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Harry S. Truman

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The 33rd U.S. president, who succeeded Franklin D. Roosevelt upon Roosevelt's death in April 1945. Truman, who led the country through the last few months of World War II, is best known for making the controversial decision to use two atomic bombs against Japan in August 1945. After the war, Truman was crucial in the implementation of the Marshall Plan, which greatly accelerated Western Europe's economic recovery.

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George F. Kennan

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an American advisor, diplomat, political scientist, and historian, best known as "the father of containment" and as a key figure in the emergence of the Cold War. He later wrote standard histories of the relations between Russia and the Western powers.

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Douglas MacArthur

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United States general who served as chief of staff and commanded Allied forces in the South Pacific during World War II

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Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

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Arrested in the Summer of 1950 and executed in 1953, they were convicted of conspiring to commit espionage by passing plans for the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union.

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Joseph McCarthy

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United States politician who unscrupulously accused many citizens of being Communists (1908-1957)

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Dwight Eisenhower

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United States general who supervised the invasion of Normandy and the defeat of Nazi Germany

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Richard M. Nixon

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He was a committee member of the House of Representatives, Committee on Un-American Activities (to investigate "subversion"). He tried to catch Alger Hiss who was accused of being a communist agent in the 1930's. This brought Nixon to the attention of the American public. In 1956 he was Eisenhower's Vice-President.

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Yalta Conference

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FDR, Churchill and Stalin met at Yalta. Russia agreed to declare war on Japan after the surrender of Germany and in return FDR and Churchill promised the USSR concession in Manchuria and the territories that it had lost in the Russo-Japanese War

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Cold War

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A conflict that was between the US and the Soviet Union. The nations never directly confronted eachother on the battlefield but deadly threats went on for years.

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U.N. Security Council

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The Security Council is the United Nations' most powerful body. It has "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security." Five powerful countries sit as "permanent members" along with ten other member states, elected for two-year terms.

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Nuremberg Trials

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Series of trials in 1945 conducted by an International Military Tribunal in which former Nazi leaders were charged with crimes against peace, crimes against humanity, and war crimes

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iron curtain

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a political barrier that isolated the peoples of Eatern Europe after WWII, restricting their ability to travel outside the region

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Berlin Airlift

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airlift in 1948 that supplied food and fuel to citizens of west Berlin when the Russians closed off land access to Berlin

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"containment doctrine"

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a foreign policy strategy advocated by George Kennan that called for the United States to isolate the Soviet Union, "contain" its advances, and resist its enroachments by peaceful means if possible, but by force if neccesary.

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Truman Doctrine

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President Truman's policy of providing economic and military aid to any country threatened by communism or totalitarian ideology

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Marshall Plan

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a United States program of economic aid for the reconstruction of Europe (1948-1952)

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National Security Act

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Passed in 1947 in response to perceived threats from the Soviet Union after WWII. It established the Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and National Security Council.

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white flight

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working and middle-class white people move away from racial-minority suburbs or inner-city neighborhoods to white suburbs and exurbs

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North Atlantic Treaty Organization

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In 1949, the United States, Canada, and ten European nations formed this military mutual-defense pact. In 1955, the Soviet Union countered NATO with the formation of the Warsaw Pact, a military alliance among those nations within its own sphere of influence.

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Taft-Hartley Act

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Act that provides balance of power between union and management by designating certain union activities as unfair labor practices; also known as Labor-Management Relations Act (LMRA)

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House Committee on Un-American Activities

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The House of Representatives established the Committee on Un-American Activities, popularly known as "HUAC," in order to investigate "subversion."

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Dixiecrats

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Were conservative southern Democrats who objected to President Truman's strong push for civil-rights legislation. Southern Democrats who broke from the party in 1948 over the issue of civil rights and ran a presidential ticket as the States' Rights Democrats.

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Fair Deal

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An economic extension of the New Deal proposed by Harry Truman that called for higher minimum wage, housing and full employment. It led only to the Housing Act of 1949 and the Social Security Act of 1950 due to opposition in congress.

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hydrogen bomb

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a nuclear weapon that releases atomic energy by union of light (hydrogen) nuclei at high temperatures to form helium

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NSC-68

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National Securtiy Council memo #68 US "strive for victory" in cold war, pressed for offensive and a gross increase ($37 bil) in defense spending, determined US foreign policy for the next 20-30 yrs

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Betty Friedan

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1921-2006. American feminist, activist and writer. Best known for starting the "Second Wave" of feminism through the writing of her book "The Feminine Mystique".

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Martin Luther King Jr.

