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| G.I. Bill of Rights (1944) – |
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| Officially known as the Servicemen's Readjustment Act. Granted $13 billion in aid for military personal once they left the service. |
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| Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) – |
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| An independent agency created in 1947 under the National Security Act. The Central Intelligence At (1949) allowed the director to keep secret how the agency spent funds. |
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| National Security Council – |
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| Agency created in 1947 to organize the strategic defense of the United States and advise the president on issues that need coordination between foreign, domestic, and military policies. So secretive that even Congress does not know much about the actions of the Council. |
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| National Security Act (1947) – |
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| Legislation that created the air force as an independent branch of the military, unified all the branches of the military under the Department of Defense, and created the National Security Council and the Central Intelligence Agency. |
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| In 1947 Robinson became the first black baseball player to play in the major leagues. Later he became the first black baseball player inducted into the Hall of Fame. |
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| Republican Governor of New York who twice unsuccessfully ran for president. |
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| Political leader from South Carolina. He ran for president in 1948 as the representative for the States’ Rights Democratic party (Dixecrats). |
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| Southern Democrats who formed the States' Rights Democratic Party and nominated Strom Thurmond of South Carolina for president. |
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| Southern Democrats who formed the States' Rights Democratic Party and nominated Strom Thurmond of South Carolina for president. |
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| In 1967, he became the first black justice to be appointed to the Supreme Court. He had made a reputation in Civil Rights cases and had represented the defense in the Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas case before the Supreme Court. |
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| Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1953 to 1969. Was responsible for protecting much of the civil rights legislation. |
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| Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955) - |
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| The boycotting of busses in Montgomery Alabama after Rosa Parks, a black woman, refused to move to the back of the bus. The boycott lasted almost a year and was led by martin Luther King Jr. |
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| In 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that separate could exist if it was equal for blacks and whites. |
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| Black lady who refused to give up her seat and move the back of the bus in 1955. Her action led to the Montgomery bus boycott |
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| Statement issued by southern congressmen in 1954 after the passage of Brown v. Board of Education. The congressmen pledged to oppose desegregation. |
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| Southern Christian Leadership Conference – |
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| Formed by Martin Luther King Jr., after the Montgomery bus boycott. Went on to be a major factor in the civil rights movement. |
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| Governor of Arkansas who used the National Guard to prevent nine black students from entering Little Rock Central High School. The move was countered by President Eisenhower who sent the army to ensure the students could attend class. |
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| Former governor of Alabama who had stood in the doorway of the University of Alabama to prevent black students from entering. He ran for the presidency in 1968 as third party candidate. Running on a platform of segregation, he gained more votes than any previous third party candidate. |
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| The man who shot President Kennedy in Dallas on November 22, 1963. Jack Ruby later killed Oswald. It was determined by the Warren Commission that both men had acted alone. |
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| Warren Commission (1963-4) – |
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| Committee led by Chief Justice Warren to investigate the assassination of President Kennedy. The committee concluded that there was no conspiracy. |
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| Economic Opportunity Act (1964) – |
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| A main part to President Johnson’s war on poverty, which created Head Start, Jobs Corp, and Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA). Johnson hoped to create a Great Society for all. |
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| President Johnson’s platform for social improvement in the United States. But his escalation of the war in Vietnam undermined his agenda. |
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| President Johnson’s program to attack poverty and the causes of poverty in the United States. He used money made available because of the Gross National Profit had risen. The programs were the fulfillment of President Kennedy’s dream but became part of Johnson’s Great Society. It included programs such as, Medicare, Head Start, and Medicaid. When Johnson escalated the war in Vietnam the budget deficit increased dramatically and Congress looked for ways to cut programs. |
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| Feminist who wrote The Feminine Mystique in 1963 and helped form the National Organization for Women in 1966. |
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| National Organization for Women (NOW) – |
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| Women’s rights organization inspired by Betty Frieden in 1966. The organization fought for equality for women. |
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| Traditional the white middle class and working class, right-wing public who had grown frustrated with the permissiveness of society. |
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| Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) – |
