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House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)
Created to investigate disloyal activities of private citizens, public employees, and organizations that were suspected to have communist connections. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives made up the committee. It scared many people because it promoted ideas that communism could be in their country. -
Rock n' Roll
Rock n' Roll first came into during the late 40's and early 50's. African Americans were the ones who brought to light with styles such as gospel, jazz, boogie boogie, and rhythm and blues. The soviets also banned Rock n' Roll in one point because it gave people the idea to break down communism. -
G.I. Bill (servicemen's readjustment act of 1944)
Designated for the veterans of WWll. Its purpose was to award the veterans and prevent them from unemployment and economic disruption. Veterans were able to attend college and receive home mortgages. -
Cold War
The cold war was mainly between Russia and the United States. They both had different economic systems, mutual suspicions, and ideological differences. Russia were communists and America feared a communism attack. -
Iron Curtain
Speech delivered by Winston Churchill. "Iron Curtain" was a metaphor for the divide between Western Europe and the Soviet Bloc. Stalin also called the speech a "call to war". -
Baby Boom Generation
This was the generation that was born right after WWll. The soldiers came home missing their wives and babies were the result. Many people looked forward to having babies because they knew their would be good fortune in the future. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was designed to contain communism. Truman said he would give aid to Greece and Turkey. The doctrine also extended to give support to non-communist governments. -
Containment Policy
Containment policy was a way for the U.S. to prevent the spread of communism. Influenced b y the response of Russia trying to increase communism in Eastern Europe. George Kennan was also the one who created this policy. -
Marshall plan
An aid to help all European nations rebuild after the war. Millions were in refugee camps. Western Europe struggled the most to revive after WWll -
Berlin Airlift
The U.S. would fly over West Berlin and drop food and supplies after the Soviets blockaded the city. The U.S. helped the people of West Berlin because they didn't want them to become communists. The children of Berlin eventually started an American pilot "The Candy Bomber" because he dropped candy. -
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
NATO was a defense alliance to protect the west from communism. It was formed by 12 countries in Western Europe. As of today there are 26. The soviets created the Warsaw Pact in response. -
1950's Prosperity
Movement against communism increased. In this time frame the military was at it's strongest. More new cars, suburbs, and other goods were discovered during this time. -
McCarthyism
A period of intense anti-communists suspicion. It was all under the influence of Joseph McCarthy. Also referred to as the "second red scare'. Many innocent people who were accused of being communists lost their jobs. -
Beatniks
A group of rebellious writers and intellectuals. They promoted the use of drugs, being spontaneous, and rebellious against social standards. Jack Kerouac was the one who started beatniks -
Rust Belt vs. Sun Belt
Right after WWll, American industry was at its peak. Many Americans moved tot these big industrials cities that were in the North and Midwestern. Although Rust Belt lost economic opportunities, many Americans started moving into suburbs also known as Sunbelt where they found new technologies, cheap land, and new oil fields. -
Ray Kroc
Kroc is an American business man who is famously known for building McDonalds. Kroc first started off in WWl where he lied about his age and was a Red Cross ambulance driver at the age of 15. After WWl Kroc worked as a salesman and eventually became evolved with McDonalds. -
Domino Theory
As influenced by president Dwight D. Eisenhower, the domino theory was that if one country encouraged communism than surrounding countries would do the same. Eisenhower first mentioned this theory in a conference referencing Indochina. This theory seemed to be true because the Soviet Union brought countries of Eastern and Central Europe under it's influence -
Korean War
First began when North Korea invaded South Korea after WW2. North Korea were communist and South Korea was non-communist. The United States allied with South Korea, while China allied with the North. North Korea's main goal was for communism. -
Levittown
Levittown was a small suburb neighborhood where families and veterans returning from WWll can live. William Levitt made the town and about 36 house were made per day. The houses all looked alike and eventually these suburbs houses became popular. -
Jonas Salk
