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Committee on Civil Rights
Established by Truman to aid Justice Department and end segregation in schools. This was a revolutionary move for the time as Truman was the first modern president to do such a thing and bypass Southern Democrats.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored Persons (NAACP)
They were an influential group in the Civil Rights movement who worked to overturn Plessy v Ferguson and eventually won several cases in the late 40s regarding desegregation in higher education.
Brown v Board of Education of Topeka
NAACP lawyer Thurgood Marshall won this landmark case against segregation in schools. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Earl Warren ruled that “separate facilities are inherently unequal” and therefore unconstitutional, and that segregation in schools must end with “all deliberate speed”.
Thurgood Marshall
NAACP lawyer and activist who won Brown v Board of Ed.
Earl Warren
Chief Justice of Supreme Court who ruled in favor of Brown V Board of Ed.
“Southern Manifesto”
An example of southern resistance where 101 members of Congress signed this and condemned the Supreme Court for a “clear abuse of judicial power”.
Little Rock
Arkansas Gov Orval Faubus prevented 9 Black students from attending integrated school until Eisenhower intervened with Federal troops despite not supporting desegregation himself.
Montgomery Bus Boycott
After Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat for a White man on a public city bus, she spurred a mass boycott by African Americans of city buses to inflict economic damage to the city. This led to the Supreme Court ultimately ruling that segregation rules were unconstitutional.
Rosa Parks
Refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery city public bus to a white man and was arrested. She became a national figure for the Civil Rights movement.
Martin Luther King Jr.
He was a leader of the nonviolent Civil Rights movement and created the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). He was crucial to the movement overall as both a minister and leader.
Nonviolent Civil Rights Movement
Protesting discrimination and civil rights using nonviolent means. Examples include marches, boycotts, and sit-ins.
Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
An organization of ministers from the South with an aim to get Black churches involved in the Civil Rights movement. It was created by MLK.
Sit-in Movement
In 1960, college students started this method of nonviolent protest in Greensboro, NC to protest segregated lunch counters like Woolworth’s by sitting in restricted areas and getting deliberately arrested. This led to the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
Civil Rights Organization of primarily college students who promoted voting rights and an end to segregation. Leader John Lewis got his start with them.
Civil Rights Commission
Eisenhower signed civil rights laws in ‘57 and ‘60 that were modest but created this and enhanced Justice Department powers to protect the civil rights of Black Americans. Despite this, Southern officials were still able to obstruct AA from voting
Letter from Birmingham Jail
After his unjust imprisonment for apparent illegal marching, MLK wrote a letter from his cell advocating for nonviolent protest and against violent Black nationalism and “do-nothingism” of others. His letter moved Kennedy to pass a tougher civil rights bill.
March on Washington (1963)
King led a mass demonstration and nonviolent march on Washington DC to appeal for the end of racial injustice, jobs, and civil rights. He delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech here.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Passed by Southern president Johnson and made segregation illegal in all public spaces. It also laid the groundwork for the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission.
Equal Opportunity Employment Commission
Ended discrimination in employment based on sex, religion, race, or national origin.
24th amendment
Ratified in 1964, abolished poll taxes which had discouraged poor people from voting.
March on Montgomery
The first resulted in Bloody Sunday, where many nonviolent marchers were injured by police, one being John Lewis of the SNCC. National outrage erupted and prompted Johnson to send federal troops to protect marchers on their second attempt. This resulted in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Prohibited literacy tests and provided for federal registrars where AA had been unable to vote since Reconstruction. This drastically changed the South.
Black Muslim
A cultural identity based on Africa and Islam which advocated for separatism and Black nationalism. Malcolm X was a prominent leader.
Malcolm X
Prominent member of the Black Muslim movement who preached violent self defense and denounced King and nonviolent protest as being subservient to White Americans. He was assassinated in 1965 by Black opponents.
Black Panthers
A group of Black, young militants who pushed for revolutionary socialism and self rule for Black Americans. Influenced by Malcolm X
Stokely Carmichael
Member of the SNCC who repudiated nonviolence and advocated instead for “Black power” and separatism and was influenced by Malcolm X.
Race Riots
Many race riots occurred, one famous one being the 6 day race riot that killed 34 in Watts, a Black neighborhood in LA, following the arrest of a Black motorist by White police.
Kerner Commission
Created to investigate the cause of the riots after they continued to worsen, and concluded that America was becoming “two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal”.
Freedom Summer
Black voter registration drives, helped by CORE
Children’s Crusade
To capture nation attention, in 1963, protest coordinators used children to protest alongside of adults. They were bitten by dogs and sprayed with fire hoses, although the world and country took notice and this helped the movement.
