GI Bill
law passed in 1944 to help returning veterans buy homes and pay for higher educations
Marshall Plan
a plan for aiding the European nations in economic recovery after World War II in order to stabilize and rebuild their countries and prevent the spread of communism.
Truman Doctrine
First established in 1947 after Britain no longer could afford to provide anti-communist aid to Greece and Turkey, it pledged to provide U.S. military and economic aid to any nation threatened by communism.
Mao Zedong
Leader of the Communist Party in China that overthrew Chiang Kaishek and the Nationalists during the Chinese Revolution and established China as the People's Republic of China and ruled from 1949 until 1976.
Baby boom
the rapid population increase that took place after WWII between 1945 and 1960 during a time of prosperity in the United States.
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an military alliance formed in 1949 by Western European countries, the US and Canada to defend one another if they were attacked by any other country--particularly against communism.
United Nations
organization founded after World War II to promote international peace and cooperation--replaced the League of Nations which the United States never joined
Truman's Integration of the military
Truman issued an executive order to end segregation in the armed forces; was not implemented until the Korean War
Korean War
Began when North Korea supported by Communist China and the USSR crossed the 38th parallel and invaded US supported South Korea; fought between 1950-1953 and ending in a stalemate; often called the 'forgotten war'
Jackie Robinson
The first African American player in the major league of baseball--he "broke the color barrier". His actions helped to bring about other opportunities for African Americans.
Space Race
Term given to the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War to advance their space programs.
Cold War
Period of time following World War II where the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as superpowers and faced off in an arms race that lasted nearly 50 years.
National Defense of Education Act
designed to support students in math, science and tech fields in order to keep up with the Soviet Union
Berlin Air Lift
US airlift in 1948 that supplied food and fuel to citizens of west Berlin when the Russians closed off land access to Berlin
Iron Curtain
Term used by Churchill in 1946 to describe the growing East-West divide in postwar Europe between communist and democratic nations
McCarthyism (Second Red Scare)
Post-World War II (`950s) Red Scare focused on the fear of Communists in the military and in U.S. government positions; Joseph McCarthy, was a major instigator of the hysteria.
New Frontier
President Kennedy's plan aimed at improving the economy, fighting racial discrimination, and exploring space
Johnson's Great Society
War on Poverty & civil rights, education, medical care, urban problems, transportation, culture, immigration, environment
counterculture
Anti-establishment cultural patterns in the United States during the 1960s that strongly opposed widely accepted behaviors within a society--The anti-war protests during the Vietnam War era, Civil Rights movement, Rock'n Roll music, hippies; mind altering
Betty Friedan
author of The Feminine Mystique (1963), which raised the issue of a woman's place in society; her ideas sparked the women's movement to life in the 1960s--She was the founder and first President of NOW.
National Organization for Women (NOW)
Founded by Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem to achieve economic, political and social equality for women
Space Race
a competition of space exploration between the United States and Soviet Union
Cuban Missile Crisis
The 1962 confrontation between US and the Soviet Union over Soviet missiles in Cuba.
Bay of Pigs
An unsuccessful invasion of Cuba in 1961, which was sponsored by the United States. Its purpose was to overthrow Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
Joseph Stalin
Totalitarian dictator of the Soviet Union from 1926 until his death in 1953; was responsible for killing 20 million people; Cold War started under his leadership
War Powers Act
a law enacted in 1973, limiting a president's right to send troops into battle without consulting Congress
Gulf of Tonkin 1964
Incident in 1964 that President Johnson used to justify increased U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Claim was that two U.S. ships had been attacked.
Tet Offensive
1968, during Tet, the Vietnam lunar new year - Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army raiding forces attacked provincial capitals throughout Vietnam, even seizing the U.S. embassy for a time. U.S. opinion began turning against the war.
My Lai Massacre
In 1968 American troops massacred women and children in the Vietnamese village of My Lai; this deepened American people's disgust for the Vietnam War.
