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American History > Since 1877 Test 3 Events and Terms > Flashcards

Since 1877 Test 3 Events and Terms Flashcards

1
Q

United Nations

A
  • before WWII even ends, many countries joined
  • this was a US idea; the head quarters are in NY
  • Oct. 24 1945 it officially began
  • there are 15 members of Security Council; 10 of the members rotated and 5 are permanent, including the US, France, Britain, Russia and China (the winners of WWII)
  • any of the 5 can veto security council (only 1 vote needed)
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2
Q

Truman Doctrine

A
  • after Hitler is gone, there is fear of the Soviet taking over other countries (Turkey/Greece)
  • in 1947 Truman asked for $400million in military and economic assistance for Greece and Turkey so they won’t fall into communism (b/c after the war they were hurting and considering turning to the Soviet Union for help)
  • b/c of this the US for the 1st time becomes helpful to other counties fighting communism (anywhere)
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3
Q

Marshall Plan

A
  • in 1945 German is in ruins and the US feels it is their duty to help rebuild Europe
  • this pan was presented by secretary of state George Marshal
  • billions of dollars was given to Britain, Netherlands, etc
  • however, Europe was only allowed to use this money on US products (which helped the US economy); also, helping these counties recover meant help with aid when we needed it
  • also, this meant that Russia and Germany had to get along, they were forced to form a trade pat
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4
Q

Baby Boom

A
  • from 1946 to 1964
  • since there was hardly any pregnancy during the depression or WWII, 9 months after VE day, babies begin to be born
  • this effect the economy with the buildings of hospitals and schools
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5
Q

Inchon Landing; Korean War

A

Kim Il Sung decides to reunify Korea by attacking S. Korea on June 1950

  • by August 1950 they had pushed the Americans to the Pusan perimeter; Truman asks the United nations to approve military and for all representatives to send troops
  • Douglas McCarther was appointed to lead troops
  • Inchon Landing on Sept. 1950 was a success
  • approaching the Yalu, McCarther decides to keep pushing up well into N. Korea; China did not like this b/c we were getting too close to them
  • China enters the war on Oct 1950 (McCarther suggest use of the Atomic Bomb, in which Truman refuse)
  • stalemate 1951 to 1953; at the border of out and north korea (38th parallel)
  • to this day no peace treaty has been signed “DMZ” still ready to fight any day; US still has troops in korea
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6
Q

Election of 1948

A
  • Harry Truman’s 2nd election
  • Southern Democrats were upset Truman had desegregated the military so they started their own party “states right party” (nick named Dixiecrat) and nominated Strom Thurmond as their candidate (hated civil rights) - they only lasted a year
  • nomination:
    Truman (Demo) 303
    Dewey (Rep) 186
    Thurmond (states right)
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7
Q

House Un-American Activities Commite

A
  • HUAC was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives
  • It was originally created in 1938 to uncover citizens with Nazi ties within the United States, but it became better known for its role in investigating alleged disloyalty and subversive activities of private citizens, public employees, and those organizations suspected of having ties to Communism
  • the committee charges the Hollywood 10, they served jail terms of 6 mnth to a year
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8
Q

Growth in TV 1950-1960

A
  • 10% of Americans had a TV in 1950, by 1960, 90% had TV

- to convince people to buy TV, shows such as “the howdy doody show” and “Milton Berries Buick Hour” was created

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9
Q

U-2 Incident

A
  • in 1960 Eisenhower decides it’s important to spy on Soviet Union
  • these planes took pictures looking for soviet union missile or military; if we were caught or forced to land, we would lie and say it was a weather plane
  • one plane was shot down and the pilot (who was suppose to take a suicide pill_ ended up telling the soviet US plans
  • this became a set back as far as relationship with the soviet union
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10
Q

military-industrial complex

A
  • Before Eisenhower left office, he warned everyone about this
  • he stated that the military should be ready to go at all times & b/c of so much military spending the country may become dependent on this idea
  • defense spending needs to be used in order to justify its existence
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11
Q

mutually assured destruction (MAD)

A
  • Massive retaliation ran the risk that any small conflict, or even a miscalculation, could escalate into a war that would destroy both the US and the Soviet
  • critics called the doctrine “brinksmanship” warning of the dangers of willingness to bring the world to the brink of nuclear war
  • this made the soviet union and US cautious in their direct dealing with one another (Eisenhower)
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12
Q

Brown v. Board of Education

A
  • a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional
  • The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896
  • Handed down on May 17, 1954, the Warren Court’s unanimous (9–0) decision stated that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal”
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13
Q

Little Rock Crises

A
  • 1957, 9 blacks chosen to integrate slowly into central high school (local school board came up w/ this plan, were gonna be sued if they didn’t comply)
  • Governor of Arkansas, Orval Faubus decided he wont allow it the night before the integration (he stated for safety purpose, but more so political)
  • Eisenhower had to send in the national guard to force him to make it happen
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14
Q

