Download america 1950 – 1975 study guide 2016

AMERICA 1950 – 1975 STUDY GUIDE
Test Date: Monday, March 20th, 2017
1) Know your vocabulary words
2) Civil War People
a) Martin Luther King, Jr. believed that peaceful protests were the best way
to change Jim Crow Laws. He believed that people should always fight laws
that they felt were unjust (unfair) but that they should do it with
nonviolence.
b) When John F. Kennedy (JFK) died people felt great sadness for a beloved
man.
c) When Martin Luther King, Jr. died people felt angry and many riots
broke out.
d) When Robert Kennedy was killed people couldn’t believe that another
Kennedy had been shot. Robert F. Kennedy was a United States Senator
who was killed while running for President in 1968. He was a strong
supporter of Civil Rights.
e) President John F. Kennedy (JFK) was popular with African Americans
because he was very involved with Civil Rights, and even introduced the Civil
Rights Bill, which became a law a year after his death.
f) John F. Kennedy served less than a 1000 days in office because Lee Harvey
Oswald assassinated him.
g) During John F. Kennedy’s administration (when he was president) the Peace
Corps was created.
h) He started the Peace Corps to help people in other countries.
i) The Peace Corps taught children, helped grow food, and develop businesses.
j) Martin Luther King Jr. led a march and speech in Washington, D.C., a
Children’s March, and many nonviolent protests.
k) Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. both believed that nonviolence was the best method to protest injustice. Mahatma Gandhi inspired
Martin Luther King Jr. to use nonviolence.
l) Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested and put in jail because he told people
to disobey unjust (unfair) laws.
m) Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream was for African Americans and whites to
learn to love and respect one another.
n) During the 1950’s and 1960’s Martin Luther King, Jr. and other leaders
were fighting for equal rights.
o) Martin Luther King Jr. would oppose (be against) any protest that involved
violence such as a race riot.
p) Martin Luther King. Jr. organized the Montgomery bus boycott.
q) Rosa Parks is often associated with the Montgomery Bus Boycott
r) Before Thurgood Marshall became the first African American Supreme
Court Justice he was first famous for winning the court case of Brown vs.
the Board of Education
3) Cuban Missile Crisis
a) How far away for the United States is Cuba? 90 miles
b) What was the Cuban Missile Crisis? When the Soviets placed nuclear missiles in Cuba and
pointed them at the USA.
c) What started the Cuban Missile Crisis? The United States learned that the Soviet Union
was putting missiles in Cuba.
d) Who was the Russian leader that placed the missiles in Cuba? Nikita Khrushchev
e) Who was the Cuban leader that allowed the Soviet Union to place the nuclear missiles
in Cuba? Fidel Castro
f) What did President Kennedy when the Soviet Union placed the missiles in Cuba? Once
the Russians put missiles in Cuba, Kennedy was forced to blockade Cuba. He had
American warships surround the island. The ships prevented Soviet ships from getting in
g) How long did the blockade last? 13 days
h) Why didn’t Kennedy bomb Cuba once they pointed the missiles at America? John F.
Kennedy did not bomb Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis because he wanted to avoid a
nuclear war.
i) Why did the Soviets place the missiles in Cuba? The Russians put missiles in Cuba
because the United States put missiles in Turkey and pointed them at Russia first.
j) What ended the Cuban Missile Crisis? The Cuban Missile Crisis was over when the United
States agreed to not invade Cuba and remove their missiles from Turkey, as long as Russia
removed their Missiles from Cuba.
k) The Cuban Missile Crisis was the closet the world has ever came to nuclear war
4) Vietnam War
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
k)
l)
m)
When was Vietnam split into two countries? 1954
Which part of Vietnam was communist? North Vietnam
Which part of Vietnam was not communist? South Vietnam
Which country was trying to takeover the other country? North Vietnam tried to invade
South Vietnam
What was the name of the North Vietnamese army called? The Viet Cong
Why did America get involved in the Vietnam War? America went to Vietnam because
they didn’t want communism to spread to South Vietnam.
