Textbook Terms, Chapter 30

Discusses the US's economic, political, and social developments in the 1960's and 1970's.

American Indian Movement

(1968) Native American activist organization that sought to address issues such as poverty, discrimination, and treaty rights, using protests and occupations like Wounded Knee Occupation.

Betty Friedan

(1963) Feminist author of The Feminine Mystique who helped spark the second-wave feminist movement and co-founded the National Organization for Women.

Cesar Chavez

(1960s) Labor leader who organized farmworkers and co-founded the United Farm Workers, advocating for better wages and conditions through strikes and boycotts.

Counterculture

(1960s) Youth movement rejecting traditional values, promoting peace, love, and experimentation with lifestyle, often opposing the Vietnam War.

"Don’t Ask Don’t Tell"

(1993) U.S. military policy allowing gay individuals to serve as long as they did not openly disclose their sexual orientation (outside 1960s–70s but relevant to civil rights evolution).

Free Speech Movement

(1964) Student protest movement at the University of California, Berkeley demanding the right to engage in political activities on campus.

George McGovern

(1972) Democratic presidential candidate who opposed the Vietnam War and represented liberal reform movements but lost to Richard Nixon.

Gerald Ford

(1974) U.S. president who took office after Nixon’s resignation and later pardoned him, aiming to restore trust in government.

Henry Kissinger

(1970s) National Security Advisor and Secretary of State under Richard Nixon, known for diplomacy with China and détente with the Soviet Union.

National Organization For Women

(1966) Feminist organization founded to advocate for women’s equality in employment, education, and politics.

New Left

(1960s) Political movement led by students that focused on civil rights, antiwar activism, and social reform rather than traditional labor issues.

Nixon Doctrine

(1969) Foreign policy stating that U.S. allies would take primary responsibility for their own defense while the U.S. provided support.

OPEC

(1960) Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries that coordinated oil production and pricing, influencing global energy markets and causing the 1970s energy crisis.

Rachel Carson

(1962) Environmentalist and author of Silent Spring, which exposed the dangers of pesticides and helped launch the modern environmental movement.

Roe V. Wade

(1973) Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide, citing a woman’s constitutional right to privacy.

"Silent Majority"

(1969) Term used by Richard Nixon to describe Americans who supported his policies but did not publicly protest.

Spiro Agnew

(1969) Vice president under Richard Nixon who resigned in 1973 after a corruption scandal.

"Stagflation"

(1970s) Economic condition combining stagnant economic growth, high unemployment, and high inflation, challenging traditional economic policies.

Stonewall Riot

(1969) Uprising in New York City by LGBTQ+ individuals against police harassment, marking a turning point in the gay rights movement.

Students For A Democratic Society

(1962) Student activist organization that promoted participatory democracy and led protests against the Vietnam War.

Vietnamization

(1969) Policy under Richard Nixon to gradually withdraw U.S. troops and transfer combat responsibility to South Vietnamese forces.

Watergate

(1972) Political scandal involving a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters and subsequent cover-up by the Nixon administration, leading to Nixon’s resignation.

Weathermen

(1969) Radical offshoot of Students for a Democratic Society that used violent tactics to protest the Vietnam War and U.S. policies.

Wounded Knee

(1973) Site of an armed standoff between the American Indian Movement and federal authorities, protesting Native American injustices.