| A | B |
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| Election of 1968 | Richard Nixon (Republican) vs. Hubert Humphrey (D) vs. George Wallace (I). Wallace showed that the Democratic Party was losing power in the South. Riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Democrats had front-runner Robert Kennedy assassinated. Nixon successfully campaigned on a secret plan to win the Vietnam War |
| Silent Majority | Term given to conservative, law-abiding citizens, who are not causing problems protesting etc. The target of Nixon's campaign |
| Imperial Presidency | Term given to describe the presidency evolving to have more power and control during the Nixon Administration, idea that the Presidency had exceeded its constitutional authority |
| Ping Pong Diplomacy | Nixon and Kissinger's Plan to visit China and cultivate better relations with China and the Soviets to play each communist nation each other; Nixon and Kissinger understood the Soviets and Chinese did not like each other |
| Détente | Period during the 1970s of a thaw during the Cold War, probably the best relations during the Cold War between the U.S. and USSR; ended in late 1979 when the Soviets ended Afghanistan |
| Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) | Treaty between the Soviet Union and U.S. which limited the number of long-range, offensive missiles |
| Nixon Doctrine | A partial departure from the Truman Doctrine, the U.S. would supply weapons but the United States' allies should expect to fight their own wars without U.S. troops |
| Southern Strategy | Nixon's plan to focus on permanently snatching the South from the Democratic Party. Nixon understood the South was fundamentally conservative and was increasingly disenchanted with the Democratic Party's liberal policies, a major reason the South is solidly Republican and not the "Solid South" of Democratic control |
| EPA, OSHA | The Environmental Protection Association and the Occupation Safety and Health Administration, created during the Nixon Administration |
| New Federalism | Plan by the Nixon administration to share revenue with states to provide services |
| Philadelphia Plan | Affirmative action program to provide "set-asides" for minority-owned contractors |
| Committee to Reelect the President (CREEP) | Organization that included James McCord, G. Gordon Liddy, and E. Howard Hunt that did all kinds of "dirty tricks" such as the Watergate Burglary to insure Nixon's reelection |
| Watergate | Burglary of the Democratic Party's headquarters by CREEP that sought to find dirt that would hurt McGovern's campaign. The burglars were caught but it took a while to link back to the President. Ultimately led to the resignation of Richard Nixon |
| Ervin Committee | Congressional committee that investigated the Watergate break-in |
| Saturday Night Massacre | October 1973, Nixon fired special prosecutor Archibald Cox who attempted to subpoena the tapes. Leon Jaworski ended up subpoenaing the tapes anyway |
| Nixon's "Enemies List" | List of anti-war protesters, Black Panthers, Daniel Ellsberg, and other enemies of the Nixon Administration. Nixon used the power of the FBI and IRS to target these "enemies" |
| U.S. v. Nixon (1974) | Supreme Court that ruled Nixon's executive privilege did not apply and he must turn over the tapes. Nixon thus resigned a few weeks later |
| War Powers Act (1973) | Act that sought to limit the president's war-making powers without consulting Congress. Requires the President to receive congressional approval for troops in combat within 60 days |
| Six Days' War (1967) | War between Israel vs. Syria, Egypt, and Jordan; the Israelis whipped their enemies |
| Yom Kippur War (1973) | War between Israel vs. Syria and Egypt; the Israelis won fairly easily with U.S. aid. U.S. assistance to the Israelis greatly angered the Arab nations which resulted in the OPEC oil embargo |
| OPEC embargo | Action taken by a largely Muslim dominated cartel in response to the United States' assistance to Israel in the Yom Kippur War- led to increasing energy costs in the United States, gas shortages, and inflation |
| Helsinki Accords | Human rights conference between the United States and USSR in the mid-1970s |
| stagflation | Describes an economy simultaneously experiencing rising price levels (inflation) and falling or stagnant GDP (meaning that unemployment is rising). It is particularly troublesome because the Keynesian fiscal policies available may be able to fix one of those problems, but will likely make the other problem much worse. |
| National Malaise Speech | A nationally televised speech by President Carter in response to the energy crisis and economic problems of the late 1970s; talked of a "crisis in confidence" among the American people |
| Camp David Accords | Jimmy Carter's greatest foreign policy achievement where a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt was signed |
| Iran Hostage Crisis | The anti-American Iranian Revolution led by the Ayatollah Khomeini seized the American Embassy in Tehran and took its occupants hostage. They were held for 444 days until Reagan was sworn into office. This was the black mark for the Carter Administration was there was a failed covert rescue operation and Carter was seemingly powerless to retrieve the occupants |
| SALT II | A second Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty was pulled out of consideration after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan |
| Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (1979) | The end of détente and the Soviet's actions reconfirmed old fears and assumptions that the Soviets were naturally aggressive. Led to the Soviet Union's "Vietnam" lasting almost a decade |
| The New Right | The emerging conservative movement in the late 1970s and 1980s that was tired on the liberal excesses of the 1960s, inspired by the rise of the Religious Right |