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U.S. Baptist minister and civil rights leader. A noted orator, he opposed discrimination against blacks by organizing nonviolent resistance and peaceful mass demonstrations. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Nobel Peace Prize (1964)

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Ho Chi Minh

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1950s and 60s; communist leader of North Vietnam; used geurilla warfare to fight anti-comunist, American-funded attacks under the Truman Doctrine; brilliant strategy drew out war and made it unwinnable

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Ngo Dinh Diem

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South Vietnamese president that was catholic and strongly opposed communism. His poor leadership and corrupt government spelled doom

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Nikita Khrushchev

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ruled the USSR from 1958-1964; lessened government control of soviet citizens; seeked peaceful coexistence with the West instead of confrontation

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Fidel Castro

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Cuban socialist leader who overthrew a dictator in 1959 and established a Marxist socialist state in Cuba (born in 1927)

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John F. Kennedy

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President during Bay of Pigs, and Cuban Missile Crisis. Strong image icon. Creator of Civil Rights Act.

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Ralph Ellison

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United States novelist who wrote about a young Black man and his struggles in American society (1914-1994)

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"cult of domesticity "

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idealized view of women & home; women, self-less caregiver for children, refuge for husbands

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McCarthyism

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The term associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy who led the search for communists in America during the early 1950s through his leadership in the House Un-American Activities Committee.

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sit-ins

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to protest at lunch counters that served only whites, African Americans students began staging this

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"massive retaliation"

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The "new look" defense policy of the Eisenhower administration of the 1950's was to threaten "massive retaliation" with nuclear weapons in response to any act of aggression by a potential enemy.

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The Feminine Mystique

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written by Betty Friedan, journalist and mother of three children; described the problems of middle-class American women and the fact that women were being denied equality with men; said that women were kept from reaching their full human capacities

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"televangelists"

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term used to describe ministers who would spread their messages via television networks

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Checkers Speech

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Given by Richard Nixon on September 23, 1952, when he was the Republican candidate for the Vice Presidency. Said to have saved his career from a campaign contributions scandal.

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Army-McCarthy hearings

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a series of hearings where Senator McCarthy accused people in the US military of being communists

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Brown vs. Board of Education

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1954- court decision that declared state laws segregating schools to be unconstitutional. Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

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Montgomery bus boycott

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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 busses. After 11 months the Supreme Court ruled that segregation of public transportation was illegal.

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Suez crisis

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July 26, 1956, Nasser (leader of Egypt) nationalized the Suez Canal, Oct. 29, British, French and Israeli forces attacked Egypt. UN forced British to withdraw; made it clear Britain was no longer a world power

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Eisenhower Doctrine

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Eisenhower proposed and obtained a joint resolution from Congress authorizing the use of U.S. military forces to intervene in any country that appeared likely to fall to communism. Used in the Middle East.

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U-2 incident

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The incident when an American U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union. The U.S. denied the true purpose of the plane at first, but was forced to when the U.S.S.R. produced the living pilot and the largely intact plane to validate their claim of being spied on aerially. The incident worsened East-West relations during the Cold War and was a great embarrassment for the United States.

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Sputnik

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First artificial Earth satellite, it was launched by Moscow in 1957 and sparked U.S. fears of Soviet dominance in technology and outer space. It led to the creation of NASA and the space race.

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National Defense Education Act

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Passed in response to Sputnik, it provided an oppurtunity and stimulus for college education for many Americans. It allocated funds for upgrading funds in the sciences, foreign language, guidance services, and teaching innovation.

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Robert F. Kennedy

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He ran for President in 1968; stirred a response from workers, African Americans, Hispanics, and younger Americans; would have captured Democratic nomination but was assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan after victory speech during the California primary in June 1968.

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Robert S. McNamara

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was the secretary of defense under Kennedy. He helped develop the flexible response policy. He was against the war in Vietnam and was removed from office because of this.

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Lyndon B. Johnson

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signed the civil rights act of 1964 into law and the voting rights act of 1965. he had a war on poverty in his agenda. in an attempt to win, he set a few goals, including the great society, the economic opportunity act, and other programs that provided food stamps and welfare to needy famillies. he also created a department of housing and urban development. his most important legislation was probably medicare and medicaid.

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Barry Goldwater

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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

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Malcolm X

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1952; renamed himself X to signify the loss of his African heritage; converted to Nation of Islam in jail in the 50s, became Black Muslims' most dynamic street orator and recruiter; his beliefs were the basis of a lot of the Black Power movement built on seperationist and nationalist impulsesto achieve true independence and equality

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Stokely Carmichael

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a black civil rights activist in the 1960's. Leader of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee. He did a lot of work with Martin Luther King Jr.but later changed his attitude. Carmichael urged giving up peaceful demonstrations and pursuing black power. He was known for saying,"black power will smash everything Western civilization has created."

