APUSH Era 8 Vocabulary: Key Terms & Definitions for Success

Cold War

A decades-long conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union that lasted from 1947-1989. The two superpowers didn't directly fight each other, but they did antagonize each other.

Iron Curtain

A political, military, and ideological barrier that separated Europe into two rival camps from 1945 to 1991. The term was first used by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in a speech in 1946.

Truman Doctrine

American foreign policy that pledges American "support for democracies against authoritarian threats." Originated with the primary goal of countering USSR growth during the Cold War.

Marshall Plan

American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The US transferred $13.3 billion in economic recovery programs to Western European economies after WWII.

Berlin Airlift

A humanitarian aid operation that took place from 1948 to 1949. It was a response to the Soviet blockade of Berlin in 1948, which cut off all road, rail, and water routes into the Allied-controlled areas.

Open Skies Policy

Would allow NATO aircraft to carry sensors over Warsaw Pact countries, and vice versa. The goal of the treaty was to promote openness and reduce tensions in Europe through aerial surveillance.

U-2 Incident

United States U-2 spy plane was shot down by the Soviet Air Defense Forces while conducting photographic aerial reconnaissance deep inside Soviet territory.

Cuban Missile Crisis

13-day political and military standoff between the US and USSR in 1962. The crisis was caused by the Soviet Union installing nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from the US mainland.

Détente

A deliberate reduction of Cold War tensions.

SALT I

Limited the two superpowers to 200 antiballistic missiles each and froze the number of ballistic missiles for a 5-year period.

SALT II

Provided for limiting the size of each superpower's nuclear delivery system. The Senate never ratified the treaty.

Carter Doctrine

Halting grain exports and high technology to the USSR and boycotting the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.

Second Red Scare

1947-1957. Period of intense anti-communist suspicion and fear in the US, marked by investigations into suspected communist infiltration in American institutions

Loyalty Review Board

Investigated government employees and dismissed those who were found to be disloyal to the US government.

Internal Security Act of 1950

Federal law that required Communist organizations to register with the government and established penalties for engaging in seditious activities or planning violent government overthrows.

The Hiss Case

Perjury trial that began in 1948 and resulted in the conviction of Alger Hiss in 1950. The case centered on Hiss's dealings with Whittaker Chambers, who accused him of being a communist spy.

The Rosenberg Case

A 1951 espionage conviction of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. The couple were members of the communist party and were accused of passing atomic bomb secrets to the Soviet Union in 1945.

McCarthyism

Accusations without evidence aimed at rooting out communists within American society and government during the Cold War era. Synonymous with baseless allegations and scare tactics.

Army-McCarthy Hearings

Series of investigations held in 1954 where Senator Joseph McCarthy accused army officials of harboring communists during the Cold War era.

G.I. Bill

Provided benefits such as tuition assistance and low-cost mortgages for veterans returning from WWII.

Baby Boom

Significant increase in birth rates in the US following WWII from 1946 to 1964.

Levittown

Seven mass-produced suburban housing developments created in the US by William J. Levitt and his company. Widely considered as the archetype of post-war suburbs.

Taft-Hartley Act

Restricts certain labor union practices and puts limitations on strikes. It also allows states to pass "right-to-work" laws prohibiting union security agreements.

Fair Deal

Set of proposals created by Truman to increase the minimum wage, expand Social Security, and create a national health insurance program.

Modern Republicanism

The governing approach advocated by Eisenhower. Called for a balanced budget, government intervention and accepting social welfare established by the New Deal.

Federal-Aid Highway Act

Authorized the construction of 42,000 miles of interstate highways that would link all the major American cities. Created jobs and supported the post-war economic growth.

New Frontier

Plan by JFK aimed at improving the economy, education, healthcare, and civil rights; also included were his ambitious goals for space exploration.

Name Branding

Creating a unique name and image for a product in the consumer's mind, mainly through advertising and campaigns with consistent themes.

Feminine Mystique

Book written by Betty Friedan that is credited with sparking the second-wave feminism in America. It challenged traditional gender roles, arguing that housework didn't fulfill all women's desires.

Brown v. Board of Education

Landmark SCOTUS case in 1954 that rules state laws segregating schools based on race were unconstitutional.

SNCC

One of the major American Civil Rights Movement organizations in the 1960s. It emerged from student-led-sit-ins and played significant roles in Freedom Rides and other nonviolent protests.

Eisenhower Doctrine

The U.S. pledged economic and military aid to any Middle Eastern country threatened by communism.

Military-Industrial Complex

Refers to the relationship between a nation's military, government, and industrial sector. These entities work together to support the military effort.

Project Apollo

Third human spaceflight program carried out by NASA from 1961 to 1972. It successfully landed humans on the moon and brought them safely back to Earth.

Camp David Accords

A peace treaty between Israel and Egypt signed in 1978 at Camp David. The agreement was brokered by US President Jimmy Carter.

Algiers Accords

Set of agreements between the United States and Iran to resolve the Iran hostage crisis, which had begun in 1979. The US agreed to release Iranian assets frozen during the crisis and leave Iran alone.

National Defense & Education Act

Law passed in 1958 that provided funding to improve American schools and promote postsecondary education. This was an effort to boost the country's technological prowess during the Cold War.

