Unit 1: Rise of the Silent Majority Key Terms & Review

Vocabulary practice cards covering significant political terms, key figures, and legislation from the late 20th century to the early 21st century as discussed in the lecture.

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.

Silent Majority

Label Nixon gave to middle-class Americans who supported him, obeyed laws, and wanted "peace with honor" in Vietnam, contrasted with student and civil rights protesters of the late $1960s$ and early $1970s$.

Stagflation

An economic condition throughout most of 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 used to describe the South and Southwest regions which have experienced a significant population boom since the late $1970s$ due to their warm climate.

Supply-side economics (Reaganomics)

The economic policies of President Ronald Reagan focused on budget cuts and large tax cuts to increase private investment, savings, jobs, and government revenue.

Thurgood Marshall

Leading attorney for NAACP in the $1940s$ and $1950s$ who headed the Brown vs. the Board of Education case; first black justice on the United States Supreme Court.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Federal legislation that expanded voter protection, increased authority to investigate voter irregularities, and outlawed literacy tests.

War on Terror

The antiterrorism efforts begun after the September $11$ attacks, including government detention of suspects, the Department of Homeland Security, and the military campaign in Afghanistan against Al Qaeda.

Warren Burger

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

Watergate scandal

A series of events starting in June $1972$ when the Nixon White House tried to place illegal phone taps on Democrats; Nixon and his aides obstructed the investigation, leading to his resignation.

New Left

Label for political radicals of the $1960s$ who supported civil rights and opposed American foreign policy, especially in Vietnam.

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)

A law passed in $1990$ (modified in $2024$) providing for the protection and return of Native American human remains and sacred objects.

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

A trade treaty signed by Mexico, the United States, and Canada, championed by President Clinton to promote U.S. prosperity.

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

A cartel of oil-exporting nations that organized oil boycotts in the $1970s$ to alter America's Middle East policy.

Persian Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm)

Military campaign by an international coalition to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi control through a massive air assault and ground offensive from Saudi Arabia.

Richard Nixon

President from $1969$-$1974$ who recognized Communist China and improved relations with the Soviet Union, but resigned due to 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 from $1981$-$1989$ who led a conservative movement against détente and favored supply-side economics.

Sandra Day O'Connor

The first woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court, appointed by President Reagan.

September 11, 2001

Coordinated terrorist attacks by al Qaeda where hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and crashed in Pennsylvania.

George H.W. Bush

President from $1989$-$1993$ who led the Persian Gulf War but lost re-election after a recession and reversing his "no new taxes" promise.

George McGovern

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

George W. Bush

President from $2001$-$2009$ whose presidency was defined by the War on Terror, including the Patriot Act and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

George Wallace

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

Gerald Ford

President from $1974$-$1977$ who assumed office when Nixon resigned; the only person to serve as president without being elected president or vice president.

Geraldine Ferraro

Representative from New York who became the first woman on a major political party's presidential ticket in $1984$ as a Vice-Presidential candidate.

Great Society

President Lyndon Johnson's social and economic program including Medicare, Medicaid, and a "war on poverty."

Henry Kissinger

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

Iran Hostage Crisis (1979-1981)

Incident where Iranian radicals seized $52$ Americans from the U.S. embassy and held them for $444$ days.

Iran-Contra Affair (1986-1987)

Scandal where the Reagan administration sold weapons to Iran to fund anti-Communist Contras in Nicaragua illegally.

Jimmy Carter

President from $1977$-$1981$ known for the Camp David Accords and the low point of the Iran Hostage Crisis.

Lyndon Johnson

President from $1963$-$1969$ who escalated the Vietnam War, increasing U.S. troops from $16,000$in$1963 to $540,000 in $1968$.

No Child Left Behind

Education reform plan calling for mandatory achievement testing and state accountability for student success.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Civil rights law passed in $1990$ prohibiting discrimination against individuals with disabilities in public life.

Barry Goldwater

1964 presidential candidate regarded as the grandfather of the conservative movement of the $1980s$..

Bill Clinton

Democratic President ($1993$-$2001$) who achieved a balanced budget and NAFTA, and became the second president to be impeached.

Camp David Accords (1979)

Agreement between Israel and Egypt brokered by President Carter; Israel surrendered land and Egypt recognized Israel as a nation.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Law that desegregated public accommodations and broadened federal powers to prevent job discrimination.

Contract with America

Republican document led by Newt Gingrich promising term limits, tax cuts, and welfare reform if they won control of Congress.

Crisis of Confidence (Malaise) Speech

Televised address where President Carter complained of a weak national spirit, which many Americans interpreted as the president giving up.

Deregulation

The cutting back of federal regulation of industry, such as price controls on oil and rules for the airline industry in the $1980s$.

Earl Warren

Chief Justice ($1953$-$1969$) who led the court in rulings on school desegregation and the rights of persons accused of crimes.