Upgrade to remove ads
Only $2.99/month

1960s - Great Society to Vietnam

Terms in this set (55)

John F. Kennedy
35th President of the United States; events during his administration include the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the building of the Berlin Wall, the Space Race, the African American Civil Rights Movement and early events of the Vietnam War; assassinated in Dallas, TX in 1963.
The Space Race
A competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to develop the first real-world exploration of outer space.
John Glenn
The first American to orbit the earth.
Neil Armstrong
1st human to set foot on the moon.
Lyndon B. Johnson
1963-1969, Democrat , 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. Wanted the nation to be a "Great Society."
The Great Society
President Johnson's goal to improve life for all Americans. Included the Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, affirmative action, the war on poverty, Job Corps, Medicare, Medicaid, and aid to cities.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
A federal law that authorized federal action against segregation in public accommodations, public facilities, and employment.
Voting Rights Act
A law that eliminated literacy tests as a qualification for voting.
War on Poverty
Part of the Great Society envisioned by Lyndon B. Johnson, which was aimed at reducing the poverty rate of the U.S.
Economic Opportunity Act
An economic legislation that created many social programs to help provide funds for youth programs antipoverty measures, small-business loans, and job training; part of the Great Society.
Job Corps
Program created from the Economic Opportunity Act that trained young people in marketable skills.
Medicare Act of 1965
Created a system of subsidized medical care for retirees, both for doctor visits and hospitalization.
Immigration Act of 1965
Each country was given an identical quota for its number of legal immigrants. Preference was given to those with relatives already in the USA or with valuable skills. Restricted immigration from Latin America for the first time.
Barry Goldwater
1964; Republican contender against LBJ for presidency; platform included lessening federal involvement, therefore opposing Civil Rights Act; lost by largest margin in history.
Equal Pay Act
1963 law that required both men and women to receive equal pay for equal work.
youth culture
The belief that young people have values, interests, and activities distinct from those of other age groups.
The Beatles
British rock band who introduced new fashions and long hair for males, which became symbols of the new youth culture.
Hippies
A subculture, originally a youth movement that began in the US. They advocated universal love and peace and were anti-establishment.
Twenty-Sixth Amendment
1971- Many Americans were old enough to be drafted into Military service at 18, but could not vote until 21. This amendment lowered the voting age to 18.
Vietnam War
a prolonged war (1954-1975) between the communist armies of North Vietnam who were supported by the Chinese and the non-communist armies of South Vietnam who were supported by the United States.
Ho Chi Minh
Vietnamese leader who is responsible for ousting first the French, then the United States from his country. Supported by both communist China and the Soviet Union.
Vietcong
South Vietnamese Communists who began a guerrilla war against the government of South Vietnam.
Domino Theory
A theory that if one nation comes under Communist control, then neighboring nations will fall under Communist control like a row of dominions.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
1964 Congressional resolution authorizing President Johnson to take military action in Vietnam after American ships were attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin.
Napalm
Highly flammable chemical dropped from US planes in firebombing attacks during the Vietnam War.
Agent Orange
A chemical herbicide used to clear jungle growth in the Vietnam War.
Saigon
Capital city of South Vietnam, captured by the Vietcong in 1968.
Roy Benavidez
A war hero of Vietnam, who had been presented with the Congressional Medal of Honor by Reagan.
Guerilla Warfare
type of fighting in which soldiers use swift hit-and-run attacks against the enemy.
Credibility gap
A lack of popular confidence in the truth of the claims or public statements made by the federal government.
Richard Nixon
Elected president in 1968. Promised Americans "peace with honor" in Vietnam, advocated "Vietnamization" (replace US troops with Vietnamese), but also bombed Cambodia/Laos,Watergate scandal: became first and only president to resign.
Vietnamization
The army of South Vietnam took over the brunt of the fighting, allowing U.S troops to withdraw.
Invasion of Cambodia
American troops invaded Cambodia to cut off supply routes through Cambodia from North to South Vietnam.
Nixon's Vietnam Policy
Included Vietnamization, invading Cambodia, and negotiation with China and the Soviet Union to put pressure on North Vietnam.
Anti-war movement
They protested the Vietnam War with marches and demonstrations. Men burned their draft cards or fled to Mexico and Canada in order to not serve in the war.
Silent majority
A phrase used to describe people, whatever their economic status, who uphold traditional values, especially against the counterculture of the 1960s.
Pentagon Papers
Leaked government documents that showed that several Presidents before Nixon had lied to the American people about Vietnam. The Supreme Court ruled that the papers could be published under the 1st Amendment.
Fall of Saigon
1975, the capital of South Vietnam fell to the army of North Vietnam. Marked the end of the Vietnam War.
War Powers Resolution
A law passed in 1973 spelling out the conditions under which the president can commit troops without congressional approval.
Beat Generation
The generation of writers who rebelled against American Culture for its conformity, blind faith in technology, and materialism.
Allen Ginsberg
A leading figure in the beat movement, which expressed the social and literary non-conformity of artists, poets, and writers. Most famous poem is Howl.
Jack Kerouac
United States writer who was a leading figure of the beat generation. Wrote "On the Road", which epitomized the Beat Generation of the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Ngo Dinh Diem
President of South Vietnam from 1954 to 1963; his repressive regime caused the Communist Viet Cong to thrive in the South. He was killed in a coup in 1963.
Reynolds v. Sims
States that the state legislative districts must be roughly equal in population.
Miranda v. Arizona
The accused must be notified of their 5th and 6th Amendment rights before being questioned by the police.
Tinker v. Des Moines
Students wearing black arm bands to protest Vietnam war qualifies under free speech.
Kent State
Ohio University where 4 students were killed by National Guardsmen after violent protesting of the Vietnam War.
Medicaid
A public assistance program designed to provide healthcare to poor Americans.
Tet Offensive
1968, Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army forces attacked South Vietnam, even seizing the U.S. embassy for a time. U.S. opinion began turning against the war.
Rock and Roll
The combo of white country and western music, with black rhythm and blues, to form a new type of music. It became popular with teens in the 1950's and 1960s. Caused tensions between the young and the older generations.
Media coverage of Vietnam
Graphic images of fighting led and military setbacks increased anti-war movement and decreased support for the war.
Ho Chi Minh Trail
A network of paths used by North Vietnam to transport supplies to the Vietcong in South Vietnam.
Containment
American policy of resisting further expansion of communism around the world.
1968
The year that contained a series of shocks; the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy; Tet Offensive; Democratic convention riot; Nixon elected president.
Selective Service Act
Law passed by Congress in 1917 that required all men to register for the military draft.
THIS SET IS OFTEN IN FOLDERS WITH...