Unit 6 Review : “Living with Great Turmoil” (1954-1975)

1. Unit 6 Review:“Living with Great Turmoil” (1954-1975) Boemer

2. Supreme Court Case • Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka • The Supreme Court case in which segregated schools was ruled unconstitutional.

3. Economic trend of the time period • With the legislative agenda of the Great Society, President Johnson sought to aid the poor and others in need. The Economic Opportunity Act provided job training, education, and the war on poverty. • There is no explicit right to work guaranteed by the US Constitution, but the rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” stated in the Declaration of Independence make it clear that the opportunity to make a decent living is a basic American right. The civil rights movement addressed that fact.

4. Voting Rights Act of 1965 • Struck down state laws intended to keep blacks from voting

5. Race/ethnicity/immigration • Immigration Act of 1965: Established new immigration system that allowed more immigrants into U.S. • Civil Rights Act of 1964: Law that outlawed racial discrimination • Civil Rights Act of 1968- Act that banned discrimination in housing

6. Race/ethnicity/immigration Cont. • Many Vietnamese refugees seeking a homeland in the US at the end of the war developed a cultural identity that was a blend of two traditions- Vietnamese and American.

7. Race/ethnicity/immigration Cont. • The 1960s witnessed the struggle of Native Americans for greater equality. • Many women struggled to find fulfillment beyond the bounds of home and family life. • The counterculture rejected the American dream and chose to drop out of mainstream society.

8. Amendments • Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)- Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would prohibit discrimination against women

9. World Affairs • America’s mission in Vietnam was to halt the spread of communism- a threat to democracy. Ironically, the South Vietnamese regimes that the US supported were not democratic themselves.

10. Public policy and reaction to it • Initially, mainstream civil rights leaders were reluctant to criticize the Vietnam War, fearing they would jeopardize President Johnson’s support for their cause. When the war threatened Great Society reforms, Dr. MLK and other civil rights leaders voiced their opposition.

11. Change in technology/society • By the 1960s, the US and Soviet Union had built up a stockpile of nuclear weapons. During periods of crisis, including the Cuban Missile crisis, the American people feared that these powerful weapons would be used. The US and the Soviet Union also competed in the space race.

12. Migration patterns/geography/immigration • The Great Society brought profound changes to the nation’s immigration laws with passage of the Immigration Act of 1965. This act allowed many non-European immigrants to settle in the US.

13. Migration patterns/geography/immigration Cont • During the 1960s, the Latino population in the US grew from 3 million to more than 9 million. Most Latinos settled in large cities, where they often encountered discrimination. At this time, Latinos also began organizing politically.

14. Vocabulary • Use word bank • Answer key on the original Unit 6 document