APUSH Study Guide
Second Continental Congress (1775)
A convention of delegates from the 13 Colonies, managed the colonial war effort, sent The Olive Branch Petition, moved towards independence, adopted Declaration of Independence, acted as de facto national government.
Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars)
A costly plan to put lasers in space to defend the United States against a nuclear attack.
Modernism
A cultural movement embracing human empowerment and rejecting traditionalism as outdated. Rationality, industry, and technology were cornerstones of progress and human achievement.
Consumer Culture
A culture in which personal worth and identity reside not in the people themselves but in the products with which they surround themselves.
Counterculture
A culture with lifestyles and values opposed to those of the established culture.
Repeal of Sherman Silver Purchase Act
A decline in silver prices encouraged investors to trade their silver dollars for gold dollars. The gold reserve fell dangerously low and President Grover Cleveland was forced to repeal the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890.
Scalawags
A derogatory term for white Southerners who supported Reconstruction following the Civil War.
Roger Williams
A dissenter who clashed with the Massachusetts Puritans over separation of church and state and was banished in 1636, after which he founded the colony of Rhode Island to the south.
Dust Bowl
A drought in the 1930s that turned the Great Planes very dry.
Peculiar Institution
A euphemism for slavery and the economic ramifications of it in the American South. The term aimed to explain away the seeming contradiction of legalized slavery in a country whose Declaration of Independence states that "all men are created equal". It was one of the key causes of the Civil War.
Clarence Darrow
A famed criminal defense lawyer for Scopes who supported evolution. He caused William Jennings Bryan to appear foolish when Darrow questioned Bryan about the Bible.
Irish Potato Famine
A famine in 1845 when the main crop of Ireland, potatoes, was destroyed by disease. Irish farmers grew other food items, such as wheat and oats, but Great Britain required them to export those items to them, leaving nothing for the Irish to live on. As a result, over 1 million Irish died of starvation or disease, while millions of others migrated to the United States.
Thomas Nast
A famous caricaturist and editorial cartoonist in the 19th century and is considered to be the father of American political cartooning. His artwork was primarily based on political corruption. He helped people realize the corruption of some politicians.
Fascism
A far-right political system headed by a dictator that calls for extreme nationalism and racism and has no tolerance for opposition.
Cooperatives
A farm, business, or other organization that is owned and run jointly by its members, who share the profits or benefits.
Federal Housing Administration (FHA)
A federal agency established in 1943 to increase home ownership by providing an insurance program to safeguard the lender against the risk of nonpayment. Currently part of HUD.
Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981
A federal law passed to boost the economy, reduce inflation and increase employment.
Bankruptcy of Railroads
A financial panic in 1893 forced a quarter of all railroads into bankruptcy. J.P. Morgan and other bankers moved in to take control of bankrupt railroads and consolidate them.
Specialization
A focus on a particular activity or area of study.
Hereditary Aristocracy
A form of government in which rule is in the hands of an "upper class" or aristocratic family. This inevitably means those with the power to hold wealth, and to define who shall remain in poverty and slavery.
Union veteran and the Bloody Shirt
A form of politics that involved reminding Union veterans of how the Southern Democrats had caused the Civil War.
Proclamation of Neutrality (1793)
A formal announcement issued by President George Washington on April 22, 1793, declaring the United States a neutral nation in the conflict between Great Britain and France.
Impeachment
A formal document charging a public official with misconduct in office.
Henry Wallace
A former Democratic who ran on the New Progressive Party due to his disagreement on Truman's policy with the Soviets. He caused the Democratic party to split even more during the election season.
Alger Hiss
A former State Department official who was accused of being a Communist spy and was convicted of perjury. The case was prosecuted by Richard Nixon.
Liberty Party
A former political party in the United States; formed in 1839 to oppose the practice of slavery; merged with the Free Soil Party in 1848.
European Union (EU)
A free trade (and semi-free travel) zone encompassing 27 European countries.
George McClellan
A general for northern command of the Army of the Potomac in 1861; nicknamed "Tardy George" because of his failure to move troops to Richmond; lost battle vs. General Lee near the Chesapeake Bay; Lincoln fired him twice.
Internet
A global network connecting millions of computers, making it possible to exchange information.
Popular Sovereignty
A government in which the people rule by their own consent.