Civil Rights Act 1964
a law that banned discrimination on the basis of race, sex, national origin, or religion in public places and most workplaces
Voting Rights Act 1965
stop voting discrimination in the south - Suspended literacy tests, empowered federal officials to register voters, prohibited states from changing voting procedures without federal permission.
26th amendment
Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18
24th amendment
eliminated poll taxes as a voting requirement
Domino Theory
the idea that if a nation falls under communist control, nearby nations will also fall under communist control
Vietnamization
President Richard Nixons strategy for ending U.S involvement in the vietnam war, involving a gradual withdrawl of American troops and replacement of them with South Vietnamese forces
Levittown
'
In 1947, William Levitt used mass production techniques to build inexpensive homes in surburban New York to help relieve the postwar housing shortage. Levittown became a symbol of the movement to the suburbs in the years after WWII. Eisenhower's Interstat
Eisenhower's Interstate Highway Act
1956 Pres. Eisenhower's 20 yr plan to build 41,000 mi of highway, largest public works project in history
Integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas
the first school to test integration after Brown v. Board to enforce black civil rights in the face of massive resistance; Pres. Eisenhower had to send in Federal troops
Kent State
4 Kent State University students protesting the Vietnam War were killed by National Guards
James Meredith integrates Ole Miss
states are still resisting integrating schools, james meredith wanted to go but his application was consistently denied until he was accepted. led to desegregation...governor tried to stop it and it lead to riots where national guard was called in
Chief Justice Earl Warren
Expanded individual liberties; led the Supreme Court to pass landmark decisions that ended school segregation, ended death penalty, end to school prayer, and ensuring rights to criminals accused of a crime--Supreme Court decisions included Brown v. Board
Regents of California v. Baake
Baake filed a reverse discrimination lawsuit against the Univ. of California claiming that he was denied admittance while less qualified African Americans were being admitted through the use of racial quotas. The Court ruled that Baake be admitted but uph
Roe v. Wade
Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion on the basis of a woman's right to privacy
Mapp v. Ohio
Established the exclusionary rule was applicable to the states (evidence seized illegally cannot be used in court)
Winston Churchill
British statesman and leader during World War II who said that "an iron curtain has descended across the continent.
March on Washington 1963
held in 1963 to show support for the civil rights bill in congress. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous "i have a dream..." speech. 250,000 people attended the rally. The rally led Pres. Kennedy to draft the Civil Rights Act o f 1964.
Letter from a Birmingham Jail
Written by Martin Luther King in 1963 and he argued that citizens have a right to disobey unjust laws or civil disobedience.
Sputnik
October, 1957 - The first artificial satellite sent into space, launched by the Soviets. Started the Space Race between US and Soviet Union
Peace Corp
Kennedy administration program that sent youthful American volunteers to work in underdeveloped countries.
non violent protests; civil disobedience
a form of peaceful protest in which people refuse to obey laws they consider unjust
Earl Warren "Warren Court
Chief Justice during the 1950's and 1960's who used a loose interpretation of the Constitution to expand rights for both African-Americans and those accused of crimes.
Selma March
Dr. King organized this major demonstration in Alabama to press for the right of blacks to register to vote. Selma sheriff led local police in a televised brutal attack on demonstrators.
Two northern white marchers were murdered and the outrage that came
Montgomery Bus Boycott
In 1955, after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a city bus, Dr. Martin L. King led a boycott of city buses. After 11 months the Supreme Court ruled that segregation of public transportation was illegal.
Freedom Rides
A series of political protests against segregation by Blacks and Whites who rode buses together through the American South in 1961.
sit-ins
A type of demonstration where people enter a public facility and refuse to leave;began when students at NC A&T sat at a Woolworth lunch counter and refused to leave
Student Non Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
Formed by students, this Civil Rights movement committee coordinated a nonviolent attack on segregation and other forms of racism.
Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
Headed by Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., a coalition of churches and Christians organizations who met to discuss civil rights.
Cesar Chavez
Mexican-American farm worker and labor organizer who worked with Dolores Huerta to create a labor union and improve working conditions for farm workers
Mr. Gorbechev tear down this wall
Challenge issued by United States President Ronald Reagan to Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev to destroy the Berlin Wall; helped bring the Cold War to an end. 1989 Germany was reunified after the Berlin wall was torn down.
George Wallace
Racist gov. of Alabama in 1962 ("segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever"); runs for pres. In 1968 on American Independent Party ticket of racism and law and order, loses to Nixon; runs in 1972 but gets shot
Rachel Carson
Rachel Carson was a marine biologist that wrote and published Silent Spring. Her book addressed her concerns on the environmental hazards of pesticides, bringing attention to the environment.
Earth Day
A day created in 1970 about celebrating and caring for the Earth
Environmental Protection Agency
An independent federal agency established in 1970 to enforce programs aimed at reducing pollution and protecting the environment
Pentagon Papers
secret government documents published In 1971; revealed that the u.s. government had misled americans about the vietnam war.
Camp David Accords
A peace treaty between Israel and Egypt where Egypt agreed to recognize the nation state of Israel
Iranian Hostage Crisis
In 1979, Iranian fundamentalists seized the American embassy in Tehran and held fifty-three American diplomats hostage for over a year; weakened Carter's presidency; hostages released on Reagan's inauguration.
SALT Treaty
a five-year agreement between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, sighned in 1972, that limited the nations' numbers of intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched missiles.
Nixon Opens China
U.S. President Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to the People's Republic of China to meet with Mao Zedong; was an important step in improving relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China.
Watergate
Break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate building in 1972 that resulted in a cover-up and the resignation of Nixon
Nixon v. US
Executive privilege is not an excuse to withhold evidence/ Followed by impeachment
Nixon resignation
Following a court order for Nixon to release the Watergate tapes, Nixon resigned from office on August 8, 1974, becoming the first president in American History ever to do so.
Gerald Ford's pardon of Nixon
Ford gave Nixon a full and unconditional pardon for any and all crimes
Reaganomics
1980s; Reagan's economic program which cut taxes for businesses and deregulated businesses in order to increase productivity, eventully increased tax revenue as cash flowed in the economy--Reagonomics also cut social programs for the poor
NAFTA (North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement)
Passed under President Bill Clinton, North American Free Trade Agreement; allows free trade with US, Mexico, and Canada
Bill Clinton Impeachment
Impeached by the House of Representatives for perjury, abuse of power, and obstruction of justice stemming from his affair with intern Monica Lewinsky; he was acquitted in the Senate of all charges.
Whitewater Scandal
Political controversy that began with the real estate dealings of Bill and Hillary Clinton and their associates, in the Whitewater Development Corporation, a failed business venture. It was claimed that Clinton, while governor of AK, pressured an advisor
US turns Panama Canal over to Panama
In 1999 the US handed over the Panama Canal to Panama.
2000 election
Gore won more popular vote, Bush won the electoral vote with Florida-after a very controversial recount, Democrats wanted a recount; but the Supreme court voted 5-4 to stop counting and ceded the election to George Bush
Homeland Security
A federal agency that was est. by the president in 2001 to develope & implement a national strategy to make the United States safe from terrorist threats or attacks.
Patriot Act
This law passed after 9/11 expanded the tools used to fight terrorism and improved communication between law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
NCLB (No Child Left Behind)
No Child Left Behind - 2001 Pres. Bush designed to promote "standards-based education reform" via assessments that measure progress; results often determine funding
Barry Goldwater
1964; Republican contender against LBJ for presidency; platform included lessening federal involvement, therefore opposing Civil Rights Act of 1964; lost by largest margin in history--but his platform gave rise to modern day conservatism which the Republi