US History STAAR Guide - Part 3

Taft-Hartley Act

Law passed in 1947 that struck a blow to the power of the labor union. The bill
overturned many rights won by unions under the
New Deal.

Suburbs

Communities built on the outskirts of Major cities. Levittown
was the first suburb community.

The Baby Boom

The period from
the end of World War II through the
mid-1960s marked by unusually high
birth rates.

Interstate Highway Act (1956)

Authorized the
building of a national highway system. The new roads
encouraged the development of suburbs away from the
city.

Rock N' Roll

Form of music that became popular in
the 1950's.

Space Race

Competition between U.S. and U.S.S.R. for supremacy in
space exploration between 1957 and 1975.

Civil Rights Act of 1957

First civil rights legislations since
Reconstruction. Protected voting rights of all voters by making it illegal to coerce, intimidate or interfere with a person's right to vote.

Beat Generation

a group of American post-WWII writers who came to prominence in the 1950s who originally met in New York and would
later move to San Francisco.

Peace Corps

Volunteer program that helped developing
nations.

New Frontier

Kennedy's program that addressed social
and international concerns and the expansion of the
space program.

NASA

The United States' space agency that sent Americans into
outer space. In 1969, the first man landed on the moon.

On November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas,
Texas.

Great Society

Lyndon B. Johnson's program that
addressed America's social problems including health
care, civil rights, and urban decay.

The War on Poverty

Johnson's agenda designed to help
poor Americans. This included the Head Start program and Job Corps Training.

Medicare (1965)

Federal program that provides health insurance to Americans over the age 65.

Medicaid (1965)

Program that provides health insurance for people on welfare.

HUD (Housing and Urban Development)

The federal department
responsible for the major housing programs in the United States.

Johnson's Civil Rights Record

Civil rights was a focal point during
the Johnson administration and many laws were passed during his Presidency

The Civil Rights Act of 1964

Made discrimination based on
race, religion or national origin in public places illegal.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965

eliminated literacy tests for voters.

24th Amendment

Abolishes poll taxes

The Civil Rights Act of 1968

Prohibited discrimination in the sale or rental of housing.

Silent Majority

Nixon's reference to those who did
not participate in the anti-war protests, public
discourse or the counterculture.

26th Amendment

Gave voting rights to Americans
18 years and older.

Nixon's Trip to China

In 1972, Nixon visited China, a Communist
nation, to open up diplomatic and economic relations. This was seen as a
success with the American public.

Watergate

A political scandal involving abuse of power and bribery
and obstruction of justice; led to the resignation of Richard Nixon in
1974.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Began under Nixon in
1970 and is charged with the protection of human health and the
environment.

Endangered Species Act

Signed into law by Nixon to protect critically
imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth
and development untempered by adequate concern and conservation."

Title IX of the Education Act of 1972

The law states, "No
person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to
discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance..."

Containment

The policy that the United States should prevent
communism from spreading to other nations.

United Nations (1945)

International organization formed after WWII
to serve as a peacekeeper in world conflicts. The United States and
Soviet Union used the UN to promote their beliefs during the Cold
War.

Truman Doctrine (1947)

U.S. policy that gave military and economic
aid to countries threatened by communism.

Marshall Plan (1948)

Program, proposed by Gen. George
Marshall, to help European countries rebuild after WWII. The
United States offered economic aid to the war-torn countries.

NATO (1949)

North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A military alliance
formed between the United States, Canada, and ten western
European countries.

Berlin Airlift

U.S. operation that flew food and supplies into West Berlin after the Soviet Union set up a blockade in 1948.

Korean War (1950-1953)

- After WWII, Korea was divided between North and South at the 38th
parallel.
- North Korea (Communist) invaded South Korea (Democratic) in
1950.
- As a result, the United States sent troops to help the South Koreans.
- In 1953, the war ended in a stalemate but South Korea remained a
democracy.

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

standing House
committee that investigated threats of subversion and in the 1950s was
used to investigate the communist subversion.

The Rosenbergs (1951)

An American couple who were accused of
Communism and helping the Soviet Union obtain information about the
atomic bomb. They were found guilty and sentenced to death.

Nuclear Weapons

In 1952, the U.S. successfully detonated the H-bomb, the
first nuclear weapon. The Soviet Union exploded a nuclear weapon in
1953. The arms race followed as both countries amassed more nuclear weapons.

