AP US History Unit 1: Rise of the Silent Majority Key Terms

Vocabulary flashcards covering historical figures, legislation, economic terms, and major events from AP US History Unit 1: Rise of the Silent Majority.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Civil rights law passed in 1990 that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places open to the general public.

Barry Goldwater

Unsuccessful presidential candidate against Lyndon Johnson in 1964 who called for dismantling the New Deal, escalation of the war in Vietnam, and the status quo on civil rights; regarded as the grandfather of the 1980s conservative movement.

Bill Clinton

President of the United States (1993-2001) and Democratic Party member whose centrist approach included NAFTA, welfare reform, and a balanced budget; became the second president in American history to be impeached by Congress.

Camp David Accords (1979)

Agreement reached between leaders of Israel and Egypt brokered by President Carter, in which Israel surrendered land seized in earlier wars and Egypt recognized Israel as a nation.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Proposed by John Kennedy and signed by Lyndon Johnson; it desegregated public accommodations, libraries, parks, and amusements and broadened federal government powers to protect individual rights and prevent job discrimination.

Contract with America

Document drafted under Republican Newt Gingrich promising ten legislative items if Republicans won control of Congress, including congressional term limits, a balanced budget amendment, tax cuts, tougher crime laws, and welfare reform.

Crisis of Confidence (Malaise) Speech

Televised national address by President Carter complaining of a weak national spirit that struck at the 'very heart and soul of our national will,' making many Americans feel their president had given up.

Deregulation

The cutting back of federal regulation of industry, implemented in the 1980s by Reagan through removing price controls on oil and eliminating or reducing rules for nursing homes, airlines, and savings and loan industries.

Earl Warren

Controversial Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1953-1969) who led far-reaching racial, social, and political rulings, including school desegregation and protecting the rights of persons accused of crimes.

George H.W. Bush

President of the United States (1989-1993) who campaigned on 'Read my lips: no new taxes'; despite a successful military campaign against Saddam Hussein in the Persian Gulf War, economic recession and reversing his tax promise cost him reelection in 1992.

George McGovern

Unsuccessful Democratic candidate for president in 1972 who called for immediate withdrawal from Vietnam and a guaranteed income for the poor.

George W. Bush

President of the United States (2001-2009) who espoused 'compassionate conservatism,' passed tax cuts and education reform, and whose presidency was defined by the War on Terror following September 11.

George Wallace

Alabama governor and third-party presidential candidate in 1968 and 1972 running on a segregation and law-and-order platform; paralyzed by an attempted assassination in 1972.

Gerald Ford

President (1974-1977) who served without being elected president or vice president, appointed under the Twenty-Fifth Amendment when Spiro Agnew resigned and assuming the presidency upon Nixon's resignation.

Geraldine Ferraro

House Representative from New York chosen by Walter Mondale to be his Vice-Presidential running mate in 1984, becoming the first woman on a major political party's presidential ticket.

Great Society

President Lyndon Johnson's social and economic program tackling poverty and civil rights, which included Medicare, Medicaid, the Immigration Act of 1965, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Henry Kissinger

Advisor to Presidents Nixon and Ford who served as the architect of the Vietnam settlement, diplomatic opening to China, and detente with the Soviet Union.

Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965

Law that opened doors for non-European immigrants to settle in the United States by ending nationality-based quotas.

Iran Hostage Crisis (1979-1981)

Incident where Iranian radicals seized 52 Americans from the U.S. embassy and held them for 444 days, demanding the return of the deposed Shah to stand trial.

Iran-Contra Affair (1986-1987)

Scandal involving secret Reagan administration arms sales to Iran to free hostages, with proceeds illegally funneled to Contra insurgents in Nicaragua.

Jimmy Carter

President (1977-1981) whose foreign policy highlighted the Camp David Accords but was severely damaged by the Iran Hostage Crisis, leading to his defeat after one term.

Lyndon Johnson

President (1963-1969) whose escalation of the Vietnam War from 16,000 troops in 1963 to 540,000 in 1968 destroyed his political support, prompting his decision not to seek reelection after the Tet Offensive.

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)

Law passed in 1990 (modified in 2024) providing for the protection and return of Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony.

New Left

Label for 1960s political radicals who supported civil rights and opposed American foreign policy, especially in Vietnam, influenced by the 1930s Old Left.

No Child Left Behind

Education reform plan calling for increased state accountability for student success, mandatory achievement testing, and expanded school options for parents.

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

Trade treaty signed by Mexico, the United States, and Canada, championed by President Clinton on the premise that flourishing trade was essential to U.S. prosperity and global stability.

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

Cartel of oil-exporting nations that used oil boycotts throughout the 1970s as a weapon to roil the U.S. economy and alter America's Middle East policy.

Persian Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm)

Successful international coalition campaign to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi control using a massive air assault and ground offensive launched from Saudi Arabia.

Richard Nixon

President (1969-1974) who extracted the U.S. from Vietnam slowly, recognized Communist China, and improved Soviet relations, but whose achievements were overshadowed by the Watergate scandal.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Landmark Supreme Court ruling establishing that first-trimester abortions are protected under a woman's right to privacy.

Ronald Reagan

President (1981-1989) who led a conservative movement focused on budget cuts, tax cuts (Reaganomics), opposing federal government growth, and opposing detente with the Soviet Union.

Sandra Day O'Connor

Justice appointed by President Reagan who became the first woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court.

September 11, 2001

Coordinated terrorist attack by al Qaeda using four hijacked commercial jets that struck the World Trade Center twin towers, the Pentagon, and crashed near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Silent Majority

Label given by Richard Nixon to middle-class Americans who supported him, obeyed laws, and wanted 'peace with honor' in Vietnam, contrasted with protesting students and civil rights activists.

Stagflation

Economic condition of the 1970s characterized by rapidly rising prices (inflation) combined with economic stagnation and rising unemployment, largely caused by rising oil prices.

Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)

Proposed defense system popularly known as 'Star Wars,' intended to protect the United States against incoming missile attacks.

Sunbelt

Term describing the South and Southwest regions of the United States, which have experienced a major population boom since the late 1970s due to their warm climate.

Supply-side economics (Reaganomics)

Economic policies of President Reagan centered on budget cuts and large tax cuts to increase private investment, savings, jobs, and overall government revenue.

Thurgood Marshall

Leading NAACP attorney in the Brown v. Board of Education case who was later appointed by Lyndon Johnson as the first Black justice on the Supreme Court.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Federal law expanding government protection of voters and voter registration, increasing federal authority to investigate irregularities, and outlawing literacy tests.

War on Terror

Label for post-September 11 antiterrorism efforts including foreign detentions, the Department of Homeland Security, increased aviation security, and the military campaign in Afghanistan.

Warren Burger

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1969-1986) who upheld school busing, abortion rights, and ordered Nixon to surrender the Watergate tapes.

Watergate scandal

Scandal sparked by a June 1972 illegal wiretapping attempt at Democratic headquarters, leading to obstruction of justice by Nixon and his aides, costing Nixon his presidency.