Key Events and Figures of the 1960s and Post-War America

A collection of vocabulary flashcards covering the key political, historical, and sociological concepts of the 1960s and mid-20th century America based on lecture transcripts of lecture notes.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A $13\text{-day}$ confrontation in $\text{October } 1962$ over Soviet ballistic missiles deployed in Cuba, which brought the United States and Soviet Union close to nuclear conflict.

The Great Society

A series of domestic programs initiated by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the $1960\text{s}$ aimed at eliminating poverty and racial injustice, encompassing initiatives like Medicare and Medicaid.

The Feminine Mystique

A book published by Betty Friedan in $1963$ that is credited with sparking the second wave of feminism by challenging the belief that a woman's only purpose was to be a wife and mother.

Silent Majority

A term popularized by President Nixon to refer to the large group of Americans who did not participate in protests and were perceived to support his policies.

Barry Goldwater

A conservative politician and U.S. Senator who was the Republican presidential candidate in $1964$, associated with the rise of modern conservatism.

McCarthyism

A period from $1950$ to $1954$ characterized by aggressive anti-communist investigations and the fear of domestic communism led by Senator Joseph McCarthy.

Robert McNamara

The U.S. Secretary of Defense under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson associated with the escalation of U.S. military involvement in Vietnam through systems-analysis thinking.

The Power Elite

A book by C. Wright Mills that argues a small, interlocking group of military, political, and business leaders dominates American society.

Structure of Political Opportunities

A theoretical framework by Doug McAdam suggesting that the Civil Rights Movement succeeded due to expanding political vulnerability, strong Black organizations, and cognitive liberation.

The Moynihan Report ($1965$)

A controversial report by Daniel Patrick Moynihan that argued Black poverty was tied to the rise of single-parent households and family instability.

The Coleman Report

A sociological study concluding that academic success is influenced more by family background and peer environments than by school funding or resources.

Status Attainment Studies

Research into how individuals achieve social status, focusing on the relative influences of family background, education, and ability on occupational success.

Sewell and Shah Study ($1967$)

A study of $10,321$ Wisconsin high school seniors that found family background was the decisive factor in determining a student’s aspirations and college completion, though intelligence also contributed.

Truman Doctrine ($1947$)

The official U.S. policy designed to stop the spread of communism by providing financial aid, weaponry, or other support to countries under Soviet threat.

Liberal Consensus

A prevailing orthodoxy during the Kennedy-Johnson years that capitalism and economic growth, managed by government intervention, could eliminate inequality and defeat communism.

Black Power

A rallying cry popularized by Stokely Carmichael in $1966$ that emphasized Black pride, self-determination, and the demand for political and economic control within the Black community.

The Black Panther Party

A self-defense association organized in Oakland by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in $1966$ to challenge police brutality and provide community help.

Maximum Feasible Participation

A policy in the War on Poverty intended to empower poor citizens by involving them directly in the planning and management of programs meant to help them.

Culture of Poverty

A concept introduced by Michael Harrington suggesting that sustained poverty creates distinct values and norms that perpetuate poverty across generations.

Inner-Directed Character

A social character type defined by David Riesman where individuals are guided by an internalized set of goals traditionally set by elders (metaphor: the gyroscope).

Other-Directed Character

A social character type defined by David Riesman common in modern bureaucratized societies where individuals are sensitized to the expectations and preferences of others (metaphor: the radar).

Howl

A poem written by Allen Ginsberg between $1955$ and $1956$ that describes a generation destroyed by madness and critiques the materialism and industrial nightmare of modern society.

The emerging Republican majority

A thesis by Kevin P. Phillips arguing that the $1968$ election of Richard Nixon marked the end of the New Deal Democratic hegemony and the beginning of a new political era rooted in the South and West.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution ($1964$)

Legislation that authorized the President to take "all necessary measures" to repel an armed attack against U.S. forces, leading to the escalation of the Vietnam War.

Involuntary Minorities

A sociological term used by Stanley Lieberson for groups that did not choose to be in the host country but are there because of conquest, capture, or enslavement.

Plessy v. Ferguson ($1896$)

The Supreme Court decision that established the "separate but equal" legal doctrine, reinforcing racial segregation and inequality.

The S-Curve (Demography)

A population growth model described by David Riesman consisting of three phases: High Growth Potential, Transitional Growth, and Incipient Population Decline.

Instrumental Rationality

Technical rationality focusing on the most efficient means to an end, often criticized by C. Wright Mills for serving those in power while ignoring moral issues.

Double V Campaign

A Civil Rights effort during World War II that advocated for victory over fascism abroad and victory over racism at home.

The Sharon Statement ($1960$)

The founding document of Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) that defined freedom through a market economy, victory over communism, and limited government.