Untitled Flashcards histSet

SOCIETY & CULTURE

1. Dixiecrats

• Consequence: Southern Democrats who opposed civil rights reforms split from the Democratic Party in 1948.

• Impact: Signaled deep Southern resistance to desegregation; accelerated political realignment (South shifts Republican).

2. “The Other America” (Michael Harrington)

• Consequence: Exposed poverty in postwar America despite general prosperity.

• Impact: Influenced JFK and LBJ’s War on Poverty and Great Society programs.

3. Baby Boom

• Consequence: Huge birth rate increase after WWII.

• Impact: Increased demand for housing, education, and consumer goods; shaped markets and politics for decades.

4. Gender Roles

• Consequence: Reinforced domestic role for women post-WWII, but eventually challenged.

• Impact: Set stage for 2nd-wave feminism (1960s-70s); led to women entering workforce and pushing for rights.

5. Perception vs Reality

• Consequence: Media and culture projected idealized suburban, middle-class life.

• Impact: Masked poverty, racism, and inequality; drove counterculture and activist movements.

6. Media / TV / Film / Music

• Consequence: Spread cultural norms and challenged them (e.g. Elvis, Civil Rights on TV).

• Impact: Media shaped public opinion, politics (e.g. Vietnam, Watergate), and fueled cultural change.

7. Suburbia / Levittowns

• Consequence: Mass-produced suburban housing, racially exclusive.

• Impact: Fueled car culture, urban decline, and racial segregation through redlining.

8. Counterculture

• Consequence: Youth movement in 1960s rejecting materialism, war, and conformity.

• Impact: Challenged traditional norms; contributed to later political backlash (e.g., rise of New Right).

9. Moral Majority / New Right

• Consequence: Conservative religious and political movement in 1980s.

• Impact: Helped elect Reagan; promoted traditional family, anti-abortion, anti-LGBT policies.

CIVIL RIGHTS & EQUALITY MOVEMENTS

10. CRA ‘64 (Civil Rights Act of 1964)

• Consequence: Outlawed discrimination based on race, sex, religion.

• Impact: Landmark victory for Civil Rights Movement; paved way for Voting Rights Act (1965).

11. ERA (Equal Rights Amendment)

• Consequence: Proposed constitutional amendment for gender equality.

• Impact: Passed Congress but failed ratification; sparked national debate over gender roles.

12. Social Equality Movements & Critics

• Consequence: Movements for Black, Latino, LGBTQ+, and women’s rights.

• Impact: Expanded civil liberties; drew backlash (e.g., rise of conservatism, states' rights rhetoric).

13. Betty Friedan – The Feminine Mystique

• Consequence: Critiqued the limited roles of women in society.

• Impact: Sparked 2nd-wave feminism and formation of NOW (National Organization for Women).

14. Cesar Chavez, United Farm Workers (UFW)

• Consequence: Organized Latino farmworkers for labor rights.

• Impact: Gained national attention to immigrant labor abuses; led to improved labor conditions.

DOMESTIC POLICY BY PRESIDENT

ECONOMY & POLITICS

15. Interstate Highway Act (1956)

• Consequence: Largest public works project in U.S. history.

• Impact: Boosted suburbs, commerce, military readiness; hurt urban centers.

16. Modern Republicanism / Dynamic Conservatism

• Consequence: Eisenhower's balance of conservatism and selective New Deal support.

• Impact: Maintained stability, resisted extreme rollbacks.

17. Reagan & Rise of Conservatism

• Cause: Backlash to social change, economic stagnation, rise of Moral Majority.

• Effect: New Right dominance; rollback of welfare, pro-business policies.

18. Reaganomics (Supply-Side or “Trickle-Down”)

• Policy: Tax cuts, reduced regulations.

• Impact: Economic growth for some, increased deficits and inequality.

19. Keynesian Economics vs Trickle Down

• Keynesian: Gov’t spending to stimulate demand.

• Trickle Down: Tax cuts to wealthy/business to spur investment.

• Impact: Ongoing debate; Keynesian seen in New Deal/Obama stimulus, Trickle Down in Reagan/Bush tax cuts.

JUDICIARY

20. Warren Court (1953–69)

• Rights of the Accused: Miranda v. Arizona (Miranda rights), Gideon v. Wainwright (right to lawyer).

• Separation of Church & State: Engel v. Vitale (no school prayer).

• Equal Protection: Brown v. Board (desegregation).

• Impact: Expanded civil liberties and judicial activism; criticized by conservatives.

MISCELLANEOUS

21. Watergate

• Consequence: Nixon’s cover-up of break-in led to resignation.

• Impact: Public distrust in government; reinforced congressional oversight.

22. GI Bill (Servicemen's Readjustment Act)

• Consequence: Education and housing support for WWII vets.

• Impact: Middle-class expansion; widened racial inequality (many Black vets excluded).

23. Post-WWII Culture & Internal Migrations

• Culture/Family Unit: Traditional nuclear family ideal promoted.

• Sun Belt Migration: Shift of population/power to South and West.

• Impact: Growth of suburbs, new political power centers.

24. LBJ’s Great Society

• Intent: Eliminate poverty and racial injustice.

• Programs: Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start, VRA, CRA.

• Criticism: Too much federal spending; dependency; limited results in poverty reduction.