Chapter 26 History

GI Bill of Rights

provided many monetary benefits for veterans

Taft-Hartley Act

its purpose was to remove certain labor abuses and curb the power of labor unions over individuals

Fair Deal

name of Truman’s economic program

Defense Production Act

gave the president the ability to fix wage and price ceilings

Smith Act

law that made it a crime to advocate the violent overthrow of the US gov. or to belong to a group dedicated to that purpose

Internal Security Act

designated to bring the activities of the Communist Party under closer surveillance and control

Department of Health, Education, and Welfare

Eisenhower transformed the Federal Security Agency into this department

AFL-CIO

the two largest labor organizations that merged into one in 1955

Atomic Energy Act

cleared the way for private, commercial development of atomic energy

civil rights movement

movement in which black Americans made considerable gains politically and socially, largely through peaceful protests

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka

declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional

Great Society

Lyndon B. Johnson’s liberal govenment program

Economic Opportunity Act

inaugurated programs to combat the war on poverty

Higher Education Act

continued federal grants for the construction of college buildings and ensured student loans and grants

Elementary and Secondary Education Act

granted the first direct federal funding of local public schools

Medicare

designed to provide medical care for the elderly under the Social Security System

Appalachian Regional Development Act

intended to raise the standard of living in the Appalachian Mountain region

Department of Housing and Urban Development and

Department of Transportation

2 new Cabinet departments created during Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration

1964 Civil Rights Act

prohibited racial discrimination in public places

1965 Voting Rights Act

strengthened previous voting rights laws, allowing many black Americnas to begin actively participating in government

Fair Housing Act

passed in 1968; prohibited discrimination when renting or selling houses

22nd Amendment

ensured that the president would be limited to 2 terms in office

23rd Amendment

granted citizens in Washington, D. C., the right to choose electors for the electoral college; allowed Washington, D. C., to receive as many electoral votes as the least populous state (3 electoral votes)

24th Amendment

outlawed poll taxes for national elections

25th Amendment

laid out how the executive branch would respond to a president’ death or other inability to serve

26th Amendment

lowerd the voting age from 21 to 18

Watergate scandal

scandal involving President Nixon and the break-in of the Democratic National Headquarters at the Watergate complex

Whip Inflation Now (WIN)

President Ford’s plan to stop inflation

Department of Energy

department created during the Carter administration

OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)

formed to create a monopoly on oil in the 1970s