Unit 8: AP US History (1945-1980)

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms and definitions from the American History Lecture.

GI Bill

Legislation that provided benefits to veterans, including education and housing assistance.

Baby Boom

A significant increase in birth rates following World War II.

Sunbelt Region

The southern region of the United States that experienced economic growth post-World War II.

Eisenhower's Interstate Highway Act

Legislation that created a network of highways, improving trade and travel.

Levittown

A type of suburban community known for mass-produced homes.

Cold War

The geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union post-World War II.

Containment

U.S. policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism.

Truman Doctrine

U.S. policy to provide support to countries resisting communism.

Marshall Plan

U.S. initiative to aid Western Europe's recovery after WWII.

Brinkmanship

A foreign policy approach of pushing a dangerous situation to the edge of disaster.

Bay of Pigs Incident

A failed U.S. invasion of Cuba aimed at overthrowing Fidel Castro.

Cuban Missile Crisis

Confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union over Soviet missiles in Cuba.

Civil Rights Movement

The struggle for social justice and equality for African Americans.

Brown v. Board of Education

A landmark Supreme Court case that declared racial segregation in schools unconstitutional.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

A protest against segregation on public buses, sparked by Rosa Parks' actions.

Vietnamization

Nixon's policy to withdraw American troops from Vietnam and transfer combat responsibilities to the South Vietnamese.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Congressional resolution that authorized military action in Vietnam.

Great Society

President Johnson's comprehensive domestic agenda aimed at reducing poverty and racial injustice.

Watergate Scandal

Political scandal involving a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters, leading to Nixon's resignation.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

U.S. agency created to protect human health and the environment.

What is McCarthyism?

McCarthyism- in the early 1950s, anti-communist suspicion in the United States, associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy, claimed that many communists infiltrated the government and other institutions, need to kick them out