1960s-1980s U.S. Cold War and Social Reform Policies

The New Frontier

Kennedy's domestic agenda to address poverty, civil rights, and economic growth; promoted technology and the space race; although many proposals stalled, it inspired later reforms and expanded federal responsibility for social welfare.

American Liberalism

Ideology supporting government action to promote equality, regulate the economy, and ensure social welfare; influential in the New Deal and 1960s reforms; shaped major policies like civil rights laws and Medicare.

Bay of Pigs

The failed 1961 U.S.-backed invasion of Cuba by anti-Castro exiles; strengthened Castro's ties to the Soviet Union; damaged American credibility and increased Cold War tensions.

Cuban Missile Crisis

The 1962 standoff between the U.S. and USSR over Soviet missiles in Cuba; brought the world close to nuclear war; ended through negotiations and led to improved U.S.-Soviet communication.

Space Program

NASA-led Cold War effort to surpass Soviet space advancements; included Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions; boosted technology and national pride, symbolizing U.S.-USSR rivalry.

Council of Economic Advisors (CEA)

Established in 1946 to advise the president on economic policy; influential during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations; institutionalized expert economic analysis in government.

Peace Corps

Founded by Kennedy in 1961 to send volunteers abroad to support development in education, health, and agriculture; promoted global goodwill and served Cold War soft-power goals.

Title VII

Part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; banned employment discrimination based on race, sex, religion, or national origin; foundational to modern workplace equality.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

Federal agency created in 1964 to enforce anti-discrimination laws; investigates complaints and can sue employers; central to advancing workplace civil rights.

The Great Society

Johnson's mid-1960s reform agenda aiming to end poverty and racial injustice; created Medicare, Medicaid, and major civil rights legislation; greatly expanded federal social programs.

Economic Opportunity Act

1964 law launching the War on Poverty; created Job Corps, Head Start, and VISTA; expanded federal efforts to support disadvantaged Americans.

Medicare

Established in 1965 to provide health insurance to Americans 65 and older; improved financial and medical security for seniors; a major Great Society achievement.

Robert McNamara

Secretary of Defense under Kennedy and Johnson; central architect of U.S. Vietnam War strategy; represented data-driven Cold War policymaking and later questioned the war.

Green Berets

U.S. Army Special Forces specializing in counterinsurgency and unconventional warfare; expanded under Kennedy; heavily involved in early Vietnam operations.

Self-Immolation

Act of setting oneself on fire as political protest; famously done by Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức in 1963 to protest South Vietnam's regime; influenced U.S. views on Vietnam.

Betty Friedan and The Feminine Mystique

1963 book by Betty Friedan criticizing restrictive domestic roles for women; helped launch second-wave feminism and reshape views on gender roles.

National Organization for Women (NOW)

Founded in 1966 by feminists including Betty Friedan; sought workplace equality, legal reforms, and reproductive rights; major force in the women's rights movement.

Equal Pay Act (1963)

Federal law requiring equal pay for men and women doing equal work; first major effort to address gender wage discrimination; foundation for future pay equity policies.

Roe v. Wade

1973 Supreme Court case legalizing abortion nationwide during early pregnancy; based on privacy rights; major turning point in reproductive rights and political debate.

Equal Rights Amendment (1972)

Proposed constitutional amendment guaranteeing equality regardless of sex; passed by Congress but failed state ratification; symbolized struggle for gender equality.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

Supreme Court ruling that banned state-sponsored prayer in public schools; strengthened separation of church and state; controversial landmark education decision.

National Review

Conservative magazine founded by William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955; provided intellectual foundation for modern conservatism and unified conservative thought.

Young Americans for Freedom

Conservative youth organization founded in 1960; promoted traditional values, free markets, and anti-communism; influential on campuses during the 1960s.

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)

Left-leaning student activist group founded in 1960; pushed for participatory democracy and social reform; central to anti-Vietnam War protests and the New Left.

Free Speech Movement

1964 student protest at UC Berkeley demanding political expression rights; expanded student freedoms nationwide; influential in 1960s activism.

Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)

Reagan's 1983 plan for space-based missile defense ("Star Wars"); never fully built but pressured USSR and shaped Cold War strategy.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

Disease caused by HIV, emerging in the early 1980s; spread rapidly and became a major public health crisis; slow early government response led to activism and policy changes.

Reaganomics

Reagan's economic program emphasizing tax cuts, deregulation, and reduced government spending; based on supply-side economics; stimulated growth but increased inequality and deficits.

Iran-Contra Scandal

Mid-1980s secret operation selling arms to Iran and funding Nicaraguan Contras; violated congressional bans; major political scandal questioning executive power.

Mikhail Gorbachev

Soviet leader from 1985-1991; introduced reforms (glasnost, perestroika); worked with U.S. leaders to reduce Cold War tensions; contributed to the USSR's collapse.