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Politics of Change
Change, Events, and People in American Culture since the 1960s
27
Political Studies
Undergraduate 4
12/07/2008

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Cards

Term
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Definition

Banned segregation in all public facilities, authorized the Dept. of Justice to bring legal action against segregation. Forbade job discrimination. Denied federal funds to agencies practicing discrimination. Johnson made passage of bill a priority following JFK assassination.

Term
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Definition

No person shall be denied the right to vote on account of race or color. Codifies and effectuates the 15th Amendment. Ended literacy requirements in the South. Gave federal gov't broad regulatory and enforcement powers to supervise voter registration and elections

Term
Effects of the VRA of 1965
Definition

increased black registration, especially in the South; made sense of Democratic party strategy (Dems knew the only way to offset the impact of disenchanted southern whites was to add a large amount of black votes)

Term
What election was the decisive turning point in the political evolution of racial issues?
Definition
The election of 1964
Term

What are the two major interrelated developments in American politics thanks to the CRA of 1964?

Definition

1) Demonstrated that the nat'l gov't could play a role in bringing about equal rights and 2) revealed just how far the Democratic party had come on civil rights.

Term
What are the three developments crucial in understanding the long-term significance of the election of 1964?
Definition

1) Johnson's actions after the election, 2) the racial orientation of the Democratic party in the post-Johnson era, and 3) the response of the Republicans to the Goldwater candidacy.

Term
The Long Hot Summers of '66 and '67
Definition

August, 1965 - violence broke out in the Watts section of LA, eventually escalated into five days of arson, looting, and violence. Outbreak of such violence repeated through 67. Worst one: Detroit; other cities: Tampa, Boston, Cincinatti.

Term
What was the significance of the Tet Offensive?
Definition

Altered the course of conflict: before Tet, U.S. officials assured the public the war was gradually being won, "the light at the end of the tunnel" was growing brighter. Cronkite declared the war was to end in a stalemate; American confidence was shattered. The war was now brought from the jungles to the city streets. Economic and inter-military problems arose.

Term

The New Left Characteristics

Definition

College students, young professionals, writers, Hippies, etc. Rejected conventional social norms (counterculture). Brash and impatient. Maintained high degree of decentralization and spontaneity.

Term
What influences were there on the New Left?
Definition

Vietnam, Chinese Culture Revolution, black radicalism, civil rights movement, psychadelic rock i.e. Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Peace Corps

Term
What is the name of the founding document of the SDS? What does it state?
Definition

Port Huron Statement; calls for participatory democracy based on nonviolent civil disobediance.

Term
Eugene McCarthy
Definition

MN senator; ran as an anti-war candidate. Surprisingly won NH primary by mobilizing college students and the like. "Insurgency" candidate

Term

How did the New Deal coalition dissolve during the 1968 election?

Definition

Southern whites were disenchanted with the national Democratic party (Southern Realignment). The New Left was reluctant to support the party's presidential candidates. Issues such as civil rights, Vietnam, and affirmative action drove created significant divisions. Culture and issue evolution eventually smashed the WWII era coalition.

Term
McGovern-Fraser Commission
Definition

Instituted reforms within the Democratic party required delegates to be chosen in open primaries and caucuses. Also required that blacks, Hispanics, and women be given representation as delegates

Term
Problems spurred over the 1968 Democratic convention.
Definition

Debate over minority representation at the convention, delegate selection process, essentially the method of nomination was unfair and unrepresentative.

Term

What were the three main consequences of the 1968 Democratic convention?

Definition

1) The party image was tarnished to the point that possible victory in the general election was significantly damaged, 2) the McGovern-Fraser Commission was created to reform the rules governing delegate selection and presidential nominations, and 3) 8 people were indicted for violating the Anti-Riot Act of 1968

Term
What is the main goal of the Yippies? What effect did their antics outside the 1968 convention have on the anti-war movement? What animal did they nominate as their candidate for the presidency?
Definition

To defy the top-down structure of mainstream politics and the inhumanity that flows from it. Their public demonstration significantly weakened the credibility and allure of the anti-war movement. A fucking pig named Pigasus...

Term
The swing to black power during the 60s was a product of what?
Definition

Generational and racial conflict

Term
The fate of the white New Left was closely bound to what? True of false, the New Left was a profoundly American movement yet SDS also saw itself as part of an international movement.
Definition
Black equality. True
Term
The New Left challenged _____ _____ of earlier generations.
Definition
Radical orthodoxies.
Term
Name the four components of Nixon's strategy for ending U.S. involvement in Vietnam.
Definition
Vietnamization, politics of polarization, triangular diplomacy, and the "madman" scenario.
Term
What components went into Nixon's political strategy for securing re-election in '72?
Definition
Southern strategy, silent majority (politics of polarization), and Vietnamization
Term
Describe Vietnamization.
Definition

The idea that South Vietnam would gradually assume a greater combat role ultimately leading to the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces. Need to convince the public that South Vietnam could handle their own. Policy would require time.

Term
How was Vietnamization and the "Madman" scenario connected?
Definition

Fearing an enemy victory should the presence of U.S. forces no longer be felt, it was agreed upon that the U.S. must get the NLF to negotiate. To pressure them, Nixon and Kissinger created the Madman scenario, citing Nixon's unstableness and affinity to use nukes against communist entities.

Term
What was the aim of polarizing politics in the Nixon administration?
Definition

Nixon's aim was to demonstrate to Hanoi that the protesters do not speak for the American public, and so to gain time and leverage for his plan of gradual troop removal. In the process, Nixon was splitting conservatives from liberals. Nixon wanted to appeal to the silent majority  and exploit political opportunities.

Term
How was the selection of Spiro Agnew as Nixon's VP significant?
Definition

Agnew was identified as being in line with Nixon's Southern Strategy;  Southern enough to attract southern moderate votes however not enough to be identified with the Deep South, turning off Northern centrists. Eventually became voice of the silent majority; Agnew was Nixon's attack dog in defending the administration's Vietnam policy.

Term
What does the silent majority refer to?
Definition

Those who did not protest, did not join the counterculture, middle class Americans, South and Midwest

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