Period 8 cum

APUSH Notes Cumulative Test 4/9

GI Bill of 1944

The GI Bill provided significant benefits to veterans, including funding for college education and low-interest home loans. It managed to facilitate higher education for approximately 8 million veterans, thereby contributing to the post-war workforce and economy.

Baby Boom and Internal Migration

By the end of the 1950s, approximately 50 million babies were born, marking a significant demographic shift known as the baby boom. This period also saw a large number of Americans leaving urban centers to migrate to suburban areas after World War II. This movement resulted in the phenomenon termed "white flight," where predominantly white families relocated, leading to an increase in minority populations in inner cities.

Gender Roles in the 1950s

In the 1950s, traditional gender roles re-emerged with society placing increased pressure on women to adopt the role of housewives, reverting to the ideal of the cult of domesticity.

Interstate Highway Act

The government initiated the construction of an interstate highway system, which facilitated migration out of urban areas and into suburban regions. This act contributed significantly to the suburbanization of American society.

Cold War Overview

The Cold War spanned from approximately 1945 to 1991, characterized by a geopolitical struggle for power between the capitalist United States and the communist Soviet Union. This conflict was punctuated by both direct and indirect proxy wars, including notable conflicts in Korea and Vietnam.

Yalta Conference

At the Yalta Conference, leaders Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill convened to discuss post-war arrangements, resulting in the division of Germany into four militarily occupied zones.

Iron Curtain

Winston Churchill coined the term "Iron Curtain" to describe the stark divide between the communist East and the democratic West during the Cold War.

Truman Doctrine

The Truman Doctrine established that the United States would provide military and economic assistance to countries resisting communism, marking a definitive end to American isolationism. It initially focused on providing aid to Greece and Turkey.

Marshall Plan

The Marshall Plan was a comprehensive economic aid initiative aimed at rebuilding and stabilizing Western Europe after WWII to prevent the spread of communism.

NATO and Warsaw Pact

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was formed as a collective defense agreement, asserting that an attack on one member would be considered an attack on all. Conversely, the Warsaw Pact was established as the Soviet Union's alliance system in response, mirroring NATO's structure and purpose.

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

HUAC was established to investigate activities suspected to be un-American, targeting individuals associated with communism.

Red Scare

Senator Joseph McCarthy instigated a widespread panic known as the Red Scare, alleging that approximately 205 individuals in Congress were linked to communism, creating a climate of fear and suspicion.

NSC-68

NSC-68 was a critical policy document that prepared the United States for a significant military buildup to counteract perceived communist threats globally.

Beat Generation

The Beat Generation represented a literary and social movement emerging in the late 1940s and 1950s that rejected conventional societal norms and explored alternative forms of expression and lifestyle.

Sputnik and the Space Race

In October 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, which spurred the United States to accelerate its scientific efforts. The launch prompted Congress to pass the National Defense Education Act to enhance federal funding for education in math, science, and languages, marking the onset of the Space Race between the superpowers.

Brown v. Board of Education

The landmark Supreme Court case "Brown v. Board of Education" decided in 1954 declared school segregation unconstitutional, effectively overturning the Plessy v. Ferguson decision, which upheld the doctrine of "separate but equal."

Little Rock Nine

In September 1957, President Eisenhower intervened by dispatching the National Guard to assist the Little Rock Nine, a group of African American students, in enrolling at a racially integrated school after the governor of Arkansas closed schools to prevent integration.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The arrest of Rosa Parks in Alabama for refusing to vacate her bus seat for a white passenger ignited the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This boycott achieved landmark results when the Supreme Court ruled that segregation on Montgomery buses was unconstitutional, violating the 14th amendment.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

Founded and led by Martin Luther King Jr., the SCLC concentrated on nonviolent tactics to end segregation in the South and organized protests such as sit-ins, including the notable Greensboro sit-in.

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

The SNCC was established to advocate for the voices of young African Americans in the civil rights movement, organizing numerous protests and actions to combat racial discrimination.

Eisenhower's Foreign Policy

Eisenhower's foreign policy, known as "New Look," emphasized a balanced approach to maintaining U.S. economic health while employing a strategy of brinkmanship, which involved pushing conflicts to the brink of war, potentially involving nuclear threats.

Camp David Accords

Eisenhower met with Soviet leader Krushev during the Camp David Accords to discuss a nuclear test ban.

Middle East Tensions

Eisenhower's presidency saw high tensions in the Middle East, particularly during the Suez Canal Crisis, provoked by Egypt's invasion of the Sinai Peninsula.

Eisenhower Doctrine

This doctrine promised U.S. military or economic aid to any Middle Eastern nation facing communist aggression, reinforcing the United States' commitment to combat the spread of communism.

Vietnam and the Domino Theory

Following France's defeat at Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam was divided at the 17th parallel into North and South Vietnam. The United States grew increasingly concerned about the domino theory, which posited that if one nation fell to communism, neighboring countries would follow suit.

Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO)

President Eisenhower established SEATO, a collective defense organization with treaties involving South Korea and other anti-communist Asian and Pacific nations, aimed at halting the spread of communism in Asia. Notably, SEATO did not recognize the People's Republic of China.

Cuban Revolution

In 1959, Fidel Castro, a communist leader, overthrew the Cuban government. The CIA began training individuals for the Bay of Pigs invasion, intended to reclaim the country from Castro's regime.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

In 1960, just before JFK's presidential term, the U.S. aimed to land CIA-backed armed Cuban exiles in Cuba to overthrow Castro. The invasion ultimately failed due to prior knowledge of the plan by Castro's government, leading to a significant embarrassment for the U.S.

Berlin Wall Construction

The Berlin Wall was erected in 1961 after a pivotal meeting between Kennedy and Krushev, designed to prevent East Germans from defecting to West Berlin.

Cuban Missile Crisis

The Cuban Missile Crisis arose after the Bay of Pigs invasion when the Soviet Union supported Castro by installing ballistic missiles in Cuba. In October 1962, President Kennedy announced the presence of these missiles and initiated a naval quarantine of Cuba, warning that any attack