US History Unit 7 (the 1950s) Test Review

Starred questions from the study guide

Conformity

The act of being being like-minded toward group norms or politics. (The strongest value of the 1950s.)

GI Bill

A bill created after WWII that granted monetary benefits to war veterans

Conformity

The act of being being like-minded toward group norms or politics. (The strongest value of the 1950s.)

GI Bill

A bill created after WWII that granted monetary benefits to war veterans

Racial Zoning

The exclusion of certain races from a community or neighborhood

White Flight

The act of a large-scale migration of white people from areas that have become more racially diverse

Messages of TV and ads

Ads in the 50s are lot more informative than they are today, and they also have different ideas of gender roles, usually with the man being dominant over his wife

Rock ‘n’ roll’s effect on society

Racial integration, giving youth their own culture

Trends of the 50s

Gender roles, rock ‘n’ roll

Cold War

A period of tension between the US and Soviet Union in which there was no physical fighting. Rather, the two were paranoid the other would launch a nuclear attack

Sputnik

The Russian satellite that was the first man-made satellite to be launched into space from Earth. This made the US concerned about Russia’s advanced technology

Containment

America’s attempt at preventing the spread of communism throughout the country after WWII

Korean War

A war fought between North and South Korea when the North invaded the South.

Problems in Korean Unification

To this day, North and South Korea remain divided

McCarthyism

False accusations to ruin someone’s reputation

Fears that McCarthy played upon

Fear of the growth of communism, which was spreading in Eastern Europe and China

Blacklist

The list of people accused of being communists

JFK

John F. Kennedy, the winner of the 1960 presidential election, who appealed to African-Americans for acknowledging their efforts in the civil rights movement.

Why was JFK’s assassination such a big deal?

Not only was the president killed, but he was a really charismatic, good-looking guy who most people liked, and his successor wasn’t the same.

Fidel Castro

The Cuban leader who agreed to have Soviet missiles planted in Cuba.

Quarantine and the Blockade

President Kennedy blocked Cuba off from America’s shipments of offensive military weapons.