History

Isolationism

A policy of avoiding political or military involvement with other countries, especially practiced by the U.S. before entering WWII.

Blitzkrieg

A fast and powerful military attack strategy used by Nazi Germany, meaning lightning war.

Soft Underbelly

A term used by Winston Churchill to describe Italy, considered the weaker part of Axis-controlled Europe.

Anti-Semitism

Hostility or discrimination against Jewish people, which fueled Nazi ideology and policies.

Zoot-Suit Riots

A series of violent clashes in Los Angeles in 1943 between U.S. servicemen and Mexican American youths wearing flamboyant zoot suits.

Code Talkers

Native American soldiers who used their languages to create unbreakable codes for communication in WWII.

Bernard Montgomery

A British general who played a key role in defeating the Axis in North Africa and Europe.

Dwight Eisenhower

Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during WWII and later the 34th U.S. president.

Benito Mussolini

Fascist dictator of Italy during WWII, allied with Nazi Germany.

Jeannette Rankin

The first woman elected to Congress, who voted against U.S. entry into both WWI and WWII.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

U.S. president during the Great Depression and most of WWII, known for his New Deal policies.

Four Freedoms Speech

A 1941 speech by FDR outlining essential human freedoms: speech, worship, want, and fear.

Cash & Carry Policy

Allowed nations at war to purchase goods and arms from the U.S. as long as they paid in cash and transported them themselves.

Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

A 1939 non-aggression agreement between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, secretly dividing Eastern Europe between them.

Executive Order 9066

Issued by FDR, it authorized the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII.

Atomic Bomb Dropping

The U.S. dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, leading to Japan’s surrender

Human Rights

Fundamental freedoms and protections every person is entitled to, formally recognized after WWII through documents like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Iron Curtain

A symbolic divide between communist Eastern Europe and democratic Western Europe during the Cold War.

Containment

A U.S. policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism, guiding foreign interventions throughout the Cold War.

Arms Race

The competitive buildup of nuclear weapons between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

Army-McCarthy Hearings

1954 congressional investigations into Senator Joseph McCarthy’s accusations of communist infiltration in the U.S. government and military.

Fair Deal

President Harry Truman’s domestic policy program aimed at expanding New Deal reforms and civil rights protections.

United Nations

An international organization founded in 1945 to promote global peace, cooperation, and security.

Nuremberg Trials

Post-WWII trials prosecuting Nazi leaders for crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Marshall Plan

A U.S. program providing economic aid to European nations to help them rebuild after WWII and prevent communist expansion.

Potsdam Conference

A 1945 meeting between U.S., Soviet, and British leaders to discuss post-war Europe and Japan’s surrender terms.

Berlin Blockade

A Soviet attempt to cut off Western access to Berlin in 1948, leading to the U.S.-led Berlin Airlift.

Korean War Causes & Outcomes

A Cold War conflict between communist North Korea and democratic South Korea (1950–1953), ending in a stalemate with Korea remaining divided.

Golden Age of Capitalism

A period of strong economic growth and rising living standards in the U.S. during the post-WWII era.

Standard Consumer Package

A set of goods and appliances considered essential for middle-class American households in the 1950s, including cars, televisions, and refrigerators.

Baby Boom

A massive increase in birth rates between 1946 and 1964, following World War II.

Conformity

The social pressure to adopt traditional values and lifestyles in the 1950s, influenced by Cold War fears and suburban expansion.

Modern Republicanism

President Eisenhower's political philosophy balancing limited government with moderate social welfare programs.

Brinkmanship

A Cold War strategy of pushing conflicts to the edge of war to force opponents to back down.

George Kennan

A diplomat who shaped U.S. Cold War policy, particularly the strategy of containment.

Dwight Eisenhower

WWII general and 34th U.S. president, known for his leadership during the Cold War and interstate highway expansion.

Jack Kerouac

A writer who pioneered the Beat Generation, promoting countercultural ideals in his novel On the Road.

John Foster Dulles

U.S. Secretary of State under Eisenhower, architect of Cold War diplomacy and aggressive anti-communist policies.

U-2 Incident

A 1960 diplomatic crisis in which a U.S. spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union.

Third World Country

A term used during the Cold War to describe nations not aligned with either the U.S. or Soviet bloc, often economically developing.

22nd Amendment

A constitutional amendment limiting U.S. presidents to two terms in office.

National Defense Act

A 1958 law expanding U.S. military education and research in response to Soviet advancements in space technology.

Flexible Response

President Kennedy's policy of using a variety of military and diplomatic strategies rather than relying solely on nuclear deterrence.

Generation Gap

The cultural divide between younger and older generations, especially during the 1960s counterculture movement.

British Invasion

The surge of British rock bands, including The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, into American pop culture during the 1960s.

Great Society

President Lyndon B. Johnson’s social programs aimed at eliminating poverty and racial injustice.

John F. Kennedy

35th U.S. president, known for the Cuban Missile Crisis, civil rights support, and his assassination in 1963.

