AP US History Unit 1: Rise of the Silent Majority Key Terms & Vocabulary
Key Presidential Administrations and Political Figures
Barry Goldwater
Unsuccessful Republican candidate for President of the United States against Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.
Platform advocated for the total dismantling of the New Deal, escalation of the military effort in the Vietnam War, and maintaining the status quo on civil rights issues.
Widely recognized as the foundational grandfather of the broader conservative movement that gained national prominence in the 1980s.
Bill Clinton
Served as President of the United States from 1993 to 2001 as a member of the Democratic Party.
Governed with a centrist political approach, passing significant legislation in cooperation with a Republican-controlled Congress.
Major legislative and economic achievements include the ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), comprehensive welfare reform, and achieving a balanced federal budget.
Became the second president in American history to be impeached by the United States Congress.
Earl Warren
Served as Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1953 to 1969.
Led a highly influential and controversial court that enacted far-reaching social, racial, and political rulings.
Key judicial decisions oversaw school desegregation and expanded legal protections for individuals accused of crimes.
George H.W. Bush
Served as President of the United States from 1989 to 1993.
Campaigned in 1988 by extending the legacy of Ronald Reagan, famously declaring, "Read my lips: no new taxes."
Led a swift and successful international military campaign against Saddam Hussein in the Persian Gulf War.
Lost his bid for re-election in 1992 due to the severe economic recession of the early 1990s and the political fallout from reversing his tax pledge.
George McGovern
Democratic candidate for president in 1972 who suffered a major loss to Richard Nixon.
Campaigned on a platform calling for the immediate military withdrawal of U.S. forces from Vietnam and a guaranteed minimum income for the poor.
Political standing was severely damaged with voters after he offered hesitant and waffling defense of his initial vice-presidential running mate who encountered controversy.
George W. Bush
Served as President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 as a Republican.
Promoted a philosophy termed "compassionate conservatism," advancing domestic policies centered on tax cuts and education reform.
Presidency was defined by the global "War on Terror" following the September 11 terrorist attacks, leading to the passage of the Patriot Act, the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, and military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq.
George Wallace
Governor of Alabama and third-party presidential candidate in 1968 and 1972.
Ran on an explicit platform supporting racial segregation and "law-and-order."
Survived an assassination attempt in 1972 that left him permanently paralyzed, effectively ending his active political career.
Gerald Ford
Served as President of the United States from 1974 to 1977.
Holds the distinction of being the only president to serve without being elected as either president or vice president.
Appointed vice president under the terms of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment following the resignation of Spiro Agnew, and subsequently assumed the presidency when Richard Nixon resigned.
Geraldine Ferraro
United States House Representative from New York selected by Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale as his vice-presidential running mate in 1984.
Made history as the first female candidate to appear on a major political party's national presidential ticket.
Henry Kissinger
National Security Advisor and Secretary of State under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.
Served as the chief architect of the diplomatic settlement ending U.S. combat involvement in Vietnam, the formal opening of diplomatic relations with Communist China, and the policy of détention with the Soviet Union.
Jimmy Carter
Served as President of the United States from 1977 to 1981.
Sought to baseline U.S. foreign policy on moral principles and human rights, aiming for policies "as good and great as the American people."
Foreign policy achievements included brokering the historic Camp David Accords, while his major diplomatic challenge was the extended Iran Hostage Crisis.
Defeated after a single term, but established an exceptionally active and influential post-presidency.
Lyndon Johnson
Served as President of the United States from 1963 to 1969.
Spearheaded extensive domestic reforms under the "Great Society" vision, but saw his political support erode due to his dramatic escalation of the Vietnam War.
Increased American troop levels in Vietnam from 16,000 personnel in 1963 to over 540,000 by 1968.
Opted not to run for re-election in 1968 following the political impact of the Tet Offensive.
Richard Nixon
Served as President of the United States from 1969 until his resignation in 1974.
Gradually extracted U.S. combat forces from the Vietnam War, formally recognized the People's Republic of China, and fostered relaxed tensions (détente) with the Soviet Union.
His foreign policy achievements were ultimately eclipsed by the domestic constitutional crisis of the Watergate scandal.
Ronald Reagan
Served as President of the United States from 1981 to 1989.
Spearheaded a transformative conservative resurgence, opposing détente in favor of stronger confrontation with the Soviet Union while scaling back federal domestic spending and regulation.
Credited by supporters for hastening the collapse of the Soviet bloc and winning the Cold War, while critics faulted his social policies and substantial federal budget deficits.
Sandra Day O’Connor
Appointed to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
Became the first female Justice to serve on the United States Supreme Court.
Thurgood Marshall
Prominent NAACP civil rights attorney during the 1940s and 1950s who successfully argued the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case.
Appointed by President Lyndon Johnson as the first African American Justice on the United States Supreme Court.
