Key Events and Policies from the Great Depression to Vietnam

Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC)

One of the few relief measures undertaken by Herbert Hoover in 1932.

Hoovervilles

Shantytowns built by homeless people during the Great Depression.

Causes of the Great Depression

Stock market crash, bank failures, overproduction, and unequal wealth.

Presidential Election of 1932

Changed the way American voters viewed the responsibility of the federal government, making them expect federal help in economic crises.

Franklin Roosevelt's first economic goal

Restore public confidence in banks.

The 3 R's

Relief, Recovery, Reform.

CCC as an example of Relief

It gave young men jobs and income through public work projects.

Bank Holiday in 1933

Declared by FDR to stop bank runs and restore trust in the banking system.

Works Progress Administration

Provided relief during the Great Depression by creating millions of jobs through public works like roads and buildings.

Reforms/programs during the Great Depression

Social Security, SEC, FDIC, TVA.

Social Security Act

New Deal legislation that established federal responsibility in providing social welfare.

Black Cabinet

A group of African American advisors to FDR; gave a voice to Black concerns.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

New Deal program created to protect consumer's savings.

Federal government's response to the depression

Represented a new approach toward government and the economy by becoming more involved in economic relief and regulation.

National Labor Relations Act, 1938

Helped labor by protecting workers' rights to unionize and bargain collectively.

New Deal Coalition

Made up of workers, African Americans, farmers, immigrants, and the poor.

Social effects of the Great Depression

Homelessness, unemployment, delayed marriages, lower birth rates.

FDR's Court Packing proposal

It was rejected by Congress and criticized by the public.

Axis powers in WWII

Germany, Italy, Japan.

America First Committee

Advanced isolationism; one of its leading figures was Charles Lindbergh.

Braceros

Mexican workers brought to the US to fill farm labor shortages.

Roles of women during WWII

Factory workers, nurses, military support roles.

FDR's lend-lease

Designed to supply Allies with military aid without entering war.

Nuremberg Laws

Laws in Germany that forced Jews to identify themselves by wearing stars on their clothing.

Executive Order 9066

Impacted Japanese Americans, leading to internment camps.

Executive Order 8802

Impacted African Americans; FEPC banned discrimination in defense jobs.

D-Day invasion goal

To free Nazi-occupied France and begin liberating Western Europe.

Turning points in the conflict

Stalingrad (East), Midway (Pacific), D-Day (West)

Technology's influence on fighting

Radar, atomic bomb, improved aircraft and weapons

American strategy in the Pacific Theater

Island hopping

Impact of WWII on women on the homefront

They entered the workforce in large numbers

Manhattan Project

Top-secret U.S. project to develop the atomic bomb

Federal office for price controls and rationing

Office of Price Administration (OPA)

Truman's justification for dropping the atomic bomb

To quickly end the war and save American lives

WWII war production's effect on the US economy

It ended the Great Depression and boosted employment

Marshall Plan's purpose

By rebuilding European economies and creating markets for U.S. goods

Purpose of N.A.T.O.

Military alliance to defend against Soviet aggression

Main idea behind the Truman Doctrine

Support countries resisting communism

Cold War description

No direct fighting between US and USSR; tension and proxy wars

Demographic trend from 1946-1956

Baby Boom

Levittowns

Mass-produced suburban homes; shift from cities to suburbs

Events in 1949 affecting American confidence

USSR tests atomic bomb; China becomes communist

G.I. Bill aid for servicemen and women

Provided education, home loans, and job training

White flight

Movement of white families from cities to suburbs

Beatniks

Counterculture group rejecting materialism and conformity

Purpose of HUAC

Investigate suspected communists in the US

Army-McCarthy hearings' effect on Senator McCarthy

Discredited him and ended his influence

Hollywood Ten's symbolism of fear of communism

Refused to testify before HUAC; were jailed and blacklisted

Television's effect on American consumption habits

Promoted consumer culture through advertising

Korea's division in 1950

North—communist; South—democratic; divided at the 38th parallel

Outcome of the Korean Conflict

Stalemate; border remained at the 38th parallel

Concerns about Sputnik

Feared Soviet tech and missile superiority

Truman's request for aid to Greece and Turkey in 1947

To contain the spread of communism

Cuban Missile Crisis effect on arms race

Triggered arms control efforts like the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

Focus of Lyndon Baines Johnson's Great Society

End poverty and racial injustice

JFK's New Frontier

Focus on the space race and social progress.

Brown v. Board of Education, 1954

Court ruled that segregated schools are unconstitutional.

Jackie Robinson

Broke the 'color line' in Major League Baseball.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Banned discrimination in public places and employment.

Eisenhower and Little Rock High School

Sent troops to integrate Little Rock High School.

Freedom Riders

Tested desegregation of bus travel.

Freedom Summer Project

Encouraged Black voter registration in Mississippi.

Black Power

Entailed pride, self-defense, and independence for African Americans.

Watts Riots, 1965

Riots over police brutality and inequality.

Desegregation of Armed Forces

Harry Truman was responsible for this action.

Selma March

Goal was to secure voting rights for African Americans.

Stokely Carmichael

Advocated Black Power and self-reliance for civil rights.

Lunch Counter Sit-ins

Protested segregated public spaces nonviolently.

Voter Suppression Tactics

Included poll taxes, literacy tests, ID laws, and gerrymandering.

Voting Rights Act, 1965

Outlawed literacy tests and ensured federal oversight.

Malcolm X vs. Martin Luther King Jr.

Malcolm X promoted self-defense; MLK promoted nonviolence.

Goals of the Black Power Movement

Empowerment, self-determination, and pride in Black identity.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Gave LBJ authority to escalate U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

Johnson's Decision Not to Run, 1968

Unpopularity due to the Vietnam War.

My Lai Massacre, 1968

U.S. troops massacred hundreds of civilians.

Ho Chi Minh

Leader of the Vietminh struggle against the French.

Controversy of the Draft

Disproportionately affected poor and minority men.

Kent State Protests, 1970

Students protested the invasion of Cambodia.

Public Attitudes Toward Government Post-Vietnam

Increased public distrust in government.

Agent Orange

A toxic herbicide used to destroy jungle cover.

Tet Offensive

Considered a major turning point as it showed the war was far from over.

Vietnam Conflict Fighting Style

Characterized by guerilla tactics and unclear front lines.

Vietnamization

Plan to turn fighting over to South Vietnam; it failed.

End of Vietnam War, 1975

Ended with the Fall of Saigon; Vietnam became fully communist.

Great Society

Represented an expansion of the federal government by creating programs to fight poverty and improve education, housing, and healthcare.