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Eugene McCarthy

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1968 Democratic candidate for President who ran to succeed incumbent Lyndon Baines Johnson on an anti-war platform.

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Hubert H. Humphrey

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The democratic nominee for the presidency in the election of 1968. He was LBJ's vice president, and was supportive of his Vietnam policies. This support split the Democratic party, allowing Nixon to win the election for the Republicans.

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George Wallace

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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

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flexible response

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Flexible response calls for mutual deterrence at strategic, tactical, and conventional levels, giving the United States the capability to respond to aggression across the spectrum of warfare, not limited only to nuclear arms.

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credibility gap

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The gap between the Johnson Administration and the American public support

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New Frontier

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Kennedy's plan, supports civil rights, pushes for a space program, wans to cut taxes, and increase spending for defense and military

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Peace Corps

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Federal program established to send volunteers to help developing nations

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Bay of Pigs

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In April 1961, a group of Cuban exiles organized and supported by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency landed on the southern coast of Cuba in an effort to overthrow Fidel Castro. When the invasion ended in disaster, President Kennedy took full responsibility for the failure.

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Cuban Missile Crisis

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an international crisis in October 1962, the closest approach to nuclear war at any time between the U.S. and the USSR. When the U.S. discovered Soviet nuclear missiles on Cuba, President John F. Kennedy demanded their removal and announced a naval blockade of the island; the Soviet leader Khrushchev acceded to the U.S. demands a week later.

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Freedom Rides

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a series of political protests against segregation by Blacks and Whites who rode buses together through the American South in 1961

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March on Washington

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held in 1963 to show support for the Civil Rights Bill in Congress. Martin Luther King gave his famous "I have a dream..." speech. 250,000 people attended the rally

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War on Poverty

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President Lyndon B. Johnson's program in the 1960's to provide greater social services for the poor and elderly

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Great Society

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President Johnson called his version of the Democratic reform program the Great Society. In 1965, Congress passed many Great Society measures, including Medicare, civil rights legislation, and federal aid to education.

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Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

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The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was a joint resolution of the U.S. Congress passed on August 7, 1964 in direct response to a minor naval engagement known as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. It is of historical significance because it gave U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson authorization, without a formal declaration of war by Congress, for the use of military force in Southeast Asia.

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Civil Rights Act of 1964

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This act 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.

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Voting Rights Act of 1965

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1965; invalidated the use of any test or device to deny the vote and authorized federal examiners to register voters in states that had disenfranchised blacks; as more blacks became politically active and elected black representatives, it rboguth jobs, contracts, and facilities and services for the black community, encouraging greater social equality and decreasing the wealth and education gap

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"black power"

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the belief that blacks should fight back if attacked. it urged blacks to achieve economic independence by starting and supporting their own business.

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Operation Rolling Thunder

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was the title of a gradual and sustained U.S. 2nd Air Division (later Seventh Air Force), U.S. Navy, and Republic of Vietnam Air Force (VNAF) aerial bombardment campaign conducted against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) from 2 March 1965 until 1 November 1968, during the Vietnam War.

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"hawks" and "doves"

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nicknames for the two opposing positions in American policy during the war in Vietnam. Hawks supported the escalation of the war and a "peace with honor." Doves argued that the US had wrongly intervened in a civil war and should withdraw its troops.

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Tet offensive

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1968; National Liberation Front and North Vietnamese forces launched a huge attack on the Vietnamese New Year (Tet), which was defeated after a month of fighting and many thousands of casualties; major defeat for communism, but Americans reacted sharply, with declining approval of LBJ and more anti-war sentiment

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Students for a Democratic Society

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Founded in 1962, the SDS was a popular college student organization that protested shortcomings in American life, notably racial injustice and the Vietnam War. It led thousands of campus protests before it split apart at the end of the 1960s.

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Henry Kissenger

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Secretary of State under Nixon who designed plan for U.S. pullout of Vietnam

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Warren Burger

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the Supreme Court justice durning the Nixon admistration. He was chosen by Nixon because of his strict interpretation of the Constitution. He presided over the extremly controversal case of abortion in Roe vs. Wade.

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Rachel Carson

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United States biologist remembered for her opposition to the use of pesticides that were hazardous to wildlife (1907-1964)

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George McGovern

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George Stanley McGovern, Ph.D (born July 19, 1922) is a former United States Representative, Senator, and Democratic presidential nominee. McGovern lost the 1972 presidential election in a landslide to incumbent Richard Nixon. McGovern was most noted for his opposition to the Vietnam War. He is currently serving as the United Nations global ambassador on hunger.

