Deck 28: The Confident Years 1953-1964

Question 1

Ronald Reagan, like many Americans, believed that the country would thrive if:

A) free enterprise was encouraged and supported.
B) the government would more actively regulate the economy.
C) nuclear weapons were used against eastern Europe.
D) the president extended New Deal reforms.

Answer 1

free enterprise was encouraged and supported.

Question 2

A key to Dwight Eisenhower's political success was his:

A) close ties with Harry Truman.
B) positive image with both liberals and conservatives.
C) promise to undo New Deal reforms.
D) belief that free trade was harming the economy.

Answer 2

positive image with both liberals and conservatives.

Question 3

Between 1950 and 1964, the American economy:

A) grew at a consistent pace.
B) experienced sluggish growth and decline.
C) experienced a depression.
D) solved the problems of poverty.

Answer 3

grew at a consistent pace.

Question 4

The congressional policy of termination provided one-time payments, but little else, to:

A) blacks.
B) women.
C) Native Americans.
D) Latinos.

Question 5

In 1954, Congress focused its housing policy on:

A) urban renewal.
B) family farms.
C) better housing for blacks.
D) building shopping malls.

Question 6

Which statement about urban renewal from 1954 to 1964 is true?

A) Rundown housing was often destroyed and replaced by upper-class businesses.
B) Housing problems for the poor were solved in the North.
C) Small farmers also benefited from federal urban renewal funds.
D) Conservatives used urban renewal to attack the awful level of poverty.

Question 7

The Eisenhower administration used "New Deal-style" government spending in modernizing:

A) the American medical system.
B) the Civilian Conservation Corps.
C) the national highway system.
D) environmental protection methods.

Question 8

Changes in the domestic economy during the 1950s included:

A) a decrease in the number of franchise businesses.
B) consumers becoming more reluctant to buy on credit.
C) a shrinking of the middle class.
D) consumers buying more commodities on credit.

Question 9

All of the following were new to consumers in the 1950s EXCEPT:

A) large-scale suburban shopping centers, such as Northgate in Seattle.
B) franchised hotels and fast-food restaurants, such as Holiday Inn and McDonald's.
C) new environments for high-intensity consumption, such as Disneyland.
D) mass production of bottled soda pop, such as Coca-Cola and 7-Up.

Question 10

Situation-comedy television shows of the 1950s portrayed American families as:

A) unimportant in American culture.
B) white, polite, and happy.
C) including two parents who worked in the professions.
D) troubled and full of conflict.

Question 11

In which of the following years was the percentage of working women to all women the highest?

A) 1950
B) 1965
C) 1975
D) 1990

Question 12

The 1955 movie Blackboard Jungle portrayed a combination of:

A) the middle class and a college education.
B) advertising and commodities bought by young people.
C) juvenile delinquency and rock 'n' roll.
D) World War II and the Great Depression.

Question 13

Who did NOT first rise to great popularity in the 1950s?

A) Buddy Holly
B) Elvis Presley
C) Marilyn Monroe
D) The Beatles

Question 14

The success of films such as The Robe and Ben Hur:

A) indicated a new tendency to like films that were less than an hour in length.
B) illustrated that moviegoers preferred comedies with light themes.
C) reflected a renewed public interest in organized religion.
D) revealed that the American film industry was in decline.

Question 15

The writings of Norman Vincent Peale:

A) criticized the dominance of Protestantism in American culture.
B) supported the passage of further social reform programs.
C) were judged to be communistic during the McCarthy hearings.
D) urged positive thinking by combining psychology and religion.

Question 16

All of the following authors wrote books that analyzed America's growing prosperity EXCEPT:

A) John Kenneth Galbraith.
B) David Potter.
C) William H. Whyte Jr.
D) John Foster Dulles.

Question 17

Dwight Eisenhower did all of the following during his two-term presidency EXCEPT:

A) refuse to dismantle successful New Deal programs.
B) extend the American military while avoiding war.
C) place more emphasis on domestic reforms than foreign affairs.
D) delegate authority through a "hidden-hand" presidential style.

Question 18

During the Eisenhower administration, official American policy for a Soviet attack on western Europe called for:

A) massive nuclear retaliation against the USSR.
B) response with conventional military forces.
C) intense negotiations mediated by the United Nations.
D) western Europe to defend itself, with the United States supplying financial aid.

Question 19

One trend in governmental spending during the 1950s was:

A) cutting all social reform programs.
B) a significant increase in defense spending.
C) providing no new educational programs.
D) a lack of funding for containment efforts.

Question 20

In which of the following years was defense spending as a percentage of gross national product the highest?

A) 1950
B) 1955
C) 1975
D) 1997

Question 21

Effects of the Soviet Union's launching of Sputnik included all of the following EXCEPT:

A) many Americans believed that Sputnik's inferior quality revealed American superiority.
B) American schools placed stronger emphasis on math and science courses.
C) the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was created by Congress.
D) Congress supported college and post-graduate study with the National Defense Education Act.