Joe McCarthy

Senator from Wisconsin who became
famous by accusing people of being Communists
without providing evidence.

McCarthyism (1954)

Witch-hunt of suspected
Communists in the early 1950's. This tactic was used by
Joseph McCarthy.

Sputnik (1957)

The first man-made satellite to be
launched into outer space. Sputnik was a success
for the Soviet Union and a symbolic success for
communism. This caused the United States to
increase interest in its space program and a space
race developed between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Berlin Wall (1961)

A wall built by the Soviets to separate East and West Berlin. The wall stood until 1989 when communism collapsed
in the Soviet Union.

Bay of Pigs (1961)

A failed invasion of Cuba planned by the United States government. The U.S. used Cuban exiles to invade Cuba, but were
soundly defeated by the Cuban military.

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

A standoff between the United States and
the Soviet Union when it was discovered that the Soviets had installed
missiles pointed at the United States. The United States pledged not to invade Cuba when the Soviet Union removed the missiles.

Vietnam War (1954-1975)

A war between
the Communist armies of North Vietnam who
were supported by the Chinese and the non-
communist armies of South Vietnam who
were supported by the United States.

- At home, the nation was divided over
U.S. involvement in the war.
- The United States withdrew and South Vietnam was overtaken by communists in 1975.

Domino Theory

The belief that if a nearby nation becomes communist,
surrounding nations will follow suit. Was used as a rationale for
containment.

Tonkin Gulf Resolution

Congressional approval that gave President
Lyndon B. Johnson the power to escalate the war in Vietnam.

Tet Offensive

Military campaign launched by the North
Vietnamese in January 1968 against the South
Vietnamese and U.S. at a time when no fighting was to have taken place.

Vietnamization

The policy under Nixon to equip and
train the South Vietnamese soldiers and reduce the U.S. presence in
Vietnam.

Fall of Saigon

Capture of Saigon by the North
Vietnamese in April 1975 effectively ending the
Vietnam War.

Hawks

Supporters of the Vietnam War who believed the U.S. should
increase military force in order to win the war.

Doves

Critics of the Vietnam War who believed the U.S. should
withdraw.

War Powers Act

A law passed in 1973 that limited the President's
right to send troops into battle without Congressional approval.

Slavery

Bound in servitude as the property of another person. The
slave trade brought slaves from Africa to the colonies and the United
States.

Abolition Movement

The movement to end slavery.
Famous abolitionists include Frederick Douglass and
William Lloyd Garrison.

Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

during the Civil War, Abraham
Lincoln freed all the slaves in the Confederate states. Slave
states loyal to the Union were allowed to keep their slaves.

13th Amendment

abolished slavery

14th Amendment

Gave all U.S. citizens equal protection under the law regardless of color.

15th Amendment

Gave African-American men the right to vote.

Segregation

separation of races

Jim Crow Laws

Southern race laws that
encouraged segregation and discrimination against
African-Americans

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Supreme Court decision that upheld
segregation and said that "separate but equal" facilities were
legal.

Techniques Used to Prevent Voting

- Poll taxes
- Literacy tests
- The Grandfather clause
- Racial violence with the Ku Klux Klan and others

W.E.B. DuBois

Early civil rights leader and founder of the
NAACP. Du Bois demanded equality for African-Americans.

Booker T. Washington

Early African-American
leader who believed African-Americans should achieve
economic independence before social equality.

Rosa Parks

Refused to give up her seat to a white
passenger. After she was jailed, the Montgomery bus boycott
was organized.

Malcolm X

Black Muslim leader who argued for separation,
not integration, and influenced the Black Power movement. He
changed his stance but was assassinated in 1965.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Civil Rights leader during the
1950's and 60's. He helped organize the Montgomery bus
boycott to protest segregation on buses. He organized the
March on Washington where he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. King was assassinated in 1968.

Cesar Chavez

Helped organize mostly Spanish-speaking
farm workers into the United Farm Workers of America.
The success of this union led to other civil rights reforms
for Hispanic Americans, including bilingual education.

Dolores Huerta

Co-founder of the United Farm Workers
of America and longtime supporter of farm workers rights.

George Wallace

4 term Governor of Alabama in the 60's,
70's and 80's. A staunch segregationist who ran for President 4 times. Famous for his quote "...I say segregation
now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever."