| Reaganomics/supply-side economics | Very similar to Andrew Mellon's economic policies in the 1920s- lower taxes on the wealthy so they reinvest into the economy and the benefits will "trickle-down" to the rest of society. Reagan cut government expending on social programs but ratcheted up defense spending dramatically due to the Cold War. With lower taxes the national debt increased significantly during the Reagan years. |
| Boll Weevils | Term used to describe conservative Southern Democrats who often sided with Reagan and the Republicans |
| Air Traffic Controllers Strike | The Professional Air Traffic Controllers' Organization (PATCO) went on strike in 1981. Reagan put down the strike influenced by Coolidge's handling of the Boston Police Strike ("there is no right to strike against the public safety at any time")- the PATCO union was severely weakened |
| Sagebrush Rebellion | Push to turn over control of decisions regarding western lands to the state and local authorities rather than the federal government |
| Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) | Also known as "Star Wars"- multi-billion dollar project to create a missile defense shield. Satellites would shoot down incoming Soviet missiles. Was not successful but did bankrupt the Soviets in the increasing arms race because the Soviets could not afford to not have a similar missile shield |
| Reagan Doctrine | U.S. foreign policy during the 1980s that increased arms and other supplies to guerillas fighting communist suppression (ex: the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan) |
| Iran-Contra Scandal | Plan by the Reagan administration to illegally sell arms to Iran to secure the release of hostages and use this money to support the Contras in Nicaragua (illegally) |
| Contras vs. Sandinistas | Battling groups in Nicaraguan civil war. Sandinistas were leftist, the Contras were supported by the United States- Reagan called them "Freedom Fighters" |
| Teflon President | Term to describe Ronald Reagan after the Iran-Contra Scandal to show scandals did not stick to him and hurt his popularity |
| Tiananmen Square Massacre | Chinese students protesting the government and pushing for liberty were slaughtered by the government; demonstrated communism would not be going away in China as it had in the Soviet bloc |
| Persian Gulf War (1991) | War to drive Iraq out of Kuwait. The United States was supported by a multi-national coalition, including several Arab nations. It was one of the most decisive wars in history- the Iraqis were slaughtered |
| Operation Desert Storm (1991) | Synonymous with the Persian Gulf War- military operation to expel the Iraqis out of Kuwait |
| Glasnost/perestroika | Policies promoted by Mikhail Gorbachev- "openness" and "restructuring" |
| Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989) | The Soviets decided to remove travel restrictions between East and West Berlin- more than any other event the fall of the Berlin Wall demonstrated the Soviet Union was reeling and throwing in the towel in the Cold War |
| Brady Bill | Gun control law passed by Clinton |
| North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) | The U.S./Mexico/Canada- eliminated trade barriers between the three nations (ex: tariffs) |
| Contract With America | Conservative document pushed by Newt Gingrich and the Republicans in the mid-1990s- called for government reforms |
| Whitewater Scandal | A scandal involving the Clintons before Bill was president, involved a fraudulent real estate company |
| Monica Lewinski Scandal | Bill Clinton had sexual relations with a White House intern, he lied about that relationship in shown testimony (he thus committed perjury), Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr led an attempt to impeach Clinton. Clinton was impeached by the House but was not close to being convicted in the Senate |
| 2000 Election | George W. Bush (Republican) vs. Al Gore (Democrat) vs. Ralph Nader (Green)- extremely close election- Gore won the popular vote but lost the electoral vote by a very narrow margin in Florida- demanded a recount. The Supreme Court broke the deadlock by ruling there would be no recount. |
| No Child Left Behind | Education reform law passed by George W. Bush- more emphasis on higher standards and standardized tests |
| unilateralism | The idea of a nation exercising its own foreign policy, especially war, without considering allies, etc. |
| The Warren Court | Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1953 to 1969 who 1) promoted civil rights (ex: Brown), 2) individual rights (ex: Griswold), 3) equal apportionment (ex: Wesberry and Baker Cases), and 4) the rights of criminal suspects (ex: Miranda, Gideon, and Mapp Cases) |
| Engle v. Vitale (1962)/Abington Township v. Schempp (1963) | Warren Court cases which struck down prayer in schools |
| Baker v. Carr (1962)/Wesberry v. Sanders (1964)/Reynolds v. Sims (1964) | Warren Court cases which establishment of equal apportionment of legislative districts |
| Mapp v. Ohio (1961) | Warren Court case which more clearly defined the Fourth Amendment's protection against unlawful search and seizures |
| Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) | Warren Court case in which a defendant who had been accused of burglary of a pool hall. He was too poor to pay for a lawyer and was convicted. He appealed his conviction based on the Sixth Amendment's promise of a fair and speedy trial. The SCOTUS agreed and this is why if you cannot afford an attorney in a criminal case, then one will be provided for you |
| Miranda v. Arizona (1966) | Warren Court case which defines that criminal suspects must be read their rights (the "Miranda Warning") |
| Escobedo v. Illinois (1964) | Warren Court case which guarantees the right of a criminal suspect to have an attorney present during police interrogation |
