American History Final

Sputnik

The Soviet Union created the first manmade satellite launched into space.

• Significance of Space Race in the Cold War

The same technology of the satellites could launch a nuclear war in any city, funding for research and education increased, and new technology was developed.

• National Defense Education Act

-Passed to give $1 billion to produce more scientists and teachers of science.

-Gave money for loans to help high school and college graduates continue their education in science

• Bay-of-Pigs Invasion

America's goal was to use Cuban exiles to invade Cuba and start a rebellion against the communist govt. After the rebels set up an American supported rival govt, Castro would face upringings from thousands of Cubans. But Kennedy wanted to have little American involvement so he didn’t allow the air force to give backup and he ignored the fact Castro knew they were coming.

• Causes of Cuban Missile Crisis

Cuba sought a close relationship with the Soviet Union and Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev promised he wouldn’t place any offensive missiles in Cuba but America found out there were 36 missiles already on the island that the Soviets had been shipping for months.

• How Cuban Missile Crisis was resolved

Kennedy initiated a naval blockade of Cuba to prevent Soviet ships from bringing more supplies to the island. And in the end a pledge not to invade Cuba and a pledge to remove missiles from Turkey convinced Khrushchev to remove the missiles.

• Warren Commission Findings

1) Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone when he shot Kennedy from a window on the 6th floor of the Texas School Book Depository building.

2) Jack Ruby acted alone when he killed Oswald on November 24, 1963

• Conspiracy theory involving the Soviet Union and Lee Harvey Oswald

Oswald was an x-marine who defected to Russia and returned to the U.S. with a Russian bride.

• Conspiracy theory involving the mafia and Jack Ruby

-Members of the mafia were under investigation by Kennedy’s Attorney General.  

-Ruby had connections to the mafia and was hired to silence Oswald.

• Conspiracy theory involving the C.I.A

-The CIA had conflicts with JFK, especially after the Bay of Pigs fiasco and his perceived soft stance on communism.

-Some suggest JFK wanted to scale back U.S. involvement in Vietnam and curb the CIA's power.

• C.I.A

Created by President Truman in 1947 and its purpose was to gather intelligence about other countries and to contain communism during the Cold War, the CIA helped overthrow foreign governments.

• Operation Ajax

-A British company (Brittish Petroleum) controlled Iran’s oil fields and took most of the profits. 

-In response, the elected leader of Iran, Mohammad Mossadeq, nationalized (took over) it in 1951.  

-America feared this signaled Iran was turning toward Communism, so the CIA helped overthrow Mossadeq’s democratic government and replaced him with the Shah.

Blowback

unintended results of a covert operation or political action

• How U.S. goal in Vietnam War differed from North Vietnam’s goal

American Perspective: stop communism from spreading

North Vietnamese Perspective: gain independence from foreign rule

• Ngo Dinh Diem

led S. Vietnam with U.S. Support, but was overthrown by a coup.

• Ho Chi Minh

leader of communist North Vietnam and North Vietnamese Army (NVA) until his death in 1969.

Vietcong

communist group within South Vietnam that used force to oppose the U.S. and S. Vietnamese government in order to make S. Vietnam a communist nation.

• Ho Chi Minh Trail

a military supply route running from North Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia to send weapons, soldiers, and supplies to the Vietcong in South Vietnam. 

• Ho Chi Minh’s strategy to defeat U.S.: Elephant v. Tiger

War of attrition designed to defeat technologically superior armies (the elephant) through relentless guerrilla warfare and political mobilization (the tiger)

• Gulf of Tonkin Incident

-Congressional resolution that gave the president broad powers to wage war in Vietnam.

-American patrol ships, USS Maddox & Turner Joy, claim they were attacked by North Vietnamese in Gulf of Tonkin.

• Operation Rolling Thunder

-A sustained bombing campaign against north Vietnam

-they needed airfields the planes could take off of. 

Conscription

practice of ordering people by law to serve in the armed forces

• Ways people tried to avoid fighting in Vietnam

-Dodge the draft (ie flee to Canada)

-Deferment: official permission to do required military service at a later time or not at all

-Conscientious Objector (CO): person who refuses to serve in military combat because of moral or religious beliefs

• Criticisms of college deferments for draft

Caused lower income and working class who couldn’t afford college getting drafted over higher class youth.

• Values of Mainstream Culture

Patriotism, men and women getting married, the “American dream” , good education, job, home, traditional values, sense of conformity, fitting in with everyone else.

• Beat Movement

-Anti-conformist youth movement of 1950s 

-Rejected middle class American values in favor of exotic jazz, art, and literature

-led to hippie movement of 1960s.

