The Affluent Society: Work by the economist John Galbraith that encouraged Americans to spend less on personal consumption and devote public funds to schools, medical care, and social services.
Levittown: One of the first suburbs located in Hempstead, Long Island and founded in 1947. It admitted only white families.
Federal Highway Act: Authorized $32 billion for the construction of an interstate highway system. It was funded by new taxes and generated and enhanced many industries, such as trucking and oil.
National Defense Education Act: Allocated federal grants for universities to improve their science research departments, as well as grants for student loans.
Suburban Domesticity: The idea of women remaining home in suburban areas. The ideal suburban wife was portrayed as efficient, patient, and charming.
Betty Friedan: A wife and mother who realized many of her peers felt confined by the image of suburban domesticity, which inspired her to write The Feminine Mystique.
The Feminine Mystique: Novel that voiced the frustrations of suburban women, written by Betty Friedan.
Landrum-Griffin Act: Legislation that widened government control over unions in response to the merger of the AFL and CIO.
The Lonely Crowd: Book by sociologist David Riesman that modern American gave rise to the “other-directed” man, one who desire to conform rather than being self-reliant.
Organization Man: A study of a Chicago suburb by William Whyte that depicted people whose primary goal was to fit into their communities and jobs, with a belief in “belongingness”.
White Collar: Book by C. Wright Mills, the most radical critic of post-WWII society, which illustrated how people sacrificed their personalities for their jobs.
The Power Elite: Book by C. Wright Mills that suggested that a group of corporate executives, military men, and political leaders dominated American society.
Jonas Salk: Medical researcher who developed the first polio vaccine.
“Teenager”: The group of adolescents that became a major influence in the market, especially in music, during the post-war era.
“Rock ‘n’ Roll”: A type of music that originated in America with black music groups playing rhythm and blues. Notable artists included Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley.
Seduction of the Innocent: Book by psychiatrist Fredric Wertham arguing that crime comic books induced children readers to criminal actions.
The Beats: A group of writers who distrusted conformity and the American virtues of progress and material gain.
Jack Kerouac: One of the leaders of the Beats and a novelist; he wrote On the Road.
On the Road: A novel by Jack Kerouac that described his adventures as he traveled with his friends across America.
Allen Ginsberg: One of the leaders of the Beats and a poet; he wrote Howl.
John Foster Dulles: Secretary of State under Eisenhower, his foreign policy stressed a sense of America’s duty to “preserve the free world” from communism. He called for not only containment, but a rollback of communism.
Nikita Khrushchev: Successor of Josef Stalin as Premier of the Soviet Union, he made a 12-day trip to America and called for a summit in Paris to discuss disarmament.
U-2 Incident: In 1960, the Soviets shot down an American spy plane and publicly showcased the pilot, Francis Powers. Eisenhower refused to apologize; the incident showed the rivalry between the two powers.
Sputnik: The first space orbiting satellite, created by the Soviet Union.
ICBMs: Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles – the primary objective in the nuclear arms race; the United States was far more advanced than the Soviet Union in the production of this invention.
NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration – Agency developed to compete with the Soviet Union in the space race.
Shah of Iran: The CIA covertly installed Riza Shah Pahlavi as leader in Iran because the previous prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh, opposed western oil interests.
Suez Crisis of 1956: The president of Egypt (Gamal Nasser) sought to nationalize the Suez Canal and appealed to the Soviet Union. The United States did not intervene and mediated a peace settlement when France, Israel, and Britain invaded.
Domino Theory: Eisenhower’s belief that if one nation fell to communism, others would follow.
Geneva Accord: An agreement in 1956 that called for a reunification of Vietnam and national elections. The United States did not sign this agreement.
Ho Chi Minh: The popular Communist Vietnamese leader during and before the Vietman War.
SEATO: Southeast Asia Treaty Organization – created by the United States prior to the Vietnam war in the attempt to expel communism from the region.
