Studied by 2 people
Civil Rights Act
1964 law banning racial discrimination in private businesses open to the public, mandating racial equality in hiring, empowers federal government to take action against discrimination
Title VII
Stipulation in Civil Rights Act which bans discrimination based on race, national origin, sex, and religion in employment/hiring, enforced by EEOC
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Federal agency created by JFK in 1961 which was later authorized to enforce Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
Affirmative Action
Program in which federally-funded projects were required to take definitive and swift action to eliminate hiring discrimination, introduced by LBJ in 1965, later meant “reverse” discrimination
The Other America
Michael Harrington’s 1963 novel revealing that 20% of Americans lived under the poverty line, with 40% of African-Americans living in poverty, influenced LBJ’s policies
Great Society
LBJ’s domestic policy which aimed to restore domestic prosperity, promote Civil Rights, and end poverty
War on Poverty
LBJ’s creation of Medicare/medicaid, expansion of educational systems, and creation of welfare programs to end poverty
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
Congressional agreement in August 1964 giving LBJ complete power to respond to attacks on US ships in the Tonkin Gulf, saw a massive increase in military involvement in Vietnam
1964 Election
LBJ defeats Goldwater 486-52, wins 61% of popular vote, secures supermajorities in both Congressional houses
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Cabinet department established in 1965 to reform federal housing policy, led by Robert C. Weaver, the 1st black cabinet secretary
Medicare
Federal healthcare for the elderly established in 1965, allowed to increase spending without Congressional approval, decreased elderly poverty
Immigration and Nationality Act
1965 law abolishing national-origin quotas in immigration, doubling number of immigrants allowed in per year, setting a limit on number of immigrants from Western Hemisphere, changed immigrant demographics
Project Head Start
Educational program to improve education among underprivileged and minority children, helped decrease black poverty
24th Amendment
1964 constitutional amendment banning poll taxes from being levied on voters in federal elections, in response to taxes on poor black voters
Freedom Summer
Voter registration drive in Mississippi in 1964 led by civil rights groups, marred by the killing of 3 activists by racists, 21 Whites were arrested
Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party
Political party established in 1964 to replace racist delegates of Mississippi’s Democratic Party at 1964 DNC, denied by party bosses
Voting Rights Act
1965 law banning racial disenfranchisement and literacy tests in federal elections, sent federal overseers to Southern states to enforce it
Watts
Black neighborhood in LA that saw massive riots on 8/11/1965 after a policeman allegedly brutalized a black man, killed 34 and left 1000 dead, turned civil rights groups to a more violent style of protest
Black Panther Party
Armed black militants who operated in Oakland starting in 1966 to prevent police brutality and protect black rights
Black Power
Doctrine of black separatism, militancy, and supremacy which spread among black activists after 1965, promoted by Stokely Carmichael
Stokely Carmichael
SNCC leader who began to promote Black Power doctrine in 1965 and wanted to “smash everything Western civilization has created”
James Earl Ray
Supposed assassin of Martin Luther King Jr, convicted and sentenced to 99 years in prison but believed by Coretta Scott King to be innocent, won 1993 mock trial on HBO
Six-Day War
1967 military conflict between Israel and Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, resulted in Israeli expansion into Gaza, West Bank, and Golan Heights, laid foundations for modern Arab conflicts
West Bank
Jordanian-occupied territory in Eastern Israel which was taken by Israel during Six-Day War, settled by Israelis and became contentious
William Fulbright
Anti-war Senator (D-AR) who was the head of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, held hearings on TV in 1966 and 1967 which turned public opinion against war
Cointelpro
FBI’s counterintelligence program which was weaponized against anti-Vietnam War activists and accused them of being communist
Tet Offensive
Surprise attacks by the Viet Cong in 1/1968 that saw heavy losses on both and a key political victory for Ho Chi Minh
1968 Election
Richard Nixon defeats Hubert Humphrey and George Wallace, 301-191-46, wins 56% of popular vote without major cities
George Wallace
Governor of Alabama who was radically pro-segregation, won 5 states, 46 electoral votes, and 9.9 million votes in 1968
Second Vatican Council
21st Catholic Ecumenical council from 1962-1965 which liberalized the Church and allowed for relations with other faiths
Rebel Without a Cause
1955 movie starring James Dean which displayed the frustrations young people had with authority and conformity
Free Speech Movement
Organized protests at UC Berkeley in 1964 opposing the ban on political speech on campus, lasted several months
Mattachine Society
Gay rights organization founded in Los Angeles in 1951 which demanded sexual tolerance for gays and lesbians
Stonewall Rebellion
Violent riots in NYC in 1969 after off-duty cops attacked gay men at a gay bar, led to the gay rights movement’s power
Students for a Democratic Society
Leftist student organization which started as an anti-war and pro-equality group, quickly became radical and violent
