chapter 9 and 10 siler vocab

John F. Kennedy

served in both the House of Representatives and the Senate before becoming the 35th President in 1961. He faced a number of foreign crises, especially in Cuba and Berlin, and managed to secure such achievements as the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty and the alliance for Progress. He was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.

Richard Nixon

served as a Republican member of Congress and of the Senate as well as Vice President under Dwight D. Eisenhower. He ran for President in 1960 and lost to John F. Kennedy but won the office in 1968. His presidency was marked by significant accomplishments in foreign relations. In 1974, he resigned rather than be impeached for covering up illegal activities in the Watergate affair.

New Frontier

President Kennedy’s plan to improve the economy, fight racial discrimination, and explore space

Equal Pay Act

1963 law requiring men and women to receive equal pay for equal work

Deficit Spending

practice of a nation paying out more money than it is receiving in revenues

Space Race

competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to successfully land on the moon

Warren Commission

committee that investigated the assassination of President Kennedy

Fidel Castro

helped to overthrow the Cuban government in 1959, and led the country from then until 2008. His communist government and ties to the Soviet Union were a source of conflict between Cuba and the United States.

Peace Corps

American government organization that sends volunteers to provide technical, educational, and medical services to developing countries

Bay of Pigs Invasion

failed 1961 invasion of Cuba by a CIA-led force of Cuban exiles

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union resulting from the Soviet installation of nuclear missiles in Cuba

Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

1963 nuclear-weapons agreement that banned above ground nuclear tests

Berlin Wall

dividing wall built by East Germany in 1961 to isolate West Berlin from communist-controlled East Berlin

Domino Theory

idea that if a nation falls to communism, its closest neighbors will also fall under communist control

Ho Chi Minh

One of the most influential anti colonial leaders in Asia. Ho led North Vietnam’s fight to reunify North and South Vietnam, serving as president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) from 1945 to 1969.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

1964 congressional resolution that authorized President Johnson to commit U.S. troops to South Vietnam to fight a war against North Vietnam

Napalm

jellied gasoline dropped in canisters that explode on impact and cover large areas in flame; dropped by U.S. planes during the Vietnam War

Tet Offensive

communist assault on a large number of South Vietnamese cities in early 1968

Vietnamization

President Nixon’s plan for gradual withdrawal of U.S. forces as South Vietnamese troops assumed more combat duties

Pentagon Papers

classified U.S. government study that revealed American leaders involved the United States in Vietnam without fully informing the American people; leaked to the New York Times in 1971.

War Powers Act

1973 law passed by Congress restricting the President’s war-making powers; the law requires the President to consult with Congress before committing American forces to a foreign conflict