ID List Unit 3, Fall 2020

Containment

• Definition: A United States foreign policy doctrine adopted after World War II to prevent the spread of communism.

• Goal: To contain communism within its existing borders.

• Time period : Late 1940s to the early 1990s, particularly during the Cold War era.

• Significance: This policy shaped U.S. interactions with other nations, influencing military strategies and foreign aid initiatives.

Mutually Assured Destruction

• Definition: A doctrine of military strategy and national security policy in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two or more opposing sides would cause the complete annihilation of both the attacker and the defender.

• Significance: It created a balance of power during the Cold War, deterring either side (US and USSR) from launching a first strike.

• Time period : The concept of Mutually Assured Destruction became prominent during the late 1940s and continued through the 1980s, shaping international relations and nuclear strategies.

McCarthyism

• Definition: A period of intense anti-communist suspicion in the United States during the late 1940s and 1950s.

• Characteristics: Accusations of subversion or treason without proper evidence, named after Senator Joseph McCarthy.

• significant: Impact on free speech and civil liberties, leading to widespread fear and self-censorship.

Brown v. Board of Education

• Definition: A landmark 1954 Supreme Court case in which the Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional.

• Significance: Overturned the "separate but equal" doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) and paved the way for desegregation.

Martin Luther King

• Definition: A pivotal leader in the American Civil Rights Movement.

• Role: Advocated for nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience to achieve equal rights for African Americans.

• time period: 1950s to 1960s, during which he became a national figure through events like the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington.

Emmett Till

• Definition: An African-American teenager who was lynched in Mississippi in 1955 after being falsely accused of offending a white woman.

• Significance: His murder and the subsequent acquittal of his murderers sparked outrage and galvanized the Civil Rights Movement.

Sputnik

• Definition: The first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957.

• Significance: Marked the beginning of the Space Race, heightened Cold War tensions, and prompted the US to invest heavily in science and technology education.

Project Mercury

• Definition: The first human spaceflight program of the United States, running from 1958 to 1963.

• Goal: To put a human into orbit around the Earth.

Apollo-Soyuz Test Project

• Definition: The first joint US-Soviet space mission in 1975.

• Significance: Symbolized a thaw in Cold War relations and cooperation in space exploration.

Cuban Missile Crisis

• Definition: A 13-day confrontation in 1962 between the United States and the Soviet Union initiated by the American discovery of Soviet nuclear missile deployments in Cuba.

• Significance: Brought the world to the brink of nuclear war and led to the establishment of a hotline between Washington and Moscow.

Great Society

• Definition: A set of domestic programs launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1960s.

• Goals: To eliminate poverty and racial injustice.

• Programs: Included Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start, and the Voting Rights Act.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Protest FOUND IN “TWO DAYS IN OCTOBER”

• Reference: Refers to protests at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, specifically related to the Vietnam War, as depicted in the documentary "Two Days in October".

Credibility Gap FOUND IN “TWO DAYS IN OCTOBER”

• Definition: A public distrust of statements made by the government, particularly regarding the Vietnam War.

• Origin: The term arose during the Johnson administration.

• Related to "Two Days in October": Highlighted in the context of the Vietnam War era.

Battle of Ong Thanh FOUND IN “TWO DAYS IN OCTOBER”

• Definition: A significant battle during the Vietnam War.

• Reference: Showcased in "Two Days in October".

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

• Definition: A joint resolution passed by the US Congress in 1964 in response to the Gulf of Tonkin incident.

• Significance: Gave President Lyndon B. Johnson broad powers to escalate US military involvement in Vietnam.

Vietcong

• Definition: The communist political organization and army in South Vietnam that fought against the US and South Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War.

Operation Ranch Hand

• Definition: A US military operation during the Vietnam War involving the use of herbicides, like Agent Orange, to defoliate forests and destroy crops.

• Controversy: Resulted in long-term environmental and health consequences.

Tet Offensive

• Definition: A series of surprise attacks by the Vietcong and North Vietnamese forces during the Tet holiday (Vietnamese New Year) in 1968.

• Significance: Shook public confidence in the US war effort and turned public opinion against the war.

My Lai Massacre

• Definition: A mass killing of unarmed South Vietnamese civilians by US soldiers in March 1968.

• Significance: Exposed the brutality of the war and further eroded public support for the Vietnam War.

Détente

• Definition: The easing of strained political relations between countries, especially during the Cold War.

• Examples: SALT I and SALT II treaties between the US and the Soviet Union to limit nuclear weapons.