JFK and LBJ Administration Years + Civil Rights Movement Study Guide

U-2 Plane

A high-altitude American spy aircraft used for aerial reconnaissance during the Cold War.

Nikita Khrushchev

Soviet leader from 1953 to 1964 known for his policy of 'peaceful coexistence' with the West.

John F. Kennedy

35th President of the United States (1961-1963) who led during the height of the Cold War.

John Dulles

U.S. Secretary of State under President Eisenhower known for his aggressive anti-communist policies.

Robert McNamara

Secretary of Defense under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson who escalated U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

Martin Luther King

Civil rights leader who advocated for racial equality through nonviolent protest.

Curtis Lemay

Air Force General known for advocating aggressive military action during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Bobby Kennedy

Attorney General under JFK, active in civil rights and anti-poverty efforts, assassinated in 1968.

Fidel Castro

Cuban revolutionary leader who established socialist Cuba and aligned with the Soviet Union.

Cuban Missile Crisis

October 1962 confrontation over Soviet missiles in Cuba, the closest moment to nuclear war during the Cold War.

Bay of Pigs Crisis

Failed 1961 invasion of Cuba by CIA-trained Cuban exiles intended to overthrow Castro's government.

Berlin Crisis

Cold War standoff in 1961 over the status of Berlin, leading to the construction of the Berlin Wall.

Berlin Wall

Physical barrier erected by East Germany in 1961 to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin.

Special Forces (Green Berets)

Elite U.S. Army special operations force expanded under Kennedy for counterinsurgency operations.

Vietnam

Southeast Asian nation where the U.S. fought a prolonged war to prevent communist takeover.

Peace Corps

Program established by Kennedy in 1961 to send volunteers to developing countries.

Sit-Ins

Form of nonviolent protest where demonstrators occupied segregated spaces.

Limited Test-Ban Treaty

1963 agreement prohibiting nuclear weapons tests in the atmosphere, underwater, and in space.

Freedom Riders

Civil rights activists who challenged segregation in public transportation in 1961.

Movement Culture

Shared values and practices that united participants in the civil rights movement.

Lee Harvey Oswald

Former Marine who assassinated President Kennedy in Dallas on November 22, 1963.

Jack Ruby

Dallas nightclub owner who shot Oswald on live television while in police custody.

The Warren Commission

Commission established to investigate Kennedy's assassination, concluded Oswald acted alone.

Jackie Kennedy

First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, wife of JFK, present during his assassination.

Lyndon B. Johnson

Vice President who became the 36th President after Kennedy's assassination.

The Great Society

Johnson's set of domestic programs aimed at eliminating poverty and racial injustice.

March On Washington

Massive civil rights demonstration where Martin Luther King delivered his famous speech.

Malcolm X

Civil rights leader advocating Black nationalism, assassinated in 1965.

Barry Goldwater

Conservative Republican Senator whose extreme views contributed to his 1964 election defeat.

Medicare

Federal health insurance program for individuals aged 65 and older established in 1965.

Medicaid

Joint federal-state program providing health coverage for low-income Americans.

The Immigration Act of 1965

Law that abolished the national origins quota system and reshaped U.S. immigration policy.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964

Legislation prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

The Little Rock 9

Group of nine Black students who tested the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board decision.

George Wallace

Governor of Alabama known for his segregationist policies and actions to block integration.

SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee)

Civil rights organization formed in 1960 that played a key role in protests and voter registration.

SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference)

Civil rights organization founded by Martin Luther King Jr. to coordinate local protest groups.

The Black Panthers

Black nationalist and socialist organization advocating self-defense and community programs.

Bobby Seale

Co-founder of the Black Panther Party advocating for Black self-determination.

Huey Newton

Co-founder of the Black Panther Party, developed its ideology combining nationalism and socialism.

Stokely Carmichael

Civil rights activist and chairman of SNCC known for popularizing the 'Black Power' slogan.

1963 March on Washington

Significant civil rights demonstration where King delivered 'I Have a Dream' speech.