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Gerald Ford

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38th President of the United States

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Phyllis Schlafley

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Led the campaign to stop the ERA. She argued that ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment would undermine the American family by violating "the right of a wife to be supported by her husband,"requiring women to serve in combat, and legalizing homosexual marriages. pg 957

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JImmy Carter

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39th President of the United States (1924-)

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Thurgood Marshall

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American civil rights lawyer, first black justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. Marshall was a tireless advocate for the rights of minorities and the poor.

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Mohammed Reza Pahlevi

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Shah of Iran who was deposed in 1979 by Islamic fundamentalists (1919-1980)

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Detente

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the easing of tensions or strained relations (especially between nations)

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Vietnamization

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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

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My Lai massacre

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1968, in which American troops had brutally massacred innocent women and children in the village of My Lai, also led to more opposition to the war.

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Cambodian Incursion

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series of military operations conducted in eastern Cambodia during the late spring-early summer of 1970 by the armed forces of the US and South Vietnam; "the most successful military operation of the entire war"

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Kent State killings

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In April of 1970, police fired into an angry crowd of college students at Kent State University. Four students were killed and many others were wounded. The students were protesting against Nixon ordering US troops to seize Cambodia without consulting Congress.

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Environmental Protection Agency

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an independent federal agency established to coordinate programs aimed at reducing pollution and protecting the environment

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Occupational Health and Safety Administration

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OSHA; a Governmental Agency with the responsibility for regulatory and enforcement of safety and health matters for most United States employees; an individual State OSHA agency may supercede the US Department of Labor OSHA regulations

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Clean Air Act

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(RN), 1970 reaction to Rachel Carson in her 1962 in Silent Spring, It describes one of a number of pieces of legislation relating to the reduction of smog and air pollution in general. The legislation forced the country to enforce clean air standards to improve health and showed that American was moving towards certain environmentalist measures.

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War Powers Act

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Limits the ability of the president to commit troops to combat-48 hours to tell Congress when and why the troops were sent, they have 60-90 to bring them home if they disagree

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energy crisis

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(RN), following Yom Kippur War, so they planned to use Alaskian pipeline, but eventually went back to foreign

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OPEC

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Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries; international cartel that inflates price of oil by limiting supply; Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and UAE are prominent members

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Watergate scandal

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a political scandal involving abuse of power and bribery and obstruction of justice

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CREEP

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Richard Nixon's committee for re-electing the president. Found to have been engaged in a "dirty tricks" campaign against the democrats in 1972. They raised tens of millions of dollars in campaign funds using unethical means. They were involved in the infamous Watergate cover-up.

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25th Amendment

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clarifies an ambiguous provision of the Constitution regarding succession to the Presidency, and establishes procedures both for filling a vacancy in the office of the Vice President as well as responding to Presidential disabilities.

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Saturday Night Massacre

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dismissal of independent special prosecutor Archibald Cox, and the resignations of Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus during the Watergate scandal 1973

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Helsinki accords

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Political and human rights agreement signed in Helsinki, Finland, by the Soviet Union and western European countries. (p. 839)

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Title IX

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No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance

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Equal Rights Amendment

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constitutional amendment passed by Congress but never ratified that would have banned discrimination on the basis of gender

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Roe vs. Wade

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the U.S. supreme Court ruled that there is a fundamental right ro privacy, which includes a woman's decision to have an abortion. Up until the third trimester the state allows abortion.

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Bakke case

answer

student wanted to be admitted into Davis Medical Program; strict quotas were unconstitutional but race is allowed as a factor in admission decisions as long as it is not the only one; affirmative action is constitutional;

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Wounded Knee

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AIM protest site

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National Organization for Women

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Founded in 1966, the National Organization for Women (NOW) called for equal employment opportunity and equal pay for women. NOW also championed the legalization of abortion and passage of an equal rights amendment to the Constitution.

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Camp David Agreement

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agreement between Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin that brought hopes of peace in the Middle East

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SALT II Treaty

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This treaty was a controversial experiment of negotiations between Jimmy Carter and Leonid Brezhnev from 1977 to 1979 between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, which sought to curtail the manufacture of strategic nuclear weapons.

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Iranian Hostage Crisis

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In 1979, Iranian fundamentalists seized the American embassy in Tehran and held fifty-three American diplomats hostage for over a year. The Iranian hostage crisis weaked the Carter presidency; the hostages were finally released on January 20, 1981, the day Ronald Reagan became president.

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