WWII (1939–45)
Which 1939 event is widely considered to have started World War II?
Germany’s invasion of Poland (1939)
What cultural symbol represented women working in wartime factories during WWII?
“Rosie the Riveter.”
What term describes the geopolitical struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union without direct large-scale military engagement?
The Cold War.
Which 1896 Supreme Court decision established “separate but equal” and was later overturned in practice by mid-20th-century rulings?
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896).
Which U.S. president created the Peace Corps and led the country during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
John F. Kennedy.
Name the 1941 attack that directly led the United States to enter WWII
Attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941)
What federal agency coordinated conversion to wartime production and helped reduce unemployment to very low levels?
War Production Board
Which U.S. policy pledged support to countries resisting communism and is closely tied to early Cold War containment efforts?
The Truman Doctrine.
What 1954 Supreme Court decision declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional?
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
What 1964 congressional resolution gave the president broad authority to conduct military actions in Vietnam?
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964)
Which 1944 Allied invasion opened a second major front in Europe and is often called the turning point on the Western Front?
Operation Overlord — D-Day (Normandy invasion, June 6, 1944)
Explain the purpose of rationing on the U.S. home front during WWII.
Rationing limited civilian consumption of goods (e.g., gasoline, rubber, food) so maximum resources could go to military forces.
What 1948–49 operation delivered supplies to West Berlin after a Soviet blockade?
The Berlin Airlift.
Name two major civil rights organizations formed in the 1950s–60s and one nonviolent tactic commonly used.
SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference); tactic: sit-ins, marches, nonviolent protest.
Name two controversial weapons or tactics used by U.S. forces in Vietnam and one major offensive launched by North Vietnamese forces in 1968.
Agent Orange and napalm; Tet Offensive (1968)
Which 1942 Pacific naval battle is considered the turning point because it decisively weakened the Japanese fleet?
Battle of Midway (June 1942)
Which U.S. executive order authorized the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII?
Executive Order 9066.
Name the U.S.-led military alliance formed in 1949 and the Soviet-led response alliance formed later.
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the Warsaw Pact.
Which 1955 act of defiance on a Montgomery bus sparked a year-long boycott and helped launch a national movement?
Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her bus seat sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Describe the meaning of the “credibility gap” and how it affected public opinion about the Vietnam War.
The credibility gap referred to the disconnect between government statements and media reports/public perception, leading to declining trust and support for the war.
Identify the secret U.S. program that developed the first atomic bombs and name one scientist associated with its origin.
The Manhattan Project; Albert Einstein helped alert officials (J. Robert Oppenheimer directed the project).
Name three “heroic units” of WWII mentioned for their distinct roles or contributions, and give one historical impact of their service.
Examples: Flying Tigers, Navajo Code Talkers, Tuskegee Airmen — impacts include improved recognition of minority service and steps toward an integrated military.
Define "Containment" and explain how the Marshall Plan fit into that strategy.
Containment was a policy to prevent the spread of communism; the Marshall Plan provided economic aid to rebuild European economies to reduce appeal of communism
Identify one federal law from the 1960s that outlawed discrimination in public accommodations and one that addressed voting barriers.
Civil Rights Act of 1964 (public accommodations/employment discrimination); Voting Rights Act of 1965 (ended literacy tests/poll taxes and other barriers).
What policy of withdrawing U.S. ground troops while transferring combat roles to South Vietnamese forces was called, and what was its long-term outcome?
Vietnamization; long-term outcome: U.S. troop withdrawal and eventual fall of South Vietnam to the North (1975).