Ngo Dinh Diem: The leader of South Vietnam who lacked the support of the people and relied on the United States, specifically the CIA, to remain in power.
Military-Industrial Complex: Eisenhower warned against letting military industrial production get out of hand and dictate the political policies of the U.S.
John F. Kennedy: Democrat elected in 1960 over Richard Nixon, he promoted the New Frontier policy and entered the presidency dramatically.
Election of 1960: John F. Kennedy (D) defeated Richard Nixon (R) in an extremely close election. This election was the first to depend largely on televised debates, where the photogenic JFK held the advantage.
New Frontier: JFK’s foreign and domestic policy that sought to reinvigorate the nation with reforms to minimum wage and Social Security, reduced taxes, and revived the issue of women’s rights.
Peace Corps: One of the best-known New Frontier programs, it sent thousands of young men and women overseas to aid underdeveloped countries.
Revenue Act of 1962: Legislation passed under JFK that encouraged investment by reducing business taxes.
Presidential Commission on the Statius of Women: Organization founded under JFK and headed by Eleanor Roosevelt that revealed the discrimination against women in the workplace and called for female education programs, unemployment benefits, and day cares.
Green Berets: An elite unit of the Special Forces that emphasized JFK’s desire to acquire a greater extent of secrecy in operations. They were influential in Southeast Asia.
“The Best and the Brightest”: The term Kennedy used to refer to his aides that dominated policymaking.
Alliance for Progress: JFK’s program of economic aid to Latin America that allocated $100 billion over 10 years.
Fidel Castro: The communist leader of Cuba whom the United States opposed during the Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis.
Bay of Pigs: A failed American invasion of Cuba. The invasion force was led by the CIA.
Cuban Missile Crisis: Incident between the United States and Soviet Union over the Soviet placement of nuclear weapons in Cuba.
Limited Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty: Agreement signed by the U.S., Britain, and the Soviet Union that outlawed nuclear testing in the atmosphere, in space, and under water.
Lyndon B. Johnson: Successor of JFK after he was assassinated, the theme of his administration was the Great Society,
Levittown: One of the first suburbs located in Hempstead, Long Island and founded in 1947. It admitted only white families.
Federal Highway Act: Authorized $32 billion for the construction of an interstate highway system. It was funded by new taxes and generated and enhanced many industries, such as trucking and oil.
National Defense Education Act: Allocated federal grants for universities to improve their science research departments, as well as grants for student loans.
Suburban Domesticity: The idea of women remaining home in suburban areas. The ideal suburban wife was portrayed as efficient, patient, and charming.
Betty Friedan: A wife and mother who realized many of her peers felt confined by the image of suburban domesticity, which inspired her to write The Feminine Mystique.
The Feminine Mystique: Novel that voiced the frustrations of suburban women, written by Betty Friedan.
Landrum-Griffin Act: Legislation that widened government control over unions in response to the merger of the AFL and CIO.
The Lonely Crowd: Book by sociologist David Riesman that modern American gave rise to the “other-directed” man, one who desire to conform rather than being self-reliant.
Organization Man: A study of a Chicago suburb by William Whyte that depicted people whose primary goal was to fit into their communities and jobs, with a belief in “belongingness”.
White Collar: Book by C. Wright Mills, the most radical critic of post-WWII society, which illustrated how people sacrificed their personalities for their jobs.
The Power Elite: Book by C. Wright Mills that suggested that a group of corporate executives, military men, and political leaders dominated American society.
Jonas Salk: Medical researcher who developed the first polio vaccine.
“Teenager”: The group of adolescents that became a major influence in the market, especially in music, during the post-war era.
“Rock ‘n’ Roll”: A type of music that originated in America with black music groups playing rhythm and blues. Notable artists included Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley.
Seduction of the Innocent: Book by psychiatrist Fredric Wertham arguing that crime comic books induced children readers to criminal actions.
The Beats: A group of writers who distrusted conformity and the American virtues of progress and material gain.
