APUSH Unit 8 Study Guide

1970s Conservatism

Rose in reaction to counterculture and liberalism of 1960s and 1970s. Major people include Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan. They marketed towards republicans, yuppies, fundamentalists, and the moral majority.

Watergate Scandal

The Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP) broke into the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate office, where they attempted to gain information that would help Nixon in the upcoming election. However, they were found and Nixon became the first president to resign due to this scandal. Mark Felt provided information to the Washington Post, which earned him the nickname, “Deep Throat”.

Pentagon Papers

Documents that showed the government lied to the public repeatedly about the Vietnam War, which led to increased protests. This led to the Credibility Gap, where Americans did not trust the executive branch anymore.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

A US ship was allegedly pursued by a N. Vietnamese vessel, which led to Congress authorizing President Johnson to “take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression.” This ultimately led to a significant increase in US military involvement in Vietnam without a formal declaration of war.

Levittown

Mass-produced homes that became a symbol of post-war American suburbia.

The Great Society

a set of domestic programs by Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1960s to eradicate poverty, racial injustice, and improve things like education, healthcare, and the environment.

Barry Goldwater

A far-right Republican from Arizona who ran against Lyndon B. Johnson. He helped contribute to the conservative resurgence along with Ronald Reagan.

SCLC

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was a church network founded by MLK to promote civil rights. It organized large, nonviolent protests to push the federal government to support civil right initiatives.

SNCC

The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was a group of Black college students who participated in the civil rights movement.

Letter from a Birmingham Jail

A letter written by MLK jr. to defend nonviolent civil disobedience. He said that people had a responsibility to follow just laws and a duty to break unjust ones.

Malcolm X

A civil rights activist who originally taught Black supremacy and separatism, but later favored integration and Black self-determinism.

Stokely Carmichael

AKA Kwame Ture, he is best known for popularizing the term, “Black Power” and advocating for Black self-determination and empowerment.

Betty Friedan

The writer of ‘The Feminine Mystique’, she was a member of the feminist movement. Her book was an inspiration for women to seek higher opportunities beyond just housewives.

Black Power Movement

Came about as a response to the perceived slow pace of the Civil Rights Movement, this movement advocated racial pride, self-determination, and the creation of black political and cultural institutions.

Black Panther Party

A part of the Black Power movement, it was created by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale for community empowerment and as an end to police brutality, using armed patrols and community service programs.

Brown v. Board of Education

The Supreme Court ruled that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, thus overturning Plessy v. Ferguson.

Little Rock Nine

a group of 9 students that were selected by the NAACP to be the first African American students to enroll in an all white high school in Arkansas. They were attacked and harassed on their way to school everyday and federal troops had to be brought in to protect them.

Iran Hostage Crisis

Iranian students seized the US embassy in Tehran, holding 52 Americans hostage. This event led to widespread dislike of Jimmy Carter due to his failure to rescue the hostages or come to an agreement with Iran.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A cold war standoff, where the US and USSR were brought to the brink of nuclear war. The USSR installed nuclear missiles in Cuba, which threatened the United States’ safety. This prompted a US naval blockade and tense negotiations that led to the missiles’ removal.

U-2 Incident

An American U-2 spy plane was shot down over Soviet air space.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

US CIA trained 1,500 Cuban exiles to fight and invade Cuba’s Bay of Pigs in an attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro. However, the invasion failed.

Truman Doctrine

A policy of containment aimed at preventing the spread of communism by providing military and economic aid to nations threatened by Soviet influence, particularly Greece and Turkey.

Policy of Containment

The attempt to stop the spread of communism in Europe and Asia.

Geneva Accords

A treaty that divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel, and called for reunification elections (which never happened)

Iron Curtain

An ideological barrier that divided Europe into Communist and Democratic sides

Sputnik I

The first artificial satellite, made by the Soviet Union. Marked the beginning of the Space Race

Growth of Suburbs

The GI Bill, the postwar economy, and a desire for affordable housing led to rapid suburban growth

Military Industrial Complex

Eisenhower warned that a close relationship between the military and defense industries could lead to undue influence on government policy

Interstate Highway System

Eisenhower created a network of highways that connected many states together.

Tet Offensive

A military campaign in South Vietnam the N. Vietnamese attacked the South, leading to heavy losses for the US and was a psychological blow.

GI Bill

A US law that provided education and other benefits to veterans

Executive Order 9981

An executive order by Truman that abolished discrimination in the US Armed Forces

Marshall Plan

A program that provided economic aid to Europe after WWII.

McCarthyism (2nd Red Scare)

The political persecution of communists, and a campaign to spread fear of communism in the US

Miranda v. Arizona

The Supreme Court ruled that law enforcement must inform suspects of their rights before being interrogated.

Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring”

A book that warned about the dangers of pesticides, and exposed their harmful effects on the environment.

National Organization of Women (NOW)

Activist organization that promotes equal rights for women

NSC-68 - United States Objectives and Programs for National Security

A US strategy to counter the perceived threat of Soviet expansionism during the cold war. Advocated for a massive military buildup and a global containment policy.