Young Americans for Freedom
Conservative student organization which propelled Barry Goldwater’s campaign and led to the rebirth of conservatism
Weather Underground
Radical leftist terrorist organization which was created in SDS in 1969, sought to overthrow the US Government
LSD
Psychedelic drug popularized during the 1960s which was popular among hippies and led to the birth of “acid rock” music
Vietnamization
Military strategy launched in 1969 to reduce the number of US troops in Vietnam and to to train Vietnamese soldiers to fight northern Communists with American weapons & training
Nixon Doctrine
Nixon’s military policy which upheld prior military agreements, but future wars would be fought without US involvement
Silent Majority
Nixon’s term for the law abiding middle class that supported the Vietnam War, used to justify a counteroffensive
My Lai
Vietnamese village which was attacked by the US Army in March 1968, 347/504 villagers were killed, caused controversy
Kent State Shooting
Killing of 4 anti-war rioters by National Guardsmen at Kent State University in Ohio on 5/4/1970
26th Amendment
1971 constitutional amendment which decreased the minimum age to vote in federal elections from 21 to 18
Pentagon Papers
Government report leaked to the New York Times in 1971, revealing failures of JFK and LBJ in handling of the war, along with secrecies and cover ups by the government
Détente
Period of the Cold War with relaxed tensions after Nixon visited the USSR in 1972
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
Agreement between the USA and USSR which stipulated that no new long-range nuclear missiles can be built for 5 years
Salvador Allende
Marxist ruler of Chile who rose to power in 1970 and was killed by an army attack on his headquarters in 1973, hated by CIA
Griswold v. Connecticut
1965 Supreme Court case striking down a state law banning the use of contraceptives, established a right to privacy
Gideon v. Wainwright
1963 Supreme Court case which held that all criminal defendants were entitled to legal counsel regardless of ability to pay
Miranda v. Arizona
1966 Supreme court case which established that arrested people have the right to remain silent, any statements collected before they are informed aren’t admissible
Miranda Warning
Statement of an arrested person’s rights that must be told to them before interrogation
Engel v. Vitale
1962 Supreme Court case which ruled that public schools cannot encourage prayer or Bible reading under 1st Amendment
Roe v. Wade
1973 Supreme Court case inventing a Constitutional right to abortion, overturned by Dobbs (2022)
Warren E. Burger
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court nominated by Nixon who betrayed his nominator by continuing Warren Court trends
Supplemental Security Income
Welfare program created by Richard Nixon which gave money to the blind and disabled who couldn’t work
Philadelphia Plan
Richard Nixon’s 1969 program to force construction unions to hire more black apprentices, shifted affirmative action to groups
Griggs v. Duke Power Co.
1971 Supreme Court case banning hiring measures like IQ tests if they had the result of excluding women and minorities
Silent Spring
1962 exposé by Rachel Carson which exposed harmful effects of pesticides, influenced environmentalist movement
Environmental Protection Agency
Federal agency created in 1970 to regulate pollution, emissions, and pesticides, massive win for environmentalists
Earth Day
Global holiday celebrated on 4/22 to spread awareness of environmental issues, first observed in 1970
Clean Air Act
1970 law regulating emissions of gases by vehicles, buildings, and companies, enforced by the EPA
Endangered Species Act
1973 law establishing protections for species of organisms listened as threatened or endangered, enforced by EPA
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Federal agency created in 1970 which improves working conditions, prevents accidents, and issues safety standards
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Federal agency created in 1972 to hold companies accountable for dangerous products, increases government control
Southern Strategy
Nixon’s reelection strategy which valued law and order, and careful Civil Rights legislation to court Southern Democrats
Primary Elections
Party elections at the state level to determine delegate representation at nominating conventions based on popularity, introduced in 1960s/1970s
1972 Election
Nixon defeats McGovern 520-17, won over 66% of popular vote, McGovern wins only 1 states and DC
Thomas Eagleton
Senator (D-MO) who was removed from 1972 VP nomination when his psychiatric hospitalizations were revealed after DNC
George McGovern
Senator (D-SD) who was far-left and was dominated in the 1972 election when the young people he pandered to didn’t vote
Pol Pot
Murderous communist dictator of Cambodia who ruled from 1976 until his overthrow by Vietnam in 1979, killed 2 million people
War Powers Act
1973 law which required president consult Congress within 48 hours of ordering troops into a foreign country, shortening presidential war period
All-Volunteer Force
Armed forces with full-time professionals as soldiers, more technologically advanced and trained, used overseas with less losses
Yom Kippur War
Syrian and Egyptian attack on Israeli Sinai in 1973, countered by Israel with US aid, led OPEC to enact oil embargo on USA
Henry Kissinger
Nixon’s head military adviser who became his Secretary of State, shaped much of his policy in Vietnam and Israel
Special Economic Zone
Designation of Shenzhen, China in 1979 which allowed it to operate under regulated capitalism, helped China become a superpower
