Chapter Thirty: The Turbulent Sixties, 1960-1968

Practice Quiz:

1. What was one major factor that helped Kennedy defeat Nixon in the 1960 presidential election?
a. Kennedy’s performance in the first televised presidential debate
b. Kennedy’s extensive political experience compared to Nixon’s
c. Kennedy’s warm relationship with the Eisenhower administration
d. The nation was familiar with Kennedy, but Nixon was a newcomer to politics

2. Why did the United States become involved in the conflict between North and South Vietnam in 1961?
a. to stop the spread of communism from North Vietnam to South Vietnam
b. to gain control of valuable natural resources in South Vietnam
c. to honor obligations to Russia from the treaty ending World War II
d. to retaliate for North Vietnam’s involvement in the Bay of Pigs operation

3. Which of the following was NOT a consequence of the Cuban Missile Crisis?
a. the end of the U.S.-Soviet arms race
b. the Soviet-American telephone hotline
c. an increase in Kennedy’s popularity among the American people
d. Russia removed its nuclear missiles from Cuba in exchange for America’s promise not to invade Cuba

4. What was the 1961 freedom ride?
a. a protest in which thousands of people crossed the United States on motorcycles
b. a sit-in during which thousands of college students experimented with LSD
c. a protest in which thousands of college students blocked the routes of segregated buses and trains
d. a protest in which a biracial group tested the desegregation laws on public transportation

5. Which was a difference between John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson?
a. Johnson was more popular with the media than Kennedy
b. Johnson was considered more stylish than Kennedy
c. Kennedy was better at manipulating Congress than Johnson
d. Kennedy was a better public speaker than Johnson

6. When Lyndon Johnson became president after the assassination of Kennedy in 1963, he focused first on
a. ending the cold war
b. passing JFK’s tax cuts and civil rights bill
c. escalating the war in Vietnam
d. tracking down his killer

7. Lyndon Johnson’s main theme in the presidential election of 1964 was
a. rolling back communist gains around the world.
b. further advances in civil rights.
c. decreasing the size of the federal government.
d. ending poverty in America.

8. In his healthcare program, President Lyndon Johnson secured
a. free healthcare for all Americans
b. the Medicare program for the elderly
c. more rights for private insurance companies
d. a restriction on health benefits for welfare recipients

9. Which statement about the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is correct?
a. It was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court
b. It reduced President Johnson’s popularity
c. It had little effect on the voting practices of southern African Americans
d. It led to a dramatic increase in African American voting registration in the South

10. Passed by Congress in 1964, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
a. forced President Nixon to reduce the number of troops stationed in Vietnam
b. authorized the assassination of North Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh
c. gave President Johnson broad authority to conduct military operations in Vietnam
d. forced President Kennedy to end his secret bombing campaign in Cambodia

11. In Vietnam, American military strategists counted heavily on
a. enthusiasm for the war which would generate recruits
b. superior American firepower, especially airstrikes
c. superior American counter-insurgency tactics
d. the overwhelming number of American troops

12. American bombing of North Vietnam
a. proved an effective strategy in limiting North Vietnam’s participation in the war
b. destroyed North Vietnam’s major port facilities at Haiphong
c. was largely ineffective
d. garnered approval from the international community

13. How was participation in the Vietnam War most connected to socioeconomic class?
a. Wealthy young men were more likely to be in college and thus could avoid the draft
b. Wealthy young men were more likely to volunteer and enlist without being drafted
c. Wealthy young men could hire someone to take their places in the military
d. Wealthy young men were often given safer desk jobs rather than combat duty

14. Richard Nixon’s election in 1968 signaled a public reaction against the
a. failure of the Democratic Party to bring about social reform
b. efforts to bring peace in Vietnam
c. successes of the civil rights movement
d. growth of the federal government

15. Which of the following individuals is INCORRECTLY matched with his or her claim to fame?
a. Cesar Chavez : Labor leader who organized grape and lettuce workers.
b. Betty Friedan : Author of the 1963 book The Feminine Mystique.
c. C. Turner Joy : President of Students for a Democratic Society.
d. Thurgood Marshall : African-American lawyer appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals.

16. How did the civil rights movement change in the mid- to late sixties?
a. It cooled off since African Americans had achieved most of their social goals.
b. It focused less on domestic social change and more on international social change.
c. It became more militant and considered violence to force social change.
d. It focused less on protest in the streets and more on progress through the courts.