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

Vocabulary flashcards covering key political figures, legislation, and social studies terms from the 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 that are open to the general public.

Barry Goldwater

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

Bill Clinton

President of the United States, 1993-2001. A Democrat who represented a centrist approach with policies like the North American Free Trade Agreement, welfare reform, and a balanced budget; he was the 2nd president to be impeached.

Camp David Accords (1979)

Agreement reached between the leaders of Israel and Egypt brokered by President Carter; 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 powers to protect individual rights and prevent job discrimination.

Contract with America

Document drafted under Newt Gingrich promising ten 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 in which he complained that a weak national spirit struck “at the very heart and soul of our national will.”

Deregulation

The cutting back of federal regulation of industry. In the 1980s, Reagan removed price controls on oil, eliminated health and safety inspections for nursing homes, and reduced rules for the airline, savings, and loan industries.

Earl Warren

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

George H.W. Bush

President of the United States, 1989-1993. He promised “Read my lips: no new taxes,” led a successful military campaign in the Persian Gulf War, but lost re-election due to an economic recession and reversing his tax promise.

George McGovern

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

George W. Bush

President of the United States, 2001-2009. A Republican who espoused “compassionate conservatism”; his presidency was defined by the “War on Terror,” the Patriot Act, and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

George Wallace

Alabama governor and third-party candidate for president in 1968 and 1972 who ran on a segregation and law-and-order platform.

Gerald Ford

President, 1974–1977, who served without being elected president or vice president; he was appointed VP when Spiro Agnew resigned and assumed the presidency when Nixon resigned.

Geraldine Ferraro

House Representative from New York chosen by Walter Mondale in 1984 to be his running mate; she became the first woman on a major political party’s presidential ticket.

Great Society

President Lyndon Johnson's social and economic program including Medicare, Medicaid, the Immigration Act of 1965, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Henry Kissinger

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

Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965

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

Iran Hostage Crisis (1979–1981)

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

Iran–Contra Affair (1986–1987)

Scandal where the Reagan administration sold weapons to Iran to free hostages and used the money to aid Contras in Nicaragua, despite a Congressional prohibition.

Jimmy Carter

President, 1977–1981; highlighted by the Camp David Accords and low-pointed by the Iran Hostage Crisis. He was defeated for reelection but became a successful ex-president.

Lyndon Johnson

President, 1963–1969; he increased U.S. troops in Vietnam from 16,000 in 1963 to 540,000 in 1968. He declined to seek reelection after the Tet Offensive.

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)

Passed in 1990, it provides 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 state accountability for student success, mandatory achievement testing, and more school options for parents.

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

Legislation championed by President Clinton and signed by Mexico, the United States, and Canada based on the idea that trade was essential to U.S. prosperity.

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

Cartel of oil-exporting nations that organized a series of oil boycotts roiling the United States economy throughout the 1970s.

Persian Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm)

Successful military campaign to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi control involving a massive air assault and a ground offensive from Saudi Arabia.

Richard Nixon

President, 1969–1974; he recognized Communist China and improved relations with the Soviet Union, but his achievements were overshadowed by the Watergate scandal.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Landmark Supreme Court ruling that first-trimester abortions were protected by a woman’s right to privacy.

Ronald Reagan

President, 1981–1989; led a conservative movement against the growth of federal government and detente. Known for supply-side economics and victory in the Cold War.

Sandra Day O’Connor

Appointed by President Reagan, she became the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

September 11, 2001

Coordinated terrorist attack by al Qaeda where hijacked commercial jets struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon; a fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania.

Silent Majority

Nixon's label for middle-class Americans who supported him, obeyed laws, and wanted “peace with honor” in Vietnam, contrasted with 1960s protesters.

Stagflation

Economic condition in the 1970s where prices rose rapidly (inflation) but without economic growth (stagnation), largely due to rising oil prices.

Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)

A proposed defense system popularly known as “Star Wars,” intended to protect the United States against missile attacks.

Sunbelt

Term for the South and Southwest regions of the U.S. which have experienced a significant population boom since the late 1970s due to their warm climate.

Supply-side economics (Reaganomics)

Economic policies focused on budget cuts and large tax cuts to increase private investment, savings, and jobs, ultimately aiming to increase government revenue.

Thurgood Marshall

Leading attorney for NAACP in Brown vs. the Board of Education; later appointed by Lyndon Johnson as the first black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Expanded federal protection of voters, increased authority to investigate irregularities, and outlawed literacy tests.

War on Terror

Antiterrorism efforts post-9/11 including the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, increased aviation security, and the military campaign in Afghanistan.

Warren Burger

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

Watergate scandal

Series of events beginning with illegal phone taps on Democrats in 1972; subsequent obstruction of the investigation led to Nixon's resignation.

agenda

An underlying (often ideological) plan or program.

bureaucracy

A body of non-elected government officials; those involved in the administration of policy.

coalition

Groups allied for a common purpose.

constituency

Those being represented.

deficit

A shortage; excess of spending over revenue.

demographic

Characteristics relating to population.

discrimination

To show partiality in treatment.

entitlement

Belief that one is deserving of certain privileges.

fiscal

Relating to public revenue or public debt.

ideology

A set of beliefs.

inflation

Rising prices.

marginalized

Lacking power.

polarization

A division into two extremes of groups or interests.

proliferation

An increase in the number of something.

radical

One who wants immediate, extreme change.

reactionary

One who wants to return to an idealized past.

socioeconomic

Relating to class, wealth, and status.

surplus

The amount that remains when use or need is satisfied.