Warren Burger
Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1969 to 1986.
Appointed as a conservative successor to Earl Warren, yet presided over landmark decisions that upheld mandatory school busing for integration, protected abortion rights, and ordered President Nixon to turn over recorded tapes during Watergate.
Legislative Acts and Policy Frameworks
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Comprehensive civil rights law enacted in 1990.
Prohibits discrimination against individuals with physical or mental disabilities across all areas of public life, including employment, schooling, transit systems, and public or private spaces accessible to the general public.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Originally proposed by President John F. Kennedy and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Desegregated public facilities, including public accommodations, municipal parks, libraries, and places of amusement.
Expanded federal authority to protect constitutional rights and prohibited employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
Contract with America
A legislative policy agenda drafted in 1994 under the leadership of Republican Congressman Newt Gingrich.
Promised the public that Republicans would vote on ten specific legislative items within 100 days if they won congressional majorities.
Key items included proposals for congressional term limits, a balanced budget amendment, major tax relief, strict anti-crime legislation, and sweeping welfare reform.
Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965
Federal legislation that fundamentally altered national demographics by abolishing national-origin quota systems established in the 1920s.
Opened opportunities for significant immigration from non-European regions, particularly Asia, Latin America, and Africa.
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)
Federal legislation passed in 1990 and updated in 2024, stemming from momentum generated by the American Indian Movement (AIM).
Mandates the return and protection of Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred items, and objects of cultural patrimony held by federally funded institutions.
Statutorily establishes that human remains of any lineage must be treated with dignity and respect.
No Child Left Behind
Major federal education reform legislation passed under President George W. Bush.
Required individual states to establish rigorous educational standards and measure progress through mandatory standardized testing.
Expanded federal accountability standards and increased school options for parents whose public schools failed to meet standards.
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
Trilateral economic agreement signed by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, championed and signed into law by President Bill Clinton.
Grounded in the principle that lowering tariffs and fostering open international trade drives national economic growth and international stability.
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Landmark federal civil rights law aimed at dismantling state and local barriers to political participation.
Banned literacy tests and other voter registration qualification hurdles.
Granted sweeping authority to the federal government to monitor voter registration processes and investigate voting irregularities in regions with histories of voter discrimination.
Major Events, Foreign Policy, and Scandals
Camp David Accords (1979)
Historic peace agreement negotiated between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, brokered by President Jimmy Carter at Camp David.
Israel agreed to withdraw from and return territory seized during prior military conflicts, while Egypt formally recognized Israel's right to exist as a sovereign nation.
While groundbreaking, the agreement failed to deliver a comprehensive or lasting resolution to broader Middle Eastern conflicts.
Crisis of Confidence (Malaise) Speech
Televised national address delivered by President Jimmy Carter in 1979 amidst economic stagnation and an energy crisis.
Argued that a fundamental crisis of confidence threatened the nation, striking "at the very heart and soul of our national will."
The somber tone backfired politically, causing many citizens to view Carter as lacking optimism and abandoning executive leadership.
Iran Hostage Crisis (1979–1981)
International crisis in which Islamic radicals, supported by the new revolutionary Iranian regime, seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.
A total of 52 American citizens were held hostage for 444 days.
Captors demanded the extradition of the deposed Iranian Shah to stand trial in Iran, while fundamentalist leaders sought to condemn historic U.S. intervention in Iranian affairs.
Iran–Contra Affair (1986–1987)
Major political scandal involving secret actions within the Reagan administration.
Administration officials covertly sold weapons to Iran in exchange for assistance securing the release of American hostages held in Lebanon.
Profits from these covert arms sales were illegally funneled to support the Contras, an anti-communist insurgent force fighting the Sandinista government in Nicaragua, explicitly violating statutory bans passed by Congress (the Boland Amendments).
Formal calls for Reagan's impeachment subsided after high-ranking presidential aides assumed legal responsibility for orchestrating the illegal acts.
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Embargoes
Cartel composed of oil-exporting developing nations that used crude oil production limits and supply embargoes as political leverage to alter Western policy toward Israel.
Instituted severe oil supply cutbacks throughout the 1970s, causing widespread fuel shortages and massive inflation across the United States economy.
Persian Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm)
1991 military conflict executed by a international coalition led by the United States to expel invading Iraqi military forces from Kuwait.
Initiated with an extensive air strike campaign, followed by a ground offensive staged from Saudi Arabia that rapidly defeated Iraqi forces and liberated Kuwait.
Roe v. Wade (1973)
Landmark Supreme Court decision holding that the constitutional right to privacy under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy.
September 11, 2001 Attacks
Coordinated terrorist attacks carried out by 19 members of the extremist group al-Qaeda using hijacked commercial airliners.
Two planes struck and destroyed the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center complex in New York City.