| Texas v. Johnson (1989) | Supreme Court case which upheld the right of symbolic speech of burning the American flag |
| Swann (1971)/Milliken (1974) | Supreme Court cases dealing with the polarizing busing issue. In Swann the Court ruled busing could be used to achieve a racial balance in schools. In Milliken the Court ruled busing could not occur across district lines. |
| Bakke (1978) | Affirmative action case involving an overly qualified white applicant to a California medical school- he was denied because a certain # of slots were allotted to minorities. He sued and the Court struck down racial quotas but muddied the ruling by stating race could be a factor in admissions |
| National Organization For Women (NOW) | The largest feminist organization in the United States, co-founded by Betty Friedan in 1966 |
| Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) | "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." Proposed by Alice Paul in the 1920s and revived in the 1970s but was ultimately defeated. |
| Title IX | "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..." Most frequently associated with equal opportunities in college sports (ex: equal # of scholarships for men and women) |
| 1968 Miss America Pageant | Protested by feminists because it exploited women- the protesters named a sheep "Miss America" |
| Roe v. Wade (1973) | Supreme Court case which upheld a woman's right to have an abortion based on an interpretation of the "right of property" based on the Ninth Amendment |
| affirmative action | Refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination. The focus of such policies ranges from employment and education to public contracting and health programs. Opponents claim it is "reverse discrimination" |
| Rodney King Riots (1992) | A black motorist was pulled over and beaten by the Los Angeles Police. The beating was caught on video. The police were put on trial but acquitted. Black neighborhoods in South Central (ex: Compton rioted) for three days |
| multiculturalism | The appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g. schools, businesses, neighborhoods, cities or nations. |
| United Farm Workers | Agricultural labor union led by Cesar Chavez that largely organized Hispanic migrant workers, involved in boycotts- ex: "Uvas No!" |
| American Indian Movement (AIM) | In a political context the term is used for a range of meanings, ranging from the advocacy of equal respect to the various cultures in a society, to a policy of promoting the maintenance of cultural diversity, to policies in which people of various ethnic and religious groups are addressed by the authorities as defined by the group they belong to.[1][2] A common aspect of many such policies is that they avoid presenting any specific ethnic, religious, or cultural community values as central |
| Wounded Knee (1973) | Standoff between the FBI/U.S. Marshalls and the American Indian Movement (AIM) at the symbolic site of the end of the Plains Indian Wars |
| Mettachine Society | The earliest gay pride organization |
| Stonewall Riots (1969) | A gay night club in New York City where patrons were frequently harassed by police and others. The patrons fought back. The incident sometimes considered the birth of the gay liberation movement |
| Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) | An act passed by the George H.W. Bush's administration to make sure the disable have sufficient accommodations in public (ex: ramps, rails, etc.) |
| AIDS | Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. Entered the public consciousness in the early 1980s. Early was mistakenly believed to affect only homosexuals and IV drug users contracted the disease. President Reagan is criticized for doing little to deal with the crisis. 1991 Magic Johnson announced he contracted the disease (via heterosexual intercourse) and this changed many people's views of the disease |
| crack cocaine | Cheaper and highly addictive derivative of cocaine, contributed to the increase of drugs in inner cities and drug wars |
| Clean Air Act/Endangered Species Act | Environmental legislation passed during the 1970s |
| Three-Mile Island (1979) | Meltdown of a nuclear reactor that set back the nuclear power cause |
| The Internet | Originally developed for the military to communicate wirelessly, has revolutionized modern life |
| globalization | The increasing unification of the world's economic order through reduction of such barriers to international trade as tariffs, export fees, and import quotas. The goal is to increase material wealth, goods, and services through an international division of labor by efficiencies catalyzed by international relations, specialization and competition |
| service industry | Refers to all businesses that provide something other than a tangible good. Examples of services the United States provides to other countries include shipping and transportation, information processing (data management), and engineering/architecture development. The US has a SURPLUS in the trade of services to other nations, but a huge DEFICIT in the trade of goods. |
| Oklahoma City Bombing (1995) | The worst act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history, Timothy McVeigh (a right-wing militia member) was the culprit, killed 166 people |
| Al Qaeda | Terrorist organization that was behind the 9/11 attacks and other attacks such as the London Subway bombings in 2005 |
| 9/11 | Terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in NYC, the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and an airliner in a Pennsylvania field |
| The War on Terror | Response 9/11 by the Bush Administration to invade Afghanistan and Iraq |
| The Taliban | Islamic fundamentalist group in Afghanistan that supported Al Qaeda, the United States' enemy in Afghanistan |
