CHAPTER 28 AMERICAN YAWP

Altamont

A 1969 free concert in California meant to be like Woodstock, but it became chaotic and violent, symbolizing the darker side of 1960s youth culture.

credibility gap

The growing divide between what the U.S. government said about the Vietnam War and what was actually happening on the ground.

Tet Offensive

A major 1968 attack by communist forces across South Vietnam that showed the enemy was still strong, contradicting U.S. claims of progress.

My Lai

A massacre of hundreds of Vietnamese civilians by U.S. troops, later exposed and shocking to Americans.

Hubert Humphrey

Lyndon Johnson's vice president and the Democratic presidential candidate in 1968 who struggled to distance himself from the Vietnam War.

Richard Nixon

President elected in 1968 who promised 'law and order,' pursued Vietnamization, expanded the war secretly, and later resigned due to Watergate.

Vietnamization

Nixon's plan to gradually withdraw U.S. troops and shift responsibility for the war to South Vietnamese forces.

Kent State

A 1970 protest where National Guard troops killed students during antiwar demonstrations.

Kerner Commission

A group created by Johnson to investigate urban riots, concluding they were caused by poverty, inequality, and racism.

Richard Daley

Mayor of Chicago whose police force violently suppressed protesters at the 1968 Democratic Convention.

détente

Nixon's foreign policy strategy to ease Cold War tensions by improving relations with countries like China and the Soviet Union.

OPEC

A group of oil-producing countries that embargoed oil to the U.S. in 1973, causing an energy crisis.

Pentagon Papers

Leaked documents revealing that U.S. leaders had misled the public about the Vietnam War.

War Powers Resolution

A 1973 law limiting the president's ability to wage war without congressional approval.

Watergate

A political scandal involving a break-in and cover-up by Nixon's administration that led to his resignation.

Sun Belt

Southern and western states that experienced major economic and population growth after World War II.

Rust Belt

Northern and Midwestern industrial areas that declined due to factory closures and job loss.

Roe v. Wade

A 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion based on a constitutional right to privacy.

Stonewall

A 1969 uprising at a New York gay bar that sparked the modern gay rights movement.

ERA (Equal Rights Amendment)

A proposed amendment guaranteeing equal rights regardless of sex that ultimately failed to be ratified.

Phyllis Schlafly

A conservative activist who led opposition to the ERA, helping prevent its passage.

Jimmy Carter

President elected in 1976 who emphasized human rights but faced economic struggles and foreign policy challenges.

Camp David Accords

A 1978 peace agreement between Egypt and Israel negotiated by Carter.

Iranian Hostage Crisis

A 1979-1981 event where Iranian revolutionaries held 52 Americans hostage, symbolizing U.S. weakness abroad.