HISTORY EXAM S2 VOCAB

Defected

To abandon one's country or cause in favor of an opposing one, Igor Gouzenko did this as a USSR ambassador in Canada and showed evidence of subversion from USSR

Subversion

A systematic attempt to overthrow a government by using persons working secretly from within, this tactic from USSR was the main fear driving the Red Scare

Loyalty Review Program / Board

A organization AND council established by President Truman that authorized the screening of all federal employees to determine their loyalty to the U.S. government

J. Edgar Hoover

The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation who investigated and harassed alleged communists, he told the HUAC to hold public hearings to expose suspected Communists

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

A congressional committee that investigated Communist influence inside and outside the U.S. government during the Cold War, led by McCarthy

Smith Act (1940)

Act that made it illegal to advocate the overthrow of the US government by force or violence, FBI agents prosecuted many people for violating this act after wiretapping their homes

Hollywood Ten

Group of people in the film industry who were jailed for refusing to answer congressional questions regarding Communist influence in the film industry

5th Amendment

Amendment declaring the right to Remain silent, the Hollywood Ten and many others in Hollywood were blacklisted after using this in their communist investigation / "refusing to cooperate"

Blacklist

A group of about 500 actors, writers, producers and directors who were not allowed to work on Hollywood films because of their alleged Communist connections, included the Hollywood Ten

Whittaker Chambers

A former Communist and main witness for the HUAC in 1948 when he testified against Alger Hiss after giving a list of several government officials who were former Communists/spies

Alger Hiss

A former State Department official who was accused of being a Communist spy and was convicted of perjury, case was prosecuted by Richard Nixon

Perjury

Lying under oath, Alger Hiss was convicted of this after the Pumpkin Papers proved he was copying secret documents and microfilm, potentially for USSR

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

US couple arrested in 1950 and executed in 1953 after being convicted of conspiring to commit espionage by passing plans for the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union, one was found guilty after Project Verona

Project Venona

1946 mission completed by US and British cryptographers where they broke the USSR spy code and confirmed Soviets had spied to steal nuclear secrets, plus proved Julius Rosenberg was a USSR spy

Loyalty Oaths

Promises that were required by employees of the University of California and many other areas such as California state officials, Roman Catholic church leaders, and Union leaders, had to swear they weren't communists and supported the US government

Lavender Scare

Movement caused by the Red Scare in which thousands of LGBTQ federal employees were fired with no real evidence except their "need for secrecy"

Joseph R. McCarthy

US Senator who gained popularity for claiming he had a list of 205 Communists working for the government, he prosecuted officials without any real evidence and lost public favor by 1954

Internal Security Act / McCarran Act

(2 Names) Act that made it illegal to set up a dictator-run government and required all Communist-related organizations to publish their records, it also took away passports from confirmed Communists and allowed them to be detained in national emergencies

McCarthyism

The term associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy in his random, largely unfounded and overall damaging search for communists in the 1950s through his leadership in the HUAC

Censure

To criticize harshly, the Senate passed a vote of this against McCarthy in 1954 after he had continually accused people with no supporting evidence or real logic

Hydrogen Bomb

Nuclear weapon made by the US in 1952, much more powerful than an atomic bomb, the creation of one by USSR in 1953 led to public fear

Duck-and-Cover

Cold War drill in which students crawled under their desks and put their hands over their heads to protect themselves from an atomic bomb attack

Fallout

Radioactive particles dispersed by a nuclear explosion, this caused increased rates of cancer in Nevada after a nuclear test was performed and is the reason nuclear weapons aren't used on the battlefield

Arthur Miller / The Crucible

(Author's name AND play name) A 1953 broadway play which represented an allegory of McCarthyism by telling a story about the Salem Witch Trials and hysteria

Esther Brunauer

Employee for the US State Department who was accused by McCarthy of being a communist and fired in 1952 despite her contributions to the UN and dedication, she shows the damage of McCarthyism on those accused

Right-To-Work Laws

A state law forbidding requirements that workers must join a union to hold their jobs, allowed by the Taft-Hartley Act

Union Shops

Companies in which all workers were required to join a labor union, banned by the Taft-Hartley Act

Taft-Hartley Act (1947)

Law passed in response to post WWII labor unrest, it outlawed the closed shop system, allowed states to pass right-to-work laws, banned union shops, and prevented unions from donating to campaigns

Closed Shop

A company with a labor agreement under which union membership can be a condition of employment, banned by the Taft-Hartley Act

Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 / GI Bill

(Formal AND Informal name) 1944 law that provided WWII veterans the chance to reintegrate into society by furthering their education, buying houses/farms or establishing businesses. It discriminated against African American veterans

Executive Order 9980

Order issued by Truman that declared the elimination of discrimination within the federal government

