Vocabulary Flashcards from Video Transcript: Eisenhower, Williams/Kazan, Kinsey, and Birth Control

A set of English vocabulary flashcards drawn from the video notes, featuring key terms and their definitions related to Eisenhower’s family life, Williams and Kazan, Kinsey’s research, and the birth control movement.

dour

grim, pessimistic; David Eisenhower’s mood after his store failed and the family’s finances collapsed.

ebullience

exuberant enthusiasm; Ida Eisenhower’s lively generosity of spirit that softened the family’s hardship.

aloof

emotionally distant; David Eisenhower remained aloof after the bankruptcy.

little I / big I

nicknames: Dwight Eisenhower called 'little I' (from his last name) and his older brother was 'big I'.

Group Theater

A left-wing, experimental New York theater company aiming to build a new American stage and social ideals.

Ilya Kazan

Greek-American director who collaborated with Williams and Brando on Streetcar and later became a major film director.

Tennessee Williams

Playwright of The Glass Menagerie and Streetcar Named Desire; often depicted outsider and explored sexuality.

Marlon Brando

Iconic American actor known for intensity and for creating Stanley Kowalski in Streetcar Named Desire.

Streetcar Named Desire

Williams’ landmark play (and film) exploring desire, violence, and social change; directed by Kazan.

Stanley Kowalski

Brando’s primal, volatile lead in Streetcar Named Desire; a focal point of Williams’ drama.

The Glass Menagerie

Williams’ earlier breakthrough play; rooted in Southern life and a precursor to Streetcar.

Alfred Kinsey

Indiana University zoologist who studied human sexuality and founded the Institute for Sex Research; author of Kinsey Reports.

Sexual behavior in the human male

Kinsey’s 1950 book based on extensive interviews that challenged contemporary sexual norms.

Sexual behavior in the human female

Kinsey’s 1953 book extending the study to women, provoking greater public debate.

Institute for Sex Research (Kinsey Institute)

Kinsey’s research center at Indiana University that collected sexual histories and data.

Rockefeller Foundation

Major donor to Kinsey’s research; funding source that faced political pressure and shifts.

Margaret Sanger

Pioneer advocate for birth control and sex education; key figure in the birth control movement.

Catherine McCormack

Wealthy dowager allied with Sanger to advance birth control efforts and scientific research.

birth control pill

The aim of the movement to develop a contraceptive pill to advance birth control.

Mamie Dowd Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower’s wife; life as an army wife was mobile and demanding; they moved 35 times in 35 years.

Kinsey interviews (sex histories)

confidential interviews collecting sexual histories from students and communities used by Kinsey in his research.