Key Terms from 20th Century American History

These flashcards cover key terms and events from 20th century American history, focusing on civil rights, Cold War dynamics, and major legislation.

Baby Boom

Postwar surge in birth rates driven by prosperity and returning veterans, reshaping American demographics, consumer culture, and suburban expansion from 1946 to 1964.

Bay of Pigs

Failed U.S.-backed invasion of Cuba by exiles aiming to overthrow Fidel Castro, damaging U.S.-Cuban relations and strengthening Castro's regime in April 1961.

Beat Movement

Post-WWII literary movement rejecting conformity, exploring spirituality, and influencing 1960s counterculture through works like Howl, from the 1940s to the 1960s.

Berlin Airlift

U.S.-led operation supplying West Berlin entirely by air after a Soviet blockade, demonstrating Western resolve against communist expansionism from 1948 to 1949.

Berlin Wall

Cold War barrier built by East Germany to stop emigration to the West, symbolizing communist oppression and dividing Europe until its fall in 1989.

Black Panther Party

Militant organization founded to combat police brutality and systemic racism, advocating self-defense and community programs for Black Americans from 1966 to 1982.

Brown v. Board of Education

Landmark Supreme Court case declaring racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson in 1954.

Camp David Accords

Historic peace agreement brokered by President Carter between Egypt and Israel, leading to improved U.S. Middle East diplomacy on September 17, 1978.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Landmark legislation prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in public accommodations and employment, passed on July 2, 1964.

Clean Air Act

Landmark law empowering the EPA to regulate air pollutants and set national air quality standards, enacted in 1970.

COINTELPRO

FBI program targeting civil rights groups, including the Black Panthers, through surveillance, infiltration, and disruption of activism between 1956 and 1971.

Counterculture

Youth-driven movement rejecting traditional norms through activism, art, music, and advocacy for personal freedom in society during the 1960s.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 13-day confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union over nuclear missiles in Cuba, resolved in October 1962.

Détente

Nixon-era policy aimed at easing Cold War tensions through diplomacy and arms control agreements from 1969 to 1979.

Domino Theory

The belief that communist control in one nation would lead to its spread to neighboring countries, influencing U.S. foreign policy from the 1950s to the 1980s.

Dwight Eisenhower

34th U.S. President who emphasized Cold War containment and nuclear deterrence from 1953 to 1961.

Eisenhower Doctrine

Policy pledging U.S. military and economic aid to Middle Eastern nations resisting communism, established in 1957.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Federal agency created to enforce pollution controls and regulate environmental policy, formed under Nixon in 1970.

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

Proposed constitutional amendment guaranteeing equal rights regardless of sex; passed by Congress in 1972 but fell short of state ratification.

Fair Housing Act (Open Housing Act)

Federal law prohibiting housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin, passed in 1968.

Federal Highway Act of 1956

Legislation creating the Interstate Highway System to improve national defense and economic growth, signed by President Eisenhower.

Fidel Castro

Cuban revolutionary leader who established a communist state and opposed U.S. influence from 1959 to 2008.

Ford's Pardon of Nixon

Controversial pardon shielding Nixon from Watergate prosecutions, aimed at healing the nation on September 8, 1974.

Freedom Riders

Civil rights activists who challenged segregation on interstate buses and faced violence in the South, active in 1961.

Geneva Conference

International meeting dividing Vietnam at the 17th parallel, setting the stage for U.S. involvement, in 1954.

George Wallace

Segregationist Alabama governor who opposed civil rights legislation during the 1960s and 1970s.

GI Bill (Servicemen's Readjustment Act)

Federal law providing veterans with education and housing benefits, boosting postwar economic growth, from 1944.

Gloria Steinem

Feminist leader and co-founder of Ms. Magazine, instrumental in second-wave women's rights activism from the 1960s to the 1970s.

Great Society

Lyndon B. Johnson's domestic agenda aimed at eliminating poverty and racial injustice, launched from 1964 to 1968.

Griswold v. Connecticut

Landmark case establishing a right to marital privacy regarding contraception, decided in 1965.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Authorized escalation of U.S. involvement in Vietnam after alleged attacks, passed in August 1964.

Helsinki Accords

Agreement recognizing postwar European borders and human rights commitments, signed in 1975.

Henry Kissinger

Nixon's National Security Advisor who advanced détente and shaped Cold War diplomacy from 1969 to 1977.

Ho Chi Minh / Viet Cong

Leader and guerrilla forces fighting U.S.-backed South Vietnam, from the 1950s to 1975.

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

Congressional committee investigating alleged communist influence, active from 1938 to 1975.

Immigration Act of 1965

Legislation abolishing national-origin quotas, enabling diverse immigration, passed in 1965.

Iranian Hostage Crisis

Crisis where 52 Americans were held in Tehran for 444 days, affecting U.S.-Iran relations from November 1979 to January 1981.

Jackie Robinson

First African American MLB player, symbolizing civil rights progress, debuted in 1947.

Jimmy Carter

39th U.S. President focused on human rights and faced the Iran Hostage Crisis, from January 20, 1977, to January 20, 1981.

John F. Kennedy

35th U.S. President known for civil rights advocacy and the Cuban Missile Crisis, assassinated in 1963.

Kent State Shooting

Incident where Ohio National Guard killed four students protesting the Vietnam War on May 4, 1970.

Kerner Commission

Commission warning of systemic racism and economic inequality contributing to urban riots from 1967 to 1968.

Korean War

Conflict where U.S.-led forces repelled North Korean invasion, resulting in a stalemate, from 1950 to 1953.

Little Rock Nine

Nine Black students integrated a high school in 1957 with federal intervention to enforce desegregation.

Loving v. Virginia

Supreme Court ruling against bans on interracial marriage, decided in 1967.

Lyndon B. Johnson

36th U.S. President known for civil rights legislation and the Great Society, served from 1963 to 1969.

Malaise Speech

Carter's address addressing national discontent and energy conservation on July 15, 1979.

Malcolm X

Black nationalist leader advocating self-defense and empowerment until his assassination in 1965.

March on Washington

Massive civil rights demonstration on August 28, 1963, where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his