Political Storms at Home and Abroad

Flashcards about Political Storms at Home and Abroad, 1968-1980

Counterculture

Hippies rejecting traditional social norms, protesting the war, sometimes living on communes, with prevalent drug use, and popular music and concerts for expression (e.g., Woodstock).

American Indian Movement (AIM)

A group of American Indian activists formed in 1968 to seek equality, maintain their culture, and protested through occupying Alcatraz Island (1969), marching on Washington, DC in "Trail of Broken Treaties" (1972), and occupying Wounded Knee, South Dakota (1973).

LGBTQ+ Rights Movement

Movement with many gay rights groups founded in San Francisco and Los Angeles, including the Mattachine Society (the first gay and lesbian rights group after WWII), seeking to decriminalize the LGBTQ lifestyle, with a famous protest and riot at the Stonewall Inn in NYC after a police raid.

Feminist Movement (1960s and 1970s)

Movement seeking to protect women from employment discrimination, reform rape laws, protect from domestic violence, leading to Roe v. Wade legalizing abortions and the proposed Equal Rights Amendment, and Title IX prohibiting sex discrimination in education programs.

Southern Strategy

Nixon's strategy focused on encouraging integration and criticizing the denial of voting rights while believing the southern states should pursue equality at their own pace; Appealed to the Silent Majority.

Silent Majority

Northern, blue-collar workers that did not like the social movements in the country. Nixon emphasized law and order to appeal to the silent majority

Stagflation

Combination of unemployment and inflation.

Nixon Doctrine

Nixon's foreign policy of continuing to assist allies but not assuming responsibility of defending the entire non-Communist world including looking for opportunities to secure U.S. position among major economic powers.

Détente

Relaxation of tensions between the US and USSR.

SALT

Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, which limited each side to deploying only two antiballistic missile systems (later lowered to one system) and limited the number of nuclear missiles each country maintained.

My Lai Massacre

In September 1969, soldiers destroyed My Lai village suspected of hiding Viet Cong fighters, killing 70-80 unarmed civilians (mostly women and children).

Pentagon Papers

Publication of excerpts prepared during the Johnson administration about Vietnam that revealed the truth about the Gulf of Tonkin incident and other things the Johnson administration had lied about.

War Powers Act

Law passed by US Congress in 1973 requiring the executive branch to consult with and report to Congress before committing US forces to battle.

CREEP

Committee to Re-Elect the President; The group spied on political opponents during the campaign cycle of 1972 and was responsible for the break-in at the DNC headquarters at the Watergate office complex.

Watergate Scandal

A scandal involving the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP) and a break-in at the DNC headquarters, which led to a Senate committee investigation, the implication of Nixon in a conspiracy to cover up the break-in, and Nixon's resignation from office.

Camp David Accords

Historic peace treaty between Israel and Egypt with the Camp David Accords.