Unit 8: chaps 25-27

• Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

  Formed by a gathering called by civil rights organizer Ella Baker; a committee dedicated to organizing protests against racial segregation and earning justice
• Year Berlin Wall was constructed

  1961
• Major cause and result of the Cuban Missile Crisis

  Cause: Cuba relations w/ U.S. soured due to overthrow of government by Fidel Castro; therefore Cuba turned to Soviet Union as new ally

  Results: Pres. Kennedy realized the dangers of nuclear war and sought to reduce tensions, agreeing w/ Soviet Union on a ban on nuclear weapons
• Civil Rights Act of 1964: what did it do?

  Prohibited racial discrimination in employment and public accommodations; also extended these protections to women
• Civil Rights Act of 1965: what did it do?

  Secured black suffrage protected by federal law
• Great Society

  Initiatives made by Pres. Johnson between 1965 and 1967 that overall helped to meet the stalled social agenda of the nation by establishing health insurance, expanding national power (through new cabinet offices), and waging war against poverty
• MLK's "affirmative action"

  The government had an obligation to do something for black communities now after spending hundreds of years of taking action against them
• Feminine Mystique

  Book which pointed out how women were limited to goals of marriage and motherhood which were decided by society and continued to oppress them
• Central idea of American Indian Movement

  Indians wished for more self-autonomy in the territory they were still allowed to live upon within America; also demanded the restoration of resources and land previously belonging to their ancestors
• Who supported and who opposed the new environmentalism movement in the 1960s?

  Both government parties supported (and passed laws to benefit nature in response) while corporations opposed, seeing threat to capitalism
• Nixon's "New Federalism"

  Nixon's plan which sought to redistribute federal power gained in the 60s back to the states
• Define the "Me Decade"

  Referred to the 70s as a time where Americans preferred the freedom to choose their own individual lifestyle in defiance of societal norms
• Détente

  Pres. Nixon's attempt to negotiate better relations with the Soviet Union
• War Powers Act

  Passed by Congress, requiring the president to have congressional approval before sending American troops overseas
• What was Watergate?

  Burglars caught breaking into Democratic Party HQ; eventually exposed Nixon's efforts to record tapes and sabotage political opposition
• How did Nixon's fall benefit conservatives' central argument?

  Reinforced the idea that central government powers needed to be more limited in order to protect the personal liberty enjoyed by citizens
• Stagflation

  The economic condition of the 70s; a result of stagnant economic growth and high inflation
• Nixon Doctrine

  Changed foreign policy by reducing the U.S. manpower sent to allies and supporting them through money and resources instead
• SALT I and II treaties (II not ratified)

  Strategic Arms Limitation Talks: agreements with Soviet Union to limit use and reduce number of nuclear arms
• Vietnamization

  Pres. Nixon's attempt to remove U.S. from Viet. war by gradually withdrawing troops while continuing support through bombings
• Rapproachment

  Nixon's attempt to reopen relations with People's Republic of China (communist); believed he had the chance b/c Soviet Union and China weren't on best terms
• Helsinki Accords

  Continuation during Ford's presidency of Nixon's détente efforts; agreement w/ Soviet Union to respect citizens' civil liberties and permanentize the borders in Europe
• Religious fundamentalism

  Idea which took rise during the growth of conservatism in the 70s; was the belief that literal interpretations of religion should serve as the basis for all social, economic, and political aspects
• Iranian Hostage Crisis

  American workers of the U.S. embassy in Iran were taken hostage in response to Carter offering the Iranian shah aid; Carter's failure in freeing them led to Reagan defeating him in the next election
• Velvet Revolution

  Pro-democratic crowds breached the Berlin wall, taking down the communist governments on the other side of it until Germany was reunited as a single nation
• Globalization

  Further internationalization of trade and the general U.S. economy as a result of recent advancements in technology, free trade agreements, etc.
• NAFTA (1994)

  North American Free Trade Agreement made between U.S., Canada, and Mexico that reduced tariffs and made it easier for the nations to trade, promoting overall economic growth
• What was the root of the problem for American soldiers in the Vietnam War?

  Soldiers were unfamiliar with the guerrilla warfare tactics relied upon by Vietnamese and thus couldn't tell the enemy apart nor strategize accordingly