Unit Study Guide (ch. 36-40)
AP US History
The Stormy Sixties
 John F. Kennedy
o Barely elected. Established the New Frontier. Passed the Alliance for Progress - $20
million to prop up democracies in Latin America. Also set up NASA and pushed the arts
and sciences. Established the Peace Corps.
 Vietnam
o Ho Chi Minh is pro-US before World War II but a Communist after.
o Vietcong: National Liberation Front; Communist guerillas.
o Diem in charge of the South – a military coup removes him.
o Gulf of Tonkin: 1964. By 1965, Operation Rolling Thunder is occuring (major bombing
of North Vietnam).
o Vietnam splits the American public into “doves” and “hawks.”
The Stalemated Seventies
 Sources of Stagnation
o Economic flurry of the 50s and 60s result in 70s stagnation. Vietnam War and Great
Society spending results in zero treasury funds. Allows Europeans to catch up.
 Nixon Vietnamizes the War
o Urges Americans to cooperate: beings Vietnamization: 540,000 troops pulled out and war
is given back to Vietnam.
o US is very split and troops angered. Nixon orders attack on Cambodia to stop Vietcong
who are traveling through, the lies about having done so.
 Nixon’s Détente
o Relaxxes tensions between, U.S., U.S.S.R., and China. Makes deal with the U.S.S.R. to
sell $75 million worth of food.
 Supreme Court
o Earl Warren: Chief Justice
 Gideon: All criminals are provided legal counsel, even if they can’t afford it.
 Escobedo/Miranda: the accused can remain silent.
 Engel v. Vitale: no required prayer of Bible in public schools.
 Nixon’s Home Front
o Expanded many Great Society Programs. Set up massive environmental programs: EPA,
Clean Air Act.
o Affirmative Action – preferential treatment for minorities?
 1972 Election
o Nixon wins over George McGovern. Nixon wins in a landslide. It was discovered that the
US had bombed Cambodia just after the election. The Credibility gap was widened and
the War Powers Act is passed.
 Watergate
o Massive scandal that resulted in massive amounts of resigning. Ultimately, Nixon himself
was forced to do so and Gerald Ford became President. Saturday Night Massacre:
Archibald Cox (lead prosecutor) Is fired and attorney general/deputy generals resign also.
o Gerald Ford: not popular; amnesty to Nixon, amnesty to draft dodgers, was defeated in
Vietnam.
 Feminist Victories: Roe vs. Wade, attempted Equal Rights Amendment.
 1976 Election
o Jimmy Carter beats Ford but barely. Quickly loses his initial popularity as the economy
sinks. Cater was a champion for human rights but not a very good politician. Mediated
the Camp David Accords.
 Carter’s Foreign Affairs
o Massive inflation. Diagnosed problems as stemming from US dependence on oil. Carter
stunned the nation with his tough talks, especially after Iran stops exporting oil.
The Resurgence of Communism
 1980 Election
o Ronald Reagan wins and symbolizes a return to traditionalism.
Unit Study Guide (ch. 36-40)






AP US History
Reagan’s Economic Policies
o By the 1980s, public is sick of New Deal/Great Society costs. Initiates massive budget
cuts  $35 billion.
 Vast majority of cuts fell on social programs, not on defense spending.
“Reaganomics” is the policy of the era.
 In the early 80s, nation falls into a recession. Income gap between the rich and
the poor widens.
Renewing the Cold War
o Reagan renewed the Cold War – SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative) was proposed but
never built.
o Reagan broke all arms-control regulations in 1983.
o Reagan fought Communist rebels abroad  Nicaragua, Lebanon, Grenada.
The Lowering of the Cold War
o Mikhail Gorbachev rises in Soviet Union – glasnost aims to introduce free speech and
political liberty.
o All INF’s (nuclear missiles) are banned from Europe.
Iran Contra Issue
o America agrees to sel arms to Iran in return for American hostages. This money is used to
aid Nicaraguan “contra” rebels.
 Violate ban on helping the contras as well as Reagan’s vow not to negotiate with
terrorists.
Economics
o Reagan actually accumulated a $2 trillion debt – more than all his predecessors
combined.
o Radical conservative movements emerged in the 80s to combat the liberalism of the 60s.
George H. Bush
o Won the 1988 election. Berlin Wall comes down and the Soviet Union officially falls.
First Persian Gulf War. Americans with Disabilities Act.
Chapter 36 Vocabulary
Inchon: decisive UN victory in the Korean War.
Taft Hartley Act: outlawed “closed” shops, made unions liable for damages they cause, and required union
leaders to take non-Communist oaths.
GI Bill of Rights: Allowed all servicemen to have free education when they return home.
Sunbelt: 15 state region in the South that drastically increased in population.
Levittown: Levitt brothers suburban project – built and sold many homes that looked almost identical.
“Little Boxes.”
Baby Boom: Soldiers return from war and marry their sweethearts  baby boom.
Cold War: Political “stare-down” between USSR and US.
Nuremberg War Crimes Trials: Charged 22 people who were vital in perpetuating the Holocaust.
