The Growth of the Federal Government, 1950–2000s

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering key terms and definitions related to the growth of the federal government from the 1950s to the 2000s.

Second Red Scare

Post-WWII fear of communist infiltration in the U.S. government and society (late 1940s–1950s). Led to major civil liberties violations.

HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee)

Congressional committee that investigated suspected communist influence in American institutions, especially Hollywood.

Hollywood 10

Ten screenwriters and directors who refused to cooperate with HUAC investigations in 1947, citing First Amendment rights.

McCarthyism

Senator Joseph McCarthy's campaign accusing government officials and others of being communists with little to no evidence.

Lavender Scare

The purge of gay and lesbian employees from the U.S. federal government during the 1950s.

Alger Hiss

A State Department official accused of being a Soviet spy during the Second Red Scare.

The Rosenbergs

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were convicted of passing atomic bomb secrets to the Soviet Union.

Suburbanization

The mass movement of Americans from cities to suburbs following WWII, creating a new culture centered on conformity.

Modern Republicanism / Dynamic Conservatism

President Eisenhower's political philosophy, accepting New Deal programs while restraining government growth.

New Frontier

JFK's domestic and foreign policy agenda focused on economic development, space exploration, military strength, and social programs.

Great Society

LBJ's domestic reform program aimed at eliminating poverty and expanding education and healthcare.

War on Poverty

LBJ's effort to eliminate poverty in America through education and expanded social services.

Economic Opportunity Act (1964)

Part of LBJ's War on Poverty, creating the Office of Economic Opportunity and funding programs to combat unemployment.

Medicare & Medicaid

Healthcare programs created in 1965 providing insurance to the elderly and health benefits to the poor.

Project Head Start

A Great Society preschool program for underprivileged children that provides healthcare and social services.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

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

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Law that banned discriminatory voting practices and greatly expanded Black voter registration in the South.

24th Amendment

Ratified in 1964, abolished the poll tax used to disenfranchise poor Black voters.

Immigration Act of 1965

Ended the national origins quota system and shifted immigration toward family reunification.

Warren Court / Judicial Activism

The Supreme Court known for expanding civil rights through an activist interpretation of the Constitution.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Warren Court decision establishing that suspects must be informed of their rights before police questioning.

De Jure Racism

Racism enforced by law, primarily in the South, through Jim Crow laws and discriminatory practices.

De Facto Racism

Racism that exists in practice without being legally mandated, primarily in the North.

Jim Crow Laws

State and local laws enforcing racial segregation in public spaces after Reconstruction.

NAACP

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, using legal challenges to fight racial inequality.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Supreme Court decision declaring racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Little Rock 9 (1957)

Nine Black students who integrated an all-white high school, facing violent resistance.

Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955)

Protest launched after Rosa Parks' arrest, aiming to end bus segregation.

SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference)

Civil rights organization founded by MLK Jr. that emphasized nonviolent civil disobedience.

SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee)

Student-led civil rights organization that organized sit-ins and Freedom Rides.

CORE (Congress of Racial Equality)

Civil rights organization known for organizing Freedom Rides to challenge segregation.

Greensboro Sit-Ins (1960)

Protest where Black students refused to leave a whites-only lunch counter, sparking national sit-ins.

Freedom Riders

Mixed-race groups challenging bus segregation, met with violent attacks.

March on Washington (1963)

Massive demonstration where MLK Jr. delivered the 'I Have a Dream' speech.

Freedom Summer (1964)

SNCC-led campaign to register Black voters in Mississippi; faced violent white supremacist attacks.

Selma Campaign (1965)

SCLC-led campaign securing voting rights, culminating in a march facing police brutality.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Leader of the Civil Rights Movement advocating for integration and nonviolent protest.

Malcolm X

Civil rights leader advocating for Black nationalism and self-defense.

Black Nationalism

Political ideology advocating for Black self-reliance and political power.

Black Power

Movement advocating for Black self-determination and challenging nonviolence.

Black Panther Party (1966)

Black nationalist organization combating police brutality and providing community services.

Nation of Islam

Religious movement combining Islam with Black nationalism, led by Malcolm X for a time.

COINTELPRO

FBI program using illegal tactics to surveil and disrupt Black nationalist organizations.

Massive Resistance

Strategy by Southern politicians to block school desegregation after Brown v. Board.

White Citizens' Council

Local organizations opposing civil rights through economic and social pressure.

Second Wave Feminism

Women's liberation movement focusing on workplace equality, reproductive rights, and gender discrimination.

AIM (American Indian Movement)

Militant civil rights organization founded to protest injustices against Native Americans.

Cesar Chavez / United Farm Workers

Labor organizer who fought for better conditions for migrant farmworkers.

Stonewall Riots (1969)

Uprising responding to a police raid, catalyzing the LGBTQ+ rights movement.

Harvey Milk

The first openly gay elected official in California, symbolizing LGBTQ+ representation.

Rachel Carson / Silent Spring

Biologist whose book exposed environmental dangers and sparked the environmental movement.

EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)

Federal agency created to regulate pollution and protect human health and the environment.

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)

Student activist organization protesting the Vietnam War.

Free Speech Movement

Student protest movement at UC Berkeley against bans on political activity.

Weathermen Underground

Radical group using bombings of government buildings to protest imperialism.

New Right

Conservative political movement rising from the 1960s, encompassing various conservative groups.

Barry Goldwater

Republican senator whose campaign laid the foundation for modern conservatism.

Silent Majority

Term describing moderate Americans holding conservative views during the 1960s.

Southern Strategy

Nixon's approach to win white Southern voters using race-neutral language.

Religious Right / Moral Majority

Coalition of conservative Christians influencing politics in the 1970s.

Affirmative Action / Bakke v. UC

Policy giving minorities preferential consideration in hiring and admissions; Bakke limited racial quotes.

Reaganomics / Supply-Side Economics

Reagan's economic policy focusing on tax cuts for the wealthy and deregulation.

Deregulation

Reagan's policy of reducing government oversight of industries.

NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement)

Free trade agreement signed to eliminate tariffs between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

Contract with America

Series of conservative proposals leading to Republican control of Congress in the mid-1990s.

Welfare Reform (1996)

Clinton's replacement of AFDC with a work requirement for welfare recipients.

Liberal Consensus

The dominant political ideology of the 1950s agreeing on expanding social welfare and containing communism.