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| Policy of granting concessions (giving nations what they want) to preserve peace |
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| Belief that only by going to the brink of war could the U.S. protect itself from communist agression |
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| Allied Strategy during WWII to focus on Hitler and Germany first (before forcusing on Japan) since they believed Hitler posed a greater threat |
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| Hitler's attempt to exterminate and kill all the Jews in Europe |
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| Provided education and employment aid for veterans returning from WWII |
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| Term coined by Winston Churchill (British Prime Minister) to describe the border between Soviet satellite states (communist Eastern Europe)and Western Europe |
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| 1941 Act that allowed the U.S. to sell weapons and supplies to any nation that the U.S. considered vital to the safety of the U.S. (i.e. Britain) |
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| Foreign Policy that offered economic aid to Western Eurppean countries after WWII to help rebuild those nations |
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| Neamed for Senator Joseph McCarthy and his claims of knowledge of communist agents in the government, this word has becoe a negative catchword for extreme and reckless charges of disloyalty |
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| Mutually Assured Distruction |
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| Policy in which the U.S. and Soviet Union hoped to deter nuclear war by building up enough weapons to destroy each other |
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| North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) |
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| Military alliance formed to counter Soviet expansion (the U.S. is a member of NATO) |
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| Policy ending government responsibility for the health and welfare of native Americans. This also included ending the bracero program. |
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| President Truman's promise to help nations struggling against communism (especially Greece and Turkey) |
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| Military alliance of the Soviet Union and its satellite states formed in response of the creation of NATO |
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1. The U.S. entered WWII following the Japanese bombinb of Pearl Harbor
2. In the US during WWII, Japanese-Americans were placed in internment camps since there were concerns about their loyalty
3. The European Axis Powers (Germany and Italy) were defeated, May 7, 1945
4. Japan surrendered September 2, 1945 aboard the USS Missouri after President Truman dropped 2 atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima
5. After WWII Nazi leaders and officials were put on trial and charged with war crimes
6. The Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, and Japan
The Allied Powers: Britain, Canada, France, and later the Soviet Union and the US |
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1. This is the name given to a time period following WWII and lasting until the late 1980s/early 1990s
2. It was a period of tension between the US and communist Soviet Union
3. In the US, there were fears that communism was spreadin throughout the world
4. The US attempted to fight communism in Korea, responding to the Berlin Blockade with the Berlin Airlift, and investing a lot of resources into creatin weapons (arms race)
5. People living in the US feared that there would be a nuclear attack and war between the US and Soviet Union. There were "duck and cover" drills and bomb shelters builtto prepare in case of nuclear war
6. there also was an emphasis on science education in schools; NASA was also created during this time as a way to coordinate US space efforts |
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1. Korea was divided into North and South after WWII
2. North korea was communist and South was democratic
3. In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea. This began the Korean War.
4. The United Nations got involved and eventually a ceasefire was declared in 1953.
5. Korea remains divided at the 38th parallel |
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1. This was an attempt by Britain and France to take control of the Suez Canal in 1956.
2. The Suez Canal is located in Egypt, and the Egyptian President Nasser nationalized it (placed it under the Egyptian government's control); the canal was originally operated by a British and French company.
