Late 20th Century Civil Rights and Political History

Vocabulary flashcards covering major civil rights movements, key legal cases, the Vietnam War era, and the Nixon administration.

Black Panthers’ methods

Supported self-defense and community programs; more militant than nonviolent groups.

Cesar Chavez & Dolores Huerta

Founded United Farm Workers (UFW).

Chicano Mural Movement

Mexican-American mural art movement in the Southwest celebrating culture and civil rights.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Ended literacy tests and protected minority voting rights.

Thurgood Marshall

First African American Supreme Court Justice; lawyer in Brown v. Board.

Shirley Chisholm

First Black woman elected to Congress; advocate for women and minorities.

George Wallace

Pro-segregation governor who resisted civil rights.

Tinker v. Des Moines

Ruled that students have free speech rights in school if not disruptive.

The Feminine Mystique

Betty Friedan’s book that sparked the modern women’s movement.

Title IX

Law requiring equal educational opportunities for women, especially in sports.

AIM at Wounded Knee

American Indian Movement; demanded tribal rights and government accountability.

Great Society goal

Johnson’s plan to end poverty and racial injustice.

MLK assassination (1968)

Led to national grief and riots; major setback for civil rights.

Robert Kennedy assassination (1968)

Shocked the nation and changed the presidential election.

1968 Democratic Convention

Violent protests over Vietnam that showed national division.

Domino theory

Belief that if one nation fell to communism, others would follow.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Gave the president broad power to use military force in Vietnam.

Tet Offensive

Major Viet Cong attack that turned U.S. public opinion against the war.

Anti-war protest effects

Increased pressure to end U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

Credibility gap

Public distrust of government statements, especially about Vietnam.

Silent Majority

Nixon’s appeal to Americans who supported traditional values and disliked protests.

26th Amendment

Lowered the voting age to 18.

Apollo 11 landing

July 20, 1969.

Vietnamization

Nixon’s plan to withdraw U.S. troops and train South Vietnamese forces.

Détente

Policy of easing tensions with the Soviet Union.

Relations with China

Nixon opened diplomatic relations with China.

War Powers Act

Limited the president’s ability to send troops without congressional approval.

Watergate

Nixon scandal involving a break-in and cover-up; led to his resignation.