What theory says that if one country becomes communist then the countries next to it
will soon become communist as well? Domino Theory
How did the majority of Americans feel about the Vietnam War? Most Americans felt
that this war had nothing to do with us, which led to many protests.
Why did America help South Vietnam even though most Americans didn’t want us to
go to war with North Vietnam? We only helped South Vietnam because we wanted to
show support in their fight against communism.
What made the Vietnam War different from the previous wars that America was
involved in? The Vietnam War was different from other wars because it was the first war
that could be watched on TV.
What advantage did the Viet Cong have over the American Soldiers? The Viet Cong
(Vietnamese Fighters) had an advantage over the Americans because they knew the terrain
extremely well. They fought in small groups that hid and moved quickly in and out of the
jungle.
Who won the Vietnam War? Nobody won the Vietnam War. They had a ceasefire
(agreement to stop fighting) and the United States left Vietnam.
What happened after the United States left Vietnam? After the U.S. troops left Vietnam
the North Vietnamese took over South Vietnam easily because South Vietnam’s
government wasn’t very popular. The North Vietnamese made Vietnam one country that
would be ruled by communism.
n) How is the U.S. relationship with Vietnam today? The U.S. and Vietnam today are
trading partners.
o) The Vietnam War led to many protests, which included signs such as, “NO MORE WAR.
BRING THE TROOPS HOME!!!”
5) Civil Rights Movement
a) How were African Americans being treated during the 1960’s? They were treated like
second-class citizens.
b) How were African American effected by segregation? They were forced to live in
segregated housing, attend segregated movies, and use segregated facilities such as
restrooms, water fountains, and waiting room.
c) What did African Americans fight against the Civil Rights Movement? African Americans
fought against racial discrimination and segregation.
6) Brown vs. Board of Education
a) Who sued the Board of Education because his daughter had to travel one mile to
attend the segregated school instead of the white school next to her? Oliver Brown
b) What was the name of the student that had to walk one mile to school? Linda Brown
c) Who was Linda Brown’s lawyer? Thurgood Marshall
d) Thurgood Marshall would later become the first African American to serve on the
____________? United States Supreme Court
e) Which amendment did Thurgood Marshall say was being violated by having separate
schools? 14th amendment
f) What year did the Supreme Court say that schools could no longer be segregated?
1954. Schools being to integrate (schools with people of colors).
g) Which court case determined that it was illegal for schools to be segregated? Brown vs.
Board of Education
h) What did Brown vs. Board of Education establish? That public school couldn’t segregate.
7) Montgomery Bus Boycott
a) What women in 1955 helped start the modern civil rights movement? Rosa Parks
b) What did Rosa Parks do? She refused to give up her seat on a crowded bus and go to the
colored section, which was at the back of the bus.
c) What happened to Rosa Parks when she refused to give up her seat? She was arrested
d) What did Rosa Parks arrest lead to? The Montgomery Bus Boycott
e) Who organized The Montgomery Bus Boycott? Martin Luther King Jr.
f) What is a boycott? A boycott is when a group of people refuse to spend their money at a
business.
g) How long did the Montgomery Bus Boycott last? It lasted for one year
h) What did African American do now that they refused to use the bus? They walked, rode
bicycles, and shared cars.
i) What effect did the boycott have on the bus companies? They lost lots of money because
of the boycott.
j) What was the protest where blacks refused to ride the bus in Montgomery, Alabama
until segregation of public transportation was outlawed? Montgomery Bus Boycott
k) Rosa Parks is most associated with ____________? Montgomery Bus Boycott
8) Freedom Rides
a) What year did the Supreme Court make segregation in bus station illegal? 1960
b) What was the name given to African American who would travel the south in order to
test the new laws that made segregation illegal? They were called the Freedom Riders.
c) What did African Americans do in order to test the new law that banned segregation?
