APUSH Key Terms and Definitions

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering key APUSH terms and their definitions for study and review.

Alger Hiss

U.S. official accused of spying for the Soviet Union; fueled anti-communist fears.

Baby Boom

Huge rise in birth rates after WWII (1946–1964).

Beatniks / Beats

1950s counterculture writers who rejected conformity.

Berlin Blockade

USSR blocked West Berlin (1948); U.S. airlifted supplies.

Brown v. Board of Education

Supreme Court case ending school segregation (‘separate is not equal’).

Chiang Kai-shek

Nationalist Chinese leader defeated by communists; fled to Taiwan.

CIA

U.S. intelligence agency involved in espionage and covert operations.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Banned segregation and discrimination in public places and jobs.

Cold War

Political tension between U.S. (capitalism) and USSR (communism) after WWII.

Containment

U.S. policy to stop the spread of communism.

De Facto / De Jure Segregation

De jure: by law; de facto: by custom/practice.

Détente

Relaxation of Cold War tensions (1970s).

Dien Bien Phu

French defeat in Vietnam (1954), ending French control.

Dixiecrats

Southern Democrats who opposed civil rights (1948).

Douglas MacArthur

U.S. general in WWII & Korea; fired by Truman.

Fair Deal

Truman’s domestic program expanding New Deal ideas.

GI Bill

Provided education and housing benefits to WWII veterans.

Hollywood 10

Film industry figures jailed for refusing to testify about communism.

HUAC

House committee investigating communist influence.

Iron Curtain

Division between communist Eastern Europe and democratic West.

Israeli Independence

Creation of Israel in 1948; led to Middle East conflict.

Korean War

Conflict between North Korea (communist) and South Korea (U.S.-backed); ended in stalemate.

Levittown

Mass-produced suburban housing development.

Little Rock Nine

Black students integrating an Arkansas high school (1957).

Mao Zedong

Communist leader of China (1949).

Marshall Plan

U.S. aid to rebuild Europe and stop communism.

McCarthyism

Senator McCarthy’s anti-communist accusations without evidence.

Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK)

Civil rights leader advocating nonviolent protest.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Protest against bus segregation (1955–56).

NASA

U.S. space agency created after Sputnik.

NATO

U.S. and allies’ military alliance against USSR.

NSC-68

Document calling for major military buildup to fight communism.

Redlining

Discriminatory housing practice denying loans to minorities.

Richard Nixon

Anti-communist politician; later president.

Rosenberg Case

Couple executed for passing atomic secrets to USSR.

Salk Vaccine

First effective polio vaccine (1955).

SALT I

Treaty limiting nuclear weapons (1972).

SEATO

Anti-communist alliance in Southeast Asia.

Second Red Scare

Fear of communism in U.S. (late 1940s–50s).

Smith Act

Made advocating overthrow of U.S. government illegal.

SNCC

Student-led civil rights group.

Suburbanization

Movement to suburbs after WWII.

Truman Doctrine

U.S. promise to help countries resist communism.

U-2 Incident

U.S. spy plane shot down by USSR (1960).

Warsaw Pact

Soviet alliance of Eastern European nations.

Affirmative Action

Policies to increase opportunities for minorities.

Alliance for Progress

JFK program to improve Latin America.

Bay of Pigs

Failed U.S. invasion of Cuba (1961).

Black Panthers

Militant group promoting Black self-defense.

Black Power Movement

Emphasized racial pride and independence.

CORE

Civil rights group using nonviolent protest.

Cuban Missile Crisis

Nuclear standoff between U.S. and USSR (1962).

Domino Theory

Idea that one country falling to communism spreads to others.

Eisenhower Doctrine

U.S. aid to Middle East against communism.

Engel v. Vitale

Banned school prayer in public schools.

Freedom Rides

Protests challenging segregation in buses.

Gideon v. Wainwright

Right to a lawyer.

Great Society

LBJ’s programs to end poverty and inequality.

Griswold v. Connecticut

Legalized birth control for married couples.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Allowed LBJ to expand Vietnam War.

Ho Chi Minh

Communist leader of North Vietnam.

Immigration Act of 1965

Ended quota system; increased diversity.

Interstate Highway Act

Built national highway system.

John F. Kennedy (JFK)

President during early 1960s Cold War.

Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ)

President who passed major civil rights laws.

Malcolm X

Black nationalist leader; more militant than MLK.

March on Washington

Massive civil rights rally (‘I Have a Dream’).

Medicare / Medicaid

Health programs for elderly and poor.

Military-Industrial Complex

Relationship between military and defense industry.

Miranda v. Arizona

Rights read to suspects upon arrest.

My Lai Massacre

U.S. troops killed Vietnamese civilians.

NAACP

Organization fighting for Black rights using courts.

New Frontier

JFK’s reform program.

Ngo Dinh Diem

U.S.-backed South Vietnam leader.

Nikita Khrushchev

Soviet leader during Cold War crises.

NLF / Vietcong

Communist fighters in South Vietnam.

Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

Limited nuclear testing (1963).

Operation Wetback

Deportation of undocumented Mexican workers.

Peace Corps

Volunteers helping developing countries.

Robert Kennedy

Attorney General; civil rights supporter.

Rosa Parks

Refused to give up bus seat; sparked boycott.

SCLC

MLK’s civil rights organization.

Sit-In Movement

Students protested segregation at lunch counters.

Sputnik

First satellite launched by USSR (1957).

American Indian Movement (AIM)

Fought for Native American rights.

Betty Friedan / Feminine Mystique

Feminist author criticizing women’s roles.

Camp David Accords

Peace agreement between Egypt and Israel.

Cesar Chavez

Labor leader for farm workers.

Chicanos / La Raza

Mexican American identity and activism movement.

Counterculture

Youth rejecting traditional values (hippies).

EPA

Agency protecting environment.

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

Proposed amendment for gender equality (not ratified).

Free Speech Movement (FSM)

Student protest movement (UC Berkeley).

Gay Liberation Movement

Fought for LGBTQ rights.

Henry Kissinger

Nixon’s foreign policy advisor; détente leader.

Indian Civil Rights Act (1968)

Rights for Native Americans.

Iran Hostage Crisis

Americans held hostage in Iran (1979–81).

Mendez v. Westminster

Ended Mexican school segregation in CA.

Mujahideen

Afghan fighters resisting Soviet invasion.

Neoconservatives

Conservatives favoring strong foreign policy.