.S. History

2008 Financial Crisis

Obama inherits deep recession →stimulus package, bailouts.