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U.S. History

Key Terms

U.S. HistoryKey Terms

Key Terms

AIDS
(Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) an immune deficiency disorder caused by HIV, and formally the third stage of HIV infection; people with AIDS have a high viral load and are susceptible to other illnesses
Contract with America
a list of eight specific legislative reforms or initiatives that Republicans representatives promised to enact if they gained a majority in Congress in the 1994 midterm elections
gender gap
the statistical differences between the voting preferences of women and men, with women favoring Democratic candidates
Green Party
a political party founded in 1984 that advocates environmentalism and grassroots democracy
Heritage Foundation
a professional organization conducting research and political advocacy on behalf of its values and perspectives
HIV
(Human Immunodecificiency Virus) is a virus that attacks the cells that help the body fight infection; it can cause a range of illnesses and has been responsible for millions of deaths in the US and worldwide
New Right
a loose coalition of American conservatives, consisting primarily of wealthy businesspeople and evangelical Christians, which developed in response to social changes of the 1960s and 1970s
Operation Desert Storm
the U.S. name of the war waged from January to April 1991, by coalition forces against Iraq in reaction to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in August 1990
Reaganomics
Ronald Reagan’s economic policy, which suggested that lowering taxes on the upper income brackets would stimulate investment and economic growth
START
a treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union that limited the number of nuclear warheads, ballistic missiles, and strategic bombers held by both sides
Vietnam Syndrome
reluctance on the part of American politicians to actively engage U.S. forces in a foreign war for fear of suffering a humiliating defeat
war on drugs
a nationwide political campaign to implement harsh sentences for drug crimes, which produced an explosive growth of the prison population
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