Question 22

One of the pitfalls of the U.S. policy of containment was that it:

A) weakened relations with Great Britain.
B) often caused America to support undemocratic regimes.
C) caused a debilitating recession in the mid-1960s.
D) closed American markets in western Europe.

Question 23

In 1956, the Soviet Union used military force to suppress an uprising in:

A) North Korea.
B) Greece.
C) Hungary.
D) Egypt.

Question 24

During the Eisenhower presidency, disarmament was set back for years after:

A) the Soviet Union installed offensive nuclear weapons in Cuba.
B) Eisenhower committed 500,000 American troops to Vietnam.
C) the United States refused to apologize for the use of U-2 spy planes.
D) the Soviet Union was left out of the Warsaw Pact agreement.

Question 25

John Kennedy's New Frontier focused on:

A) providing tax breaks for poor Americans.
B) creating a new era of scientific and social progress.
C) reforming the nation's medical system.
D) rebuilding the nation's transportation infrastructure.

Question 26

A major factor in John Kennedy's victory in the election of 1960 was:

A) Richard Nixon's lack of political experience.
B) the decision by both candidates to avoid televised debates.
C) Kennedy's charismatic charm and wit.
D) Dwight Eisenhower's aggressive support for Kennedy.

Question 27

In the incident at the Bay of Pigs, the United States:

A) failed to overthrow Fidel Castro with a CIA-backed invasion.
B) toppled the regime of Ngo Dinh Diem.
C) threatened to use atomic weapons against Communists in southeast Asia.
D) showed that its policy regarding communism was now more tolerant.

Question 28

The Viet Cong:

A) benefited from the financial backing of the United States.
B) gained strength as insurgents in the Vietnamese countryside.
C) helped the United States establish a policy of containment in Vietnam.
D) earned little support for their cause in South Vietnam.

Question 29

Which of the following was NOT a member of SEATO?

A) Australia
B) United States
C) Philippines
D) Laos

Question 30

President Kennedy played a major role in all of the following EXCEPT:

A) the creation of the Peace Corps.
B) the signing of the Limited Test Ban Treaty.
C) the creation of Medicare.
D) setting policy during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Question 31

The Limited Test Ban Treaty:

A) was rejected by President Kennedy.
B) was co-signed by China and France.
C) provided for on-site inspection of Soviet missile sites.
D) outlawed nuclear testing in the atmosphere and outer space.

Question 32

In Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court ruled that:

A) President Kennedy had to protect James Meredith's entry to the University of Mississippi.
B) segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.
C) segregation was constitutional as long as facilities were equal.
D) segregation of public schools should be determined by state governments.

Question 33

In Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957:

A) Martin Luther King gave his famous "I Have a Dream Speech."
B) Rosa Parks refused to follow the rules of segregated public transportation.
C) the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was created.
D) federal troops ensured the safety of black students from angry white mobs.

Question 34

The young, charismatic leader of the successful Montgomery bus strike was:

A) Stokely Carmichael.
B) Malcolm X.
C) Martin Luther King, Jr.
D) Bob Moses.

Question 35

Methods used by blacks in winning the Montgomery bus strike included:

A) riots in certain sections of Montgomery.
B) the use of car pools despite police harassment.
C) hunger strikes.
D) asking federal troops to take control of the city.

Question 36

In February 1960, four black college students began a trend toward mass involvement in:

A) the Albany Movement.
B) violent civil disobedience.
C) lunch counter sit-ins.
D) nationwide bus boycotts.

Question 37

The Freedom Riders:

A) brought their message of equality to urban ghettos of the North.
B) received little attention from the Kennedy administration.
C) challenged the segregation of interstate bus terminals.
D) rejected biracial organization in protests against segregation.

Question 38

In 1963, many Americans were sickened by:

A) the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
B) the behavior of whites as black students attempted to enter a school in Little Rock, Arkansas.
C) accounts of massacres of civilians in the remote regions of South Vietnam.
D) violence committed by authorities against civil rights activists in Birmingham, Alabama.

Question 39

Which statement about the March on Washington of 1963 is NOT true?

A) It began a period of uninterrupted unity within the civil rights movement.
B) It succeeded in transforming civil rights into a national cause.
C) A biracial crowd of approximately 250,000 people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial.
D) Martin Luther King's famous speech was nationally televised.

Question 40

Lee Harvey Oswald's background included all of the following EXCEPT:

A) a tour of duty in the U.S. Marines.
B) he defected to the Soviet Union before returning to the United States.
C) he expressed fervent support for Fidel Castro's regime.
D) a tendency to agree with mainstream political ideas.

Question 41

The Warren Commission:

A) investigated allegations of a coverup in the Watergate scandal.
B) left many loose ends in its investigation of the Kennedy assassination.
C) censured Senator Joseph McCarthy.
D) declared that segregation was not a serious problem in the South.

Question 42

Who was sworn in as president immediately after John Kennedy's death?

