USHISTORY

Domino Theory

Cold War belief that communism would spread country by country if the U.S. didn't intervene — basically the logic behind fighting in Korea and Vietnam instead of letting them go.

Berlin Wall

Concrete wall dividing East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989; East Germans built it to trap their own citizens in the communist side. Its fall symbolized the end of the Cold War.

Vietnam War

America's longest and most controversial Cold War conflict; the U.S. tried to prop up South Vietnam against the communist North but ultimately failed and withdrew in 1975.

Geneva Accords (1954)

Peace deal that split Vietnam into North (communist under Ho Chi Minh) and South (non-communist) at the 17th parallel after France lost control; elections to reunify were never held.

Ho Chi Minh

Leader of the Vietnamese independence movement and North Vietnam; saw himself as a nationalist fighting colonialism, but the U.S. viewed him as a communist threat.

Anti-War Movement

Massive domestic opposition to Vietnam — draft dodging, campus protests, the March on Washington (1967), and media coverage of war horrors all turned public opinion against the conflict.

Vietnamization

Nixon's exit plan for Vietnam: hand the fighting over to South Vietnamese troops while pulling Americans out. Meant to end U.S. casualties without openly admitting defeat.

Richard Nixon's Silent Majority

Nixon's 1969 appeal to ordinary Americans who weren't out protesting — he argued they were the real majority and they supported his policies, using them as political leverage against the anti-war left.

HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee)

Government committee that interrogated Americans suspected of communist ties; ruined careers through blacklisting, especially in Hollywood. Part of the broader Second Red Scare paranoia.

Bobby Seale & Huey Newton

Founded the Black Panther Party in Oakland (1966) to combat police brutality; combined armed self-defense with community service programs like free breakfasts and health clinics.

Warren Court

Era of the Supreme Court (1953–1969) under Earl Warren that dramatically expanded individual rights — desegregated schools, protected defendants' rights, and struck down discriminatory laws.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Agency Nixon created in 1970 to enforce environmental laws and regulate pollution; a direct result of the growing environmentalist movement Rachel Carson helped start.

Elementary & Secondary Education Act

LBJ's 1965 education law that sent federal dollars to the poorest school districts — the first major federal investment in K-12 education and a cornerstone of the Great Society.

Water Quality Act (1965)

Federal law requiring states to set and enforce clean water standards; part of LBJ's environmental push within the Great Society agenda.

Housing & Urban Development Act

Great Society legislation creating the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and funding affordable housing and urban renewal projects for low-income communities.

Head Start

Federal preschool program launched under the Great Society giving disadvantaged kids access to early education, meals, and medical checkups before they start school.

Medicare & Medicaid

Two pillars of LBJ's Great Society healthcare reform: Medicare covers seniors (65+), Medicaid covers people in poverty. Both still exist as major government health programs today.

Chicano Movement

Latino civil rights push in the 60s–70s; Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta organized farmworker strikes and boycotts, while students demanded cultural recognition and bilingual education.

Asian-American Movement

Coalition of Asian ethnic groups in the 60s–70s who united under the 'Asian-American' identity to fight racism, demand representation, and push for ethnic studies in universities.

Gay Liberation Movement

LGBTQ+ rights movement that exploded after police raided the Stonewall Inn in 1969 and patrons fought back; shifted from quiet advocacy to loud, visible demands for equality.

American Indian Movement (AIM)

Activist group fighting for Native American sovereignty and treaty rights; staged dramatic protests like the 1973 occupation of Wounded Knee, South Dakota to draw national attention.

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

Amendment saying 'equality of rights under the law shall not be denied on account of sex' — feminists pushed it, Phyllis Schlafly organized against it, and it died three states short of ratification.