United States History Flashcards - Unit 7

Flashcards covering key concepts and events from Unit 7 of United States History.

What were the goals of the Civil Rights Movement?

Bring an end to racial segregation, establish racial equality, and establish protections for African Americans' right to vote.

What is De Facto Segregation?

Segregation by unwritten custom or tradition.

What is De Jure Segregation?

Segregation imposed by law.

What was the significance of the Supreme Court ruling of Brown v. Board of Education?

The Supreme Court declared that the “separate but equal” doctrine was unconstitutional and could not be applied to public education.

What philosophy did Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. preach?

A philosophy of nonviolence, or civil disobedience, urging peaceful protests against any restrictive racial policies.

What was the Montgomery Bus Boycott?

A protest by African Americans in Montgomery, Alabama, against racial segregation in the bus system.

What are sit-ins?

A form of protest in which protestors seat themselves and refuse to move until they are served.

What were the Freedom Rides?

A protest by activists who rode buses throughout the southern states to test their compliance with the ban on segregation on interstate buses.

What was the Birmingham Campaign?

MLK targeted Birmingham, Alabama, because of its reputation as the most segregated city in the South which resulted in numerous arrests and violence.

What was the March on Washington?

The March 1963 demonstration in which more than 250,000 people rallied in front of the Lincoln Memorial for economic equality and civil rights.

How did the media impact the Civil Rights Movement?

Coverage of racial violence altered public opinion and brought about greater public support.

Who were the Dixiecrats?

Southern Democrats who opposed Civil Rights legislation.

What is a filibuster?

A tactic used in the U.S. Senate to delay or block a vote on a measure by preventing debate on it from ending.

What was the Civil Rights Act of 1964?

The legislation outlawed segregation in public places and employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin.

What was Freedom Summer?

The 1964 effort to register African American voters in Mississippi.

What was the Selma March?

The effort to register African American voters in Alabama where protesters marched the 54-mile route from Selma to the state capital of Montgomery.

What was the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

Federal law that banned literacy tests and intimidation, and empowered the federal government to oversee voter registration.

What was the significance of the 24th Amendment?

Banned the poll tax in federal elections.

Explain the concept of Black Power.

The militant ideology of the 1960s and 1970s that urged African Americans to focus on creating economic, social, and political power on their own, rather than seek integration into white-dominated society.

Define black separatism.

The movement to create separate institutions for people of African descent in societies historically dominated by whites.

Who was Malcolm X?

A minister of the Nation of Islam who sought to spread the ideas of black nationalism.

Who were the Black Panthers?

An organization of militant African Americans in 1966, established by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, who demanded freedom, employment, and an immediate end to police brutality.

What impact did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 have on the rights of minorities in the United States?

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, or national origin, giving legal protection against discrimination to women and other minorities.

Define feminism.

The theory that women and men should have political, social, and economic equality.

Explain the significance of Betty Freidan’s The Feminine Mystique.

This book tapped into the dissatisfaction of American women, those who were unhappy with their “so-called” idyllic life, addressing their discontent with the ingrained sexism in society that limited their opportunities.

What was the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)?

The proposed amendment to the Constitution to provide for the legal equality of the sexes and prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex which fell three states short of being ratified.

What is Title IX?

Legislation prohibiting federally funded educational institutions from discriminating against students or employees based on sex.

What was the Griswold v. Connecticut?

Supreme Court ruling that established a married couple’s constitutional right to privacy and that a state law banning contraception for married couples violates that right.

What was Loving v. Virginia?

Supreme Court case that struck down state laws prohibiting interracial marriage under the claim that it violated the 14th Amendment.

What was Roe v. Wade?

Supreme Court case in which the Court’s effectively legalized abortion across the United States.

What was the Chicano Civil Rights Movement?

Social and political movement by Mexican Americans in the U.S. during the 1960s, primarily focused on achieving civil rights, better conditions, educational equality, and land rights.

What was the United Farm Workers (UFW)?

A labor union of farm workers that used nonviolent tactics, including a workers’ strike and a consumer boycott of table grapes organized by Cesar Chavez.

How has the status of Latino rights changed during the 20th century?

Greater protections for legal and nonlegal workers, more opportunities for students regardless of English proficiency, and the protection and expansion of voter protections for non-English speakers.

What was the American Indian Movement (AIM)?

The militant movement of Native Americans to address the demands such as: economic independence, revitalization of traditional culture, protection of legal rights, autonomy over tribal lands, and the restoration of lands they believed had been illegally seized.

How have Native American rights changed during the 20th century?

Native American activism spurred the passage of legislation that provided tribes greater control over resources and education on reservations, as well as the regaining of land, mineral, and water rights.

What was Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society”?

President Johnson’s series of policies, legislation, and programs designed to end poverty, reduce crime, abolishing inequality, and improving the environment.

How did the Great Society impact the role of the national government in the United States?

The Great Society expanded the role and spending of the federal government.

Identify notable Great Society programs.

Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start, Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Water Quality Act, Clean Water Restoration Act, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

What was the lasting significance of the Warren Court?

The Supreme Court of the 1960s under Chief Justice Earl Warren whose decisions supported civil rights of citizens by safeguarding their constitutional rights against the power of the government.

Identify and explain notable Warren Court decisions.

Gideon v. Wainwright, Miranda v. Arizona, Baker v. Carr, Mapp v. Ohio, and Engel v. Vitale.

What was the counterculture?

The movement that challenged the values of mainstream American society, advocating peace, love, and freedom.

