American Cultures Chapter 19

New Frontier

JFK's domestic program focusing on economic growth.

NASA

U.S. agency responsible for space exploration.

Equal Pay Act 1963

First federal law addressing gender wage discrimination.

Space Race

Competition between U.S. and USSR for space dominance.

Sputnik 1

First artificial satellite launched by the Soviet Union.

Yuri Gagarin

First human to orbit Earth in 1961.

John Glenn

First American to orbit Earth in 1962.

Neil Armstrong

First man to walk on the Moon in 1969.

Lee Harvey Oswald

Assassin of JFK, killed two days later.

Jack Ruby

Nightclub owner who killed Oswald.

Warren Commission

Investigated JFK's assassination, concluded Oswald acted alone.

Lyndon B. Johnson

JFK's VP who became president after JFK's assassination.

War on Poverty

LBJ's initiative to eliminate poverty in America.

Economic Opportunity Act 1964

Legislation aimed at reducing poverty through job training.

Job Corps

Program training young adults aged 16-21 for jobs.

Head Start

Early childhood education program for underprivileged children.

VISTA

Volunteers sent to assist impoverished communities.

Great Society

LBJ's program addressing poverty and racial injustice.

Medicare

Health insurance program for the elderly.

Medicaid

Health insurance program for low-income individuals.

Silent Spring

Book highlighting environmental damage from pesticides.

Unsafe at Any Speed

Critique of automotive industry's safety standards.

Berlin Wall

Symbol of Cold War, dividing East and West Berlin.

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 confrontation over Soviet missiles in Cuba.

Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

Agreement to halt nuclear weapon tests above ground.

Détente

Policy of easing tensions between U.S. and USSR.

Flexible Response

Military strategy to address various conflict types.

Alliance for Progress

U.S. initiative to improve relations with Latin America.

Peace Corps

Program sending volunteers to support developing nations.

Good Neighbor Policy

U.S. non-interventionist approach to Latin America.