Vocab
Dwight Eisenhower
34th President of the United States from 1953-1961
Who commanded NATO forces for a period of time during the Korean War?
What event led Eisenhower to gaining notoriety?
WWII/D-day invasion
Identify at least 2 factors that contributed to the baby boom.
Soldiers returned home after World War II. More people got married. The economy became stronger. Families felt more financially secure. More people wanted to start families. The GI Bill helped veterans buy homes and go to college.
What was the name of the woman arrested in Montgomery, AL, for refusing to give up her seat?
Rosa Parks.
Korean War
Major conflict in between North Korea & South Korea; first proxy war of the Cold War, with the Soviet Union back North Korea & the U.S. back South Korea
What was the military alliance that the Soviet Union formed to combat NATO called?
What space program was established during the Eisenhower administration?
NASA
What were considered the three things you needed in order to live the "American Dream" in the 1950s?
Owning a home, owning a car, and supporting a family on one income
What was the name of the lawyer from NAACP who took charge of the Brown v. Board of Education court case. He also became the first black Supreme Court Justice.
Thurgood Marshall
Proxy War
Conflict where major powers support opposing sides in a conflict without ever directly engaging in combat against each other
How did President Eisenhower’s approach to the Cold War differ from President Truman’s?
Truman focused on stopping the spread of communism through policies like containment and helping allies. Eisenhower relied more on nuclear weapons and the threat of massive retaliation to discourage the Soviet Union.
In relation to the cold war, Eisenhower coined the term "domino theory." What did he mean by domino theory?
If one country falls to communism, neighboring countries will follow suit.
Identify at least two key factors that contributed to the generation gap of the 1950s.
Teenagers had more money to spend. Rock and roll music became popular. Teenagers developed their own fashion and styles. Television and movies influenced young people. Teenagers wanted more independence from their parents. Parents and teenagers had different values and interests
Why was the case of Emmitt Till so significant to civil rights in the 1950s?
Red Scare
Hysteria over the perceived threats of communism in the U.S. during the Cold Wa
Explain why the Red Scare & McCarthyism happened in the post-war U.S. What factors made Americans particularly susceptible to these phenomena?
Americans were afraid that communism would spread after World War II. The Cold War, the Soviet Union, the Korean War, domino effect, and the discovery of suspected communists in the U.S. increased fear. Senator Joseph McCarthy used these fears to accuse people of being communists.
Why did President Eisenhower make creating the Interstate Highway System a priority? What impact did the Interstate System have on the United States?
Eisenhower believed highways were important for national defense and moving troops and supplies. The highways also made travel and transportation easier and helped businesses and the economy grow.
The crash involving rock musicians Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper was coined as "the day the music died." Where did this crash happen?
Clear Lake, Iowa
Explain Brown v. Board of Education. What was the background, what happened, and what was the impact on the United States? How did southern states react to the ruling?
Brown v. Board of Education was a 1954 Supreme Court case about racial segregation in schools. The Supreme Court ruled that segregated public schools were unconstitutional. The decision helped begin the process of ending school segregation. Many southern states resisted the ruling and tried to delay or prevent integration.
Segregation
The act/process of keeping people separated from each other usually by race, class, gender, or religion
Explain the key idea behind communism. What was it? And how does it differ from the U.S. system of capitalism?
Communism is a system where the government controls major businesses and property, everyone is working for the greater good of the country. Capitalism allows private people and businesses to own property and make their own economic decisions
What was President Eisenhower's main military approach when taking office in the 1950s?
Name three factors that contributed to the growth of suburbs in the 1950s, AND name at least one of the suburbs of Des Moines, IA.
Rising incomes. The mass production and affordability of same-style homes. Automobile ownership. GI Bill benefits.
Waukee, Johnston, Clive, Urbandale, Norwalk, Grimes, Windsor Heights, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Altoona, Pleasant Hill
Explain the situation with the Little Rock 9. What was the background, what happened, and what impact did it have on the United States?
The Little Rock Nine were nine Black students who tried to attend Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. The governor tried to stop them from entering the school. President Eisenhower sent federal troops to protect the students and enforce integration. The event showed the federal government's willingness to enforce the Supreme Court's desegregation ruling.