U.S. History Spring Final Study Guide

Causes of U.S. entry into WWII

• Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor

• Had been providing aid to Allied powers

• National security felt threatened

War Production Board

• Established by FDR

• Oversaw and coordinated industrial production for the war effort

Lend Lease Act

Authorized the US to lend or lease war supplies to countries considered vital to US defense

Navajo Code Talkers

A group of Navajo-speaking Marines who used their native language to transmit secret messages during World War II. It was unbreakable by the Japanese.

Tuskegee Airmen

A group of African American pilots and ground crew personnel who served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. The first African American pilots trained in the U.S. military.

Executive Order 9066

Issued by FDR. It authorized the military to designate military areas from which "any or all persons" could be excluded. It was used to forcibly remove and intern Japanese Americans because they felt they were a threat.

Zoom Suit Riots

A series of violent clashes between white servicemen and young Mexican American men in Los Angeles during World War II. The riots, which occurred in June 1943, were fueled by racial tensions, with servicemen targeting young Mexican American men for wearing zoot suits, or baggy suits.

Double V-Campaign

A movement during World War II that advocated for a "double victory" for African Americans: victory over fascism abroad and victory over racism and discrimination at home in the United States

GI Bill

A federal program that helps veterans and their families pay for education and training

D-Day

the day Allied forces launched the invasion of Normandy, France, during World War II

SS St. Louis

St. Louis carried Jewish German passengers fleeing the Nazi State to Cuba, where most were denied entry. The Canadian government chose not to admit the passengers in Canada, and they returned to Europe.

Atomic Bomb

Developed during World War II, used twice against Japan in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and have since played a significant role in the Cold War and the nuclear arms race. 

Containment

A foreign policy strategy developed during the Cold War, aimed to prevent the spread of communism beyond its existing borders

McCarthyism

A campaign against alleged communists in the US government and other institutions carried out under Senator Joseph McCarthy in the period 1950–54. Many of the accused were blacklisted or lost their jobs, although most did not in fact belong to the Communist Party.

Lavender Scare

a period of intense anti-gay discrimination in the United States, particularly in the federal government, that occurred during the mid-20th century. It was essentially a "scare" based on the idea that homosexuals were vulnerable to blackmail and therefore represented a security risk, similar to how communists were viewed during the Red Scare

Domino Theory

The idea that if one country fell to communism those around it would to

Brinkmanship

Where people try and get what they want in a situation by pushing said situation to the edge of war or disaster

Cuban Missile Crisis

The Soviet Union secretly placed nuclear missiles in Cuba, raising the possibility of a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. The United States responded by blockading Cuba, leading to a tense 13-day standoff. Ultimately, an agreement was reached, with the Soviets removing their missiles from Cuba in exchange for a US pledge not to invade Cuba and a secret agreement for the US to dismantle its missiles in Turkey

Arms Race

When two or more groups compete in military superiority over weapons, armies, and technology

14th Amendment

Grants citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United States, including formerly enslaved people, and guarantees them equal protection under the law

Brown v. Board of Education

Ruled racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional

Montgomery bus boycott

African Americans in Montgomery, Alabama, refused to ride city buses to protest segregated seating

Lunch counter sit ins and freedom rides

Examples of nonviolent protest. Brought awareness to how unfair segregation was.

LBJ’s “Great Society”

A set of domestic programs enacted by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1960s aimed at ending poverty and racial discrimination in the United States.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Civil rights activist who fought for racial equality through protests, marches, and speeches.

Malcolm X

A civil rights figure whom was apart of the Nation of Islam and advocates for physically defending yourself against racism.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Got rid of literacy tests and provided federal oversight in areas of particular voting discrimination, specifically against African Americans.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.

Counterculture Movement

Movements of the 1960s and mid-1970s were a period of rebellion against the conformity and middle-class values of the 1950s. Youth rejected social norms and expressed disapproval of political, ethnic, and racial injustices through resistance and sometimes revolt.

Stonewall Riots

A series of spontaneous protests against a police raid at the Stonewall Inn in New York City in 1969, and are widely recognized as a pivotal moment in the history of the gay rights movement

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Agency of the U.S. government responsible for protecting human health and the environment. It was established in 1970 by President Richard Nixon to enforce environmental regulations and standards

Betty Friedan

A prominent American feminist writer and activist. She wrote The Feminine Mystique.

Cesar Chavez

An American labor leader and civil rights activist. Along with Dolores Huerta and lesser known Gilbert Padilla, he co-founded the National Farm Workers Association,

Affirmative Action

Policies made to ensure that people from groups who have been historically discriminated against have equal opportunities in areas like employment and education

Pentagon Papers

Papers that revealed that Johnson’s Administration had been lying to the public about how U.S. soldiers were doing in the Vietnam war, the U.S. was not going to win.

Vietnamization

Nixons plan to equip vietnamese forces for the war and at the same time withdraw U.S. troops

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Gave Johnson permission to take military action in Vietnam

Detente

A period of general easing of geopolitical tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States during the Cold War

SALT

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, a series of bilateral negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, aimed at limiting the production of strategic nuclear weapons

W.I.N

Fords Whip Inflation now plan which was supposed to help inflation by encouraging personal savings and disciplined spending habits

Iran Hostage Crisis

On November 4, 1979, 66 Americans, including diplomats and other civilian personnel, were taken hostage at the Embassy of the United States in Tehran, with 52 of them being held until January 20, 1981. Made Carter look weak.

Camp David Accords

A set of agreements brokered by Carter between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in 1978. Aimed to establish peace between Egypt and Israel.

Reaganomics

The economic policies instituted by Ronald Reagan. Creating tax cuts, decreasing regulation, and controlling money supply.

Strategic Defense Initiative

Reagan’s idea to create a space system that could intercept and destroy missiles. It was never able to be made.

Iran-Contra Scandal

During Reagan’s administration the US secretly sold arms to Iran, hoping to facilitate the release of American hostages being held by Iranian-backed terrorist groups. They had to do this secretly because of the embargo, but it got out and did not make the government look good.

1992 LA Riots

Riots that erupted in Los Angeles after police officers were acquitted of using excessive force against Rodney King, a Black man who was videotaped being beaten by LAPD officers. The riots were very violent.

Operation Desert Storm

Aka the Persian Gulf War, it was a military operation led by the U.S. aimed to liberate the Iraq-occupied Kuwait. Involved a huge air campaign and lead to Iraqi forces being expelled from Kuwait.

Clinton’s Impeachment

Impeached because of perjury and obstruction of justice. He lied under oath about his affair with Monica Lewinsky.

2000 Election

George W. Bush won against Al Gore even though he lost the popular vote.

9/11 and the War on Terrorism

9/11 was a series of terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda against the U.S. in 2001. Many people were killed in this. After this W. Bush created his War on Terrorism campaign to combat terrorism which resulted in an invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Great Recession

Worst economy since the Great Depression. Caused by U.S. housing market collapse. Took years to get economy back to how it was prior to the recession.

2008 Election

Obama won against John McCain, becoming the first African American president.

Affordable Care Act

A reform law that was designed to make healthcare affordable and accessible to all. It prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions.