History Final

The 1960 presidential election between Kennedy and Nixon was decided in part by

the impact of televised debates and strong African American voter turnout.

Once in office, President Kennedy assembled a group of advisors known as

Kennedy’s domestic agenda that initially emphasized tax cuts for economic growth along with modest antipoverty initiatives.

Bay of Pigs invasion

A 1961 military failure that damaged Kennedy’s credibility and resulted in a decisive Cuban victory for Castro’s regime.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 1962 event where President Kennedy imposed a naval quarantine and negotiated the removal of Soviet missiles.

Great Society

Lyndon Johnson’s programs aimed at expanding opportunity through education, health care (including Medicare and Medicaid), and poverty reduction.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Legislation that outlawed discrimination in public accommodations and employment.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

A law that authorized federal oversight to protect African American voting rights.

Black Power movement

A movement emerging in the mid-1960s that emphasized racial pride, self-determination, and community control.

counterculture

A 1960s movement characterized by the rejection of mainstream values through music, dress, and communal living.

domino theory

The fear that the fall of South Vietnam would lead to communist expansion throughout Southeast Asia.

Tet Offensive

A 1968 turning point in the Vietnam War that shocked Americans by revealing the limits of U.S. progress.

silent majority

The group of Americans tired of social upheaval that Richard Nixon appealed to during the 1968 election.

Warren Court

The Supreme Court under Chief Justice Earl Warren that expanded civil liberties and rights in several landmark decisions.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

A 1964 measure that gave President Johnson broad authority to escalate military action in Vietnam.

Vietnamization

Nixon’s policy of gradually turning combat responsibilities over to South Vietnamese forces.

détente

Nixon’s foreign policy intended to ease tensions with the Soviet Union and open relations with China.

Watergate scandal

A political scandal beginning with a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters that led to Nixon’s resignation in 1974.

1973 Arab oil embargo

An event triggered during the Yom Kippur War that caused higher fuel prices, long gas lines, and an energy crisis.

Stagflation

An economic condition of the 1970s characterized by high inflation combined with high unemployment and slow growth.

Pentagon Papers

Documents that revealed government officials had misled the public about the Vietnam War.

War Powers Act of 1973

Legislation passed due to congressional concerns about unchecked presidential war-making authority.

Roe v. Wade

The 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

Human rights

The moral principle that served as the primary emphasis of Jimmy Carter’s foreign policy.