U.S. History: 1960s-1970s Political and Social Movements

Affirmative Action

Program designed to redress historic racial and gender imbalances in jobs and education; grew from LBJ's 1965 executive order requiring federally funded projects to take action against discrimination.

School Busing

1970s practice of transporting students to schools outside their neighborhoods to achieve racial integration.

California v. Bakke

Supreme Court case ruling racial quotas unconstitutional but allowing race to be considered as one factor in admissions.

Henry Kissinger

National Security Advisor and Secretary of State under Nixon and Ford; negotiated the end of the Yom Kippur War and the 1973 Vietnam cease-fire.

Détente

1970s easing of Cold War tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

Yom Kippur War (1973)

Surprise attack by Egypt and Syria on Israel; Israeli victory reshaped regional politics and paved the way for the Camp David Accords.

OPEC

Intergovernmental alliance of major oil‑producing nations coordinating petroleum policies to stabilize prices and secure member income.

OPEC Oil Embargo

Arab oil producers halted exports to nations supporting Israel during the Yom Kippur War, causing global shortages and economic disruption.

Philadelphia Plan

Nixon‑era program requiring construction unions to increase Black apprenticeship hiring; expanded affirmative action to focus on groups.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Federal agency created in 1970 to regulate pollution and environmental harm; major victory for the environmental movement.

Southern Strategy

Nixon's reelection strategy appealing to conservative white southerners, accelerating the region's shift to the Republican Party.

Stagflation

1970s economic condition combining high inflation with low employment growth.

Watergate

Scandal involving the 1972 break‑in at Democratic headquarters and Nixon's cover‑up, leading to his 1974 resignation.

Nixon Tapes (Smoking Gun Tape)

June 23, 1972 recording showing Nixon ordering the CIA to obstruct the FBI's Watergate investigation; key evidence leading to his resignation.

Nixon v. U.S.

Supreme Court ruling that Senate impeachment procedures are nonjusticiable, giving the Senate sole authority over impeachment trials.

Gerald Ford

38th U.S. president (1974-1977); succeeded Nixon, focused on inflation and restoring trust in government; lost to Carter in 1976.

Phyllis Schlafly

Conservative activist who led the successful campaign against the Equal Rights Amendment through her Stop ERA movement.

Jimmy Carter

39th president; known for Camp David Accords, energy initiatives, the Iran hostage crisis, and his influential post‑presidency.

New Right

Network of conservative activists in the late 1970s-80s emphasizing social issues like abortion, busing, and school prayer; reshaped Republican politics.

Milton Friedman

Nobel‑winning economist who championed free‑market ideas and became a major intellectual figure in modern conservatism.

Malaise Speech

1979 Carter address urging national unity amid economic hardship; widely viewed as politically damaging.

Camp David Accords

Peace agreement between Israel and Egypt brokered by Carter, Sadat, and Begin; major diplomatic achievement.

SALT II

Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty between Carter and Brezhnev to limit nuclear weapons; later stalled after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Iranian Hostage Crisis

444‑day standoff where Iranian students seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran, holding 52 Americans.

Vietnamization

Nixon's strategy to reduce U.S. troops in Vietnam while shifting combat responsibility to South Vietnamese forces.

Nixon Doctrine

Policy stating the U.S. would honor existing commitments but that future allies must defend themselves without large American troop deployments.

Silent Majority

Large segment of Americans who did not publicly protest; Nixon invoked them to justify his policies.

My Lai

1968 massacre where U.S. troops killed hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese civilians, fueling antiwar sentiment.

Kent State University

1970 killing of four student protesters by National Guardsmen after Nixon expanded the war into Cambodia.

Pentagon Papers

Leaked secret government report revealing early Vietnam War planning and deception under Kennedy and Johnson.

War Powers Act

1973 law limiting the president's ability to wage war without congressional approval.

Rachel Carson

United States biologist remembered for her opposition to the use of pesticides that were hazardous to wildlife (1907-1964). Silent spring