Teapot Dome
A government scandal involving a former United States Navy oil reserve in Wyoming that was secretly leased to a private oil company in 1921.
Australian Ballot (Secret Ballot)
A government-printed ballot of uniform dimensions to be cast in secret that many states adopted around 1890 to reduce voting fraud associated with party-printed ballots cast in public
National American Woman Suffrage Association
A group formed by leading suffragist in the late 1800s to organize the women's suffrage movement.
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)
A group formed in the 1960s to regain the Arab land in Israel for Palestinian Arabs.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
A group of 28 countries that has agreed to protect each other in case of attack; founded in 1949 during fears of the expansion of Communism.
Ashcan School
A group of United States painters founded in 1907 and noted for their realistic depictions of sordid aspects of city life.
Cabinet
A group of advisers to the president.
National Woman's Party
A group of militant suffragists who took to the streets with mass pickets, parades, and hunger strikes to convince the govt to give them the right to vote. Led by Alice Paul.
Copperheads
A group of northern Democrats who opposed abolition and sympathized with the South during the Civil War.
Oneida Community
A group of socio-religious perfectionists who lived in New York. Practiced polygamy, communal property, and communal raising of children.
Algonquian
A group or nation in the northeast that included the Lenape, Montauk, Machican, and Adirondack. They speak the Algonquian language.
Crédit Mobilier
A joint-stock company organized in 1863 and reorganized in 1867 to build the Union Pacific Railroad. It was involved in a scandal in 1872 in which high government officials were accused of accepting bribes.
Absolute Monarch
A king or queen who has unlimited power and seeks to control all aspects of society.
Citizens United
A landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court holding that the First Amendment prohibits government from censoring political broadcasts in candidate elections when those broadcasts are funded by corporations or unions.
Education of Topeka
A landmark in the United States supreme court cases in which the court declared state laws establishing separate public school for black and white students to be unconstitutional.
Gettysburg
A large battle in southern Pennsylvania during the American Civil War. Union General George G. Meade led an army of about 90,000 men to victory against General Robert E. Lee's Confederate army of about 75,000. Gettysburg is the war's most famous battle because of its large size, high cost in lives, location in a northern state, and for President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.
Voting Rights Act of 1965
A law designed to help end formal and informal barriers to African-American suffrage.
Dodd-Frank Act
A law enacted in the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008-2009 that strengthened government oversight of financial markets and placed limitations on risky financial strategies such as heavy reliance on leverage.
Endangered Species Act of 1973
A law requiring the federal government to protect all species listed as endangered.
Patrick Henry
A leader of the American Revolution and a famous orator who spoke out against British rule of the American colonies (1736-1799)
Charles Sumner
A leader of the Radical republicans along with Thaddeus Stevens. He was from Massachusetts and was in the senate. His two main goals were breaking the power of wealthy planters and ensuring that freedmen could vote
Ida Tarbell
A leading muckraker and magazine editor, she exposed the corruption of the oil industry with her 1904 work A History of Standard Oil.
William Randolph Hearst
A leading newspaperman of his times, he ran The New York Journal and helped create and propagate "yellow (sensationalist) journalism".
Act of Toleration
A legal document that allowed all Christian religions in Maryland: Protestants invaded the Catholics in 1649 around Maryland: protected the Catholics religion from Protestant rage of sharing the land: Maryland became the #1 colony to shelter Catholics in the New World.
Letter on the Condition of Women and the Equality of the Sexes
A letter written by the Grimké sisters stating that women have the same political power as slaves in the current political landscape.
Cotton Gin
A machine for cleaning the seeds from cotton fibers, invented by Eli Whitney in 1793.
Land Ordinance of 1785
A major success of the Articles of Confederation. Provided for the orderly surveying and distribution of land belonging to the U.S.
Printing Press
A mechanical device for transferring text or graphics from a woodblock or type to paper using ink. Presses using movable type first appeared in Europe in about 1450.
Stamp Act Congress
A meeting of delegations from many of the colonies formed to protest the newly passed Stamp Act. Adopted declaration of rights and sent letters of complaints to the crown. Showed signs of colonial unity.
Factory System
A method of production that brought many workers and machines together into one building.
Holocaust
A methodical plan orchestrated by Hitler to ensure German supremacy. It called for the elimination of Jews, non-conformists, homosexuals, non-Aryans, and the mentally and physically disabled.
