cold war to now

NAFTA

The North American Free Trade Agreement, which was a 1994 deal between the United States, Canada and Mexico that reduced trade barriers to increase economic cooperation.

Bill Clinton

The US president from 1993 to 2001, who supported globalization policies like NAFTA and Welfare Reform.

Rust Belt

A region in the northeastern and midwestern US where industries declined, leading to job loss and economic hardships.

Digital Revolution

The shift from analog technology to computers and the internet, which transformed communication, work and daily life.

Globalization

The increasing connection of economies and cultures worldwide through trade, technology and communication.

New Right

A conservative political movement in the late 1900s that promoted traditional values, free-market policies and limited government.

Reaganomics/Supply-Side Economics

Economic policies under President Reagan that focused on tax cuts and reduced regulation to encourage economic growth.

Moral Majority

A political organization of conservative Christians that supported traditional values and influenced elections in the 1980s.

Ronald Reagan

The US president from 1981-1989, who led the conservative resurgence with strong anti-communism and economic reforms.

Tax Reform Act

A 1986 law that simplifies the tax code by lowering rates while eliminating many deductions and loopholes.

Welfare Reform Bill

A 1996 law that limited welfare benefits and encouraged work, changing how the government provided assistance.

Contract with America

A 1994 Republican plan led by Newt Gingrich to reduce government size and promote conservative policies.

Democratic Leadership Council

A group of Democrats who promoted centrist policies and influenced leaders, like Bill Clinton.

9/11

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, by Al Qaeda, when hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Department of Homeland Security

A US government agency created after 9/11 to protect the country from terrorism and improve security.

No Child Left Behind

A 2001 education law that increased testing and accountability in public schools.

Occupy Wall Street

A 2011 protest movement against economic inequality and the richest people's influence in politics.

USA Freedom Act

A 2015 law that limited government surveillance programs and reformed the USA PATRIOT Act.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

A 2012 policy that protected certain undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children from deportation.

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017

A law that reduced corporate and individual tax rates to stimulate economic growth.

Brown vs. BOE

Supreme Court case that ruled segregated schools were unconstitutional. Widely regarded as the legal start of the modern civil rights movement.

Rosa Parks

African American woman whose arrest led to massive protests and bus boycotts.

Little Rock Nine

9 African American students who faced angry crowds upon trying to enter Little Rock High School in Arkansas but became the first to integrate the school.

SNCC

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. An organization founded by young activists and known for organizing lunch counter sit-ins.

March on Washington

Large, nonviolent protest on August 28, 1963 organized by A. Phillip Randolph. Featured Dr. King's famous 'I Have a Dream' speech.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Also ended segregation and created the EEOC.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Enforced the 15th Amendment and struck down the barriers which had prevented African Americans from voting.

"White flight"

A phenomenon where white Americans would move to suburbs, leaving African Americans in poor, deteriorating cities due to economic inequality.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Famous civil rights activist and leader of the nonviolent civil rights movement.

Race riots

Occurred as a result of long-standing police brutality and economic inequality for African Americans in Northern cities. Notable riots include the Watts Riots in 1965 and the Detroit and Newark Riots in 1967.

Baby boom

A post-WWII surge in birth rates. Roughly 76 million Americans were born during this period.

TV

Television became popular and more accessible during the suburbanization period. Most families had TVs and this contributed to the spread of a conformist culture.

Conformist culture

As Americans migrated to the suburbs, many aspects of American life, pop culture, and societal expectations became standardized across the country.

Rock 'n' Roll

A genre of music originating in the 1950s that blended African American R&B with white bluegrass, symbolizing youth rebellion and a rejection of conformity.

Levittown

The first planned suburban community in the US, located in Long Island. Suburban communities with mass-produced tract houses built in the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas in the 1950s by William Levitt and Sons.

The Beat Generation

The literary generation before the Baby Boomers which argued against conformity, consumerism, and materialism.

60s counterculture

A response to the societal norms and expectations of the 60s, made up of people who questioned traditional values.

Hippies

A subset of the 60s counterculture. A community of people who believed in sharing and embraced the New Left and drug usage.

New Left

A 60s political movement, mostly consisting of students, that advocated for civil rights, feminism, anti-Vietnam War policies, and social justice.

Second-wave feminism

The feminist movement from the 60s to the 80s which aimed to resolve inequality in the workplace and domestic violence. It also focused on issues like abortion rights.

Cold War

A period of political tension and military rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II, where they competed for global influence without directly fighting each other.

Containment doctrine

The doctrine declared that the Soviet Union and communism were inherently expansionist, and had to be stopped from spreading through both military and political pressure.

Yalta conference

Meeting of Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin in February 1945 to divide power in Europe.

Truman Doctrine

A U.S. policy that promised support (money and aid) to countries fighting against communism, especially Greece and Turkey.

Marshall Plan

A U.S. program that provided economic aid to rebuild Western European countries after World War II to prevent them from turning to communism.

Berlin Airlift

A U.S. and British operation that flew food and supplies into West Berlin after the Soviet Union blocked land access to the city.

Bretton Woods conference

Meeting of western allies to establish a post-war international economic order to avoid crises like the one that spawned World War II.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

A military alliance formed in 1949 between the U.S., Canada, and Western European nations to defend against Soviet aggression.

Korean war

The first 'hot war' of the Cold War. It began when the Soviet-backed North Korea invaded South Korea and the UN forces, dominated by the United States.

United Nations (UN)

An international organization formed after World War II to promote peace, security, and cooperation among countries.

McCarthyism

A brand of vitriolic, fear-mongering, anti-communism associated with the career of Senator Joseph McCarthy.

Joseph Stalin

Soviet dictator from Lenin's death in 1922 until his own death in 1953. He led the Soviet Union during World War II and shaped Soviet policies in the early years of the Cold War.

George Kennan

American diplomat who authored the containment doctrine in 1947 and argued that the Soviet Union was inherently expansionist and had to be stopped.

Executive order 9981

Order issued by President Truman to desegregate the armed forces.

Taft-Hartley act

Republican-promoted legislation passed over President Truman's vigorous veto that weakened many of laborers' New Deal gains by banning closed shops and other strategies that helped unions organize.

Employment act of 1946

Legislation declaring that government economic policy should aim to promote maximum employment, production, and purchasing power, as well as to keep inflation low.

GI bill

Law that helps returning World War II soldiers reintegrate into civilian life by securing loans to buy homes and farms and set up small businesses.

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

A government group that investigated people suspected of being communists or disloyal to the United States.

Fair deal

President Truman's extensive social program introduced in his 1948 message to Congress.

George C Marshall

Former World War II general, who became Secretary of State under President Harry Truman.