Sputnik

A
  • Oct. 4, 1957, sputnik satellite- 1st man made object to orbit the earth (german)
  • this begins the space race; in reaction the US created NASA in 1958
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15
Q

Kennedy-Nixon Debate

A
  • 1960 election
  • Nixon (VP for Eisenhower) and Kennedy had the 1st presidential debate (this showed the power of television)
  • those who watched the debate was convinced Kennedy had won, those who heard the radio thought Nixon had won
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16
Q

Bay of Pigs; CIA

A
  • beginning JFK’s presidency, he approves an invasion into Cuba on April 17, 1961; all the men that was dropped off in Cuba was captured immediately
  • this was a CIA operation
  • JFK approved this b/c he assumed Eisenhower thought it was a good idea
  • we do get out men back by trading tractors
  • this triggered Cuba to ask the Soviet for nuclear missiles
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17
Q

Cuban Missile Crises

A
  • After the Bay of Pigs, Cuba asks the Soviet for help in nuclear missile to stop US spying and invasion
  • US spy planes catch Cuba setting this up (missiles pointed in the direction of the US) this really upsets JFK
  • Robert Kennedy, attorney general decided on a navel blockade that lasted 13 days (not knowing what will happen)
  • Russia ultimately pulled their missiles out but in return US promised never to invade Cuba and to take our missiles out of Turkey
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18
Q

SCLC; SNCC

A
  • The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) is an African-American civil rights organization; it had a large role in the American Civil Rights Movement
  • The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), was one of the most important organizations of the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s; It emerged from a student meeting organized by Ella Baker held at Shaw University
19
Q

Lunch counter sit-ins

A
  • Greensboro sit in 1960; blacks not allowed to sit and eat; 4 black men challenged this by sitting for hours waiting to be waited on; people joined in and took their spot for support
  • this began a number of other sits in around the US
  • from the sit down movement, came about the SNCC
20
Q

Freedom Riders

A
  • civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated south challenging segregated public buses
  • The Southern states had ignored the rulings and the federal government did nothing to enforce them
  • The Freedom Rides, and the violent reactions they provoked, supported the credibility of the American Civil Rights Movement; it directed national attention to the disregard for the federal law and the local violence used to enforce segregation in the south
  • Police arrested riders for trespassing, unlawful assembly, and violating state and local Jim Crow laws, along with other alleged offenses, but they often first let white mobs attack them without intervention
21
Q

March on Washington

A
  • one of the largest political rallies for human rights in United States history that called for civil and economic rights for African Americans
  • took place on Wednesday, August 28, 1963
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his historic “I Have a Dream” speech in which he called for an end to racism
22
Q

Civil Rights Act of 1964

A
  • Johnson convinced Congress to pass this bill by using JFK’s death (it was his last bill presented to congress before being assassinated)
  • this law made discrimination illegal; it outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin
  • It ended unequal application of voter registration requirements and racial segregation in schools, at the workplace and by facilities that served the general public (known as “public accommodations”)
23
Q

Voting Act of 1965

A
  • It was signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the American Civil Rights Movement on August 6, 1965
  • it was designed to enforce the voting rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution
  • it increased black voters from 1964 to 1976
24
Q

Great Society

A

Lyndon Johnson’s plan:

  1. federal spending on social programs
  2. wanted to end poverty: he wanted health care for all people but settle on medicare and medicaid, food stamps and housing aids
  3. does a lot for schools - school lunch programs
  4. colleges - federal aid/grants
  5. Public funding for radio & tv - PBS & NPR
  6. Aid to parents with children - AIDC
25
Q

Domino Theory

A
  • a theory that speculated that if one state in a region came under the influence of communism, then the surrounding countries would follow in a domino effect
  • The domino theory was used by the United States administrations during the Cold War to justify the need for American intervention around the world
  • Dwight D. Eisenhower put the theory into words during a news conference, when referring to communism in Indochina
26
Q

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

A
  • during the Vietnam war, US ships patrolled the Gulf of Tonkin and Vietnamese ship shoots at us; the 2nd incident they torpedoed
  • this was a joint resolution that Congress passed in 1964, in response to the Gulf of Tonkin incident
  • the resolution authorized the LBJ to do whatever necessary in order to assist “any member or protocol state of the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty”; it gave LBJ authorization, without a formal declaration of war by Congress, for the use of “conventional’’ military force in Southeast Asia
27
Q

Tet Offensive

A
  • The North Vietnamese Army launched a wave of attacks in the late night hours of 30 January in South Vietnam
  • North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops striking more than 100 towns and cities; the offensive was the largest military operation conducted by either side up to that point in the war
  • from this point the US thought we were winning & that the war would be over soon, this proved that we were wrong
28
Q

Viet Cong

A
  • a political organization and army in South Vietnam and Cambodia that fought the United States and South Vietnamese governments during the Vietnam War
29
Q