Orval Faubus

6 term Governor of Arkansas from 1955-
1967. Known for his stand against integrating schools in
Little Rock and Eisenhower federalizing the National Guard
in Arkansas and removing them from Faubus' control.

Lester Maddox

1 term Governor of Georgia in the late 1960's and a staunch segregationist who refused to allow MLK's body to lie in state in the Georgia Capitol after MLK's assassination.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Supreme Court
decision that made segregation illegal in public schools.

Thurgood Marshall

Supreme Court justice and argued
many cases in the Supreme Court including Brown v. Board of Education.

The Little Rock Nine

Group of African-American students that were integrated into an all-white school, Little Rock High School, in
1957.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Made discrimination based on race, religion,
or national origin in public places illegal and required employers
to hire on an equal opportunity basis.

American Indian Movement (AIM)

Organization of the Native American Civil Rights movement. Focusing on recognition of their rights, AIM temporarily seized some federal government
properties in the early 1970's

Chicano Mural Movement

Outgrowth of the Civil Rights Movement
and as a way to document history, express their cultural heritage
and promote political social activism.

National Organization of Women (NOW)

founded in 1966 to support
"full equality for women in America." Gloria Steinem was a
leader of this movement.

Camp David Accords

Signed by Egyptian
President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime
Minister Menachem Begin on September 17,
1978, following thirteen days of secret
negotiations at Camp David. President Jimmy
Carter (39th President of the United States) worked for 18 months to
bring the two leaders together to sign the agreement to bring peace to
Egypt and Israel.

Ronald Reagan

40th President of the United States. Former
Governor of California and radio, television and movie star.

Reaganomics

Reagan's economic policy, also known as supply-side
economics. The 4 parts of the plan included: reduce government
spending increases, income and capital gains taxes and government
regulations and control the money supply.

"Peace through strength"

the support of military strength for the
purpose of creating peaceful international relations. Reagan used this as a basis for his foreign policy.

Heritage Foundation

Conservative think tank in Washington, D.C.
that took a leading role in the conservative movement during the Reagan
years.

Moral Majority

Political organization founded by Jerry Falwell that brought together the "religious right" groups. Active during the 1980's.

National Rifle Association (NRA)

National non-profit civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of Second Amendment
Rights and promotion of firearm ownership.

Rust Belt to Sun Belt Migration (1970s-1980s)

Migration of
people from the manufacturing areas of the north and northeastern U.S.
to the southern states due to changes in economics and industry.

Phyllis Schlafley

Constitutional lawyer and an American politically
conservative activist and author who founded the Eagle Forum.

Iran-Contra Affair

senior Reagan administration officials secretly
facilitated the sale of arms to Iran, the subject of an arms embargo. Some
U.S. officials also hoped that the arms sales would secure the release of
hostages and allow U.S. intelligence agencies to fund the Nicaraguan
Contras.

Persian Gulf War

August 1990-February 1991; Liberation
of Kuwait from invading Iraq by a 34 nation U.N. authorized
force led by the United States.

Balkan Crisis (1991-1995)

Ethnic war fought in former Yugoslavia between the Serbs and the Croats.

Clinton Impeachment

President Bill Clinton (42nd President of the
United States) was impeached by the U.S. House in Dec. 1998 and later acquitted by the U.S. Senate of perjury stemming from a scandal and a
lawsuit.

OPEC

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Established in
1965 and consists of 12 countries who are net exporters of oil.

GATT

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Established in 1947
and was replaced by the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1993. A set
of rules on trade for nations who are a part of the agreement.

NAFTA

North American Free Trade Agreement.
Opened door to tariff free trade on certain products and
increased imports and exports between the countries of the
United States, Canada and Mexico.

9/11

September 11, 2001terrorist attack on several airplanes. Two
planes were used to attack and destroy the World Trade Center in New York City and one struck the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Nearly 3000 deaths occurred making it the largest attack on U.S. soil since the attack
on Pearl Harbor during WWII.

War on Terror

Phrase used by President George W.
Bush to describe the international military campaign led
by the U.S. and U.K., with support from NATO, against Al-Qaeda as a response to the 9/11 attacks. Led to war in
Afghanistan and Iraq.

USA Patriot Act of 2001

signed into law by President Bush in
response to the 9/11 attacks. Stands for Uniting (and) Strengthening
America (by) Providing Appropriate Tools Required (to) Intercept (and) Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001.

2008 Presidential Election

Led to the election of, Barack Obama, the first black President of the United States.