A third plane struck the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.
A fourth hijacked plane crashed into an open field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, close to Pittsburgh, after passengers fought back against the hijackers.
War on Terror
Global military, intelligence, and diplomatic initiative launched by the Bush administration following the September 11 attacks.
Included domestic security enhancements via the Department of Homeland Security, heightened air security measures, legal detentions of foreign terror suspects, and full-scale military campaigns in Afghanistan to dismantle al-Qaeda and remove the Taliban.
Watergate Scandal
Political crisis stemming from a June 1972 illegal break-in and wiretapping attempt at the Democratic National Committee headquarters located in the Watergate complex.
President Richard Nixon and key senior executive aides engaged in a systematic illegal cover-up to obstruct federal investigators and conceal links between the burglars and the White House.
The resulting legal, public, and congressional investigations ultimately led to criminal convictions for several top officials and forced Nixon's resignation in August 1974.
Political Ideologies, Movements, and Societal Shifts
Great Society
An expansive domestic policy initiative instituted by President Lyndon B. Johnson designed to eradicate poverty and social inequality.
Enacted sweeping legislation including Medicare (healthcare for the elderly), Medicaid (healthcare for low-income citizens), the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
New Left
Term for the radical youth political movement that emerged during the 1960s.
Drew theoretical inspiration from the "Old Left" of the 1930s (which focused on class critique and labor support), but pivoted toward active participation in civil rights, anti-war protests, and intense opposition to American foreign policy, particularly regarding the Vietnam War.
Silent Majority
Political term popularized by President Richard Nixon to describe middle-class Americans who upheld law and order, supported standard national values, and backed the administration's goal of "peace with honor" in Vietnam.
Nixon positioned this group in contrast to anti-war student protesters and militant civil rights activists whose demonstrations dominated news coverage during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Economic Policy and Regional Trends
Deregulation
Policy focused on removing or reducing federal regulations over industrial activities to stimulate economic competition.
Under President Ronald Reagan during the 1980s, price controls on domestic oil were lifted, federal health and safety checks on nursing homes were reduced, and administrative rules over commercial airlines and savings and loan institutions were curtailed.
Stagflation
Unusual economic condition that persisted throughout much of the 1970s characterized by stagnant economic growth alongside rapidly escalating prices (inflation) and rising unemployment.
Driven primarily by steep price increases and supply shocks associated with global oil embargoes.
Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
Space- and ground-based missile defense proposal initiated by President Ronald Reagan, popularly dubbed "Star Wars."
Designed to deploy advanced technology, including lasers, to intercept and destroy incoming Soviet strategic nuclear missiles before impact.
Sunbelt
Geographic designation for the southern and southwestern regions of the United States, named for their warm climate.
Has experienced sustained and substantial economic and population growth since the late 1970s, altering national political and economic power distributions.
Supply-side Economics (Reaganomics)
Economic doctrine implemented by the Reagan administration centered on federal tax reductions and federal spending cuts.
Posited that reducing tax burdens on businesses and high-income earners would drive private investment, expand job creation, boost personal savings, and ultimately increase total federal tax revenues through overall economic growth.
Social Studies Vocabulary Key Terms
Agenda: An underlying, often ideologically driven plan, program, or list of matters to be addressed.
Bureaucracy: A body of non-elected government officials and administrative staff responsible for carrying out governmental tasks and policy administration.
Coalition: A alliance of distinct factions, political parties, or interest groups united to achieve a common purpose.
Constituency: The specific body of citizens, voters, or residents represented by an elected official.
Deficit: An excess of expenditure over income or revenue during a specified fiscal period.
Demographic: Statistical characteristics associated with a human population, such as age, race, gender, or income.
Discrimination: Unfair or partial treatment directed against specific individuals or groups based on characteristics such as race, sex, or background.
Entitlement: A government program or guarantee that grants direct benefits to individuals meeting explicit legal criteria.
Fiscal: Pertaining to public finances, government expenditures, national debt, or tax revenues.
Ideology: A organized set of political, economic, or philosophical beliefs and values that shapes a worldview.
Inflation: A continuous, widespread increase in the general price level of goods and services over time, reducing purchasing power.
Marginalized: Excluded, sidelined, or lacking political, social, or economic power within a society.
Polarization: The division of a population or political system into opposing, contrasting extremes of opinion or interest.
Proliferation: A rapid, substantial increase in the quantity or spread of something.
Radical: An individual who advocates for immediate, fundamental, and sweeping structural change in political or social systems.
Reactionary: An individual who opposes progress or reform, advocating instead for a return to an idealized or traditional past state of affairs.
Socioeconomic: Relating to the combination or interaction of social status, social class, and financial wealth.
Surplus: The portion or amount of money, goods, or resources that remains after all operational requirements or needs have been fully met.