Kent State

A
  • Antiwar protest by students; national guard fired and killed 4 students
  • this shocked Americans; it turned a lot of people against the war
30
Q

1968 Democratic Convention

A
  • Because Lyndon Johnson had announced he would not seek reelection, the purpose of the convention was to select a new presidential nominee to run as the Democratic Party’s candidate for the office
  • Hubert H. Humphrey Edmund S. Muskie were nominated for President and Vice President
  • The convention was held during a year of violence and political turbulence; following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the assassination r Robert F. Kennedy
31
Q

My Lai Massace

A
  • American troops during the Vietnam war basically snaps and kills everyone in the village (about 400 killed,mostly children, women, and old people)
32
Q

Lasting effects of Vietnam War

A
  1. lost of trust in US government (Americans felt gov. had lied)
  2. 58,000 american killed and veterans, upon coming home were not treated very well (called baby killers)
  3. hurt prestige of the US all around the world
33
Q

NOW, ERA, EEOC

A
  • National Organization for Women, Friedan was the president, demanded equal opportunity in jobs, education, and political participation and attacked the :false image of women”
  • Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) proposed during 1920s by the Women’s Party was denied; then in 1972 it was brought up again, congress approved it and sent it to the states for ratification, but the amendment failed to achieve ratification required by 38 states
  • Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) established by the law broke down barriers to female employment
34
Q

Roe V. Wade

A
  • 1973 united states supreme case concerning abortion; in a 5-4 decision, they decided that:
    1. 1st trimester should be legalized in all 50 states
    2. 2nd trimester states could regulate
    3. 3rd trimester was illegal, unless it harmed the mother or child
35
Q

Stonewall Inn Riot

A
  • Gay Liberation; in 1969 committing homosexual acts was illegal
  • Police would just break into gay bars and start arresting everyone
  • Within weeks, residents quickly organized into activist groups to concentrate efforts on establishing places for gays and lesbians to be open about their sexual orientation without fear of being arrested
36
Q

Earth Day, EPA

A
  • Rachel Barson started the enviormental movment by bringing to attention the harm of pestisides that washed off plants into rivers; this and the Cuyahoga river cathing on fire brought about Earth Day
  • EPA (endangered species act) Nixon pass this to protect animals on the verge of extinction
37
Q

detente

A
  • during Nixon’s presidency, he tries to improve relations with the Soviet Union
  • “Detente” meaning the easing of strained relations
  • The term is often used in reference to the easing of the geo-political tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States
  • a “thawing out” or “un-freezing” at a period roughly in the middle of the Cold War
38
Q

Watergate Scandal

A
  • Burglars were caught in the Watergate Office Complex, turns out they were breaking into the democrat national committee headquarters and stealing paper work & strategies
  • Nixon claims to not know of the break in, but he did help cover it up
  • he ended up resigning b-4 betting impeach by congress on Aug. 8, 1974
39
Q

OPEC oil crises

A
  • occured in 73 (restriction) and 79
  • Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (consisting of the Arab, Egypt, Syria and Tunisia)
  • due to decreased oil output in the wake of the Iranian Revolution (during Raegan’s 2nd term), the rising of oil prices contributed to a stagnant economic growth and high inlfation
40
Q

Iran hostage crises

A
  • Defining Carter’s presidency, to honor years of being allies with Iran, when the shah is over thrown by Khomeini, he escapes to the US for medical help and Carter refuses to return him to IRAN for trial
  • Khomeini and his followers took over the US embassy and took 55 hostages (for 444 days)
  • Carter made it his priority to get the hostages back but nothing worked (failed rescue mission); b/c he focused so much on this, he disregarded everything else going on in the US
41
Q

Reagan’s top 3 priorities

A
  1. rebuild defense (he did)
  2. cut tax (he did)
  3. balance budget (he coudnt do this)
42
Q

evil empire, SDI

A
  • Reagan described the Soviet Union as an “evil empire”
  • he suggest the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) in 1983 to use ground-based and space-based systems to protect the United States from attack by nuclear weapons (a defensive shield)
  • The ambitious initiative was widely criticized as being unrealistic, even unscientific, also threatening to destabilize MAD
  • SDI was referred to as “Star Wars”
43
Q

Iran-Contra Scandal

A
  • a political scandal that occurred during the second term of Reagan’s presidency
  • Senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to Iran, which was the subject of an arms embargo (restriction)
  • They hoped that the sales would secure the release of several US hostages and use the money to fund the Contras in Nicaragua
  • further funding of the Contras by the government had been prohibited by Congress.
44
Q

Collapse of Soviet Union

A
  • Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, resigned, declared his office extinct, and handed over its powers – including control of the Soviet nuclear missile launching codes – to Russian President Boris Yeltsin
  • many people think Reagan singlehandedly caused the fall of the soviet (b/c of his trip to Berlin in 1978 “tear down this wall”) but many other factors contributed to it

American History (15 decks)

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