Entitlement Program
A government program - such as Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid - that guarantees and provides benefits to a specific group
New Right
A late 20th century of conservative special interest groups concerned with cultural, social, and moral issues
Affirmative Action
A policy that seeks to correct the effects of past discrimination by favoring the groups who were previously disadvantaged
Reverse Discrimination
An unfair treatment of members of a majority group - for example, white men - resulting from efforts to correct discrimination against members of other groups
Conservative Coalition
An alliance formed in the mid-1960's of right-wing groups opposed to big government
Moral Majority
A political alliance of religious groups, consisting mainly of evangelical and fundamentalist Christians, that was active in the 1970s and 1980s, condemning liberal attitudes and behavior and raising money for conservative candidates
Ronald Reagan
first elected president in 1980 and elected again in 1984. He ran on a campaign based on the common man and "populist" ideas. He served as governor of California from 1966-1974. While president, he developed the trickle down effect of government incentive
Reaganomics
The economic policies of President Ronald Reagan, which were focused on budget cuts and the granting of large tax cuts in order to increase private investment
Supply-Side Economics
The idea that a reduction of tax rates will lead to increases in jobs, savings, and investments, and therefore to an increase in government revenue
Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
A proposed defense system - popularly known as Star Wars - intended to protect the United States against missile attacks
Sandra Day O'Connor
First woman supreme court justice. Appointed by Reagan
Deregulation
The cutting back of federal regulation of industry
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
A federal agency established in 1970 for the regulation of water and air pollution, toxis waste, pesticides, and radiation
Geraldine Ferraro
In 1984 she was the first woman to appear on a major-party presidential ticket. She was a congresswoman running for Vice President with Walter Modale.
George Bush
Vice President under Reagan and President from 1989-1993; Economic recession and US involvement in the Persian Gulf war
AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome)
A disease caused by a virus that weakens the immune system, making the body prone to infections and otherwise rare forms of cancer
Pay Equity
The basing of an employee's salary on the requirements of his or her job rather than on the traditional pay scales that have frequently provided women with smaller incomes than men
L. Douglas Wilder
A Virginia governor who was the first African American to be elected a state governor in the United States
Jesse Jackson
An African-American candidate for the Democratic ticket, campaigned for a "rainbow coalition" of minorities and the disadvantaged
Lauro Cavazos
First Hispanic-American in cabinet
Antonia Coello
Latina woman who was named Surgeon General by President Bush in 1990
Mikhail Gorbachev
General secretary of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union. His rise to power marked the beginning of a new era in the Soviet Union
Glasnost
The open discussion of social problems that was permitted in the Soviet Union in the 1980s
Perestroika
The restructuring of the economy and the government instituted in the Soviet Union in the 1980s
INF Treaty
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty - a 1987 agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union that eliminated some weapons systems and allowed for on-site inspection of military installations
Tiananmen Square
The site of 1989 demonstrations in Bejing, China, in which Chinese students demanded freedom of speech and a greater voice in government
Sandinista
Belonging to a leftist rebel group that overthrew the Nicaraguan government in 1979
Contras
Nicaraguan rebels who received assistance from the Reagan administration in their efforts to overthrow the Sandinista government in the 1980s
Operation Desert Storm
A 1991 military operation in which UN forces, led by the United States, drove Iraqui invaders from Kuwait