US History Unit 4

Gulf of Tonkin Incident

Occurrence when USS Maddox was said to have been attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats twice, incited the Vietnam War

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Allowed President Lyndon Johnson to use military in Southeast Asia without Congress issuing formal declaration of war

Tet Offensive

Began when Viet Cong forces in the South, aided by North Vietnam, attacked the non-communist South and the United States, purpose was to surprise the enemy with military and civilian attacks

Tet Offensive

Heavy losses caused many Americans to turn from supporting the Vietnam War to being against it, revealed partially that the US government was lying about success in Vietnam

Vietnam War

First “living room war,” forced Americans to confront atrocities on both sides, American journalists revealed the truth was not as simple as American officials claimed

Vietnam War

Reports of Americans bombing villages, raping and massacring citizens, stalemates, high body counts, hazy war aims, and draft fueled protests

Vietnam War

Part of the Cold War because Soviet supported Communist North and U.S. supported Democratic South

Eisenhower

President that articulated the domino theory, supported Ngo Dinh Diem, and provided billions of dollars in aid

Kennedy

President that expanded the number of military personnel and advisors in Vietnam, authorized napalm usage, and approved the 1963 coup that led to Diem’s death

Johnson

President during Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and Tet Offensive, sent over 500,000 troops to Vietnam

Nixon

Signed the Paris Peace Accords, withdrawing from Vietnam and transferring combat responsibilities back to South Vietnam

Black Codes

Modeled after previous slave codes, implemented by Southern Democrats to restrict African Americans’ freedoms, denying equal rights and passing a broad vagrancy law that permitted authorities to arrest free people for minor infractions

Hegemony

When ruling group shapes societal norms in disfavor of marginalized groups, occurred during Civil Rights era through slavery, Jim Crow laws, and the unequal distribution of jobs and resources

Emmett Till

Boy who allegedly whistled at a white woman, her relatives beat and murdered him shortly thereafter, became icon of the civil rights movement, exposing the cruel treatment so prevalent in the South at the time

24th Amendment

Ruled that voting could not be at the subject of a poll tax, thereby greatly expanding the number of African Americans who could vote

Martin Luther King

Nonviolent Civil Rights leader, well known for using tactics like strikes, boycotts, and sit-ins

Affirmative Action

First implemented by Kennedy to rule that employees could not be discriminated against because of race in the hiring process, later extended to gender as well

Cuban Missile Crisis

The closest the United States and Soviet Union came to full-blown nuclear conflict during the Cold War

Cuban Missile Crisis

In response to US deployment of nuclear missiles in the UK, Italy, and Turkey, the USSR launched nuclear missiles in Cuba

Watts riots

Race riot in California, resulting from unrest, police brutality, poverty, and racial inequality in Black communities, 34 people died, over a thousand were hurt, and almost 3.5 thousand imprisoned

New Frontier

Kennedy’s domestic program, set goal of man on moon, created Peace Corps to send Americans to developing nations, pushed for tax cuts, increased minimum wage and Social Security, laid groundwork for civil rights

Great Society

Johnson’s domestic program, declared war on poverty, established Medicare and Medicaid, passed the Civil Rights Act and Voting Act, helped education and the environment

Pentagon Papers

History of US’s political and military involvement in Vietnam 1945-1967, issued by Daniel Ellsberg

Pentagon Papers

Revealed Johnson administration lied repeatedly about Vietnam victories and expanded involvement while downplaying risks

Watergate Scandal

Discovered when operatives in Nixon’s 1972 reelection campaign were caught planting listening devices in the Democratic National Committee headquarters

Watergate Scandal

Led to Nixon’s impeachment and resignation in August 1974, although he denied involvement, his administration destroyed evidence, obstructured investigation, and bribed the burglars

Iran-Contra Scandal

Illegal arms trafficking to Iran, Reagan’s administration hoped to use proceeds to fund the Contras, a rebel group in Nicaragua

Desert Storm

Part of the Gulf War, began with bombing campaign against Iraq and ended with American-led liberation of Kuwait

Desert Storm

Purpose was to expel Iraqi military forces from Kuwait after dictator Saddam Hussein annexed the country

Cold War

Ended because USSR severe economic collapse, democratic reforms by Gorbachev, fall of communist regimes in Eastern Europe, and dissolution of USSR

Barack Obama

First African-American president, reformed healthcare system and led country through a massive economic crisis

Diachronic

View of history that examines an event in terms of its times and later periods

Latin America, Asia

1965 and later, most immigrants came from _______ and _______

Canda, Italy, Germany

1950-1960, most immigrants came from _______, _______, and…

Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965

Prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, sex, nationality, in issuing visas

Brown V. Board of Education

Outlawed segregation in public schools, declaring it unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment

1954

Brown v. Board of Education

1955

Emmett Till murdered

1961-1963

New Frontier

1961

Affirmative Action

1962

Cuban Missile Crisis

1964

Amendment XXIV ratified

1964

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

1965

Watts riots

1877-1965

Jim Crow laws

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Banned racial discrimination in voting, outlawed literacy tests

Civil Rights Act

Ended legal segregation and race-based discrimination

1968

MLK assassinated

1968

Tet Offensive

1963-1969

Great Society

1971

Pentagon Papers

1972

Watergate Scandal

1973

Nixon withdrew troops from Vietnam

1973

Paris Peace Accords

1981-1986

Iran-Contra Scandal

1990-1991

Gulf War

1991

Desert Storm

1991

USSR dissolves