Berlin Airlift: After USSR blockades Berlin, hoping to starve out the Allied powers, the organie and airlift
to bring in food for Berlin.
George Kennan/Containment: Firm containment of Soviet expansion would halt Communist power.
Unit Study Guide (ch. 36-40)
AP US History
Truman Doctrine: containment policy; put $400 million toward helping Greece and Turkey from falling to
Communism.
Marshall Plan: Secretary of State John Marshall, with Truman, pass plan to send $12.5 billion to aid in
European recovery in order to prevent spread of Communism.
NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization – 13 nation pact stating that attack on one is attack on all.
USSR responds with Warsaw Act.
House Un-American Activities: Creates an Un-American Activities to battle Communism. Investigated
“subversion.”
Fair Deal: Truman’s running promise during the 1948 election – improved housing, higher minimum wage,
full employment, better farm prices, Social Security expansion.
NSC-68: National Security Council Memorandum Number 68  called for government military spending
to be quadrupled in anticipation of the Korean War.
Korean War: Democratic South vs. Communist North. US springs into action to help the South  38th
parallel border is drawn.
Benjamin Spock: Wrote a book on Baby and Child Care. Was immensely popular.
Joseph Stalin: Leader of USSR in post WWII era. Took over Poland after agreeing not to.
George Marshall: Came up with Marshall Plan. Truman’s Secretary of State.
Rosenbergs: Tried and executed for selling nuclear secrets to the Russians.
Alger Hiss: Tried under the Committee on Un-American Activities by Richard Nixon.
Brinkmanship: pushing dangerous events to the bring of disaster in order to achieve most advantageous
outcome.
Domino Theory: If one place falls to Communism, those around it will do so as well.
Chapter 37 Vocabulary
Khrushchev: U-2 incident; US tries to fly a U-2 spy plane over the USSR but it is shot down – tightened
tensions that had been falling.
Planned obsolescence: Purposefully designed a product with a limited useful life so that it will break and
people will have to but a new one.
Organization Man: William H. Whyte, Jr. Fought against the new consumerism of the 1950s.
McCarthyism: Major anti-communist sentiments started by Joseph McCarthy.
Jonas Salk: Developed the first inactive polio vaccine.
Elvis: Major singer of 1950s-1970s. Sexually more open and liberal.
Economics of the 1950s: Explosion of the electronics field. Massive consumer culture  “White collar”
outnumber “blue color” for the first time.
Unit Study Guide (ch. 36-40)
AP US History
Federal Highway Act of 1956: Built 42,000 miles of interstate freeways – connecting the U.S.
Eisenhower: Won the 1952 election easily with Nixon as his VP. Fought to end the Korean War and did so.
Election was the first with TV as a major medium.
John Foster Dulles: Secretary of State under Eisenhower; “roll=back” theory  containment isn’t enough,
must push back and liberate the people under Communism.
Mutually Assured Destruction: No one will fire off a nuclear bomb at another because they will get just as
many sent back at them.
Suez Crisis: Britain, France, Israel attack Egypt thinking that the US will supply them with oil. The US
does not, and Britain, France, and Israel are forced to pull back.
Ganal Abdel Nassar: Leader of Egypt during the Suez Crisis.
Nikita Khrushchev: Eisenhower tried to thaw the Cold War with him, but Khrushchev rejected it (Geneva
Conference).
OPEC: Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, and Venezuela.
Battle of Dien Bien Phu: First major confrontation of French Union and Vietnamese Communist groups.
Checkers Speech: Delivered by Richard Nixon (Eisenhower’s VP) after being caught in a scandal.
Touching speech – he is forgiven and stays on as VP.
Civil Rights Movement: MLK’s Philosophy: non-violence, use of sit-ins and other non-violent means to
inducing change.
Rosa Parks: Civil rights activist – refused to give up her seat on the bus for the white person.
SCLC: African American Civil Rights organization. Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
MLK’s Letter from Birmingham Jail: MLK is arrested – religious leaders send him letters saying to stop
but he responds by saying that he will not stop.
SNCC: Southern Non-violent Coordinating Committee; gave focus and force to the Civil Rights
Movement.
March of Washington: “I have a dream speech.” – Black march on D.C. and MLK’s speech.
Chapter 38 Vocabulary
Kennedy’s First Inaugural: Very stirring: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do
for your country.”
New Frontier Legislation: Kennedy’s social program.
Berlin Wall: Wall the separated East (Communist) and West Germany.
Bay of Pigs Incident: U.S. aided invasion of Cuba by rebels. Total disaster, the revolt failed. Castro pushed
more toward Communist Camp.
Cuban Missile Crisis: USSR sends nukes to Cuba, they point them at us, we say to get rid of them: 13 day
stand off.
Unit Study Guide (ch. 36-40)
AP US History
Peaceful Coexistence: Communism and Capitalism can “peacefully coexist.” Ideology adopted by sovietinfluenced “communist states.”
Freedom Riders: Chartered buses to tour South and end segregation. Drew more attention to segregation in
the South.