• Hippie Movement

-rejected individualism and capitalism. 

-distrusted established authorities and expert knowledge.

-studied eastern philosophies

-embraced communal living where members shared everything

• Tet Offensive

Massive surprise attack by the Vietcong on south vietnamese towns and cities. It was a US military victory but lost public support.

Vietnamization

Nixon’s plan to gradually withdraw troops from Vietnam to allow the South Vietnamese to take a more active combat role in the war.

• Kent State Protest

College students were mad at Nixon for saying he was going to end the war but then continued it in Cambodia. Students gathered and were being destructive and wouldn’t leave so the national guard shot at them and 4 students were killed.

• Silent Spring

Book written by Rachel Carson who titled her book that because the environment was so bad the birds couldn’t live to sing and there were no bees buzzing or fish swimming so everything was silent.

• Rachel Carson

Wrote silent spring, was a biologist who argued human actions were harming the environment and she was most concerned about the impact pesticides (DDT) had on animals and humans.

EPA

Federal agency created in July 1970 to help clean and protect the environment.

• Cuyahoga River Fire

An oil slick on the Cuyahoga River - polluted from decades of industrial waste - caught fire and caused $100k worth of damage. This fire and Rachel Carson’s book, silent spring, led to the beginning of the modern environmental movement.

• Cause of Watergate Scandal

Nixon, in an attempt to get re-elected, had people install electronic bugging equipment in telephones that would transmit Democratic campaign strategies back to them.

• Short and Long-term Consequences of Watergate Scandal

Short: lots of people went to jail, ended Nixon's presidency and political life, he let Americans down, and he resigned.

Long: People idolizing and trusting the govt stopped, ⅔ of people didn’t trust the govt, more reporters investigated and hold govt accountable.

• Berlin Wall

• Who built it?

• Why was it built?

The communist govt of east Germany built it

Purpose was to keep people from fleeing to the west and leaving.

SDI

Strategic Defense Initiative was President Reagan’s proposed nuclear defense system that the press called “Star Wars”

• Reagan’s impact on ending the Cold War

Asked Gorbachev in his 1987 speech in Berlin to open the gate and tear it down.

• National Security Directive 75

Increase military defense spending to increase change in the Soviet Union.

• Gorbachev’s impact on ending the Cold War

He decided to pay for two reforms Glasnost & Perestroika 

9/11 attacks

• Targets? 

• How many killed?

Two crashed into the World Trade Center one crashed into the Pentagon and one crashed into a Pennsylvania field.

Over 3,000s people died.

• Causes of 9/11

1. Convince the US to leave Saudi Arabia

2. defend Palestinian Muslims from Israel and give all Muslims access to holy cities in Israel.

• Response to 9/11

War on terror

Direct an expanded assault on terrorism and defend the homeland.

• Department of Homeland Security

Created to coordinate domestic security efforts that protect from and respond to terrorist attacks, man made accidents and natural disasters.

• PATRIOT Act

Law passed after 9/11 to give law enforcement broader powers to monitor possible terrorist activities. It was replaced by the FREEDOM Act in 2015

• Debate over passage of the PATRIOT Act

Supporters: greater powers needed to be given to the govt to help them keep America safe.

Opposition: it violates Americans civil libraries such as the 4th amendment.

• Operation Enduring Freedom - purpose & location

War in Afghanistan 2001-2014. 

Overthrow the Taliban and find Osama Bin Laden.

Taliban

Protected Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda terrorist network.

• 2003 Iraq War - purpose and location

2003-2011

Find Iraq's weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and remove Saddam Hussein from power. While Saddam was removed, WMDs were never found.

• Saddam Hussein

Was captured after the 9/11 attacks and the US felt he was stocking WMDs.

• Debate over treatment of suspected terrorists

David Passaro used intense interrogation tactics and led Abdul Walk to die. The CIA asked the administration for permission to use enhanced interrogation techniques against terrorists. 

• Al Qaeda

Is terrorist group founded by Osama bin Laden.

Abu Ghraib

Prison in Iraq where Americans were accused of torturing Iraq insurgents.

War Powers Resolution

1) the President must consult and report to congress before sending troops overseas

2) if the President initiates a hostile action it can only last 60 days + a 30 day withdrawal period. Then, congress has to vote on whether it will continue

3) if forces have been deployed that aren’t acting on a declaration of war, the President must remove them at direction of congress

My Lai Massacre

-March 1968

-300 to 500 Vietnamese civilians mostly women, children and elderly were killed by the men of Charlie Company

-strengthened the anti war movement