They would travel throughout the south in busses using restrooms, bus waiting rooms, and
restaurants that were once for “whites only”.
d) What did people do to the Freedom Riders when they would use areas that used to be
for “whites only”? Unfortunately, they would often be attacked for using the facilities.
9) Sit-in’s
a) What was a sit in? A sit in is when African Americans would sit at lunch counters and not
move until they closed, in order to protest the fact that it was for “whites only”.
b) What would the sit in’s force the restaurants to do? They would force the restaurants to
either close early or treat African Americans fairly.
c) What effect did the sit in’s have on the businesses? They would eventually force many
businesses to serve African Americans.
d) What would often happen to Civil Rights protesters? They would often be arrested,
jailed, and even killed.
10) Why was segregation more common in the south then in the north? It was more common in
the south because slavery had once been a way of life in the South.
11) What does integrate mean? Integrate means to bring together.
12) What was the goal of the Civil Rights Movement? They wanted to integrate American society.
They wanted to stop the laws that kept African Americans and whites separated.
13) Why was ending segregation difficult? It was difficult because many state and federal laws
supported segregation.
14) Many would argue that segregation was fair because African Americans were “separate
but equal”.
15) Why wasn’t separate but equal fair to African Americans? It wasn’t fair to African Americans
because their facilities were often inferior.
16) March on Washington
a) What was the purpose of the March on Washington? It was organized to show support
and get Congress to pass the Civil Rights Bill.
b) How many people attended the March on Washington? More than 250,000 people
attended
c) What is the March on Washington most famous for? Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a
dream” speech, which inspired hundreds of thousands of people to help the Civil Rights
movement.
17) Civil Rights Act of 1964
a) Which President started the Civil Rights Act of 1964? John F. Kennedy but he doesn’t sign
the act into law because he gets assassinated.
b) Which President signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964? Lyndon B. Johnson
c) What did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ban?
i) It banned discrimination against any American because of that person’s race, color, or
religion.
ii) It also banned segregation in schools, workplaces, and public places such as restaurants
and theaters. I
iii) It also said that people of all races, male and female, should have the equal opportunity
to get a job.
d) Did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 make things better for African Americans instantly?
Even with the law life was still very difficult for African Americans. People and Police would
still attack protesters often.
e) What laws did the Civil Rights Act make illegal? Jim Crow Laws.
f) What event led to the government passing the Civil Rights Act? The March on
Washington
18) Voting Rights Act of 1965
a) Why is the ability to vote important for all citizens? It allows you to choose government
officials that will represent your best interests.
b) Why was the Voting Rights Act of 1965 especially important for African Americans? It
was important because African Americans had trouble voting because Southern
governments made it difficult fro them to vote.
c) What did the Voting Rights Act of 1965 make illegal?
i) It became illegal to prevent or hinder citizens from voting because of their racial or
ethnic backgrounds.
ii) It also made literacy test illegal
d) Which amendment made poll taxes illegal? 24th amendment
19) Space Race
i)
Which two countries were involved in the Space Race? The Space Race was between
the United States and Russia.
ii) What is the United States space organization called? NASA, it stands for National
Aeronautical and Space Administration
iii) Was the first satellite sent to space, it was sent by the Soviet Union? Sputnik 1
iv) Who was the first country to put a man in space? The Soviet Union
v) What country was the first to put a man on the moon? United States
vi) Who was the first man to walk on the moon? Neil Armstrong
vii) Who was the first American to be launched into space? Alan Sheppard
viii) What year did Apollo 11 landed on the moon? 1969.
ix) Why was going to space important for both countries? It allowed both countries to
explore the Universe.
20) Television
a) This was a technological advancement that changed American life? Television
b) What could people do with the television that they couldn’t do previously? People
could get entertainment and news from all over the world. It made the country and the
world seem smaller.
c) How many Americans owned a television in 1950? 10 percent
d) How many Americans owned a television by 1960? 90 percent
e) How many Americans own a television today? 99 percent
f) What two famous events were Americans available to view on television for the first
time? They saw the Vietnam War and the first man to walk on the moon.