Government and Modern History (70s-Reagans Term)

Civil Liberties

Fundamental rights and freedoms protected from government interference, such as freedom of speech and religion.

Civil Rights

The rights of individuals to receive equal treatment and not be discriminated against based on characteristics like race, gender, or disability.

14th Amendment

An amendment to the U.S. Constitution that grants citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States and guarantees equal protection under the law.

Equal Protection Clause

Part of the 14th Amendment that requires states to provide equal protection under the law to all persons.

Due Process Clause

Part of the 14th Amendment that prohibits the government from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.

Selective Incorporation

The legal doctrine that ensures that certain rights in the Bill of Rights are applied to the states through the 14th Amendment.

War Powers Act 1973

A federal law intended to check the president's power to commit the U.S. to an armed conflict without the consent of Congress.

Mandatory School Busing

A policy implemented to achieve racial integration in schools by transporting students to schools outside their local districts.

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)

A landmark Supreme Court case that upheld affirmative action, allowing race to be one of several factors in college admission policy.

1973 OPEC Embargo

An oil embargo imposed by the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries in response to U.S. support for Israel during the Yom Kippur War.

Iranian Revolution 1979

A revolution that resulted in the overthrow of the Shah of Iran and the establishment of an Islamic Republic under Ayatollah Khomeini.

Stagflation

An economic condition characterized by stagnant economic growth, high unemployment, and high inflation.

Camp David Accords

A peace agreement reached in 1978 between Egypt(Anwar Sadat) and Israel(Menachem Begin), brokered by U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

Iranian Hostage Crisis

A diplomatic standoff where 52 American diplomats and citizens were held hostage for 444 days by Iranian militants.

SALT II - Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty

A 1979 treaty between the U.S. and the USSR aimed at curbing the arms race by limiting the number of strategic ballistic missile launchers.

Political Action Committees

Organizations that raise and spend money to elect or defeat political candidates, often representing specific interest groups.

Reaganomics

Economic policies promoted by U.S. President Ronald Reagan, emphasizing tax cuts, deregulation, and reduced government spending.

Deficit

The amount by which a government's expenditures exceed its revenues in a given fiscal period.

Affirmative Action

Policies that aim to increase opportunities for historically marginalized groups in education and employment.

Iran-Contra Affair

A political scandal in the 1980s involving the secret sale of arms to Iran to fund Contra rebels in Nicaragua.

Gorbachev

The last leader of the Soviet Union, known for his reforms of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring).

Amendment Process

step 1: amendment proposed by 2/3 vote of both houses of congress OR a constitutional convention called by congress on petition of 2/3 out of 50 states. THEN amendment ratified by 3/4 of the 50 state legislatures OR 3/4 of special constitutional conventions called by 50 states THEN the new amendment!

Electoral Process

the methods used in a country for selecting leaders

Checks and Balances

A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power

conservative

holding to traditional attitudes and values and cautious about change or innovation, typically in relation to politics or religion.

liberal

open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values.

Neo-Conservatives

A small group that responded to the counter-culture movement and exerted disproportionate influence within the Reagan coalition; reaffirmed Western democracy, anti-communist, traditional family values

Moral Majority

"Born-Again" Christians become politically active. The majority of Americans are moral people, and therefore are a political force.

Economic Recovery Act of 1981

1981. to encourage economic growth through reductions in individual income tax rates, the expensing of depreciable property, incentives for small businesses, and incentives for savings, and for other purpose

Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1981

this act stated that the federal government would no longer pay nursing homes to take care of the mentally ill. Since earlier federal legislation encouraged States to close down mental hospitals and have the most severe mentally ill taken care of in alternate facilities (such as nursing homes) - this led many mentally ill patients to live on the streets and become homeless.

Gramm-Rudman Act

Also known as Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Act, this act mandates maximum allowable deficits until 1991 when the budget should balance. It was abandoned in 1991. (automatic spending cuts)

Sandra Day O'Conner

the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States

AIDS

A serious (often fatal) disease of the immune system transmitted through blood products especially by sexual contact or contaminated needles.

Strategic Defense Initiative

Popularly known as "Star Wars," President Reagan's SDI proposed the construction of an elaborate computer-controlled, anti-missile defense system capable of destroying enemy missiles in outer spaced. Critics claimed that SDI could never be perfected.