APUSH PERIOD 8

Affirmative Action

Policies designed to increase opportunities for minorities and women in education and employment by considering race and gender as factors in admissions and hiring.

American Indian Movement (AIM)

A Native American civil rights group founded in 1968 that sought to promote Native sovereignty and protest U.S. government mistreatment of Indigenous peoples.

Baby Boom

A sharp increase in the U.S. birthrate from 1946 to 1964 following World War II, which had major social and economic impacts, including the expansion of suburbs and schools.

Bandung Conference

A 1955 meeting of Asian and African nations in Indonesia that promoted nonalignment in the Cold War and cooperation among newly independent countries.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

A failed 1961 CIA-led mission where Cuban exiles attempted to overthrow Fidel Castro; it embarrassed the Kennedy administration and pushed Cuba closer to the USSR.

Beats

A group of 1950s writers and artists (like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg) who rejected mainstream values and helped pave the way for the 1960s counterculture.

Berlin Airlift

A U.S.-led operation (1948-49) to fly supplies into West Berlin after the Soviet Union blockaded the city, demonstrating America's commitment to containing communism.

Berlin Wall

A concrete wall built in 1961 by East Germany (backed by the USSR) to stop East Berliners from fleeing to democratic West Berlin; became a symbol of Cold War division.

Black Panther Party

A militant African American political group founded in 1966 that advocated for self-defense against police brutality and operated community programs like free breakfast.

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas

A landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson.

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)

A federal agency that managed Native American affairs; often criticized for enforcing assimilationist policies and mismanagement, especially during the Termination Era.

Camp David Accords

A 1978 peace agreement brokered by President Carter between Egypt and Israel, marking the first time an Arab country recognized Israel.

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

A U.S. government agency created in 1947 to gather foreign intelligence and conduct covert operations, often involved in Cold War interventions abroad.

Christian Right

A politically conservative religious movement that gained influence in the 1970s, advocating for traditional family values, anti-abortion laws, and school prayer.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

A landmark law that banned segregation in public places and outlawed employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Cold War

The ideological and geopolitical conflict (1945-1991) between the capitalist United States and the communist Soviet Union, marked by proxy wars, arms races, and diplomatic tensions.

Containment

A U.S. foreign policy strategy aimed at stopping the spread of communism, first articulated by George Kennan and adopted through initiatives like the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan.

Counterculture

A 1960s youth movement that rejected mainstream American values, promoting peace, love, communal living, and experimentation with drugs, often symbolized by hippies.

Deindustrialization

The decline of manufacturing jobs in the U.S. starting in the 1970s, particularly in the Midwest, leading to economic decline in former industrial cities ('Rust Belt').

Dennis v. United States

A 1951 Supreme Court case that upheld the conviction of Communist Party leaders under the Smith Act, ruling that speech advocating violent overthrow of the government was not protected.

Détente

A policy of easing Cold War tensions between the U.S. and Soviet Union during the 1970s, emphasized by Nixon and Kissinger through arms control agreements and diplomacy.

Dixiecrats

A segregationist, Southern wing of the Democratic Party that broke away in 1948 to oppose civil rights reforms; led by Strom Thurmond.

Domino Theory

The belief that if one country fell to communism, neighboring countries would follow, justifying U.S. intervention in places like Vietnam.

Eisenhower Doctrine

A 1957 policy pledging U.S. military and economic aid to Middle Eastern countries resisting communism, reflecting Cold War concerns in that region.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

A federal agency created in 1970 under President Nixon to enforce environmental laws and protect air, water, and land from pollution.

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

A proposed constitutional amendment to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex; it passed Congress in 1972 but failed to be ratified by enough states.

Federal Employee Loyalty Program

A 1947 Truman initiative to screen federal workers for communist ties during the Second Red Scare, reflecting widespread fears of subversion.

Federal Housing Administration (FHA)

A New Deal agency that insured home loans, increasing homeownership; however, it often contributed to racial segregation through redlining practices.

Freedom Rides

Civil rights protests in 1961 where interracial activists rode interstate buses in the South to challenge segregation in terminals, often met with violent resistance.

Freedom Summer

A 1964 campaign to register Black voters in Mississippi, led by SNCC and CORE; volunteers faced violence, including the murder of three activists.

Free Speech Movement (FSM)

A 1964 student protest at UC Berkeley demanding the right to political speech on campus, part of a broader wave of student activism in the 1960s.

Great Migration

The movement of millions of African Americans from the South to Northern and Western cities during the 20th century, seeking better jobs and escaping Jim Crow laws.

Great Society

President Lyndon B. Johnson's ambitious domestic agenda to eliminate poverty and racial injustice, including programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and the War on Poverty.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

A 1964 congressional resolution giving President Johnson broad military powers in Vietnam after alleged attacks on U.S. ships, escalating U.S. involvement.

