American History Final

Space Race Competitors

United States and Soviet Union

First Man-Made Object in Space (Oct 1957)

Sputnik

Sputnik Launcher

Soviet Union

First American Satellite (Feb 1958)

Explorer I

why were Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) a major concern after Sputnik?

Sputnik demonstrated the Soviet Union's capability to launch objects into orbit, implying they could also deliver nuclear warheads across continents via ICBMs.

What 1958 law improved American education in math, science, and foreign languages because of the Space Race?

National Defense Education Act (NDEA)

US Space Program Agency (1958)

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

Soviet Premier Visiting US (1959)

Nikita Khrushchev

U-2 Spy Plane Incident (1960)

It was shot down over Soviet airspace, and its pilot, Francis Gary Powers, was captured.

Collapse of Test Ban Treaty Talks (1960)

Due to the U-2 spy plane incident, which led to Khrushchev walking out of a summit with Eisenhower.

1960 Presidential Election Winner

John F. Kennedy

Importance of 1960 Presidential Debates

They were the first televised presidential debates, significantly influencing public perception of candidates based on appearance and demeanor.

Fidel Castro Takes Power in Cuba

1959

Fidel Castro's Government in Cuba

Communist

Bay of Pigs Invasion

A failed covert operation in April 1961 by US-backed Cuban exiles to overthrow Fidel Castro's communist government.

Reason for Bay of Pigs Failure

Lack of popular support for the invaders, inadequate air cover, and strong Cuban defense.

Berlin Structure (1961)

Berlin Wall

First Human in Space (Apr 1961)

Yuri Gagarin (Soviet cosmonaut)

First American in Space (May 1961)

Alan Shepard

What date did Jhon F. Kennedy give his "Moon Shot" speech promising to land a man on the moon before 1970?

May 25, 1961

First American to Orbit Earth (Feb 1962)

John Glenn

Cuban Missile Crisis Date

October 1962

Kennedy's Term for Cuban Blockade

Quarantine

Duration of Cuban Missile Crisis

13 days

What type of missiles did the Soviet Union agree to remove as a concession during the Cuban Missile Crisis?

Offensive nuclear missiles

What type of missiles did the U.S. secretly agree to remove as a concession during the Cuban Missile Crisis?

Jupiter missiles (intermediate-range ballistic missiles)

Soviet Leader During Cuban Missile Crisis

Nikita Khrushchev

Castro-Soviet Ties after Bay of Pigs

He sought Soviet protection against future U.S. aggression and aligned Cuba more closely with the communist bloc.

First Major Sit-in (1960s)

Greensboro, North Carolina, in February 1960

Greensboro Sit-in Starters

Four (the "Greensboro Four")

Goal of Sit-in Movement

To desegregate lunch counters and other public facilities.

1954 School Desegregation Decision

Brown v. Board of Education

William Frantz Elementary Integrator (1960)

Ruby Bridges

Freedom Riders' Goal (1961)

To challenge segregation on interstate buses and terminals in the South.

James Meredith

The first African American student to enroll at the segregated University of Mississippi ("Ole Miss") in 1962.

Kennedy Sends Troops to Ole Miss (1962)

To enforce the enrollment of James Meredith after white protestors and state officials resisted.

"Most Segregated City in America" (1963)

Birmingham, Alabama

Who was the Birmingham Police Chief who used Dogs/Fire Hoses on protesters?

Bull Connor

16th Street Baptist Church Event (Sep 1963)

A bombing by KKK members that killed four young black girls.

Girls Killed in 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing

Four

March on Washington Date

August 1963

March on Washington Attendance

Approximately 250,000

"I Have a Dream" Speech Giver

Martin Luther King Jr.

Major Civil Rights Law (1964)

Civil Rights Act of 1964 - outlawed segregation in public places and employment discrimination based on race, color or religion sex or national origin

Employment Discrimination Commission (1964)

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

What did the 24th Amendment (1964) Abolish?

abolished paying poll taxes in federal elections

Freedom Summer Goal (1964)

To register African Americans to vote in Mississippi.

"Bloody Sunday" (Selma, Mar 1965)

State troopers violently attacked civil rights marchers attempting to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

Voting Rights Act of 1965 Outlawed Practice

Discriminatory voting practices such as literacy tests.

African-American Voter Registration Increase (Post-VRA)

Approximately 50%

City of Kennedy's Assassination

Dallas, Texas

Date of Kennedy's Assassination

November 22, 1963

Building of Kennedy's Assassination Shots

Texas School Book Depository

Kennedy's Alleged Assassin

Lee Harvey Oswald

Lee Harvey Oswald's Killer

Jack Ruby

What commission concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in killing JFK?

Warren Commission

President After Kennedy's Death

Lyndon B. Johnson

LBJ's 1964 Opponent

Barry Goldwater

LBJ's Domestic Program to fight Poverty and Inequality

Great Society

Two Great Society Medical Programs

Medicare and Medicaid

Long-Term Bombing of North Vietnam (1965)

Operation Rolling Thunder

Who were the Viet Cong?

South Vietnamese communist guerrillas who fought against the South Vietnamese government and the United States during the Vietnam War.

Why was the Vietnam War sometimes called a “quagmire”?

It was a conflict perceived as increasingly difficult to withdraw from, with unclear objectives and progress, trapping the US in a prolonged and costly struggle.

What major North Vietnamese/Viet Cong attack happened during the Vietnamese New Year (Tet) in 1968?

The Tet Offensive

Tet Offensive's Impact on US Public Opinion

It contradicted official statements that the enemy was weakening and showed the war was far from over, eroding public trust and increasing anti-war sentiment.

LBJ's Re-election Withdrawal Date (1968)

March 31, 1968

MLK Jr.'s Assassin (Apr 1968)

James Earl Ray

Robert F. Kennedy's Assassin (Jun 1968)

Sirhan Sirhan

City of 1968 DNC Clashes

Chicago

1968 Presidential Election Winner

Richard Nixon

Nixon's Vietnam Policy (Troop Withdrawal)

Vietnamization

Nixon's Secret Cambodia Campaign

Operation Menu (or the "secret bombing of Cambodia")

1971 Leaked Documents (Vietnam Lies)

The Pentagon Papers

1973 Law Limiting Presidential War Powers

War Powers Resolution

Fall of Saigon (End of Vietnam War)

April 1975

Watergate Break-in Date

June 1972

Democrats' Use of Watergate Building

Headquarters for the Democratic National Committee (DNC)

Watergate Break-in Arrests (June 1972)

Five

Nixon's 1972 Election Opponent

George McGovern

Which two Washington Post reporters investigated and broke the Watergate story?

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein

CREEP (Watergate)

Stands for (Committee for the Re-election of the President); responsible for fundraising and illegal campaign activities, including the Watergate break-in.

Central Watergate Question

"What did the President know and when did he know it?"

White House Revelation from Watergate Hearings

A secret taping system that recorded conversations in the Oval Office.

"Smoking Gun" Tape (Watergate)

A recording from June 23, 1972, proving Nixon's direct involvement in the cover-up of the Watergate break-in by ordering the FBI to halt its investigation.

Nixon's Resignation & Successor's Date

Nixon resigned on August 8, 1974; Gerald Ford became president on August 9, 1974

Neal Armstrong

First human on the moon

Apollo moon landing

July 20, 1969

What was the 26th amendment

The 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1971, lowered the national voting age from 21 to 18, stating that citizens 18 or older cannot be denied the right to vote due to age.