Modern America Key Concepts

These flashcards cover key concepts and historical events discussed in the lecture on Modern America, from political movements to significant wars and economic issues.

Identity Politics

Political focus on group identity.

Pentagon Papers

Leaks proving the government lied about Vietnam.

Plumbers

Nixon operatives who sabotaged opponents.

Silent Majority

Middle-class white voters supporting Nixon.

Southern Strategy

Appealed to white southerners resisting civil rights.

Stagflation

Combination of inflation, unemployment, and slow economic growth.

AIDS/HIV

Immune system disease; major health crisis in the 1980s-1990s.

Contract with America

Republican agenda in 1994.

Green Party

Environmental political movement.

Heritage Foundation

Conservative think-tank.

New Right

Conservative coalition consisting of business and evangelicals.

Reaganomics

Economic strategy involving tax cuts leading to investment and growth.

Operation Desert Storm

U.S.-led war to eject Iraq from Kuwait in 1991.

START Treaty

Agreement that limited U.S. and Soviet nuclear weapons.

Vietnam Syndrome

Fear of another unwinnable foreign war.

War on Drugs

Initiative resulting in harsh drug laws and increased prison population.

Al-Qaeda

Islamist terrorist group led by Osama bin Laden.

Bush Doctrine

Policy of pre-emptive U.S. military action against perceived threats.

Great Recession

Economic downturn triggered by subprime mortgages and deregulated markets.

Greenhouse Gases

Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.

Credit Default Swaps

Financial instruments used to transfer the credit risk of fixed income products.

Subprime Mortgage

High-risk home loans typically carrying higher interest rates.

Taliban

Fundamentalist group that ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.

Tea Party

Political movement advocating for reduced government spending and taxes.

WMDs

Weapons of mass destruction, including chemical, biological, and nuclear.

Charter Schools

Publicly funded schools that operate independently from the public school system.

Civil Unions

Legal recognition for same-sex couples prior to marriage equality.

Boomerang Generation

Young adults who move back home with their parents for financial reasons.

Truman

Became president after FDR died in 1945.

NATO

Military alliance formed in 1949 to counter Soviet expansion.

Korean War

Begun in 1950 and ended with an armistice in 1953.

Freedom Rides

Civil rights protests against segregation in bus transportation.

Cuban Missile Crisis

Confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in 1962 over missiles in Cuba.

Lyndon B. Johnson

President following JFK's assassination and significant escalation in Vietnam.

Watergate Scandal

Political scandal that led to Nixon's resignation in 1974.

Camp David Accords

Peace agreement brokered by Jimmy Carter between Egypt and Israel.

Ronald Reagan

President associated with the slogan 'Make America Great Again' and termed the 'Great Communicator'.

Geraldine Ferraro

First female vice presidential nominee from a major party in 1984.

Berlin Wall

Structure that fell in 1989, symbolizing the end of the Cold War.

Soviet Union

Dissolved in 1991, marking the end of the Cold War.

Bill Clinton

Elected as president in 1992 and again in 1996.

Yugoslav wars

Conflicts in the 1990s resulting in substantial loss of life.