AP US History Unit 1: Rise of the Silent Majority Key Terms

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, historical figures, legislation, political events, and social studies definitions from AP US History Unit 1: Rise of the Silent Majority.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Civil rights law passed in 1990 that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public.

Barry Goldwater

Unsuccessful presidential candidate against Lyndon Johnson in 1964 who called for dismantling the New Deal, escalation of the war in Vietnam, and the status quo on civil rights; seen as the grandfather of the conservative movement of the 1980s.

Bill Clinton

President of the United States (1993-2001) whose centrist approach included NAFTA, welfare reform, and a balanced budget passed with a Republican-controlled Congress; became the 2nd president in American history to be impeached.

Camp David Accords (1979)

Agreement brokered by President Carter between Israel and Egypt in which Israel surrendered land seized in earlier wars and Egypt recognized Israel as a nation.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Proposed by John Kennedy and signed by Lyndon Johnson, this act desegregated public accommodations, libraries, parks, and amusements and broadened federal powers to protect individual rights and prevent job discrimination.

Contract with America

Document drafted under Republican congressman Newt Gingrich promising ten items if Republicans won control of Congress, including term limits, a balanced budget amendment, tax cuts, tougher crime laws, and welfare reform.

Crisis of Confidence (Malaise) Speech

Televised national address by President Carter complaining that a weak national spirit struck 'at the very heart and soul of our national will,' making many feel he had given up.

Deregulation

The cutting back of federal regulation of industry; in the 1980s, Reagan removed price controls on oil, eliminated nursing home safety inspections, and reduced rules for airlines and savings and loans.

Earl Warren

Controversial Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1953–1969) who led the court in far-reaching rulings regarding school desegregation and protecting the rights of persons accused of crimes.

George H.W. Bush

President of the United States (1989-1993) who campaigned on the promise 'Read my lips: no new taxes,' but lost re-election in 1992 after reversing that promise during an economic recession.

George McGovern

Unsuccessful Democratic presidential candidate in 1972 who called for immediate withdrawal from Vietnam and a guaranteed income for the poor.

George W. Bush

President of the United States (2001-2009) whose 'compassionate conservatism' included tax cuts and education reform, and whose presidency was largely defined by the 'War on Terror' following September 11.

George Wallace

Alabama governor and third-party presidential candidate in 1968 and 1972 who ran on a segregation and law-and-order platform.

Gerald Ford

President (1974–1977) who served without being elected president or vice president; appointed vice president under the Twenty-Fifth Amendment and assumed the presidency when Nixon resigned.

Geraldine Ferraro

House Representative from New York chosen by Walter Mondale in 1984 as his Vice-Presidential running mate, becoming the first woman on a major political party's presidential ticket.

Great Society

President Lyndon Johnson's social and economic program that included Medicare, Medicaid, the Immigration Act of 1965, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to combat poverty and expand civil rights.

Henry Kissinger

Advisor to Presidents Nixon and Ford who served as the architect of the Vietnam settlement, the diplomatic opening to China, and détente with the Soviet Union.

Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965

Law that opened the door for many non-European immigrants to settle in the United States by ending national origin quotas.

Iran Hostage Crisis (1979–1981)

Incident in which Iranian radicals, supported by their government, seized 52 Americans from the U.S. embassy and held them for 444 days demanding the return of the deposed Shah.

Iran–Contra Affair (1986–1987)

Scandal involving secret arms sales to Iran to free hostages in Lebanon, with profits illegally redirected to aid the Contras in Nicaragua.

Jimmy Carter

President (1977–1981) whose presidency featured the Camp David Accords as a high point and the Iran Hostage Crisis as a low point.

Lyndon Johnson

President (1963–1969) whose escalation of U.S. troops in Vietnam to 540,000 by 1968 damaged his political support, leading him to decline seeking reelection after the Tet Offensive.

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)

Law passed in 1990 (modified in 2024) providing for the protection and return of Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony.

New Left

Political radicals of the 1960s who supported civil rights and opposed American foreign policy (especially in Vietnam), influenced by the 1930s Old Left.

No Child Left Behind

Education reform plan calling for increased state accountability, mandatory student achievement testing, and expanded school options for parents.

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

Trade treaty signed by Mexico, the United States, and Canada, championed by President Clinton to promote economic prosperity and stability.

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

Cartel of oil-exporting nations that implemented oil boycotts in the 1970s to disrupt the U.S. economy and pressure U.S. Middle East policy.

Persian Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm)

Military campaign by an international coalition that launched an air assault and ground offensive from Saudi Arabia to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi control.

Richard Nixon

President (1969–1974) who recognized Communist China, improved Soviet relations, and withdrew U.S. troops from Vietnam, but resigned due to the Watergate scandal.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Landmark Supreme Court ruling establishing that first-trimester abortions are protected by a woman's right to privacy.

Ronald Reagan

President (1981–1989) who led a conservative movement against détente and federal government expansion, advocating supply-side economic policies.

Sandra Day O’Connor

Appointed by President Reagan, she became the first female justice to serve on the United States Supreme Court.

September 11, 2001

Coordinated al Qaeda terrorist attack using four hijacked commercial planes to strike the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Silent Majority

Nixon's term for middle-class Americans who obeyed laws and supported U.S. efforts in Vietnam, contrasted with protesting student and civil rights activists.

Stagflation

1970s economic condition characterized by rapid inflation combined with stagnant economic growth and high unemployment, largely triggered by rising oil prices.

Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)

Proposed anti-missile defense system, popularly nicknamed 'Star Wars,' designed to protect the United States from missile attacks.

Sunbelt

Term for the South and Southwest regions of the U.S. that have experienced rapid population growth since the late 1970s due to their warm climate.

Supply-side economics (Reaganomics)

Reagan's economic strategy combining budget cuts and tax cuts to spur private investment, boost savings, create jobs, and ultimately increase government revenue.

Thurgood Marshall

Lead attorney for the NAACP in Brown v. Board of Education who later became the first Black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Federal legislation that outlawed literacy tests, expanded voter protection, and increased federal oversight of registration and voting irregularities.

War on Terror

Post-9/11 antiterrorism measures including the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, foreign suspect detentions, heightened aviation security, and military action in Afghanistan.

Warren Burger

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1969–1986) whose court upheld school busing and abortion rights, and ordered Nixon to surrender the Watergate tapes.

Watergate scandal

Political scandal originating from a 1972 break-in at Democratic headquarters; Nixon's subsequent cover-up and obstruction of justice forced his resignation.

agenda

An underlying (often ideological) plan or program.

bureaucracy

A body of non-elected government officials involved in policy administration.

coalition

Groups allied for a common purpose.

constituency

Those being represented by an elected official or group.

deficit

A shortage; an excess of spending over revenue.

demographic

Characteristics relating to a population.

discrimination

To show partiality in treatment.

entitlement

Belief that one is deserving of certain privileges.

fiscal

Relating to public revenue or public debt.

ideology

A set of beliefs.

inflation

Rising prices.

marginalized

Lacking power.

polarization

A division into two extremes of groups or interests.

proliferation

An increase in the number of something.

radical

One who wants immediate, extreme change.

reactionary

One who wants to return to an idealized past.

socioeconomic

Relating to class, wealth, and status.

surplus

The amount that remains when use or need is satisfied.