A) Dwight Eisenhower
B) Lyndon Johnson
C) Gerald Ford
D) Richard Nixon

Question 43

All of the following statements about Lyndon Johnson are true EXCEPT:

A) he supported an ambitious program of social reform.
B) he declared an aggressive attack aimed at alleviating poverty.
C) he was especially knowledgeable in all aspects of American foreign policy.
D) he was very successful at getting domestic reforms passed in Congress.

Question 44

During the Freedom Summer:

A) students marched to Washington, D.C., to protest the Vietnam War.
B) black and white activists registered black voters in Mississippi.
C) activists were not victimized by violence.
D) Sheriff Bull Connor ordered that dogs should be used against civil rights marchers.

Question 45

Prior to the Voting Rights Act of 1965:

A) northern blacks had not been allowed to vote in city elections.
B) Lyndon Johnson had not been a strong advocate of civil rights legislation.
C) the Republican Party had been the lone supporter of civil rights.
D) the vast majority of blacks in the South were denied the right to vote.

Question 46

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution:

A) declared the official end of the Korean War.
B) resulted in the resignation of Richard Nixon.
C) caused the Soviet Union to dismantle its nuclear missiles in Cuba.
D) gave President Johnson the power to wage undeclared war in Vietnam.

Question 47

In 1964, Barry Goldwater:

A) lost a close election to Lyndon Johnson.
B) called for aggressive confrontation with communism.
C) represented the moderate wing of the Republican Party.
D) was the governor of Arizona.

Question 48

Lyndon Johnson was responsible for the creation and passage of all of the following EXCEPT:

A) the Alliance for Progress.
B) the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
C) Medicare.
D) the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Question 49

The passage of Great Society programs was made possible primarily by:

A) a series of favorable Supreme Court rulings on their potential constitutionality.
B) the support of many moderate Republicans.
C) the support of nearly all southern Democrats.
D) the large majorities Democrats gained in Congress in the 1964 elections.

Question 50

Which of the following was NOT one of Lyndon Johnson's Great Society programs?

A) Social Security
B) Medicare
C) Medicaid
D) National Endowment for the Arts

Question 51

Polio is primarily a disease that affects:

A) blood cells.
B) nerve tissue.
C) bones.
D) the lungs.

Question 52

An effective vaccine for polio:

A) has not yet been developed.
B) was one of the triumphs of the 1930s.
C) was developed in 1955.
D) was developed through federally funded research in the 1980s.

Question 53

Which event did NOT happen in the 1960s?

A) the Montgomery bus strike
B) the spread of lunch counter sit-ins
C) the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
D) the assassination of President Kennedy

Question 54

Which event happened first?

A) Decision issued in the Brown v. Board of Education case.
B) The Civil Rights Act is passed.
C) U.S. astronaut orbits the Earth for the first time.
D) Medicare and Medicaid established.

Question 55

Which headline would have appeared in 1963?

A) "JFK Edges Nixon in One of Nation's Closest Elections"
B) "Soviets Successfully Launch Sputnik"
C) "Quarter-Million Americans Gather to Hear King at Lincoln Memorial"
D) "Ike Orders Federal Troops to Protect Black Students in Little Rock"

Question 56

Which event happened last?

A) Soviets launch Sputnik.
B) Montgomery bus strike.
C) Martin Luther King gives "I Have a Dream Speech."
D) President Johnson signs Voting Rights Act.

Question 57

In what year did Fidel Castro win control of Cuba?

A) 1953
B) 1959
C) 1962
D) 1963

Question 58

Which event occurred in 1964?

A) passage of the Civil Rights Act
B) Bay of Pigs invasion
C) beginning of sit-in movement
D) construction of the Berlin Wall

Question 59

Describe examples that define the "New Republicanism" of the Eisenhower years.

Question 60

How did television portray the American middle class in the 1950s and early 1960s?

Question 61

What examples reveal that U.S. foreign policy sometimes involved backing undemocratic regimes in the effort to contain communism?

Question 62

What factors contributed to John Kennedy's victory in the election of 1960?

Question 63

What Civil Rights Acts were supported and passed under the leadership of Lyndon Johnson?

Question 64

How did the economic prosperity of the 1950s and early 1960s shape social and political life in the United States?

Question 65

What characteristics and organizations defined the nonviolent movement to achieve civil rights in the period 1954-1965? What successes were achieved in this period? Describe who you believe were the most successful leaders of these successes.

Question 66

In what ways did John Kennedy's mystique shape the national mood of the early 1960s? What successes and failures did JFK experience as president? How did his combination of idealism and shrewdness affect the rest of the 1960s?

Question 67

Describe the ways in which both Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson furthered the legacy and reforms of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal.

Question 68

In 1965, civil rights leaders consistently expressed that Lyndon Johnson was "the best president that American blacks ever had." What factors caused the leaders to voice this opinion?

Question 69

Discuss the role of containment in American foreign policy during the period 1950-1965. Was the overall effect of containment beneficial or harmful to the goals and ideals of the United States?