3. This threatened the flow of oil to Europe , so Britain attacked Egypt to try to get the canal back.
4. The US refused to support Britain and France, so they eventually withdrew. |
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1. There was a shift from wartime production to making consumer products and goods
2. The US also was trading with nations throughout the world
3. Businesses grew with the growth of the suburbs and the creation of the interstate |
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| American Culture and Family Life |
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1. Following WWII, many Americans moved for the cities to the suburbs (suburbanization)
2. Many cities lost some of their populations as people moved to the suburbs
3. Suburbs were areas that typically had small houses built in similiar styles
4. One thing that made this move possible was the automobile; car ownership increased after WWII
5. Many Americans also began watching television and there were many popular television programs; television became a past-time for people
6. The image of the ideal family in the 1950s was portrayed as a family living in the suburbs, with the father working and the mother staying at home to take care of the children
7. Many complained that the culture in the 1950s placed too much value on conformity (fitting in with other people and not embracing people's defferences)
8. Many Americans moved to the Sunbelt for job oppotunities (especially in defense and electronic industries) |
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| Organization of militant African Americans founded in 1966; they focused on problems that African Americans were experiencing in northern and western cities |
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| Brown vs. Board of Education |
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| 1954 Supreme Court decision that declared schools must be integrated (no longer separate schools for whites and Africans). This secision overturned the 1896 Plessyvs. Ferguson Supreme Court decision |
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| Refusing to obey or follow a law that a person believes to be unjust |
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| The belief in the US that if one nation becomes communist the surrounding nations will also become communist (like dominos, if one country falls to communism, other nations would then follow) |
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| 1964 effort to register African Americans to vote in Mississippi |
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| Name given to President Lyndon Johnson's programs to try to solve problems in education, health care, the environmnt, discrimination, and poverty |
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| Process of bringing different groups together |
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| Segregation laws (laws that separate African Americans and whites) in the South after Reconstruction |
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| 1896 Supreme Court decision that legalized segregation |
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| Process of seperating groups based on their differences |
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| Form of protest where the protestore sit and refuse to move; this was a tactic made famous at the Woolworth's lunch counter with the goal of having business change its policy and serve African Americans |
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| President Nixon's plan for the gradual reduction of US troops in Vietnam as South Vietnamese troops assumed more combat duties |
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| Voting Rights Act of 1965 |
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| Law that banned literacy test and allowed the federal government to oversee voter registration |
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| Committee that investigated the assassination of John F. Kennedy and concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone |
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| The Civil Rights Movement |
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1. Demanded equality for African Americans
2. Used nonviolent civil disobedience to bring about change in the laws
3. These protests and events like the March on Washington led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
4. Inspired other groups, like Hispanic Americans and women
5. Later, the Civil Rights Movement would become more militant |
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1. Fidel Castro took power at the end of the 1950s in Cuba and allied himself with the Soviet Union
2. The crisis took place in 1962, during John F. Kennedy’s presidency
3. The Soviet Union was placing missiles in Cuba; Cuba is only 90 miles from the United States
4. There was a fear that these missiles could reach U.S. cities
5. The U.S. sent ships to prevent the more missiles from being sent to Cuba from the Soviet Union (naval quarantine)
6. Many believe this is the closest the U.S. and Soviets came to nuclear warfare
7. The crisis ended when the Soviets agreed to dismantle the missiles and the U.S. removed some missiles from Turkey
8. Fear about the possibility of nuclear war led the U.S. and Soviet Union to establish a “hotline” so that the leaders could get in touch with each other quickly
9. It also led the U.S. and Soviet Union to meet to discuss reducing the number of nuclear weapons each country had |
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1. Competition between the Soviet Union and United States about building a strong space program with the goal of landing on the moon
2. President Kennedy vowed to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade (1960s)
3. These attempts were coordinated by NASA in the US
4. The U.S. began emphasizing science education in schools to get an advantage, especially following the Soviet launch of Sputnik |
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1. The U.S. supported the South Vietnamese government because they wanted to prevent Vietnam from becoming a unified communist nation
2. The U.S. escalated its involvement in Vietnam from providing supplies and training to sending troops over and becoming involved militarily
3. President Lyndon Johnson sent a large number of U.S. troops to Vietnam in 1965; the cost associated with the war prevented funding for some of his Great Society programs
4. Because of the growing dissent in the U.S., especially after the Tet Offensive, the U.S. ended its involvement in Vietnam
5. Vietnam is sometimes called the first televised war because images from the war were broadcast on the evening news
6. The Tet Offensive was opposite to what the government had been telling people about Vietnam (people were led to believe the fighting was almost over). This event showed the communists had the will to keep fighting. This led to a distrust in the U.S. government
7. Shortly after the U.S. left, Vietnam became a unified communist nation |
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| Movement that upheld different values from mainstream society and that was influenced by rock and roll; most often associated with the 1960s in American history |
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| proposed amendment to the Constitution that would guarantee gender equality and protect women reproductive rights; this amendment was never ratified |
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| Flexible diplomacy started by Nixon to help ease tensions between the U.S., the Soviet Union, and China |
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| Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) |
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| Government agency established to help clean up and protect the environment |