Kennedy Assassination 11/22/62: JFK is killed while touring Dallas, TX.
Warren Commission: Established to find out who killed Kennedy. Conclusion  Lee Harvey Oswald.
23rd Amendment: Gives residents of D.C. the right to vote for representatives in the electoral college.
24th Amendment: Eliminated poll taxes.
25th Amendment: Officially established order of succession should a president die in office.
LBJ’s War On Poverty/Great Social Agenda: Larges reform agenda since the New Deal. Money to
students, establishment of Medicare and Medicaid, Immigration/Nationality Act of 1965, Head Start.
Civil Rights Act of 1964: Banned all racial discrimination in private facilities open to the public.
LBJ’s Big Four Reforms: Aid to education, medical care for elderly/poor, immigration reform, new voting
rights bill.
Black Power Leaders: Malcolm X; fought to achieve Civil Rights through violent means.
Vietnam “Quagmire”: Communist Ho Chi Minh is threatening a communist revolution  JFK sends more
troops and they die often. Protests to get us out are massive.
Election of 1968: Nixon wins the election after LBJ announces that he will not run again.
26th Amendment: 18 is the voting age.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: Essentially gave LBJ a blank check to fight in Vietnam.
Chapter 39 Vocabulary
Draft Deferments: Exemption for college students from being drafted. Put the weight of Vietnam on the
poor.
Treatment of Soldiers: Soldiers are treated terribly in and out of combat. Brutal fighting conditions, they
are hated back home.
Vietnamization: Nixon’s plan to give the war back to Vietnam. Pulls out a large chunk of US troops.
Henry Kissinger: Sent to China to encourage better relations – success. Nixon’s national security advisor.
My Lai Massacre: U.S. soldiers slaughter women and children in the village My Lai. Shows U.S. troops’
frustration with the war.
Pentagon Papers: Documents about the Vietnam War leaked by Danial Ellsberg. They exposed the deceit
used by Kennedy and LBJ’s administration. Created the “credibility gap.”
Unit Study Guide (ch. 36-40)
AP US History
War Powers Act: stated that the president must report use of US troops to Congress within 48 hours as well
as set a 60 day limit on those activities.
Silent Majority: Americans who supported the war but did so quietly.
Christmas Bombings: Massive air raids on North Vietnam ordered by Nixon. Ordered after the war was
supposed to be dwindling down.
Détente: relaxed tensions. Occurred with USSR.
Nixon’s visit to the USSR & China: used to establish détente between nations.
Rachael Carson: Wrote Silent Spring, a piece that exposed the disastrous effects of pesticides (DDT).
Roe vs. Wade: controversial Supreme Court case legalizing abortion (Warren Burger is Chief Justice).
SALT II: Carter’s attempt to ease tensions with the USSR. Not ratified.
Smoking Gun Tapes: The “last tape” that proved Nixon’s had prior knowledge of Watergate. Resulted in
his resignation.
Earl Warren: Chief Justice of Supreme Court. Very liberal and make several landmark decisions.
Stagnation: persistent high inflation coupled with high unemployment and stagnant demand in a country’s
economy.
Gerald Ford: After Nixon’s first VP resigned, Nixon called for Ford to be the new VP. Since Nixon had to
resign, Ford became President.
Jimmy Carter: Won the 1976 election over Gerald Ford.
Camp David Accords: Mediated by Carter. Israel will withdraw from territory gained the the 1967 war, and
Egypt will respect Israel’s territories in return.
Leonid Brezhnev: Soviet Premier who formed SALT II with Carter.
Iran Hostage Situation: militants take hostage US embassy in Tehran. Dragged on for most of Carter’s
term.
Chapter 40
Election of 1980: Edward Kennedy vs. Ronald Reagan. Reagan won in a landslide signaling shift back to
traditionalism.
“Reaganomics”: policies favorable to businesses. Lower individual taxes, almost eliminating federal estate
taxes, created tax-free saving plans for small investors.
Glasnost and Gorbachev: Soviet’s plan to Westernize. Glasnost: “openness. Shifting toward free-speech
and press as well as toward a free-market economy.
The Iran-Contra Affair: Reagan agrees to sell arms to Iran in return for hostages. This money is funneled
into helping the Contra-rebels in Nicaragua, something that was strictly prohibited.
Conservative appointments to the Supreme Court: Reagan appoints many conservative judges. Antiabortion and anti-affirmative action.
Unit Study Guide (ch. 36-40)
AP US History
Election of 1988: George H Bush wins the election.
Bush-Gorbachev Summits: Summits to negotiate and declare an end to the Cold War.
First Persian Gulf War: Iraq invades Kuwait, US invades Iraq to liberate Kuwait. Also known as Operation
Desert Storm. Battle against Sadam Hussein.
End of the Cold War/Collapse of the Soviet Union: Soviet Union is disintegrated into the Commonwealth
of Independent States.
Americans with Disabilities Act: Landmark law (George H.) that banned discrimination against citizens
with disabilities.
27th Amendment: Stated that Congressional pay raises would not go into effect until after another
Congressional election had taken place.