hist final

Emmett Till

14-year-old Black boy lynched in Mississippi (1955). His open-casket funeral shocked the U.S. and energized the Civil Rights Movement.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Protest after Rosa Parks' arrest. Helped end bus segregation and introduced Martin Luther King Jr. as a leader (1955–56).

Shelley v. Kraemer

1948 Supreme Court case—banned enforcement of racial housing covenants.

White Citizens’ Councils

Anti-civil rights groups in the South. Used economic pressure to stop integration.

Little Rock Nine

9 Black students integrated Central High in Arkansas (1957). Eisenhower sent troops to protect them.

Freedom Summer

1964 effort to register Black voters in Mississippi. Faced violence, including murder of 3 volunteers.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Outlawed segregation and banned job discrimination based on race, sex, religion, etc.

French Indochina & Vietnam

U.S. supported France post-WWII; opposed Vietnam's independence to stop communism.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Gave LBJ power to escalate Vietnam War after alleged attack on U.S. ships (1964).

President Kennedy & Vietnam

Sent military advisors and supported Diem. Backed the coup that led to Diem’s assassination.

Ngo Dinh Diem Assassination

South Vietnam's leader, removed with U.S. support in 1963. Created instability.

Buddhist Monk Protests

Monks burned themselves to protest Diem’s anti-Buddhist policies.

Vietnamization

Nixon’s policy to turn war over to South Vietnamese troops and withdraw U.S. forces.

My Lai Massacre

U.S. troops killed over 500 Vietnamese civilians in 1968. Sparked outrage.

Search and Destroy Missions

Strategy in Vietnam—kill enemy forces, not hold land. Hurt civilians and U.S. reputation.

Agent Orange

Chemical used to destroy jungles. Caused cancer and birth defects.

Anti-War Protests

Led by SDS, women’s groups like the Jeannette Rankin Brigade. Opposed the Vietnam War.

Chicano Moratorium

1970 protest by Mexican Americans against the Vietnam War and racism.

Black Power Movement

Advocated self-defense and racial pride. Feared by government as dangerous.

Black Panther Party

Founded 1966. Focused on community programs and self-defense. Created Ten-Point Program.

COINTELPRO

FBI program to disrupt civil rights and leftist groups, especially Black Panthers.

Southern Strategy

Nixon's plan to gain Southern white voters by opposing civil rights.

Mass Incarceration

Major rise in prison population from War on Drugs, mostly targeting Black and Latino communities.

DEA & Drug Policy

Created to fight drugs using raids and arrests. Started with Nixon, expanded under Reagan.

John Ehrlichman Quote

Nixon adviser admitted War on Drugs was used to target Black people and anti-war activists.

The New Jim Crow

Term by Michelle Alexander—mass incarceration acts as a racial caste system.

Stagflation

1970s economic crisis—high inflation and high unemployment at the same time.

Deindustrialization

Factories closed or moved overseas. Hurt working-class and minority communities.

Redlining

Denying loans to Black neighborhoods. Kept housing segregated.

Gay Rights & Military

LGBTQ people banned from serving openly. Activists challenged discrimination.