Triple Entente (Allied Powers)
A military alliance between Great Britain, France, and Russia in the years preceding World War I.
Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy
A military policy announced by President Clinton in 1993 that barred officials from inquiring into the sexual orientation of military personnel but permitted the dismissal of personnel who admitted to being gay or engaged in homosexual behavior.
Island-Hopping
A military strategy used during World War II that involved selectively attacking specific enemy-held islands and bypassing others.
Shakers
A millennial group who believed in both Jesus and a mystic named Ann Lee. Since they were celibate and could only increase their numbers through recruitment and conversion, they eventually ceased to exist.
Minimum Wage
A minimum price that an employer can pay a worker for an hour of labor.
Al Capone
A mob king in Chicago who controlled a large network of speakeasies with enormous profits. His illegal activities convey the failure of prohibition in the twenties and the problems with gangs.
Lynch Mobs
A mob that kills a person for some presumed offense without legal authority. (Usually for an unrealistic offense)
Stephen A. Douglas
A moderate, who introduced the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 and popularized the idea of popular sovereignty.
Great Plains
A mostly flat and grassy region of western North America.
Consumerism
A movement advocating greater protection of the interests of consumers.
Romantic Movement
A movement in response to the cold rationality of the Enlightenment that stressed poetic, religious, and visionary human experience; sought to combine the "reason" of the Enlightenment with a renewed "faith" in the poetic powers of the human being.
Enlightenment
A movement in the 18th century that advocated the use of reason in the reappraisal of accepted ideas and social institutions.
Social Gospel
A movement in the late 1800s / early 1900s which emphasized charity and social responsibility as a means of religious salvation.
Women's Rights Movement
A movement that argued women should have the same rights as men.
Kyoto Accord
A multilateral environmental agreement which called on industrial nations to cut the discharge of harmful gases.
Era of Good Feelings
A name for President Monroe's two terms, a period of strong nationalism, economic growth, and territorial expansion. Since the Federalist party dissolved after the War of 1812, there was only one political party and no partisan conflicts.
Bank of the United States
A national bank funded by the federal government and wealthy investors.
Second Bank of the United States
A national bank overseen by the federal government. Congress had established the bank in 1816, giving it a 20 year charter. The purpose of the bank was to regulate state banks, which had grown rapidly since the First Bank of the US went out of existence in 1811. Went out of existence during Jackson's presidency.
Tea Party
A national social movement, primarily attracting fiscal and social conservatives, that seeks to limit government spending and cut taxes.
Pocahontas
A native Indian of America, daughter of Chief Powhatan, who was one of the first to marry an Englishman, John Rolfe, and return to England with him; about 1595-1617; Pocahontas' brave actions in saving an Englishman paved the way for many positive English and Native relations.
Ethnic Neighborhoods
A neighborhood, typically situated in a larger metropolitan city and constructed by or comprised of a local culture, in which a local culture can practice its customs and support each other.
Interstate Highway System
A network of high-speed roads built to make interstate travel faster and easier.
Second New Deal
A new set of programs in the spring of 1935 including additional banking reforms, new tax laws, new relief programs; also known as the Second Hundred Days.
Self-Made Man
A nineteenth-century ideal that celebrated men who rose to wealth or social prominence from humble origins through self-discipline, hard work, and temperate habits.
Henry Clay
A northern American politician. He developed the American System as well as negotiated numerous compromises.
Carpetbaggers
A northerner who went to the South immediately after the Civil War; especially one who tried to gain political advantage or other advantages from the disorganized situation in southern states.
Winston Churchill
A noted British statesman who led Britain throughout most of World War II and along with Roosevelt planned many allied campaigns. He predicted an iron curtain that would separate Communist Europe from the rest of the West.
Manifest Destiny
A notion held by a nineteenth-century Americans that the United States was destined to rule the continent, from the Atlantic the Pacific.
F. Scott Fitzgerald
A novelist and chronicler of the jazz age. his wife, zelda and he were the "couple" of the decade but hit bottom during the depression. his novel THE GREAT GATSBY is considered a masterpiece about a gangster's pursuit of an unattainable rich girl.
Common Sense
A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that criticized monarchies and convinced many American colonists of the need to break away from Britain.
Camp David Accords
A peace treaty between Israel and Egypt where Egypt agreed to recognize the nation state of Israel.
