US History: Cold War and Civil Rights Movements Quiz

The Bay of Pigs invasion occurred on April 17, 1961 when Cuban exiles with the support of the U.S. government attempted to overthrow Fidel Castro's regime in Cuba.

The Berlin Wall was a physical barrier that divided East and West Berlin as well as East and West Germany during the Cold War. It was a symbol of the ideological divide between communism in the East and democracy in the West.

The correct answer describes the Cuban Missile Crisis as the planting of missiles in Cuba by the Soviets and the establishment of a blockade by the U.S. around Cuba to prevent escalation.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation that aimed to promote equality and end discrimination against African Americans by granting them civil rights.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote as guaranteed under the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

NASA stands for National Aeronotics & Space Administration, and it was created in response to the Soviet Union's successful launch of the satellite Sputnik in 1957, which marked the beginning of the space race.

The New Frontier was a term coined by President John F. Kennedy to describe his vision for the future and his policy priorities during his presidency in the 1960s.

The Great Society was a set of domestic programs enacted by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1960s, with the main goal of eliminating poverty and racial injustice in the United States through various social welfare programs and civil rights legislation.

Malcolm X was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement, advocating for black empowerment and separation from the white community, unlike Martin Luther King Jr. who promoted peaceful integration.

The Black Panther Party was a revolutionary socialist organization founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in October 1966 in Oakland, California. It was dedicated to challenging police brutality against the African American community and empowering its members through a combination of revolutionary rhetoric and community service programs.

The correct answer refers to the historic Supreme Court case that established the 'separate but equal' doctrine in 1896, allowing segregation to persist in the United States.

Brown vs. the Board of Education was a significant case that aimed to end segregation in public schools, paving the way for desegregation and the concept of separate but equal being inherently unequal.

The Reynolds vs. Sims case established the principle of 'one person, one vote', a key part of the landmark case ruling that state legislature districts had to be roughly equal in population.

The 26th Amendment was ratified in 1971 and aimed to lower the voting age from 21 to 18, ensuring that individuals 18 years and older have the right to vote in both federal and state elections.

The Little Rock Crisis refers to the significant event in 1957 where 9 African American students were enrolled in Little Rock Central High School, which was an all-white school at that time. This marked a key moment in the Civil Rights Movement as it challenged racial segregation in education.

The Domino Theory was a Cold War policy that suggested if one country fell to communism, neighboring countries would also follow suit like a row of falling dominoes.

Ho Chi Minh was a Vietnamese revolutionary and statesman who served as the prime minister and president of North Vietnam. He played a key role in the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945 and led the Viet Minh independence movement from 1941 onwards.

The Tet Offensive was a series of surprise attacks by the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army on South Vietnamese and American forces during the Lunar New Year holiday. It was a turning point in the Vietnam War, as it showed that the enemy still had significant fighting capability and changed public opinion about the war.

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was passed in response to the reported attack on 2 American destroyers by North Vietnamese torpedo boats. This event served as the catalyst for the resolution, which granted President Johnson the authority to take military action in Vietnam.

OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER was a sustained bombing campaign conducted by the U.S. against North Vietnam in an effort to weaken their infrastructure and resolve.

Roy Benavidez was a highly decorated war hero who received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery during the Vietnam War.

South Vietnam fell on March 1975, specifically on April 30 when Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, was captured by North Vietnamese forces, leading to the end of the Vietnam War.

Vietnamization was a policy of the Nixon administration during the Vietnam War to shift the responsibility of fighting to the South Vietnamese forces.

The War Powers Act of 1973 was passed in response to the Vietnam War and was aimed at limiting the President's power to commit troops to military actions without Congressional authorization. It requires the President to inform Congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces abroad and to withdraw them after 60 days unless Congress approves their presence or declares war.