| A | B |
|---|
| Suburbanization | Following World War II, movement of families away from the city but close enough (suburbs) to have a job in order to commute to. The first real suburbs were created by William Levitt and called Levittowns. |
| Baby boom | Increase in the number of babies born following the end of WWII. |
| Interstate Highway Act | A 41,000-mile highway system that would eliminate unsafe roads, inefficient routes, traffic jams and all of the other things that got in the way of speedy, safe transcontinental travel. As well as provide a quick evacuation of target areas. |
| Brown v Board of Education (1954) | A landmark Supreme Court case in which the Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional. Separate schools are inherently unequal. |
| Civil Rights Act of 1964 | A landmark civil rights and US labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, or national origin. |
| Voting Rights Act of 1964 | A landmark piece of federal legislation that prohibits racial discrimination in voting (poll taxes, literacy tests). |
| The Feminine Mystique 1963 | A book by Betty Friedan that encouraged the idea of women finding personal fulfillment outside of their traditional roles as housewives. |
| Warren Court | Supreme court decisions that expanded individual right guaranteed in the Bill or Rights (Miranda v. Arizona and Gideon v. Wainwright). |
| Lyndon B. Johnson's "Great Society" | A set of domestic programs by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964–65. The main goal was the elimination of poverty and racial injustice. |
| Roe v. Wade 1973 | The Court held that a woman's right to an abortion fell within the right to privacy protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. |
| War Powers Act | Law passed in 1973 which allows Congress to limit the President's use of military forces. The President must tell Congress within 48 hours if he sends armed forces anywhere, and Congress must give approval for them to stay there for more than 90 days. |
| detente | An improvement in the relationship between two countries that in the past were not friendly and did not trust each other. |
| Nixon's Watergate Scandal | A major political scandal during the 1970s, following a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. President Nixon's administration's attempted a cover-up of its involvement. This led to U.S. v. Nixon Supreme Court case (US v Nixon) and resignation of Nixon as President. |
| Reaganomics | Supply side or trickle down economics is based on the theory that if your boost production, meaning the "supply" of goods and services, it will encourage economic growth. |
| Persian Gulf War | A war between the United Nations, led by the US, and Iraq following the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990. The United Nations forces, called the Coalition, expelled Iraqi troops from Kuwait in March 1991. |
| Whitewater Scandal | Political scandal during the 1990s that began with an investigation into the real estate investments of Bill and Hillary Clinton and their associates. After three separate inquiries found insufficient evidence linking them Clinton’s with the criminal conduct of others related to the land deal. |
| NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) | An agreement among the United States, Canada and Mexico designed to remove tariff barriers between the three countries. |
| Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) | A civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. |
| Election of 2000 | Closest Electoral College election since 1876. George W. Bush won the electoral vote 271 to Al Gore's 266, however, lost the popular vote . Bush became president. |
| No Child Left Behind Act | 2001 Law- provide equal educational opportunities for disadvantaged students as well as holding schools accountable for how kids learn. |
| 9/11 Attacks | On 9/11/01, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. A total of 2,977 people were killed in the 9/11 attacks. These attacks led to Operation Iraqi Freedom and War on Terror. |
| USA Patriot Act | Law is intended to help government agencies detect and prevent possible acts of terrorism, or sponsorship of terrorist groups. |
| Department of Homeland Security | A federal agency designed to protect (aviation security, border control, emergency response and cybersecurity) the US against threats following the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks. |
| Obamacare | Health care reform law (Affordable Patient Care Act) enacted in March 2010 to provide access to affordable healthcare to everyone. |