What is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)?

Agency created in 1970 charged with protecting the natural environment from damage by industrial pollution, to prevent further damage, and to raise public awareness about environmental issues.

What is the New Left?

The radical political movement active during the 1960s and 1970s composed largely of college students and young intellectuals.

What is affirmative action?

A set of policies and practices that aim to improve opportunities for groups that have been discriminated against in the past.

How has LGBTQ rights changed since the late 1960s?

The Gay Rights movement centered on the fight against the criminalization of homosexuality and to organize the gay community.

What is the Domino Theory?

The belief of Cold War containment policy of the U.S. which held that if one country in a region turned Communist, other surrounding countries would soon follow.

Why did the United States become involved in the Vietnam conflict during the 1960s?

The U.S. foreign policy of containment led to military and political involvement in Asia, notably Vietnam, in order to manage the growing threat of communism and to stabilize or strengthen American interests.

What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?

The congressional resolution that authorized President Johnson to commit U.S. troops to South Vietnam and fight a war against North Vietnam.

Explain why the Vietnam War has been considered a “Poor Man’s Fight.”

The draft process often allowed the middle and upper classes to avoid service, while the lower classes were left with filling much of the soldiers needed and African Americans served in large numbers in the war.

What was the Tet Offensive?

The communist assault on a large number of South Vietnamese cities/targets in 1968 during Tet, demonstrating that the communists had not lost their will or ability to fight on.

What impact did the media play on the Vietnam War?

The Vietnam War was the first “living-room war” where Americans watched on nightly newscasts displaying the horrors of the war to the people turning many Americans against the war

Define credibility gap.

The phenomenon that occurs when the public sees evidence that elected officials, military leaders, and others providing false information.

What role did Richard Nixon play in escalating the Vietnam War?

In 1970, Nixon grew tired of the slow peace negotiations and extended the war by attacking Communist sanctuaries in Cambodia.

What was the Kent State Massacre?

Student attacks on the National Guard resulted in the death of four students after tensions between antiwar activists and law-and-order supporters reached a boiling point in 1970, especially after the US invasion of Cambodia.

What is Vietnamization?

President Nixon’s plan for the gradual withdrawal of U.S. forces in Vietnam by transferring responsibilities to South Vietnamese troops.

What were the Pentagon Papers?

A classified U.S. government study that revealed American involvement in Vietnam, as well as the mistakes that were made.

What was the significance of the Supreme Court ruling of New York Times v. United States?

The Supreme Court against the government in The New York Times Co. v. United States defending the 1st Amendment right of free press against prior restraint.

What was the lasting impact of the Pentagon Papers?

These revelations shocked the public and led to a growing distrust of the government that would be reinforced by the events of the 1970s.

What was the outcome of the Vietnam War?

In April 1975, the North Vietnamese would defeat South Vietnam, uniting Vietnam under Communist control marking a failure in the U.S. containment policy in Southeast Asia.

What was the cultural impact of the Vietnam War?

The Vietnam War called American values in question leading to distrust between generations and between the people and their government.

Why did Richard Nixon win the 1968 presidential election?

Public opinion of the Vietnam War influenced Middle America to support the Richard Nixon for stability.

What was the “Silent Majority”?

A reference to those Americans who held traditional views but did not draw attention to themselves.

What was the “Southern Strategy”?

Nixon’s reelection campaign strategy designed to appeal to conservative whites in the historically Democratic South.

What is Détente?

The relaxation in political tensions between nations.

When was the era of Détente?

The 1970s during the Cold War

Identify notable foreign policy changes that occurred during the era of Détente.

Recognizing the People’s Republic of China, ending the 21-year embargo with China, and the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I) with the Soviet Union.

What led to end to Détente?

Détente itself ended in late 1979 with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

What was the Watergate Scandal?

Scandal that unfolded after the break-in at the Democratic headquarters in the Watergate building which ultimately led to the resignation of President Nixon in 1974.

What was the significance of United States v. Nixon?

The Supreme Court ruled that Nixon must turn over the tapes that crucial minutes of the tape were erased and there was enough information to pursue an impeachment constituted a clear example of deliberate obstruction of justice.

What was the outcome of the Watergate Scandal?

On the verge of impeachment and the resulting congressional trial, Nixon resigned as president in 1974.

What was the lasting impact of the Watergate Scandal?

The American trust in the government undermined which contributed to the election of Jimmy Carter in 1976 a Washington outsider.

What was the War Powers Act?

Law passed by Congress restricting the president’s war-making power requiring the president to consult with Congress before committing American forces to a foreign conflict.

Define stagflation.

The term for the economic condition created by high inflation combined with stagnant economic growth and high unemployment.

What factors contributed to the economic issues that negatively impacted the United States economy during the 1970s?

Expanding federal budget deficits, rising foreign industrial competition, rising oil prices, and Nixon’s failed attempt to stabilize the economy with a wage and price controls.

What factors contributed to the United States oil crisis in the 1970s?

In 1973, as a result of U.S. support of Israel in their war against Arab countries, OPEC placed an oil embargo on the United States.

What were the Camp David Accords?

A 1978 agreement brokered by President Jimmy Carter between Egyptian and Israeli leaders that made a peace treaty between the two nations possible.

What was the Iranian Hostage Crisis?

In response to the U.S. supporting the rule of the Shah including the Shah seeking medical care in the United States, Iranian radicals invaded the U.S. Embassy and took 66 Americans as hostages.