Early Cold War
Gerald Ford
(1974-1977), Solely elected by a vote from Congress. He pardoned Nixon of all crimes that he may have committed. Evacuated nearly 500,000 Americans and South Vietnamese from Vietnam, closing the war. Leaves an economic mess for Jimmy Carter
Marshall Plan
A United States program of economic aid for the reconstruction of Europe (1948-1952); Seen by USSR as attempt to increase US influence in Europe
Space Race
A competition of space exploration between the United States and Soviet Union.
Beat Generation (1950s-1960s)
A group of American writers in the 1950s and 1960s who sought release and illumination though a bohemian counterculture of sex, drugs, and Zen Buddhism. Writers such as Jack Kerouac (On The Road) and Allen Ginsberg (Howl) gained fame by giving readings in coffeehouses, often accompanied by jazz music.
Tet Offensive (1968)
A massive, coordinated Communist assault against more than 100 cities and towns in South Vietnam.
In God We Trust
A phrase that Congress made mandatory on all American currency in 1954, inspired by Eisenhower's patriotic crusade to bring Americans back to God.
Vietnam War
A prolonged war (1954-1975) between the communist armies of North Vietnam who were supported by the Chinese/USSR and the non-communist armies of South Vietnam who were supported by the United States.
Rock and Roll
music that grew out of rhythm and blues and that became popular in the 1950s
Neil Armstrong
1st person to walk on the moon; U.S. Apollo 11; July, 1969; his famous words - "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
Fall of Saigon (1975)
Capture of South Vietnamese capital that marked the end of the Vietnam War (April 30, 1975)
Arms Race
Cold war competition between the U.S. and Soviet Union to build up their respective armed forces and weapons
HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee)
Congressional committee that investigated communist influence in the US in government agencies and the Hollywood movie industry the 1940s and 1950s
Hippies 1960s
Counterculture in which freedom of expression, experiments with drugs and communal living were preferred to mainstream values and employment
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
1964 Congressional resolution authorizing President Johnson to take military action in Vietnam after Gulf of Tonkin Incident; not a declaration of war
Richard Nixon
1968 and 1972; Republican; Vietnam: advocated "Vietnamization"; created a "credibility gap," took US off gold standard; created the Environmental Protection Agency, was president during first moon landing; Watergate scandal: became first and only president to resign
Containment
American policy of resisting further expansion of communism around the world
Suburban
An area that typically surrounds the central city, is often residential, and is not as densely populated.
War Powers Act of 1973
In 1973, Congress passed this law which requires that soldiers sent into military action overseas by the President be brought back within sixty days unless Congress approves the action.
Berlin Airlift, 1948
In June 1948, the USSR-who wanted Berlin all for themselves-closed all highways, railroads and canals into Berlin from West Germany cutting off supplies; US and its allies decided to supply their sectors of the city from the air for more than a year
Vietnamization
President Richard Nixon's strategy for ending U.S involvement in the Vietnam, involving a gradual withdraw of American troops and replacement of them with South Vietnamese forces
26th Amendment
Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18
McCarthyism
The term associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy who led the search for communists in America during the early 1950s through his leadership in the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Korean War (1950-1953)
This "forgotten war" had been fought because of the American policy of containment
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an alliance made to defend one another if they were attacked by any other country; US, England, France, Canada, Western European countries
Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
October 1962, the closest approach to nuclear war at any time between the U.S. and the USSR. When the U.S. discovered Soviet nuclear missiles on Cuba, President John F. Kennedy demanded their removal and announced a naval blockade of the island; the Soviet leader Khrushchev gave in to the U.S. demands a week later.
John F. Kennedy (JFK)
President 1961-63. Brought US out of Cuban Missile Crisis, Responsible for the Bay of Pigs disaster. Domestic Agenda called New Frontier. Strongly supported space program and the civil rights movement. Assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. First Roman Catholic President.
Yuri Gargarin 1961
Soviet cosmonaut; 1st man in space
Truman Doctrine (1947)
Stated that the U.S. would support any nation threatened by communism. Played a large role in the developing cold war with the Soviet Union. Helped set the stage for the Marshall Plan.
Lyndon Johnson (LBJ)
Succeeded JFK upon his death - signed in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Great Society programs; accelerated troops to Vietnam
1950s prosperity
after WW2 big economic boom -- lots of American made products etc. men come home. people buy houses-- quality of life improves