Civil Rights Movement Overview

Thurgood Marshall

First African American Supreme Court Justice, key in Brown v. Board of Education

Desegregation

Ending racial segregation for equal access

Rosa Parks

Civil rights figure, sparked Montgomery Bus Boycott

MLK

Civil rights leader, advocated nonviolent activism

Montgomery Bus Boycott

1955-1956 protest against bus segregation

Jackie Robinson

First African American MLB player, broke color barrier in 1947

Harry S Truman

33rd US President, served 1945-1953, key in post-WWII policies

NAACP

Founded in 1909, fights for African American rights

Earl Warren

Chief Justice, led Supreme Court in civil rights decisions

White Citizen Council

Southern white supremacist group opposing desegregation

Sit-in movement

Nonviolent protest occupying segregated spaces

Civil Rights Commission

Established in 1957 to address civil rights issues

Freedom Summer

1964 voter registration efforts in Mississippi

James Meredith

First black student at University of Mississippi

George Wallace

Alabama Governor, staunch segregationist

Letter From a Birmingham Jail

MLK's defense of nonviolent resistance

March on Washington

1963 civil rights demonstration, MLK's 'I Have a Dream' speech

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Outlawed discrimination and segregation

Freedom Riders

Challenged segregation in interstate travel

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Prohibited discriminatory voting practices

24th Amendment

Abolished poll taxes in federal elections

Selma March to Montgomery

1965 marches for voting rights

Malcolm X

Advocate for black empowerment and self-defense

Black Panthers

Revolutionary socialist group advocating black self-defense

Watts Riot

1965 LA riot highlighting racial tensions

Kerner Commission

Investigated urban riots, highlighted systemic racism

De facto segregation

Racial segregation from societal factors, not explicit laws.

Lyndon Johnson

36th US President, known for 'Great Society' programs.

Great Society

Lyndon Johnson's programs addressing poverty and injustice.

The Other America

Michael Harrington's book highlighting US poverty.

War on Poverty

LBJ's initiatives to reduce poverty and inequality.

Barry Goldwater

Conservative who ran against LBJ in 1964.

Daisy Girl Commercial

1964 ad highlighting dangers of electing Goldwater.

National Foundation of the Arts & Humanities

1965 agencies supporting US arts and culture.

Medicare

1965 health insurance for Americans aged 65+.

Medicaid

1965 program providing health coverage for low-income.

Elementary & Secondary Education Act

1965 funding for schools serving low-income students.

Higher Education Act

1965 funding for higher education accessibility.

Immigration Act of 1965

Overhauled US immigration system, based on skills.

Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD)

1965 agency for federal housing and urban development.

Ralph Nader

Consumer advocate known for 'Unsafe at Any Speed'.

Rachel Carson

Author of 'Silent Spring' on environmental impact.

Beautify America

Great Society program improving public spaces.

Evaluation of Great Society

Assessments of LBJ's programs' effectiveness.

Ngo Dinh Diem

First President of South Vietnam until 1963.

Ho Chi Minh

Vietnamese leader in the Vietnam War.

Viet Cong

Communist guerrilla force in South Vietnam.

Domino Theory

Cold War theory on the spread of communism.

John Foster Dulles

US Secretary of State known for anti-communism.

Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO)

1954 defense pact against communist aggression.

Tonkin Gulf Resolution

1964 resolution granting military powers in Vietnam.

General William Westmoreland

Commander of US military in Vietnam War.

Credibility gap

Disconnect between government info and Vietnam reality.

Hawks

Supporters of the Vietnam War and military response.

Doves

Opponents of the Vietnam War advocating for peace.

Tet Offensive

1968 attacks marking a turning point in the Vietnam War.

Robert F. Kennedy

Prominent politician assassinated in 1968.

Richard Nixon

37th US President, involved in Vietnam and Watergate.

Southern strategy

Republican strategy appealing to white voters in the South.

Democratic Convention Chicago

1968 convention marked by clashes over Vietnam.

Hubert Humphrey

Vice President under LBJ, Democratic nominee in 1968.

White backlash

Negative reaction to civil rights advances by some whites.

Henry Kissinger

Diplomat shaping US foreign policy, including Vietnam.

Vietnamization

Nixon's policy to withdraw US troops from Vietnam.

Nixon Doctrine

Nixon's foreign policy emphasizing allies' defense.

Kent State

May 4, 1970, shooting of unarmed college students by Ohio National Guard

My Lai

1968 massacre of unarmed Vietnamese civilians by U.S. Army

Pentagon Papers

Leaked documents revealing U.S. military involvement in Vietnam

Paris Accords

Peace agreements ending U.S. involvement in Vietnam

War Powers Act

1973 law limiting President's power to deploy troops

26th Amendment

Lowered voting age from 21 to 18 in 1971

SDS

Student activist group advocating for social justice and anti-war causes

New Left

1960s movement opposing traditional authority and supporting civil rights

Free Speech Movement

1964 student protests for political speech rights at UC Berkeley

Democratic Convention

National conventions for Democratic presidential candidates

Yippies

Youth International Party advocating radical social change

Weather Underground

Radical group advocating armed struggle against U.S. government

Counterculture

1960s movement rejecting mainstream values for alternative lifestyles

Carr

1962 Supreme Court case establishing 'one person, one vote'

Paul Ehrlich

Biologist warning of consequences of overpopulation

Three Mile Island

1979 nuclear power plant partial meltdown site

Love Canal

Niagara Falls area with buried toxic chemicals

Santa Barbara Oil Spill

1969 large oil spill off California coast

Earth Day

Annual event promoting environmental awareness

Wilderness Act

1964 legislation preserving federal land

Clean Air Act

1963 legislation regulating air pollution

Clean Water Act

1972 legislation regulating water pollution

Superfund

CERCLA program cleaning hazardous waste sites

Endangered Species Act

1973 legislation protecting threatened species

Emissions

Release of pollutants into the atmosphere

Greenhouse gases

Gases contributing to the greenhouse effect

Climate change

Long-term changes in climatic patterns

Antinuclear movement

Opposition to nuclear weapons and energy

Silent majority

Nixon-coined term for non-vocal Americans

Southern Strategy

Republican strategy appealing to white voters

Watergate

Political scandal during Nixon administration

CREEP

Fundraising group implicated in Watergate

Impeachment

Process of charging a government official

Gerald Ford

38th U.S. President succeeding Nixon

Jimmy Carter

39th U.S. President prioritizing human rights