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

A congressional committee that investigated suspected communists, especially in Hollywood and government, contributing to Cold War paranoia.

Imperial Presidency

A term used to describe the growing power of the executive branch, especially during the Cold War and Vietnam, when presidents took actions without full Congressional approval (e.g., Nixon, Johnson).

Iron Curtain

A term coined by Winston Churchill to describe the division between Western Europe (democratic) and Eastern Europe (communist) after World War II.

Kent State Massacre

A 1970 incident where National Guard troops shot and killed four student protesters at Kent State University during anti-Vietnam War demonstrations.

Kitchen Debate

A 1959 impromptu argument between Vice President Nixon and Soviet leader Khrushchev in a model American kitchen about the merits of capitalism vs. communism.

Korean War

A 1950-1953 conflict between communist North Korea (backed by China and the USSR) and South Korea (backed by the U.S. and UN), ending in a stalemate at the 38th parallel.

La Raza Unida (United Race)

A Chicano political party formed in the 1970s that aimed to increase Latino political representation and promote community empowerment.

Levittowns

Mass-produced suburban communities built by William Levitt after WWII, offering affordable housing to white middle-class families and fueling postwar suburbanization.

Little Rock Nine

A group of nine African American students who integrated Central High School in Arkansas in 1957, facing violent resistance; President Eisenhower sent federal troops to protect them.

March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

A massive 1963 civil rights rally where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, advocating for civil and economic rights.

Marshall Plan

A U.S. program providing billions of dollars in economic aid to rebuild Western Europe after WWII, helping contain communism by stabilizing economies.

McCarran Internal Security Act

A 1950 law requiring communist organizations to register with the government and allowing for the detention of suspected subversives.

McCarthyism

A period of intense anti-communist suspicion in the early 1950s, led by Senator Joseph McCarthy, marked by aggressive investigations and baseless accusations.

Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP)

A civil rights group that challenged the legitimacy of Mississippi's all-white delegation at the 1964 Democratic National Convention.

Modern Republicanism

President Eisenhower's approach to governing: fiscally conservative but socially moderate, accepting some New Deal programs while limiting federal expansion.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

A year-long protest sparked by Rosa Parks' arrest in 1955, led by Martin Luther King Jr., which successfully ended bus segregation in Montgomery, Alabama.

Mujahideen

Islamic guerrilla fighters who resisted the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s; they were supported by the U.S. as part of Cold War proxy strategies.

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

The Cold War concept that both the U.S. and USSR had enough nuclear weapons to destroy each other, deterring direct conflict through fear of total annihilation.

My Lai Massacre

A 1968 atrocity during the Vietnam War in which U.S. soldiers killed hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese civilians; it fueled anti-war sentiment at home.

National Defense Education Act

A 1958 law passed in response to Sputnik, increasing federal funding for math, science, and foreign language education to compete with the Soviet Union.

National Energy Act

A 1978 law passed under President Carter to address the energy crisis by promoting energy conservation, alternative energy, and reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

National Interstate and Defense Highway Act

A 1956 law under Eisenhower that funded the construction of a massive interstate highway system, improving transportation and facilitating military mobilization during the Cold War.

National Organization for Women (NOW)

Founded in 1966 by Betty Friedan and others to advocate for women's rights, focusing on issues like workplace discrimination, abortion access, and the Equal Rights Amendment.

National Security Council (NSC)

A key advisory body created in 1947 to coordinate foreign and military policy; played a crucial role in Cold War decision-making.

Neoconservatives

A political movement that emerged in the 1970s advocating for strong anti-communist foreign policy, reduced government in economic life, and a return to traditional values.

New Frontier

President John F. Kennedy's domestic policy agenda, focused on civil rights, fighting poverty, space exploration, and modernizing the economy.

New Look

Eisenhower's Cold War defense policy emphasizing nuclear weapons and air power over conventional forces to deter Soviet aggression while cutting military spending.

New Right

A political coalition that rose in the 1970s and 1980s, blending evangelical Christianity, free-market economics, and opposition to liberal social programs and government expansion.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

A 1949 military alliance between the U.S., Canada, and Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union.

NSC-68

A 1950 top-secret government report that called for massive military buildup to contain Soviet expansion, shaping U.S. Cold War policy for decades.

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

An alliance of oil-producing nations that used oil as a political and economic weapon, notably during the 1973 oil embargo that caused an energy crisis in the U.S.

Pentagon Papers

A classified government study of the Vietnam War leaked in 1971, revealing government deception about war progress and fueling public distrust in leadership.

Port Huron Statement

A 1962 manifesto by Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) criticizing the Cold War, racial injustice, and materialism, and calling for participatory democracy.

