Ch28-1960s

Great Society (1964–1965)⭐️

A set of domestic programs launched by Lyndon B. Johnson to eliminate poverty and racial injustice, expand education, improve cities, and protect the environment. It extended the ideas of the New Deal.

Civil Rights Act (1964)⭐️

Banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in public places and employment.

Economic Opportunity Act (1964)⭐️

Created the War on Poverty, including programs like:

• Head Start

• Job Corps

• VISTA

🟦 War on Poverty (1964)⭐️

Johnson’s campaign to reduce poverty through federal programs providing education, job training, and aid.

Election of 1964⭐️

Johnson defeated Barry Goldwater in a landslide, giving him power to pass Great Society laws.

Medicare (1965)⭐️

Government health insurance for people 65+ funded through Social Security taxes.

Medicaid (1965)

Government healthcare program for low-income individuals, funded by taxes and run by states.

Immigration Act (1965)⭐️

Ended the quota system favoring Europeans and allowed more immigrants from Asia and Latin America.

Equal Pay Act (1963)⭐️

Required equal pay for men and women doing the same work.

The Feminine Mystique (1963)⭐️

Written by Betty Friedan, it criticized suburban housewife roles and sparked modern feminism.

Presidential Commission on the Status of Women (1961–1963)⭐️

Found widespread discrimination against women in jobs and education.

NOW – National Organization for Women (1966)⭐️

A feminist group founded to fight for women’s rights and equality.

Tet Offensive (January 30, 1968)⭐️

A surprise attack by North Vietnamese forces that shocked Americans and weakened support for the Vietnam War.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (April 4, 1968)⭐️

Led to riots in over 100 cities and increased national tension.

Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy (June 5, 1968)⭐️

Removed a key unifying political figure during a time of crisis.

Democratic National Convention (1968)⭐️

Violent protests and police clashes showed deep division in the Democratic Party.

Southern Strategy (1968)⭐️

Richard Nixon’s plan to gain support from white southern voters by appealing to dissatisfaction with civil rights changes.

Election of 1968⭐️

Nixon defeated Hubert Humphrey, marking a political shift toward conservatism.

Vietnamization (1969–1973)⭐️

Nixon’s policy of gradually withdrawing U.S. troops and turning the war over to South Vietnam.

Kent State Shooting (May 4, 1970)⭐️

National Guard troops killed 4 student protesters during an antiwar demonstration.

My Lai Massacre (1968, revealed 1969)⭐️

U.S. troops killed hundreds of Vietnamese civilians, shocking the public when revealed.

SALT I (1972)⭐️

A treaty between the U.S. and Soviet Union limiting nuclear weapons.

Paris Peace Accords (January 27, 1973)⭐️

Ended U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

🟦 Fall of Saigon (April 30, 1975)⭐️

North Vietnam took over South Vietnam, ending the war.

🟦 Stonewall Riots (1969)⭐️

Violent protests after a police raid on a gay bar, starting the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.

🟦 Title IX (1972)⭐️

Law banning sex discrimination in education programs.

🟦 Equal Credit Opportunity Act (1974)⭐️

Allowed women to get credit (like loans/credit cards) in their own name.

🟦 Milliken v. Bradley (1974)⭐️

Limited busing for school desegregation to within districts.

🟨 JFK’s Vision

Civic duty (“ask what you can do”), inspiring a new generation and setting up liberal reforms.

🟨 Kennedy Assassination (1963)

Created national grief and helped push support for future reforms.

🟨 Johnson’s Leadership Style

Less charismatic but extremely skilled at passing laws and negotiating.

Feminism Resurgence

• More women working

• Influence of civil rights movement

• Frustration with inequality

🟨 “Double Day”

A: Women worked jobs AND handled household responsibilities.

Youth Rebellion (1968)

• Vietnam War

• Civil rights struggles

• Counterculture

🟨 Credibility Gap⭐️

Public distrust in government statements about Vietnam.

🟨 Hawks vs Doves

• Hawks = support Vietnam war

• Doves = oppose Vietnam war

🟨 Yippies⭐️

Radical protesters who used humor and media stunts to criticize politics.

🟨 Rise of Conservatism⭐️

• Fear of riots and protests

• Opposition to liberal policies

• Cultural changes

🟨 Nixon’s “Silent Majority”⭐️

Americans who supported the war but didn’t protest publicly.

🟨 Détente (1970s)⭐️

A policy of easing tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, mainly under Richard Nixon and his advisor Henry Kissinger.

🟦 OPENING TO CHINA (1972)⭐️

major diplomatic breakthrough where the U.S. established relations with communist China for the first time, led by Richard Nixon.