America in an Era of Turmoil (1960-1975) Flashcards
New Frontier
group of domestic policies proposed by John Kennedy that included Medicare and aid to education and urban renewal; many of these policies were not enacted until the presidency of Lyndon Johnson
Great Society
overarching plan by President Johnson to assist the underprivileged in American society; it included the creation of the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Head Start and Medicare programs. Some Great Society programs were later reduced due to the Vietnam War
Civil Rights Act of 1964
major civil rights legislation that outlawed racial discrimination in public facilities, in employment, and in voter registration
Black power
philosophy of some younger blacks in the 1960s who were impatient with the slow pace of desegregation; its advocates believed that blacks should create and control their own political and cultural institutions rather than seeking integration into white-dominated society
Roe v. Wade (1973)
Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal with some restrictions
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Congressional resolution passed in August 1964 following reports that U.S. Navy ships had been fired on by North Vietnamese gunboats off the Vietnam coast; it gave the president the power to fight the Vietnam War without approval from Congress
Students for a Democratic Society
radical, activist, student organization created in 1960 that advocated a more democratic participatory society. This was one of the major student organization opposing the Vietnam War
Counterculture
movement by young people in the 1960s who rejected political involvement and emphasized the need for personal versus of political revolution. members of the counterculture wore long hair and experimented with drugs, sex, and unconventional living.
Kent State University
campus in Ohio where four students who were part of a 1970 protest against U.S. involvement in Cambodia were shot and killed by National Guardsmen
Warren Commission
group that investigated the assassination of JFK. After hearing testimony, the commission concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, although many conspiracy theorists questions these findings and believe Oswald did not act alone.
Great Society
Aggressive program by president Johnson in 1965 to attack the major social problems in America; Great Society programs included the War on Poverty, Medicare and Medicaid programs for elderly Americans, greater protection for civil rights, and better funding for education. Balancing the Great Society and the Vietnam war would prove difficult for the Johnson administration.
Volunteer in Service to America (VISTA)
program in 1964 that sent volunteers to help poor Americans living in urban and rural settings; this program was described as a domestic peace corps and was one of many initiatives that were a part of Johnson’s War on Poverty.
Head Start
on of Lydon Johnson’s War on Poverty programs that gave substantial funding for a nursery school program to prepare children of poor parents for kindergarten.
Medicare
part of Lydon Johnson’s Great Society program, this acted as a form of health insurance for retired/disabled Americans. Through Medicare, the federal government would pay for services received by elderly patients at doctor’s offices and hospitals.
sit-in
tactic used by the civil rights movement in the early 1960s; a group of civil rights workers would typically occupy a lunch counter in a segregated establishment in the South and refused to leave, thus disrupting the business. During sit-ins, civil rights workers suffered physical and emotional abuse.
Freedom Rides
buses of black and white civil rights workers who in 1961 rode on interstate buses to the Depp South to see if Southern states were abiding by the 1960 Supreme Court ruling banning segregation. Buses met mob violence in numerous cities and federal marshals were called in to protect the freedom riders.
March on Washington
over 200,000 came to Washington for this August 1963 event demanding civil rights. MLK’s famous “I have a dream speech” was a key event and this was not lost on President Johnson who pushed for civil rights legislation the following year.
Kerner Commission
established in 1967 to study the reason for urban riots, the commission spoke about the impact of poverty and racism on the lives of urban blacks in America and emphasized that white institutions created and condoned the ghettoes of America.
black nationalism
spurred by Malcolm X and other black leaders, a call for black pride and advancement without the help of whites; this appeared to be a repudiation of the calls for peaceful integration by MLK. Race riots in Northern cities in the mid-1960s were at least partially fueled by black nationalism.
Nation of Islam
supporters were called “Black Muslims” and this group was founded by Elijah Muhammad and preached Islamic principles along with black pride and black separatism. Malcolm X was a member of the Nation of Islam.
Black Panthers
group founded in California to protect blacks from police harassment; promoted black militant power; also ran social programs in California cities. It was founded by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton.
feminist movement
movement dedicated to the belief that women should have the same rights/benefits as men. Feminism gained supporters during the Progressive Era and in the 1960s. NOW was established in 1966 by Betty Friedan and had nearly 200,000 members in 1969.
National Organization for Women (NOW)
to take action to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society now, exercising all the privileges and responsibilities thereof in truly equal partnership with men.
American Indian Movement (AIM)
Native American organization founded in 1968 to protest government policies and injustices suffered by Native Americans; for example, in 1973 organized armed occupation of Wounded Knee.