Potsdam Conference

A 1945 meeting between the U.S., Britain, and the USSR after WWII to determine postwar Europe's fate; tensions foreshadowed the Cold War.

Realpolitik

A pragmatic approach to foreign policy based on power and national interest rather than ideology; used by Nixon and Kissinger during détente.

Roe v. Wade

A 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide by ruling that a woman's right to privacy extended to her reproductive choices.

Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT)

A 1972 agreement between the U.S. and USSR to limit the number of nuclear missiles, marking a step toward détente.

SALT II

A 1979 arms control treaty signed by Carter and Brezhnev to limit strategic weapons, but it was never ratified due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Second Red Scare

A period in the late 1940s and 1950s marked by fear of communist infiltration in the U.S. government and society, leading to loyalty oaths and blacklists.

Servicemen's Readjustment Act (GI Bill)

A 1944 law providing WWII veterans with benefits like college tuition, home loans, and job training, greatly expanding the middle class.

Smith Act

A 1940 law making it illegal to advocate the violent overthrow of the U.S. government; used to prosecute communists during the Second Red Scare (e.g., Dennis v. U.S.).

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

A major civil rights organization founded in 1957 by Martin Luther King Jr. and others, promoting nonviolent protest to end segregation and racial injustice.

Sputnik

The first artificial satellite launched by the USSR in 1957; it sparked the Space Race and led to U.S. investments in science and education (e.g., the National Defense Education Act).

Stagflation

An economic condition during the 1970s characterized by stagnant economic growth, high inflation, and high unemployment, challenging Keynesian economic policies.

Stonewall Riots

A 1969 uprising by LGBTQ+ patrons of the Stonewall Inn in New York City against police harassment; considered the start of the modern gay rights movement.

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

A civil rights group formed by young activists in 1960 to coordinate sit-ins, freedom rides, and voter registration efforts in the South.

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)

A 1960s student activist group that issued the Port Huron Statement and opposed racial injustice, the Vietnam War, and corporate power.

Sun Belt

The southern and western regions of the U.S. that saw population and economic growth after WWII due to air conditioning, defense industries, and low taxes.

Taft-Hartley Act

A 1947 law that restricted labor unions by banning closed shops and allowing states to pass 'right-to-work' laws; passed over Truman's veto.

Tet Offensive

A major 1968 surprise attack by North Vietnamese forces during the Vietnamese New Year; it shocked the U.S. public and eroded support for the Vietnam War.

Totalitarianism

A political system in which the state holds total control over society and suppresses opposition, often associated with fascist or communist regimes during the Cold War.

Truman Doctrine

A 1947 policy declaring U.S. support for countries resisting communism, first applied to aid Greece and Turkey; foundational to Cold War containment.

Twenty-Sixth Amendment

Ratified in 1971, this amendment lowered the voting age to 18 in response to arguments that young people drafted for Vietnam should be able to vote.

Vietcong

Communist insurgents in South Vietnam who used guerrilla tactics against U.S. and South Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War.

Vietnamization

President Nixon's strategy to gradually withdraw U.S. troops from Vietnam while shifting combat responsibilities to South Vietnamese forces.

Vietnam War

A conflict (1955-1975) between communist North Vietnam (and the Vietcong) and U.S.-backed South Vietnam; ended with U.S. withdrawal and communist victory.

Voting Rights Act

A landmark 1965 law banning literacy tests and other barriers to Black voting rights; enforced the Fifteenth Amendment and dramatically increased voter turnout.

War Powers Act

A 1973 law limiting the president's ability to commit U.S. forces to armed conflict without congressional approval; passed in reaction to Vietnam and Watergate.

Warsaw Pact

A 1955 military alliance of communist Eastern European countries led by the Soviet Union, formed in response to NATO.

Watergate

A political scandal in the 1970s involving a break-in at the Democratic headquarters and Nixon's cover-up; led to his resignation in 1974.

White Citizens' Council (WCC)

A white supremacist group formed in the South after Brown v. Board to resist school integration and civil rights through economic and political pressure.

Young Americans for Freedom (YAF)

A conservative youth organization founded in 1960 that supported free-market principles, anti-communism, and traditional values.

Chuck Berry

Pioneer of rock and roll whose music helped break racial barriers in pop culture during the 1950s; symbol of postwar youth culture.

Marlon Brando

Iconic actor of the 1950s-60s known for rebellious roles; part of the rise of countercultural masculinity.

Leonid Brezhnev

Leader of the Soviet Union during the 1970s; oversaw détente with the U.S. (SALT agreements), but also cracked down on dissent and invaded Afghanistan.

William F. Buckley

Conservative intellectual and founder of National Review magazine; helped define modern conservatism and influenced the New Right movement.