Gold Rush
A period from 1848 to 1856 when thousands of people came to California in order to search for gold.
Harlem Renaissance
A period in the 1920s when African-American achievements in art and music and literature flourished.
Stagflation
A period of slow economic growth and high unemployment (stagnation) while prices rise (inflation).
Farming Frontier
A period of time in which hundreds of thousands of citizens moved west and began to farm the frontier, very much due to the Homestead Act of 1862, which offered 160 acres of free public land to any family that settled there for a period of 5 years.
Gideon v. Wainwright
A person who cannot afford an attorney may have one appointed by the government.
Pragmatism
A philosophy which focuses only on the outcomes and effects of processes and situations.
Claude McKay
A poet who was a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance movement and wrote the poem "If We Must Die" after the Chicago riot of 1919.
Bush Doctrine
A policy adopted by the Bush administration in 2001 that asserts America's right to attack any nation that has weapons of mass destruction that might be used against U.S. interests at home or abroad.
Perestroika
A policy initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev that involved restructuring of the social and economic status quo in communist Russia towards a market based economy and society. (Restructuring)
Appeasement
A policy of making concessions to an aggressor in the hopes of avoiding war. Associated with Neville Chamberlain's policy of making concessions to Adolf Hitler.
Isolationism
A policy of nonparticipation in international economic and political relations.
Détente
A policy of reducing Cold War tensions that was adopted by the United States during the presidency of Richard Nixon.
Glasnost
A policy of the Soviet government allowing freer discussion of social problems. (Openness)
Brinkmanship
A policy of threatening to go to war in response to any enemy aggression.
Wisconsin Idea
A policy promoted by Republican governor Robert La Follette of Wisconsin for greater government intervention in the economy, with reliance on experts, particularly progressive economists, for policy recommendations.
Open Door Policy
A policy proposed by the US in 1899, under which ALL nations would have equal opportunities to trade in China.
Iron Curtain
A political barrier that isolated the peoples of Eastern Europe after WWII, restricting their ability to travel outside the region.
Free-Soil Movement
A political movement that opposed the expansion of slavery.
Tammany Hall
A political organization within the Democratic Party in New York city (late 1800's and early 1900's) seeking political control by corruption and bossism.
Free-Soil Party
A political party dedicated to stopping the expansion of slavery.
Workingmen's Party
A political third party that was not as large as the Democrat or Whig party.
Tenant Farmers
A poor farmer who did not own land and had to live on and work the land of others, either for wages or a share of the crop they produced.
Deism
A popular Enlightenment era belief that there is a God, but that God isn't involved in people's lives or in revealing truths to prophets.
Pancho Villa
A popular leader during the Mexican Revolution of 1910. An outlaw in his youth, when the revolution started, he formed a cavalry army in the north of Mexico and fought for the rights of the landless in collaboration with Emiliano Zapata.
Revivalists
A preacher who works to renew the importance of religion in American life.
Annapolis Convention (1786)
A precursor to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Delegates met to design a U.S. currency standard, find a way to repay the federal government's debts. Little accomplished, recommend that further convention held to discuss changes to the form of the federal government; endorsed by Confederation Congress in February, 1878, which called for another convention to be held in May that year in Philadelphia.
Direct Primary
A primary where voters directly select the candidates who will run for office.
Johns Hopkins University
A private university which emphasized pure research. It's entrance requirements were unusually strict and applicants needed to have already earned a college degree elsewhere in order to enroll.
Congressional Reconstruction
A process led by the Radical Republicans to use military force to protect Southern blacks' rights.
Cultural Nationalism
A process of protecting, either formally (with laws) or informally (with social values), the primacy of a certain cultural system against influences (real or imagined) from another culture.
Braceros Program
A program the American and Mexican governments agreed to, in which contract laborers would be admitted to the United States for a limited time as migrant farm workers.
National Child Labor Committee
A progressive organization formed in 1904 to promote laws restricting or banning child labor.
Hubert humphrey
A prominent liberal senator from Minnesota dedicated to the promotion of civil rights, he served as Johnson's vice-president from 1964-68 and ran an unsuccessful personal campaign for the presidency in 1968.
Sussex Pledge
A promise that the German Empire made to America, after Wilson threatened to sever ties, to stop sinking their ships without warning.