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| Phrase introduced by Richard Nixon to refer to a significant number of Americans who supported his views, but chose not to express their views |
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| The Women’s Rights Movement |
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1. Women began fighting for equality and for equal pay during the 1960s
2. 1963, Equal Pay Act stated that women should be paid the same for doing the same job as a man (equal pay for equal work); although there is still a pay gap, this has narrowed since the passage of this act
3. Betty Friedan wrote The Feminine Mystique and described how housewives felt unfulfilled and desired to have a life outside of the home
4. During the second wave of the feminist movement, the goal was to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, a proposed amendment to the Constitution that would guarantee gender equality, and to protect women reproductive rights
5. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was never ratified by enough states to take effect
6. As a result of the Women’s Rights Movement, women’s opportunities and roles in society expanded |
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1. Cesar Chavez worked to advance the rights of migrant workers
2. United Farm Workers (UFW) was a labor union of farm workers inspired by the Civil Rights Movement; they used nonviolent tactics including a workers’ strike and consumer boycott to try to bring about change in their labor conditions
3. Native Americans won legal battles to help them regain control over their land, mineral, and water rights
4. Consumer groups also fought for consumer protection; one result was the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act
5. The environmental movement sought protection for the environment; it began as a response to concerns about industrial pollution |
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1. There was a break-in at the Democratic Party Headquarters at the Watergate Hotel
2. Following an investigation, it was revealed that President Nixon helped to cover up this break-in
3. President Nixon denied any wrong doing
4. Congress was about to vote on impeachment charges that could have resulted in Nixon being removed from office; before they could do this, Nixon resigned the Presidency
5. Gerald Ford became President and pardoned Nixon so that he would not be charged with an crime associated with Watergate; Ford’s approval ratings dropped and people suspected that he had an agreement with Nixon to pardon Nixon in exchange for Nixon’s resignation
6. This led to an increasing distrust of the government |
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| The Iranian Hostage Crisis |
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1. Following U.S. agreement to help the Iranian Shah seek medical treatment in the U.S., the U.S. embassy in Iran was raided and workers were held hostage
2. The U.S. had supported the Shah, but the Shah was unpopular; many Iranians criticized their society as being too westernized and wanted the Shah overthrown
3. In 1979, the Shah was overthrown and a theocracy was set up in Iran (government where religious leaders rule and make the decisions); western influences in the nation were removed
4. The hostages would be held through the duration of President Carter’s presidency, and would only be released following President Reagan’s inauguration
5. This event led to U.S. interest and concerns about the Middle East |
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| Increase in births between 1945 and 1964 |
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| Republican plan headed by Newt Gingrich in the 1990s that focused on scaling back the government, balancing the budget, and cutting taxes |
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| Russian term for “new openness” which called for a public discussion of problems in the Soviet Union at the end of the 1980s |
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| Process by which national economies, politics, societies, and cultures mix with those of other nations around the world; this leads to more products and services being made available to more people |
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| Political organization established in 1979 by Jerry Falwell to advance religious goals in American society |
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| North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) |
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| Agreement signed in 1993 calling for a removal of trade restrictions among Canada, Mexico, and the United States |
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| Law passed after the September 11th terrorist attacks that gave law enforcement broader powers in monitoring possible terrorist suspects |
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| A policy in the Soviet Union at the end of the 1980s calling for a restructuring of the economy |
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| Supreme Court decision in 1973 that legalized abortion in the U.S. |
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| Economic belief that said the government should increase the supply of labor and goods to achieve long-term growth rather than increasing demand through government spending; this believes that, if taxes are reduced, then people would have more money to spend and more incentive to work |
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| The Difference between Liberals and Conservatives |
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1. Liberals believe that the government is needed to achieve equality of opportunity
2. Conservatives believe that government intervention is not necessary and is not effective
3. Liberals believe the government should intervene to help the needy
4. Conservatives believe that people are “architects of their own fortune” and any assistance should be primarily through religious organizations or charities |
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| Ronald Reagan’s Presidency |
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1. Reagan was President from 1980-1988
2. He was known as a “Great Communicator”
3. Reagan helped to re-energize a conservative movement in the 1980s
4. During his early presidency, there was a recession that hurt blue collar workers and farmers the worst
5. Reagan believed in ending the Cold War through military strength; he called for a program that was called the Strategic Defense Initiative, which became known as Star Wars
6. The Cold War ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union; Reagan is given credit for this |
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| The 1990s and Early 21st Century |
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1. At the end of the Cold War, the U.S. became the world’s only superpower
2. Throughout the world, there was an increase in regional conflicts
3. In the presidential election of 2000, Al Gore ran against George W. Bush
4. Gore won the popular vote, but lost the election because Bush received more electoral votes
5. There were demands for the recounting of votes in Florida, which the Supreme Court later stopped
6. Bush was declared the winner of the 2000 presidential election
7. In the U.S., immigration trends helped to make Latinos the largest minority group after the turn of the century |
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1. In the early 1990s, Saddam Hussein, the leader of Iraq, invaded Kuwait in order to gain access to Kuwait’s oil
2. This led the U.S. and the UN to take action, in what became known as Operation Desert Storm
3. The U.S. would later remove Saddam Hussein from power during a war with Iraq in the early 21st century |
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