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| Formed in 1960 after the Greensboro sit-ins, the organization was more aggressive than the Southern Christian Leadership Counsel. The SNCC endorsed the idea of Black Power and expelled white members. |
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| A term used to describe the ethno-cultural roots of Mexican-Americans. It was very popular in the 1970s. |
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| United Farm Workers Association – |
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| The union for migrant farm workers organized by Cesar Chavez in 1962. It changed its name to United Farm Workers of America. |
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| A predominantly black area of Los Angeles that witnessed widespread looting and rioting in 1965. After the riots ended 34 people had been killed and over $45 million in damage had been done. |
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| Kent State University (1970) – |
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| A protest against the Vietnam War turned tragic when Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on demonstrators killing 4 and wounding many more. Some of those killed were not demonstrators, but students on their way to class. |
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| Born Malcolm Little he dropped his “slave name” and became Malcolm X. Controversial African-American activist who wanted black separation. He was a member of the Nation of Islam but broke with the organization. Three Black Muslims assassinated him in 1965. |
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| Carmichael, Stokely (Kwame Ture) – |
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| Influential African-American civil rights advocate during the 1960s and 1970s. He helped organize the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), supported the idea of Black Power, the Black Panthers, and was against integration. |
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| Term created in the 1966 and used to make people aware of the racial identity of the black man. Malcolm X was in important leader. |
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| Part of Johnson’s War on Poverty and enacted in 1965 it provided medical benefits for the poor and long-term social security claimants. |
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| Part of Johnson’s War on Poverty and enacted in 1965 it provided medical benefits for welfare recipients. |
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| Commander of the Apollo 11 mission to put the first man on the moon. Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon in July 1969. |
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| Luxury hotel in Washington D.C. that was the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee. The break in and the subsequent attempts to cover it up led to the downfall of Nixon. |
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| Committee for the Re-election of the President (CREEP) – |
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| Nixon’s campaign committee. |
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| Promoted by President Nixon’s action against Cambodia and passed over Nixon’s veto the act required the president to tell Congress at least 48 hours before dispatching troops to a foreign conflict. |
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| In 1978 President Carter invited Egyptian President Sadat to meet with Israeli Prime minister Begin at Camp David in Maryland. The agreement signed was the basis of the Arab-Israeli peace treaty. |
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| Khomeini, Ayatollah Ruhollah - |
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| Shiite cleric and Islamic fundamentalist who had been exiled by the shah and who returned from exile to take over Iran in 1979. |
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| Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) – |
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| Also known as “Star Wars,” was an attempt to create a laser-based defense against possible missile attacks during the Reagan administration years. |
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| The economic principles of the Reagan administration. Based on the belief that tax cuts for the wealthy and deregulation of industry helps to stimulate the economy. |
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| Economic policy during the Reagan administration. The idea was that cuts in income tax would generate capital, which in turn would stimulate the economy. The policy did not work partly because Reagan could not cut government spending. |
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| A period when the economy is experiencing inflation and a stagnation of national growth at the same time. |
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| Economic Recovery Tax Act (1981) – |
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| Legislation the cut income tax by 25% across the board and made even larger reductions for the wealthier people. |
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| Nicaraguan rebels fighting to overthrow the Sandinista government. They were backed by the United States. |
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| As head of the military in Panama General Noriega assumed power in 1988. He had worked closely with the CIA and was widely known for his brutality and drug trafficking. He was seized in 1989 when President Bush sent American troops to free Panama. President Ernesto Pérez replaced him. |
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| North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) – |
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| An agreement ratified in 1993 that removed tariffs and trade barriers between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. |
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| In 1991, after the retirement of Thurgood Marshall, President Bush nominated African-American Clarence Thomas for the Supreme Court. During the nominating process the public learned that Thomas had been accused of sexually harassing Anita Hill who had worked for him. Nevertheless the Senate confirmed Hill. |
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| A Texas billionaire, Ross Perot financed his own third-party in an attempt to win the presidency in 1992. Campaigning on a platform of changing the status quo in Washington, Perot attacked the Clinton and Bush. Perot dropped out of the race before the election and then decided to run again. His party took the largest percentage for a third party, primarily from the Republicans, helping Clinton win the election. |
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