Additional words you will need to know
1. Cold War: A period of time when the US and Soviet Union were lined up against each other. Tensions were very high and there was always the threat of nuclear War.
2. Warsaw Pact: Similar to our NATO but for Communist Countries. If one was attacked then they were all attacked.
3. Iron Curtain: An imaginary concert wall that separates Communist Europe from Democratic Europe.
4. Marshall Plan: an attempt to help any country combat communism. Was a financial aid packet
5. Berlin Airlift: The Communists in East Berlin cut off all traffic lines into West Berlin (Democratic controlled by US, France and Britain) from supplies. The US, France and Britain flew thousands of missions over West Berlin dropping supplies and eventually building an airstrip in West Berlin. At one point planes were landing/taking off every 10 minutes with supplies. After a while East Berlin realized they could not stop the flow of food they dropped the blockade.
6. Berlin Wall: A concrete wall dividing East and West Berlin. Too many “smart” people were leaving Berlin so the Communists had a wall built to keep them in.
7. Bay of Pigs Invasion: The American Gov. attempted to assist the Cuban rebels in taking back their country from Fidel Castro. The invasion was a disaster. Embarrassed the US.
8. Cuban Missile Crisis: The closest we ever came to WWIII, full nuclear war. Soviet Union was sending Nuclear missiles to Cuba, which is only 90 miles off the coast of Florida. The US started blocking the Soviet Ships and threatened to board the ships for inspection. Often referred to as the 13 days of October Crisis
10. United Nations in Korean War: North and South Korea were divided at the 38th parallel. North Korea
was Communist and South Korea was democratic. North Korea invaded South Korea and the UN sent troops in to stop the war. The US participated as part of the UN forces.
11. McCarthy hearings: Senator Joseph McCarthy held hearings on “Un-Americans” communist sympathizers. Was intense, and a lot of people were “labeled” un-American by his committee falsely.
12. Second Red Scare
13. Sputnik: The first satellite into space by the Soviet Union.
14. Rosenberg’s’ Trial: They were put on trial for being communist sympathizers here in the US. They were accused of selling secret information to the Soviets.
15. SALT treaties: SALT stands for Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty. Agreement between the US and Soviet Union to limit the number of weapons each side had.
16. SEAT
17. NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Agreement between the US and 12 European countries post WWII. It basically states that if one of the NATO countries is attacked it will be seen as an attack on all of them.
18. Vietnam War: Vietnam was divided into two countries- North Vietnam which was Communist and South Vietnam which was Democratic. The US got involved in Vietnam after the French left in late 1940’s. Toward the middle of the 1960’s President Johnson sent more and more American Troops into the area only to find we had no “exit strategy”. President Nixon arranged an American pull out late in 1972-74. It is considered the only time when the US “lost” a war. It was never officially declared a war by congress,.
20. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: US ships were stopped and boarded in the Gulf of Tonkin (Vietnam region) and our soldiers were taken hostage. The resolution authorized military attacks.
21. Tet Offensive: on the Holiday of Tet – a Vietnamese holiday – North Vietnam leveled a strong attack against the US. Was close to the final days in the Vietnam war.
22. Student Protest: in the late 1960’s Students at Universities across the US began protesting the Vietnam War. Most protests were quiet and peaceful, however the protests at Kent State became violent and several students were killed by Police.
23. War Powers Resolution: As a result of Vietnam War, Congress enacted the War Powers Resolution. The President can send troops anywhere in the world for 48 hours, after that he must get Congressional approval to keep them longer. The Congress has the power to bring home the troops anytime they want.
24. Civil Rights Movement: Movement in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s to help the African American in voting rights, and desegregation.
25. Brown v. Board of Education: Landmark case in which a student sued for equal access to education. Set up desegregation laws.
26. Montgomery Bus Boycott: an attempt by the African American community to change bussing and discrimination laws.
27. Freedom Riders: teams of blacks and whites that rode buses together. When the buses arrived in the South they were met by angry whites that attacked them, slit the bus tires and throw bricks at the
windows. Some blacks were taken off the buses and beaten viciously.
29. Civil Rights Act of 1964: most comprehensive civil rights law Congress had ever enacted. Gave the federal gov. broad power to prevent racial discrimination in public places. Equal access to all facilities.
30. Voting Rights Act of 1965: authorized the attorney general to send federal examiner to register qualified voters, by passing local officials who often refused to register African Americans. Also suspended discrimination based on literacy tests.
31. Equal Rights Amendment: a quest for equal pay and education (Title IX) for women
32. Roe v. Wade: Landmark court case regarding the legalization of abortion.
33. Betty Friedan: wrote a book called The Feminine Mystique – showed that although women had everything they wanted but found their lives unfulfilled.
34. NOW: National Organization of Women- sought equal rights and pay for women
35. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: leader of the NAACP and strong advocate for the advancement of African Americans. He preached non-violence.
36. Malcolm X: symbol of the black power movement in the late 60’s and 70’s. At first he was very aggressive in his call for Black Nationalism, but later turned to a more “educated” integration. When he broke with Nation of Islam his followers assassinated him.
37. Thurgood Marshall: Attorney for Linda Brown in the Brown v. BOE supreme Court Case. He later became a Supreme Court Justice.
39. Watergate: break into the Democratic headquarters in Washington D.C. that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.
40. 22nd Amendment: limits the terms of the president. To two terms or max of 10 years
41. 25th Amendment: identifies the process of succession should something happen to the president.
Defines presidential disability.
42. Warren Court: Supreme Court ruled by Chief Justice Earl Warren. Major court cases during his tenure: extended Due Process, Miranda v. Arizona right to privacy :Mapp v. Ohio, Griswald v. Connecticut. Prayer: Engel v. Vitale, prayer in school Abbington School District v. Schemmp
43. Gideon v. Wainwright: you have a right to an attorney – if you can not afford one, one will be appointed for you by the state.
