US History 1960-Present

OPEC

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

U-2 Incident

US spy plane shot down by Soviets

Ike's Legacy

Farewell address warning against Military Industrial Complex

Military Industrial Complex

Defense industries working outside public will

Francis Gary Powers

U-2 pilot captured by Soviets

Fidel Castro

Brings communism to Cuba in 1959

Alger Hiss case

Spy case involving Nixon and Hiss

Kennedy

43rd US President, Catholic

Miranda Rights

Right to remain silent during questioning

Gideon v Wainwright

Requires courts to provide attorney for those who can't afford one

Engel v Vitale

School prayer laws violate 1st Amendment

Griswold v Connecticut

Establishes right to privacy for contraceptives

Election of 1960

Nixon vs. Kennedy, closest election since 1880

JFK Assassination

Lee Harvey Oswald shoots JFK in Dallas, TX

Lyndon B Johnson

36th President, from Texas, known for Great Society programs

War on Poverty

LBJ's initiative to combat poverty

Civil Rights Movement

Protests, sit-ins, Freedom Rides, led by MLK Jr.

March on Washington

1963 event where MLK Jr. delivered 'I Have a Dream' speech

Birmingham - 'Bull' Connor

Ordered brutal suppression of Civil Rights Movement

Martin Luther King Jr

Civil rights activist, led peaceful protests

Civil Rights Act

Prohibits workplace discrimination based on various factors

James Meredith

First African American graduate from Ole Miss

George Wallace

Alabama Governor, staunch segregationist

Brown v Board of Education

Landmark case desegregating schools

Camelot - JFK & Jackie

Idealized image of JFK's presidency

The Warren Court

Led by Chief Justice Earl Warren, known for landmark decisions

Segregationists

Individuals supporting racial segregation

John Lewis

Prominent Civil Rights Activist leading marches

Poll Tax

Disenfranchisement method hindering voting for poorer blacks

Black Muslim Movement

Islamic and Black movement for unity in disenfranchised areas

Malcolm X

Advocate for violent methods in Civil Rights Movement

Black Panthers

Left-leaning militant movement supporting black communities

MLK Assassination

Martin Luther King Jr. shot in Memphis, 1968

SDS

Student-led group fueling Civil Rights Movement and protesting Vietnam

Tom Hayden

Leader of riots at Democratic National Convention

Counterculture

Culture opposing societal norms, e.g., hippies

Woodstock

Largest music festival protesting the war

Kent State

Ohio protest where National Guard shot unarmed protesters

AIM

American Indian Movement advocating for Native American liberties

Cesar Chavez

Labor leader improving conditions for farm workers

Feminine Mystique

Book challenging traditional women's roles by Betty Friedan

NOW

National Organization for Women advocating for women's rights

Roe v Wade

Landmark case protecting abortion rights under Federal Law

Earth Day

Annual event promoting environmental protection

North Vietnamese Army

Military force led by Ho Chi Minh

Vietcong

South Vietnamese peasant guerillas

Guerilla Warfare

Tactic involving unconventional warfare methods

Ho Chi Minh Trail

Supply route used by North Vietnam to attack South Vietnam

Operation Rolling Thunder

Sustained bombing campaign in Vietnam

Agent Orange

Toxic herbicide used by US in Vietnam

Napalm

Flammable gel used in warfare

Tet Offensive

1968 attack by North Vietnamese and Vietcong

My Lai Massacre

Killing of civilians by American troops in Vietnam

Paris Accords

Peace treaty to end the Vietnam War

Fall of Saigon

Capture of South Vietnam's capital in 1975

Khmer Rouge

Communist regime led by Pol Pot in Cambodia

Henry Kissinger

US diplomat involved in Vietnam War negotiations

Detente

Relaxation of tensions between nations

Realpolitik

Political realism based on practical rather than moral considerations

Southern Strategy

Political strategy to appeal to Southern conservative voters

Watergate

Political scandal leading to Nixon's resignation

Gerald Ford

38th President, pardoned Nixon

Jimmy Carter

39th President, known for human rights advocacy

Panama Canal Treaty

Agreement to transfer control of the Panama Canal

Iran Hostage Crisis

1979 hostage situation in Iran

SALT II

Attempt to limit US-USSR nuclear weapons

Sunbelt

Region of the US experiencing population growth

Barry Goldwater

Leader of the New Conservatism movement

Proposition B

Policy cutting property taxes

1978 California v Bakke

Affirmed affirmative action without racial quotas

Televangelism

Religious broadcasts on television

Ronald Reagan

40th President, known for Reaganomics

John Hinkley Jr

Attempted to assassinate Reagan

Reaganomics

Economic policies of Reagan, including tax cuts

Yuppies

Young urban professionals of the 1980s

Geraldine Farraro

First female VP candidate in 1984

Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)

Reagan's missile defense program

INF Treaty

Agreement to regulate nuclear missiles

Iran-Contra Affair

Scandal involving arms sales to Iran

Tiananmen Square

1989 protests in China, ended in violence

Lech Walesa

Leader of Solidarity in Poland

Boris Yeltsin

Forms Commonwealth of Independent States

Persian Gulf War

Conflict after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait

Operation Desert Storm

Military operation to liberate Kuwait

Bill Clinton

42nd President, elected in 1992

Ross Perot

Billionaire who ran for President with Reform Party

Universal Health Care

Healthcare coverage for all citizens, championed by Hillary Clinton

Family Medical Leave Act

Legislation protecting jobs during medical leave

Motor Voter Law

Legislation simplifying voter registration

NAFTA

North American Free Trade Agreement promoting trade

Somalia Conflict

US intervention to aid famine relief and combat piracy

Haiti Intervention

US operation to restore democracy and aid Haiti

Balkan Genocide

Conflict involving Slobodan Milosevic and ethnic cleansing

Oklahoma City Bombing

Domestic terrorist attack in 1995 by Timothy McVeigh

Election of 1996

Bill Clinton wins second term against Bob Dole and Ross Perot

George W. Bush

43rd President, known for 2001 Tax Cuts and War on Terror

September 11, 2001

Terrorist attacks by Al Qaeda on the US

Anthrax Attacks

Biological attacks following 9/11, falsely linked to Al Qaeda

Afghanistan War

US-led coalition's response to 9/11, targeting Al Qaeda

Iraq Invasion

US-led invasion in 2003 to topple Saddam Hussein's regime