Rosie the Riveter
A propaganda character designed to increase production of female workers in the factories. It became a rallying symbol for women to do their part.
Iron Law of Wages
A proposed principle of economics that asserts that real wages always tend, in the long run, toward the minimum wage necessary to sustain the life of the worker.
Tariff of 1828
A protective tariff passed by the U.S. Congress that came to be known as the "Tariff of Abominations" to its Southern detractors because of the effects it had on the Antebellum Southern economy. Its goal was to protect industry in the northern United States from competing European goods by increasing the prices of European products.
Town Meetings
A purely democratic form of government common in the colonies, and the most prevalent form of local government in New England. In general, the town's voting population would meet once a year to elect officers, levy taxes, and pass laws.
Cornelius Vanderbilt
A railroad owner who built a railway connecting Chicago and New York. He popularized the use of steel rails in his railroad, which made railroads safer and more economical.
Central Pacific Railroad
A railroad that started in Sacramento , and connected with the Union Pacific Railroad in Promentary Point, Utah; hired Irish immigrants.
Housing Bubble
A rapid increase in the value of houses followed by a sharp decline in their value.
Glorious Revolution
A reference to the political events of 1688-1689, when James II abdicated his throne and was replaced by his daughter Mary and her husband, Prince William of Orange.
Dorothea Dix
A reformer and pioneer in the movement to treat the insane as mentally ill, she was responsible for improving conditions in jails, poorhouses and insane asylums throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Charles Evans
A reformist Republican governor of New York, who had gained fame as an investigator of malpractices by gas and insurance companies and by the coal trust. He later ran against Wilson in the 1916 election.
Charles Evans Hughes
A reformist Republican governor of New York, who had gained fame as an investigator of malpractices by gas and insurance companies and by the coal trust. He later ran against Wilson in the 1916 election.
Rhineland
A region in Germany designated as a demilitarized zone by the Treaty of Versailles; Hitler violated the treaty and sent German troops there in 1936.
Tennessee Valley Authority
A relief, recovery, and reform effort that gave 2.5 million poor citizens jobs and land. It brought cheap electric power, low-cost housing, cheap nitrates, and the restoration of eroded soil.
New Zion
A religious community established by the Mormons on the banks of the Great Salt Lake in Utah.
Puritans
A religious group who wanted to purify the Church of England. They came to America for religious freedom and settled Massachusetts Bay.
Protestant Reformation
A religious movement of the 16th century that began as an attempt to reform the Roman Catholic Church and resulted in the creation of Protestant churches.
Confederate States of America
A republic formed in February of 1861 and composed of the eleven Southern states that seceded from the United States.
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
A resolution adopted by Congress in 1964, giving the president broad powers to wage war in Vietnam.
Arab Spring
A revolutionary wave of protests and demonstrations overtaking dictators in the Middle East (2011).
Recession of 1937
A second period of economic decline during the Great Depression that resulted because FDR had largely stopped spending money and attempted to create a balanced budget, which lessened the effects of the New Deal on the people by laying off many more workers and giving less and less to the people.
Bolsheviks Withdraw
A second revolution in Russia by Bolsheviks (Communists) took it out of World War I.
Manhattan Project
A secret U.S. project for the construction of the atomic bomb.
Ku Klux Klan
A secret society created by white southerners in 1866 that used terror and violence to keep African Americans from obtaining their civil rights.
Pool Halls
A section of a corner saloon in which the game of pool is played. Normally an amature occasion.
Nullification Crisis
A sectional crisis during the presidency of Andrew Jackson created by the Ordinance of Nullification, an attempt by the state of South Carolina to nullify a federal law - the tariff of 1828 - passed by the United States Congress.
The Significance of the Frontier in American History
A seminal essay by the American historian Frederick Jackson Turner that discussed how the frontier solved most of humanities social problems, and as long as there was a frontier, society would thrive.
Bleeding Kansas
A sequence of violent events involving abolitionists and pro-Slavery elements that took place in Kansas-Nebraska Territory. The dispute further strained the relations of the North and South, making civil war imminent.
Industrial Revolution
A series of improvements in industrial technology that transformed the process of manufacturing goods.
Fourteen Points
A series of proposals in which U.S. president Woodrow Wilson outlined a plan for achieving a lasting peace after World War I.