Fair Deal

An economic extension of the New Deal proposed by Harry Truman that raised the minimum wage to 75 cents/hour, increased SS benefits by 75% to 10 million more people, and passed the National Housing Act of 1949, it didn't do much due to congress opposing it

"Do-Nothing Congress"

A name Truman called the Republican congress for refusing to enact his legislative agenda, in reality they passed the Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, and 22nd Amendment, and created the CIA, Department of Defense and the US Airforce

Executive Order 9981

Order issued by Truman that established equality of treatment and opportunity in the Armed Services for people of all race, religions, or national origins

Henry Wallace

Presidential candidate of the 1948 election for the Progressive Party

States' Right Party / Dixiecrat Party

Group of Southern Democrats who did not support Truman due to his support of civil rights, they backed Strom Thurmond as presidential candidate

Thomas Dewey

Republican Governor of New York and presidential candidate for the 1948 election, he lowered Truman's odds of winning

Strom Thurmond

Democratic governor of South Carolina who headed the State's Rights Party (Dixiecrats); he ran for president in 1948 against Truman

"Segregation Forever!"

Slogan of Strom Thurmond during his 1948 presidential campaign against Truman

Progressive Party

Group of Liberal Democrats who did not support Truman due to his ineffective domestic policies and anti-Soviet foreign policy, this led them to form a new party and support Henry A. Wallace as its leader

Dwight Eisenhower

34th US President, he was a Republican liked for his promise to end the war in Korea and reduce government intervention with Dynamic Conservatism, he extended social security and cut the federal budget

Adlai Stevenson

Former Illinois governor and democratic presidential candidate who ran against Eisenhower in 1952, he lost by a majority

Dynamic Conservatism

Eisenhower's policy of balancing economic conservatism with some activism, he did this by reducing government spending in New Deal programs while increasing aid in social security

Creeping Socialism

Eisenhower's idea that the government was regulating too many things in business through New Deal programs, which could lead to an undemocratic federal government

Atoms for Peace Speech

Speech given by Eisenhower in 1953, talked about his desire for using atomic energy for peaceful reasons and cutting production of atomic weapons

Federal Highway Act / Interstate Highway System

(Act name AND what it built) The largest public works program in history carried out under Eisenhower that provided $25 billion towards a 10 year program that made 40,000 miles of road

St. Lawrence Seaway

Waterway built under Eisenhower that built a series of locks along a river for ships to travel from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, previously not done due to US conflict with Canada over the area

Air Pollution Control Act

US's first federal legislation regarding investigating and controlling air pollution, passed under Eisenhower; mainly carried out by states

Suburbs

Residential areas surrounding a city that were popularized in the 1950s, residents were white, middle class, and families who lived in simple, similar looking homes

Levittown, NY

A New York town of mass-produced homes which was the first unofficial suburb, inspired Levittowns around the New York area

Redlining

A process by which banks guaranteed loans to building suburbs on the condition that no homes were sold to African Americans and every deed had a clause banning them from buying a house

Baby Boom

Generation of many individuals born in the United States between 1946 and 1964, post WWII and Korean War, birth was encouraged by the government and popular culture

Poverty

Inability to meet basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter, individuals who lived in the inner city faced this issue

Urban Renewal

Program in which cities target inner-city neighborhoods, buy up property, relocate the residents and businesses, and build new roads and utilities, this created crowded projects and increased violence

White-Collar Jobs

Professional office jobs, these jobs passed construction/manual laborers in 1956 and continued to increase

Blue-Collar Jobs

Jobs that require physical labor in industry, these jobs were passed by white-collar jobs in 1956 and continued to decline

Multinational Corporations

Large companies that operate both domestically and overseas, most white-collar jobs were provided from these organizations

Franchise

A business given the authorization to market a company's goods or services in an area, these were a corporate invention with the rise of white-collar jobs and encouraged conformity

Projects

High-rise buildings constructed under urban renewal projects, these homes increased tension with cramped spaces and led to increased violence

ENIAC

One of the first computers, used in military calculations, it was developed in the 1950s along with the UNIVAC model

Transistor

A semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electrical signals and power developed in the 1950s, popularly used in radios

Jonas Salk

An American scientist who developed the first injectable polio vaccine in 1952

Albert Sabin

An American researcher who developed a oral polio vaccine which was safer than the injectable version in 1955

I Love Lucy

The most popular TV show of the 1950s which at one point gained 44 million viewers on one episode, it was a comedy centering around a girl named Lucy

CinemaScope

A style of movies which used large panoramic screens and full color to attract audiences after the popularity of TV caused Hollywood viewers to decline

Alan Freed

A radio disc jockey who demanded for radios to start playing Rock 'n' Roll and blues/rhythm music and adapt to the modern youth's music tastes

Rock 'n' Roll

A style of music popularized in the 1950s known for blendingAfrican American music such as jazz, rhythm and blues, as well as country music, singers like Elvis Presley emerged with this style

Elvis Presley

The most famous Rock 'n' Roll musician of the 1950s, he was known for his energetic performances that challenged racial and social norms

Beats / Beatniks

(2 Names) Writers and artists of the 1950s who were known for criticizing American society due to its focus on materialism, conformity, and lack of meaning, they embraced artistic self-expression and spiritual exploration.