Fidel Castro

Revolutionary leader who turned Cuba into a communist state in 1959.

Earl Warren

Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, overseeing landmark civil rights rulings in the 1950s and 1960s.

Robert Kennedy

U.S. Attorney General and senator who championed civil rights before being assassinated in 1968.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 1962 Cold War standoff over Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, resolved through U.S.-Soviet negotiations.

Counterculture Movement

A social rebellion against traditional norms, advocating for civil rights, peace, and alternative lifestyles.

Silent Majority

Term used by President Nixon to describe conservative Americans who opposed the radical changes of the 1960s.

Students for a Democratic Society

A left-wing activist organization that protested U.S. involvement in Vietnam and social injustices.

25th Amendment

A constitutional amendment establishing presidential succession procedures.

Escobedo v. Illinois

A Supreme Court case that ruled suspects have the right to legal counsel during police interrogations.

Miranda v. Arizona

A Supreme Court ruling requiring police to inform suspects of their legal rights before interrogation.

Loving v. Virginia

A Supreme Court case that struck down laws banning interracial marriage.

Roe v. Wade

A landmark Supreme Court case legalizing abortion nationwide in 1973.

Affirmative Action

Policies aimed at increasing opportunities for historically marginalized groups, especially in education and employment.

Birmingham March

A 1963 civil rights protest in Alabama against segregation, where police used violent tactics against demonstrators.

March on Washington

A 1963 demonstration advocating for civil rights, where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

"I Have A Dream" Speech

MLK’s landmark speech promoting racial equality, delivered at the March on Washington.

Bloody Sunday

A violent clash during the 1965 Selma march, where peaceful protesters were attacked by police.

Black Power Movement

A movement emphasizing racial pride, self-sufficiency, and political empowerment for Black Americans.

Black Panther Party

A militant civil rights organization founded in 1966, advocating for self-defense and community programs.

Greensboro Sit-In

A protest where Black students refused to leave a segregated lunch counter, sparking a wave of sit-ins across the U.S.

Malcolm X

A civil rights activist who advocated for Black nationalism and was assassinated in 1965.

Bobby Seale

Co-founder of the Black Panther Party, fighting for racial justice and community empowerment.

Thurgood Marshall

The first Black Supreme Court justice, known for his role in Brown v. Board of Education.

Emmett Till

A 14-year-old Black boy lynched in Mississippi in 1955, sparking outrage and civil rights activism.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

A leader of the civil rights movement, advocating for nonviolent resistance.

Medgar Evers

A civil rights leader assassinated in Mississippi for his activism against segregation.

Gloria Steinem

A leading feminist activist and journalist, advocating for women's rights.

Russell Means

A Native American activist who fought for Indigenous rights.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

A landmark law prohibiting segregation and discrimination based on race, sex, or religion.

Equal Rights Amendment

A proposed constitutional amendment to guarantee gender equality, not ratified.

National Organization for Women

A feminist organization advocating for women’s rights and gender equality.

CA v. Bakke

A Supreme Court case dealing with affirmative action in college admissions.

Gradual Escalation

The U.S. strategy of slowly increasing military involvement in Vietnam rather than launching a full-scale war.

Agent Orange

A toxic chemical used by the U.S. in Vietnam to destroy forests, causing health issues for civilians and soldiers.

Cluster Bomb

A type of explosive that disperses multiple smaller bombs, used heavily in Vietnam.

Pacification

A strategy of winning Vietnamese civilian support through aid while suppressing insurgents.

North Vietnam Strategy

The use of guerrilla warfare and conventional military tactics by the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong.

American Public Opinion

Divided reactions to the Vietnam War, leading to protests and distrust in government.

Ho Chi Minh

Leader of North Vietnam who fought for Vietnamese independence.

Ngo Dinh Diem

The U.S.-backed president of South Vietnam, overthrown in a coup.

Robert McNamara

U.S. Secretary of Defense who played a key role in escalating the Vietnam War.

John McCain

A U.S. pilot shot down and held as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Gave the U.S. president broad powers to wage war in Vietnam without a formal declaration.

Tet Offensive

A major North Vietnamese attack in 1968 that shocked the U.S. public and weakened war support.

Operation Rolling Thunder

A sustained U.S. bombing campaign targeting North Vietnam.

Paris Peace Agreement

The 1973 treaty that ended direct U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

Cambodia

A neighboring country affected by the Vietnam War, where the U.S. carried out bombing campaigns.

Outcomes/Effects

The war resulted in heavy casualties, political turmoil, and long-term effects on U.S. foreign policy.

Stagflation

A combination of high inflation and economic stagnation that plagued the U.S. in the 1970s.

Détente

A diplomatic policy aimed at easing Cold War tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

Enemies List

A list of political opponents kept by President Richard Nixon, reflecting his paranoia and authoritarian tendencies.

Moral Majority

A conservative political group advocating for traditional religious values in the late 1970s and 1980s.

Saturday Night Massacre

A 1973 event in which Nixon fired top Justice Department officials to suppress the Watergate investigation.