AP US History: Rise of the Silent Majority and Modern Era Key Terms

Vocabulary flashcards covering major political figures, court rulings, legislation, foreign policy events, and economic concepts from late 20th and early 21st century U.S. history.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Civil rights law passed in 1990 that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public.

Barry Goldwater

Unsuccessful presidential candidate against Lyndon Johnson in 1964 who called for dismantling the New Deal, escalation of the war in Vietnam, and the status quo on civil rights; widely considered the grandfather of the conservative movement of the 1980s.

Bill Clinton

President of the United States (1993-2001) and member of the Democratic Party whose centrist leadership included the North American Free Trade Agreement, welfare reform, and a balanced budget; he became the second president in American history to be impeached by Congress.

Camp David Accords (1979)

Agreement reached between the leaders of Israel and Egypt after protracted negotiations brokered by President Carter, in which Israel surrendered land seized in earlier wars and Egypt recognized Israel as a nation.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Legislation proposed by John Kennedy and signed by Lyndon Johnson that desegregated public accommodations, libraries, parks, and amusements, and broadened federal powers to protect individual rights and prevent job discrimination.

Contract with America

Document drafted under the leadership of Republican congressman Newt Gingrich promising to enact ten items if Republicans won control of Congress, including term limits, a balanced budget amendment, tax cuts, tougher crime laws, and welfare reform.

Crisis of Confidence (Malaise) Speech

Televised national address by President Carter in which he complained that a weak national spirit struck "at the very heart and soul of our national will," leaving many Americans feeling their president had given up.

Deregulation

The cutting back of federal regulation of industry; in the 1980s under President Reagan, this included removing price controls on oil, eliminating health and safety inspections for nursing homes, and reducing rules for airlines and savings and loans.

Earl Warren

Controversial Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1953-1969) who led the court in far-reaching racial, social, and political rulings, including school desegregation and protecting rights of persons accused of crimes.

George H.W. Bush

President of the United States (1989-1993) who campaigned on the promise "Read my lips: no new taxes." Despite a successful military campaign in the Persian Gulf War, an economic recession and reversing his tax promise cost him reelection in 1992.

George McGovern

Unsuccessful Democratic candidate for president in 1972 who called for immediate withdrawal from Vietnam and a guaranteed income for the poor.

George W. Bush

President of the United States (2001-2009) who espoused "compassionate conservatism." His presidency was largely defined by the "War on Terror" following September 11, including the Patriot Act, Department of Homeland Security, and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

George Wallace

Alabama governor and third-party candidate for president in 1968 and 1972 who ran on a segregation and law-and-order platform; he was paralyzed by an attempted assassination in 1972.

Gerald Ford

President (1974-1977) who served without being elected president or vice president; appointed vice president under the Twenty-Fifth Amendment upon Spiro Agnew's resignation, he assumed the presidency when Nixon resigned.

Geraldine Ferraro

House Representative from New York chosen by Democratic nominee Walter Mondale in 1984 to be his vice-presidential running mate, making her the first woman on a major political party's presidential ticket.

Great Society

President Lyndon Johnson's social and economic program helping the poor, aged, and young; its civil rights and "war on poverty" components included Medicare, Medicaid, the Immigration Act of 1965, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Henry Kissinger

Advisor to Presidents Nixon and Ford who served as the architect of the Vietnam settlement, the diplomatic opening to China, and détente with the Soviet Union.

Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965

A law that opened the door for many non-European immigrants to settle in the United States by ending quotas based on nationality.

Iran Hostage Crisis (1979-1981)

Incident in which government-supported Iranian radicals seized 52 Americans from the U.S. embassy and held them for 444 days, demanding the return of the deposed Shah and punishing the U.S. for perceived past wrongs.

Iran-Contra Affair (1986-1987)

Scandal that erupted after the Reagan administration secretly sold weapons to Iran to free hostages in Lebanon and used the proceeds to illegally fund Contras (anti-Communist insurgents) in Nicaragua.

Jimmy Carter

President (1977-1981) who aimed for a foreign policy "as good and great as the American people." His major achievement was the Camp David Accords, while his low point was the Iran Hostage Crisis.

Lyndon Johnson

President (1963-1969) whose escalation of U.S. troops in Vietnam from 16,000 to 540,000 cost him political support; he chose not to seek reelection after the Tet Offensive.

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)

Law passed in 1990 (modified in 2024) building off American Indian Movement momentum that provides for the protection and return of Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony.

New Left

Label for 1960s political radicals who supported civil rights and opposed American foreign policy, especially the Vietnam War, influenced by the 1930s "Old Left."

No Child Left Behind

Education reform plan calling for increased state accountability for student success, mandatory achievement testing, and expanded school options for parents.

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

Free trade legislation championed by President Clinton, signed by Mexico, the United States, and Canada, and ratified by the U.S. Senate.

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

Cartel of oil-exporting nations that organized oil boycotts throughout the 1970s to alter America's Middle East policy, severely impacting the U.S. economy.

Persian Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm)

Successful military campaign supported by an international coalition to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi control through a massive air assault and ground offensive from Saudi Arabia.

Richard Nixon

President (1969-1974) who slowly extracted U.S. troops from Vietnam, recognized Communist China, and established détente with the Soviet Union, but resigned due to the Watergate scandal.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Landmark Supreme Court ruling establishing that first-trimester abortions are protected under a woman's right to privacy.

Ronald Reagan

President (1981-1989) who led a conservative movement against détente and federal government growth, credited by supporters for winning the Cold War and criticized by opponents for his social agenda and fiscal policies.

Sandra Day O'Connor

Appointed by President Ronald Reagan, she became the first woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court.

September 11, 2001

Coordinated terrorist attack by al Qaeda members where four hijacked commercial planes struck the World Trade Center twin towers, the Pentagon, and a field near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Silent Majority

Label Nixon gave to middle-class Americans who obeyed laws and wanted "peace with honor" in Vietnam, contrasting them with civil rights and anti-war protesters.

Stagflation

Economic condition of the 1970s characterized by rapidly rising prices (inflation), economic stagnation, and high unemployment, largely caused by rising oil prices.

Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)

Proposed defense system popularly known as "Star Wars," designed to protect the United States against incoming missile attacks.

Sunbelt

Term describing the South and Southwest regions of the U.S., which experienced a significant population boom starting in the late 1970s due to their warm climate.

Supply-side economics (Reaganomics)

President Reagan's economic policies centered on budget cuts and large tax cuts to stimulate private investment, savings, jobs, and overall government revenue.

Thurgood Marshall

Leading attorney for the NAACP who headed the legal team in Brown v. Board of Education and was later appointed by Lyndon Johnson as the first Black Supreme Court Justice.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Law that expanded federal protection of voters and voter registration, increased authority to investigate voter irregularities, and outlawed literacy tests.

War on Terror

Antiterrorism campaign initiated after 9/11 involving foreign suspect detentions, creation of the Department of Homeland Security, heightened aviation security, and military action in Afghanistan.

Warren Burger

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1969-1986) whose court upheld school busing and abortion rights, and ordered President Nixon to surrender the Watergate tapes.

Watergate scandal

Series of events beginning with illegal wiretaps placed on Democrats in June 1972 by Nixon's White House; subsequent obstruction of justice led to Nixon's resignation and imprisonment of top aides.