Jack Kerouac: One of the leaders of the Beats and a novelist; he wrote On the Road.
On the Road: A novel by Jack Kerouac that described his adventures as he traveled with his friends across America.
Allen Ginsberg: One of the leaders of the Beats and a poet; he wrote Howl.
John Foster Dulles: Secretary of State under Eisenhower, his foreign policy stressed a sense of America’s duty to “preserve the free world” from communism. He called for not only containment, but a rollback of communism.
Nikita Khrushchev: Successor of Josef Stalin as Premier of the Soviet Union, he made a 12-day trip to America and called for a summit in Paris to discuss disarmament.
U-2 Incident: In 1960, the Soviets shot down an American spy plane and publicly showcased the pilot, Francis Powers. Eisenhower refused to apologize; the incident showed the rivalry between the two powers.
Sputnik: The first space orbiting satellite, created by the Soviet Union.
ICBMs: Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles – the primary objective in the nuclear arms race; the United States was far more advanced than the Soviet Union in the production of this invention.
NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration – Agency developed to compete with the Soviet Union in the space race.
Shah of Iran: The CIA covertly installed Riza Shah Pahlavi as leader in Iran because the previous prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh, opposed western oil interests.
Suez Crisis of 1956: The president of Egypt (Gamal Nasser) sought to nationalize the Suez Canal and appealed to the Soviet Union. The United States did not intervene and mediated a peace settlement when France, Israel, and Britain invaded.
Domino Theory: Eisenhower’s belief that if one nation fell to communism, others would follow.
Geneva Accord: An agreement in 1956 that called for a reunification of Vietnam and national elections. The United States did not sign this agreement.
Ho Chi Minh: The popular Communist Vietnamese leader during and before the Vietman War.
SEATO: Southeast Asia Treaty Organization – created by the United States prior to the Vietnam war in the attempt to expel communism from the region.
Ngo Dinh Diem: The leader of South Vietnam who lacked the support of the people and relied on the United States, specifically the CIA, to remain in power.
Military-Industrial Complex: Eisenhower warned against letting military industrial production get out of hand and dictate the political policies of the U.S.
John F. Kennedy: Democrat elected in 1960 over Richard Nixon, he promoted the New Frontier policy and entered the presidency dramatically.
Election of 1960: John F. Kennedy (D) defeated Richard Nixon (R) in an extremely close election. This election was the first to depend largely on televised debates, where the photogenic JFK held the advantage.
New Frontier: JFK’s foreign and domestic policy that sought to reinvigorate the nation with reforms to minimum wage and Social Security, reduced taxes, and revived the issue of women’s rights.
Peace Corps: One of the best-known New Frontier programs, it sent thousands of young men and women overseas to aid underdeveloped countries.
Revenue Act of 1962: Legislation passed under JFK that encouraged investment by reducing business taxes.
Presidential Commission on the Statius of Women: Organization founded under JFK and headed by Eleanor Roosevelt that revealed the discrimination against women in the workplace and called for female education programs, unemployment benefits, and day cares.
Green Berets: An elite unit of the Special Forces that emphasized JFK’s desire to acquire a greater extent of secrecy in operations. They were influential in Southeast Asia.
“The Best and the Brightest”: The term Kennedy used to refer to his aides that dominated policymaking.
Alliance for Progress: JFK’s program of economic aid to Latin America that allocated $100 billion over 10 years.
Fidel Castro: The communist leader of Cuba whom the United States opposed during the Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis.
Bay of Pigs: A failed American invasion of Cuba. The invasion force was led by the CIA.
Cuban Missile Crisis: Incident between the United States and Soviet Union over the Soviet placement of nuclear weapons in Cuba.
Limited Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty: Agreement signed by the U.S., Britain, and the Soviet Union that outlawed nuclear testing in the atmosphere, in space, and under water.
Lyndon B. Johnson: Successor of JFK after he was assassinated, the theme of his administration was the Great Society,