Congress on Racial Equality (CORE)
Big organization for Civil rights, helped with freedom rides, freedom summer, and the march on Washington
Whose assassination helped to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
JFK
Civil Rights Act of 1968
Spurred primarily by MLK’s death, ended red lining and discrimination in housing.
Declaration of Constitutional Principles
Southern States signed this in 1965 and vowed never to submit and follow civil rights legislation
War on Poverty
Declaration made by Johnson in response to national attentions being drawing to poverty in America by The other American book by Michael Harrington
Michael Harrington
Author of The Other America book on poverty
The Other America
Book by Michael Harrington on poverty that brought national attention to poverty and spurred Johnson’s “unconditional war on poverty”.
Barry Goldwater
A staunch Arizonan conservative nominated by the Republicans to run again Johnson in the election of 1964. Johnson won in a landslide.
Lyndon B Johnson
A skilled politician who began as a Roosevelt Democrat during the Great Depression. He was JFK’s VP and took over the presidency after his assassination. He sought to expand New Deal reforms with his “Great Society” plan.
“Great Society”
Johnson’s social reforms plan. It focused on fighting poverty, bettering education, and providing health care or insurance to the needy. He also had legislation based on immigration, the arts, and affordable housing.
Poverty Great Society legislation
Food Stamp Act: food for those with low income
Medicaid: funding for care of poor and disabled
Medicare: health insurance for 65 and older
Economic Opportunity Act: Created VISTA
Education Great Society legislation
Elementary and Secondary Education Act: federal funds to poor districts
Higher Education Act: federal scholarships for post secondary education
Child Nutrition Act: added breakfast to the school lunch program
Head start program
Regulation of the Automobile Industry
Congress and Johnson passed many more regulatory measures regarding this industry after pressure from Ralph Nader’s book Unsafe at Any Speed came out in 1965.
He passed the Highway Safety Act
Johnson’s Environmental Reform
Due to pressure from Rachel Carson’s exposé of pesticides, Silent Spring, they passed regulations for clean air and water. Additionally, Lady Bird Johnson helped improve the environment with her Beautify America Campaign
Immigration Act of 1965
Ended the ethnic quota laws of immigration of the 1920’s. Led to a sharp increase in immigration and opened America to all parts of the world.
Third World
A term used for developing countries that formed after the decolonization following WWII. They were often politically and economically unstable and were made to be pawns of the Cold War.
Iran
In 1953, Eisenhower overthrew their government using the CIA and methods of covert action. The Shah was brought back into power which through oil, economically aided the US
Covert Action
A method of interventionism used by the US during Eisenhower’s presidency that was less objectionable to voters and more cost effective. Examples include Iran and Guatemala.
Suez Crisis
Arab nationalists seized the Suez Canal during Eisenhower’s presidency, causing Britain, France and other countries to attack Egypt to regain control. Eisenhower was kept in the dark and sponsored a UN resolution condemning the invasion of Egypt.
Eisenhower Doctrine
In 1957 the US pledged economic and military aid to any Middle Eastern country threatened by communism.
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, and Iran formed this to coordinate oil policies and expand political power. This was done during Eisenhower’s final year as president.
Yom Kippur War
Egypt and Syria attacked Israel and the US and Nixon came to Israel’s aid. This turned the tide of the war and Israel won, although after this, OPEC placed and oil embargo in the US as punishment and hurt the US economy severely
Camp David Accords
One of the biggest achievements of Carter’s presidency, where he helped Egypt and Israel to negotiate a peace settlement at Camp David.
Kennedy’s foreign policies for developing countries
Kennedy liked to develop countries, so he created the Peace Corps and the Alliance of Progress for Latin America, which promoted economic and land reform.
Jimmy Carter’s Foreign Policy
Humanitarian focused; crated the Panama Canal Treaty (1979) which began transition to full Panamanian control of the canal
Hostage Crisis (1979)
During Carter’s presidency they took in the Shah for medial treatment after his exile from Iran to the US. Iranians wanted him to stand trial in Iran, so they took hostages at the US embassy in Iran and kept them there for over a year until the end of Carter’s presidency.
History of Vietnam leading up the the war
Formerly known as French Indochina (1887)
France gave up control in 1941 after falling to Germany
Japan takes over, loses in 1945 after WWII
Ho Chi Minh, a communist leader, declares Vietnam’s independence
France attempts to reclaim it with US support
France leaves Vietnam in 1954
At the Geneva Convention it was decided that Vietnam would be split into a Communist North and a Democratic South at the 17th parallel
the south would be controlled by US backed but oppressive Ngo Dinh Dien
Kennedy sent in 16,000 military personnel to support him
Until he was overthrown and killed in 1963 by a US created coup by Kennedy
In August of 1964 2 +4, two US vessels are attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin, catalyst for war