Allen Ginsberg / Howl

A beatnik Author of the 1950s AND his famous long poem which discussed those who did not conform to society's expectations

Beat Movement

A small radical movement of the 1950's that laid the foundations for widespread cultural rebellion in the 1960s youth, it rejected conformity and embraced individuality

John F. Kennedy

He was known for being more laid-back and was concerned about the missile gap between the US and USSR, won the 1960 election

Richard M. Nixon

37th US President, he was a California representative who gained fame after pushing for the continued investigation of Alger Hiss. He was known for having a serious personality and was wary that Democratic policies would increase inflation, lost the 1960 election

Cold Warriors

JFK and Nixon used this term to describe themselves because they both were dedicated to stopping the expansive forces of communism in the US and abroad

Missile Gap

Term popularized by JFK to describe the lack of US nuclear weapons compared to USSR's stockpile, which could lead to US being unprepared in an invasion

New Frontier

JFK's foreign and domestic policy during his presidency, he wanted to increase education, health insurance, deficit spending, and minimum wage along with regulate prices and taxes

Presidential Commission on the Status of Women

Panel made by JFK that called for federal action against gender discrimination and enforcement that women deserve their wages as much as men

Intellectual Disability

People who had these were helped JFK due to his sister who became disabled after a lobotomy, he called for funding research on this and making more educational programs and residential treatment centers

Special Olympics

Athletic games that were created for disabled athletes as a result of Kennedy's program on Intellectual Disability

Earl Warren

Former governor of California who became Chief Justice in 1953, he reshaped American politics and culture using reappointment, the Fourteenth Amendment, and separation of church and state

Reapportionment

The establishment of electoral districts based on their population, the Supreme Court's decisions regarding this increased the influence of rural voters

Baker v Carr (1962)

Case where Supreme Court ruled that federal courts had jurisdiction to hear lawsuits seeking to force states to redraw electoral districts

Reynolds v Sims (1964)

Case where Supreme Court ruled that states must reapportion electoral districts along the principle of "one person, one vote" so that all citizens' votes would have equal weight. Shifted political power from rural to urban areas

14th Amendment

Amendment granting due process, it was used by the Supreme Court to extend the Bill of Rights to the states during the 1960s

Due Process

The following of procedures established by law (14th amendment)

Mapp v Ohio (1961)

Case where Supreme Court ruled that state courts could not consider evidence obtained in violation of the Constitution

Gideon v Wainwright (1963)

Case where Supreme Court ruled that a defendant in a state court had the right to a lawyer, regardless of his or her ability to pay

Escobedo v Illinois

Case where Supreme Court ruled that suspects must be allowed access to a lawyer and be informed of their right to remain silent before being questioned

Miranda v Arizona

Case where Supreme Court ruled that authorities were required to inform suspects on their right to remain silent, that anything they say can and will be used against them in court, and that they have a right to a lawyer (Miranda Rights)

Miranda Rights

A list of rights that US police must read to suspects in custody before questioning them: right to remain silent, that anything they say can and will be used against them in court, and that they have a right to a lawyer

Engel v Vitale (1962)

Case where Supreme Court ruled that states could not compose official prayers and require those prayers to be recited in public schools

Abington School District v Schempp (1963)

Case where Supreme Court ruled that state-mandated bible readings in public schools were not allowed

Griswold v Connecticut (1965)

Case where Supreme Court ruled that prohibiting the sale and use of birth control devices violated citizens' constitutional right to privacy

Lee Harvey Oswald

Assassinated JFK on November 22, 1963 while he was riding in a car in Dallas, TX, suspected to be due to his communist views, he was killed by Jack Ruby two days later

Jack Ruby

Night club owner who assassinated Lee Harvey Oswald on November 24, 1963, believed to be a coverup to protect others involved in the crime

Warren Commission Report

Investigation established in 1963 to investigate the Kennedy assassination, concluded that Oswald worked alone but left many questions unanswered

Lyndon B. Johnson

36th U.S. President who was the vice president to JFK, he strongly believed in eliminating poverty and improving the lives of all citizens

Air Force One

Name of the air plane used by US Presidents, Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as president in this plane hours after JFK was assassinated

Michael Harrington / The Other America

An author AND his 1962 book which claimed around 50 million poor Americans lived in hidden slums, mainly in Appalachia, the Deep South, and Native reservations

Bracero Program

Plan that brought around 5 million laborers from Mexico to work on American farms, they experienced racism, poor pay, and harsh working conditions, in 1953 1 million were deported