Nixon Doctrine

Foreign policy strategy that the US would assist in the defense and developments of its allies, but wouldn't undertake all the defense of free nations.

Paris Accords of 1973

Peace agreements reached on January 27, 1973, intended to establish peace in Vietnam and end the Vietnam War.

Fall of Saigon

Event in April 1975 when North Vietnamese forces captured Saigon, marking the end of the Vietnam War.

Domino Theory

Fear that if one Southeast Asian nation fell to Communism, others would too.

Great Society

Set of domestic programs in the US launched by LBJ aiming to eliminate poverty and racial injustice.

Immigration & Nationality Act

Federal law passed in 1965 that repealed the national origins quotas and attempted to reduce discrimination within immigration practices.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

Open letter written by MLK while he was imprisoned for his participation in nonviolent demonstrations against segregation, in which he defends the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism.

Children's Crusade

1963 event where students in Birmingham, Alabama left their classrooms to march for civil rights. They were met with violence from police, which drew national attention.

March on Washington

Massive protest rally that took place in DC on August 28, 1963. Its purpose was to advocate for economic and civil rights for African Americans.

24th Amendment

Prohibits both Congress and the states from conditioning in the right to vote in federal elections on payment of a poll tax or other types of tax.

Heart of Atlanta Motel v. US

SCOTUS case that said Congress could force private businesses to abide by the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Outlawed segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Federal law that prohibits racial discrimination in voting.

Black Power

Political slogan and name for various associated ideologies aimed at achieving self-determination for people of African. It promotes black pride and advocates for the creation of black institutions.

National Organization for Women

Largest feminist activist organization in the US. Founded in 1966 by activists who wanted to end sex discrimination, NOW's goal is to take action to promote equality for all women.

Equal Rights Amendment

A proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would guarantee equal rights for men and women under the law. Failed to be ratified by 3 states out of the required 38.

Title IX

Federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education programs and activities that receive federal funding.

Lavender Scare

Moral panic about LGBTQ+ people in the United States government. This panic led to the mass dismissal of LGBTQ+ people from government service.

Stonewall Riot

Series of protests and violent confrontations that took place in 1969. The riots were a response to a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in New York City's Greenwich Village.

American Indian Movement

Grassroots movement that advocates for Indigenous rights It was founded in Minneapolis in 1968 by men who had been imprisoned and were alienated from their traditional backgrounds.

Affirmative Action

Government-backed policy that aims to increase opportunities for people who are underrepresented in society. It was developed to enforce the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

New Left

Political movement in the 1960s and 70s consisting of activists in the Western world who campaigned for a range of social issues such as civil and political rights, feminism, gay rights, and abortion rights.

Port Huron Statement

Political manifesto of the North American student activist movement. It articulated the fundamental problems of American society and laid out a radical vision for a better future.

Hippies

Members of the youth counterculture movement. Advocated for peace, love, and freedom. They rejected mainstream societal values and experimented with music and drugs.

Flower Children

Specific sector of the hippie movement. Known for their passive resistance to war and their embrace of love, peace, and simple idealistic values often expressed through art and music.

Counterculture Movement

Social and cultural phenomenon in the 1960s that challenged traditional norms, values, and systems; advocating for peace, love, personal freedom and equality.

Summer of Love

Summer of 1967 when as many as 100,000 people converged in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury neighborhood to celebrate peace, love, and music.

Sexual Revolution

Societal shift in the mid-20th century towards more liberal attitudes about sex. Included increased acceptance of sex outside traditional heterosexual marriages.

Silent Spring

1962 book by Rachel Carson that documented the adverse effects on the environment, specifically of the indiscriminate use of pesticides.

Energy Policy & Conservation Act

Act passed in 1975 aimed at establishing a comprehensive approach to meet energy demands while conserving resources. It includes measures such as setting fuel economy standards for cars.

Clean Water Act

1972 law that regulates the discharge of pollutants into the nation's surface waters, including lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, and coastal areas.

Endangered Species Act

1973 law aimed at protecting species threatened with extinction and preserving the ecosystems upon which they depend.

Superfund

Established by Congress in 1980 to fund the cleanup of sites contaminated with hazardous substances and pollutants.

New Federalism

Political philosophy championed by Nixon that sought to shift power from the federal government back to states through grants, giving them more control over how they used federal funds.

Nixon's Southern Strategy

Political strategy used by Nixon in the 1968 and 1972 elections to gain electoral votes in Southern States. It involved appealing to white voters' racial resentments and conservative values.

Silent Majority

Term popularized by Nixon to describe a large group of people in a country or group who do not express their opinions publicly. It referred to those who quietly supported his policies.

Roe v. Wade

SCOTUS decision in 1973 that established a woman's legal right to have an abortion under certain circumstances, effectively legalizing abortion nationwide.

War Powers Act

Federal law intended to check the president's power to commit the US to an armed conflict without consent from Congress.

Plumbers

Secret White House special investigators established under Nixon. Their primary task was to stop the leak of classified information and media. They quickly began spying on the DNC offices.

Watergate Scandal

Scandal following a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Complex. Nixon's attempt to cover up the scandal further publicized it, leading to his resignation.