Election of 1960
An election between Kennedy vs. Nixon. Kennedy won narrowly, first televised debate.
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The failed 1961 attempt of Cuban exiles backed by the U.S. to overthrow the Cuban socialist government of Fidel Castro
Berlin Wall
A barrier separating East and West Berlin built by East Germany in 1961 to keep citizens from escaping to the West
Cuban Missile Crisis
A confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union in 1962 over the presence of missile sites in Cuba; one of the "hottest" periods of the cold war.
Peace Corps
Program that sends volunteers to provide technical, educational, and medical services to developing countries.
Third World Countries
Developing nations, often newly independent, who were not aligned with a superpower; It was the objective of the USSR and USA to get them to be either communist or democratic
Alliance for Progress
A program in which the United States tried to help Latin American countries overcome poverty and other problems; "The Marshall Plan for Latin America
Flexible Response
The buildup of conventional troops and weapons to allow a nation to fight a limited war without using nuclear weapons
Camelot
Nickname given to the Kennedy administration due to the fairy tale image they presented. Kennedy was adored for his looks, youth, and wit.
Jackie Kennedy
Kennedy's attractive wife, brought glamor to the white house, brought much appreciation for the fine arts to the Kennedy administration, restored the White House
Best and the Brightest
Youthful but experienced Cabinet and highly intelligent group of personal advisors under JFK
New Frontier
President Kennedy's plan aimed at improving the economy, fighting racial discrimination, and exploring space
Moon Challenge
1962 speech where JFK pledged to surpass the Soviets in the space race.
New Left
Coalition of younger members of the Democratic party and radical student groups. Believed in participatory democracy, free speech, civil rights and racial brotherhood, and opposed the war in Vietnam.
Earl Warren Court
Very liberal group of Supreme Court justices whose decisions expanded democracy and individual freedoms from 1954-1969/
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, KS
Supreme Court decision that overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, declared that racially segregated facilities are inherently unequal and ordered all public schools desegregated.
Mapp v. Ohio
A landmark Supreme Court case which decided that evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment protection against "unreasonable searches and seizures" may not be used in criminal prosecutions in state courts.
Gideon v. Wainwright
1963 ruling that a defendant in a felony trial must be provided a lawyer free of charge if the defendant cannot afford one.
Miranda v. Arizona
1966 ruling that upon arrest, a suspect has the "right to remain silent" and the right to consult with a lawyer.
Lee Harvey Oswald
Ex-Marine and communist sympathizer accused of assassinating JFK in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. He was murdered two days later as he was being transferred from one jail to another
Warren Commission
A group that investigated the assassination of President Kennedy and concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald was a lone assassin.
The Other America
Book by Michael Harrington that focused on poverty-stricken Americans and how it is passed between generations; said 1/4 of Americans lived in poverty; inspired Johnson's "Great Society
The Great Society
Lyndon Johnson's vision for America that demanded "an end to poverty and racial injustice". Funded programs such as Medicare/Medicaid, Education, Civil Rights
Job Corps
Helped unemployed young people learn job skills.
VISTA
Young Americans volunteer in poor neighborhoods to help the low income; also provided job training; "the Peace Corps for the US
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Act that made racial, religious, and sex discrimination by employers illegal and gave the government the power to enforce all laws governing civil rights, including desegregation of schools and public places.
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Act that provided federal funding for primary and secondary education and was meant to improve the education of poor people. This was the first federal program to fund education.
Head Start
A preschool program for children from low-income families that also provides healthcare, nutrition services, and social services
H.U.D.
Executive Department that funded federal low income housing programs.
Medicare
A federal program of health insurance for persons 65 years of age and older
Medicaid
A federal and state assistance program that pays for health care services for people who cannot afford them.
PBS
Great Society program that created a TV network of noncommercial television stations devoted to educational and other quality programming
NPR
Great Society program that created a publicly funded radio broadcast to deliver news, entertainment, and educational programming.
Voting Rights Act of 1965
A landmark law that outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans in the U.S.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
1964 Congressional resolution that authorized President Johnson to commit U.S. troops to South Vietnam and fight a war against North Vietnam
Guns or Butter
A phrase that refers to the trade-offs that nations make when choosing whether to produce more or less military or consumer goods
Johnson Doctrine
Philosophy that revolutions in Latin America were not just local concerns when "the object is the establishment of a Communist dictatorship