APUSH Unit 8 Key Terms

Baby Boom

Term for the dramatic rise in U.S. birthrates that began immediately after World War Il

Beat Generation

Artists and writers who criticized the conformity of the 1950s

Brown v. Board of Education

Supreme Court decision that abolished racial segregation in public schools

Cold War

Tense standoff between the U.S. and the Soviet Union between 1945 and 1990

Containment

Idea that communism had to be stopped from spreading through both military and political pressure

Domino Theory

Idea that a communist takeover in one country would lead to communist takeovers in neighboring countries, especially in Southeast Asia

Executive Order 9981

Desegregated the armed forces

GI Bill

Helped returning soldiers reintegrate into civilian life by offering home and business loans, tuition assistance, and job training programs

Interstate Highway Act (1956)

Largest public works project that developed an efficient transportation system throughout the country

Korean War

First “hot” war of the Cold War, ending in a stalemate in 1953

Levittown

Suburban communities with mass-produced tract houses, typically inhabited by the white-middle class

Little Rock Nine

African American students who challenged racial segregation in the public schools in Arkansas

Marshall Plan

American sponsored effort that provided economic aid to rebuild Western Europe

Massive Retaliation

Eisenhower's policy of threatening to use nuclear weapons to any act of Soviet aggression

McCarthyism

Term for making ruthless and unfair charges of communism and treason without evidence

Military Industrial Complex

Term Eisenhower used in speech to describe relationship between government and defense contractors

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Organized by Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King to protest segregation

NASA

Created in response to Sputnik, this agency is responsible for science and technology related to air and space

NATO

Anti-Soviet organization of Western nations who pledged mutual defense against communist aggressors

Redlining

Discriminatory practice of denying mortgages to residents of certain areas based on their race or ethnicity

Rock and Roll

Popular with teenagers, this fused black rhythm and blues with white bluegrass and country styles

Shah Reza Pahlavi

Came to power in Iran by U.S. backed coup and became one of America’s most trusted Cold War allies

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

Organization formed to mobilize black churches in nonviolent resistance for black rights

Sunbelt

The South and Southwestern portion of the U.S. that experienced population and productivity expansion following WWII

Television

Nation’s leading leisure activity, it projected a bland, conformist image of middle-class life

Cuban Missile Crisis

Tense confrontation between JFK and Khrushchev that nearly led to nuclear war in October 1962

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

Student based civil rights organization using nonviolent means, such as sit-ins, to achieve civil rights

March on Washington

Civil Rights rally for "jobs & freedom" in 1963 where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream Speech”

Great Society

LBJ's broad program of welfare legislation & social reform that swept through Congress in 1965

Voting Rights Act

1965 legislation outlawing discriminatory voting practices -such as the literacy test

Immigration and National Act (1965)

Abolished the quota system opening the doors to those “who can contribute most to this country”

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

The 1964 congressional action that became a "blank check" for the Vietnam War

Feminine Mystique

Challenged social expectations for women and helped launch second wave feminism of the 1960s and 1970s

Cesar Chavez

Leader of the UFW, helped inspire the Chicano movement as he advocated for better rights for Mexican Americans

American Indian Movement

Founded in 1968 to protest government policies and injustices suffered by Native Americans

Stonewall Uprising

Led to a rise in activism for equal rights in the LGBT movement

Earl Warren

Under him, the Supreme Court became a vehicle for social change and individual rights

Vietnamization

Nixon's plan to reduce American troops in Vietnam, leaving the fighting to the South Vietnamese supplied with American tanks, armor and weaponry

Detente

Period of Cold War thawing characterized by the SALT I and II treaties

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Government organization designed to regulate pollution, emissions, and other factors that negatively influence the environment

Watergate

The Pentagon Papers and this revealed instance of government secrecy, lies, and incompetence, causing Americans to mistrust their government

Stagflation

Rising prices (inflation) accompanied by slow economic growth during the 1970s

Camp David Accords

Historic 1978 agreement between Egypt and Israel facilitated by President Carter

Iran Hostage Crisis

American embassy workers were held captive by Iranian revolutionaries after young Muslim fundamentalists overthrew the oppressive regime of the American-backed Shah

Moral Majority

Political action committee to promote traditional Christian values and opposed many activist groups of the 1960s and 1970s

Regeanomics

Emphasized cutting taxes and government domestic spending in order to stimulate economic growth

Iran-Contra Affair

Major political scandal involving “arms for hostages” that deeply damaged President Reagan’s credibility

Operation Desert Storm

U.S-led engagement in 1991 to drive out Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi army from neighboring Kuwait

Rwandan Genocide

Demonstrated U.S. foreign policy struggles after the Cold War as the country did not intervene in this humanity crisis

Patriot Act

Passed in response to the September 11th attacks, it expanded surveillance abilities of the U.S. law enforcement for the sake of national security