Jonas Salk is important to history because in his college years he conducted research on Polio and was able to develop a "killed virus" vaccine for the disease. By 1955, his vaccine was effective and safe to use. By 1957, about 6,000 new cases where dropped. -
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Eisenhower first served as a tank instructor in WWll. He was vice president when FDR was president. Once FDR died, Eisenhower became the 38th president of the U.S.. Eisenhower kept up the pressure with the Soviet Union, made nuclear weapons a higher priority, launched the space race, and began the Interstate Highway System. -
Rosenberg Trail
Julius Rosenburg was convicted of spying on America and passing on secrets about the atomic bombs to the soviets. Ethel, the wife of Julius, was also convicted. They believed she knew what was going on as well. Both were sentenced to death and executed. -
Vietnam War
Also known as the second Indochina War. Vietnam separated from North and South. North being ran by Hochiminh and the South by Ngo Dinh Diem. U.S. got involved to stop communism, but ended up losing. -
Interstate Highway Act
This law gave authorization of a 41,000 mile interstate highway. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the law. It took about 10 years and cost about $25 billion dollars. -
Space Race
Space Race was a race between the U.S. and USSR to see who could be better in exploring space. It was important because it would prove which country had the best science, technology, and economic system. Russia was successful first because of the satellite, Sputnik l. -
Sputnik
First man made satellite by USSR. It was able to orbit the Earth every 96 minutes. Angered the U.S. because they weren't first, but a satellite was made by the U.S. the next year. -
John F. Kennedy
35th president of the United States. Dealt with the cuban missile crisis and allowed the leader of the Soviet Union to withdraw their missiles. He was also president during the building of the brain wall, space race, and a little bit of the Vietnamese war until he was assassinated. -
Bay of Pigs
Operation to overthrow Fidel Castro. Failed miserably and is a big embarrassment for President JFK. Cuba gets closer with USSR after this. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
All began when Soviet missiles were discovered in Cuba by U.S. renaissance flights. It was a huge threat to U.S. security. JFK convinced EXCOMM to develop a plan that dealt with missiles. -
Betty Friedan
Activists, Feminist, and writer. She was a leading figure in the women's movement the U.S. because of her book "The Feminine Mystique". The book was so famous because she challenged the widespread belief of women, which was being a house wife. -
Lyndon B. Johnson
Became president after JFK was assassinated. LBJ was the one who signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He also promoted the "Great Society" plan and was president during the Gulf of Tonkin incident along with Tet Offensive. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
In response to the Gulf of Tonkin incident. Resolution allowed military action without declaration of war. LBJ pushed for a resolution to protect the forces and interests of the U.S. -
Great Society
Passed by Lyndon B. Johnson, the Great Society was a program to reduce poverty and promote a better quality of life in the U.S.. The program included Medicare, civil rights legislation, and federal aid to education. -
Anti-War Movement
Anti-War movement was mainly a lot of protests. Individuals burned draft cards and committed suicide. Group protested at government buildings, weapons manufacturers and the pentagon. -
Tet Offensive
In Vietnamese, Tet means new year. So it was a new year of offensive attacks by the communist forces. North Vietnam lost militarily and there was destruction in South Vietnam. -
Richard Nixon
Presidency from 1968-1972. Came up with "Vietnamization", also bombed Cambodia/Laos. He created the Environmental Protection Agency and was also the president during the first moon landing. He was also the first and only president to resign. -
Moon Landing
Landing of a spacecraft on the moon. Involved with the space race and gave the U.S. an advantage because they were the first to have a man step foot on the moon. -
Vietnamization
A strategy introduced by President nixon. Vietnamization was aimed at ending American involvement in the Vietnam War by giving all american responsibilities to South Vietnam. Nixon believed this strategy would give South Vietnam military strength to take responsibility for themselves and have a good defense against communism. -
26th Amendment
26th Amendment gave the right to citizens of the United States that are 18 years or older to vote and should not be denied by the U.S. based on their age. President Nixon signed the law and it was ratified in July 1, 1971. -
War Powers Act
A federal law that allowed the president to send armed forces into any action if the U.S. was under serious attack. Congress had to be advised within 2 days of action and the troops had a 60 to 90 day limit.