New Deal
A series of reforms enacted by the Franklin Roosevelt administration between 1933 and 1942 with the goal of ending the Great Depression.
Second Great Awakening
A series of religious revivals starting in 1801, based on Methodism and Baptism. Stressed a religious philosophy of salvation through good deeds and tolerance for all Protestant sects. The revivals attracted women, Blacks, and Native Americans.
Women and Children Factory Workers
A single income could not keep a family alive so ______ and _______ had to work in _______ for long hours and low wages.
Sexual Revolution
A social outlook that challenges traditional codes of behaviour related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships. The phenomenon took place throughout the Western world from the 1960s into the 1970s.
George Fitzhugh
A social theorist who published racial and slavery-based sociological theories in the antebellum era. He argued that "the Negro is but a grown up child" who needs the economic and social protections of slavery.
White Primaries
A southern expedient to keep blacks from participating in primary elections.
World Bank
A specialized agency of the United Nations that makes loans to countries for economic development, trade promotion, and debt consolidation. Its formal name is the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Four Freedoms Speech
A speech by FDR that outlined the four principles of freedom (speech, religion, from want, and from fear) This helped inspire Americans into patriotism.
I Have A Dream Speech
A speech given by Martin Luther King, Jr. at the demonstration of freedom in 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial. It was an event related to the civil rights movement of the 1960's to unify citizens in accepting diversity and eliminating discrimination against African-Americans.
Nation-State
A state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular ethnicity that has been transformed into a nationality
Land Bridge
A strip of land that connects two larger landmasses, enabling migration of plants and animals to new areas.
Abstract Art
A style of art that does not show a realistic subject, usually transforming the subject into lines, colors or shapes.
Carrie Chapman Catt
A suffragette who was president of the National Woman Suffrage Association, and founder of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance. Instrumental in obtaining passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
A suffragette who, with Lucretia Mott, organized the first convention on women's rights, held in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848. Issued the Declaration of Sentiments which declared men and women to be equal and demanded the right to vote for women. Co-founded the National Woman's Suffrage Association with Susan B. Anthony in 1869.
Feminists
A supporter of women's claims to the same rights and treatment as men.
Smith v. Allwright
A supreme court case in 1944 that ruled that it was unconstitutional to deny membership in political parties to African Americans as a way of excluding them from voting in primaries.
Unconditional Surrender
A surrender in which no guarantees are given to the surrendering party.
Slavery
A system of enforced servitude in which some people are owned by other people.
Spoils System
A system of public employment based on rewarding party loyalists and friends.
Underground Railroad
A system of secret routes used by escaping slaves to reach freedom in the North or in Canada.
Checks and Balances
A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power.
Sharecropping
A system used on southern farms after the Civil War in which farmers worked land owned by someone else in return for a small portion of the crops.
Protective Tariff
A tax on imported goods that raises the price of imports so people will buy domestic goods.
Excise Tax
A tax on the production or sale of a good.
Pet Banks
A term used by Jackson's opponents to describe the state banks that the federal government used for new revenue deposits in an attempt to destroy the Second Bank of the United States.
Televangelists
A term used to describe ministers who would spread their messages via television networks.
Federalists
A term used to describe supporters of the Constitution during ratification debates in state legislatures. Wanted a stronger federal government.
Domino Theory
A theory that if one nation comes under Communist control, then neighboring nations will also come under Communist control.
Triangular Trade
A three way system of trade during 1600-1800s Africa sent slaves to America, America sent Raw Materials to Europe, and Europe sent Guns and Rum to Africa.
Council of Economic Advisers
A three-member body appointed by the president to advise the president on economic policy.
NAFTA
A trade agreement between Canada, the United States and Mexico that encourages free trade between these North American countries.
World Trade Organization (WTO)
A trade organization that replaced the old General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).
Brook Farm
A transcendentalist Utopian experiment a farm in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, at that time nine miles from Boston. The community, in operation from 1841 to 1847, was inspired by the socialist concepts of Charles Fourier.
Edward Hopper
A twentieth-century American artist whose stark, precisely realistic paintings often convey a mood of solitude and isolation within common-place urban settings. Among his best-known forks are Early Sunday Morning and Nighthawks.
New Harmony
A utopian settlement in Indiana lasting from 1825 to 1827. It had 1,000 settlers, but a lack of authority caused it to break up.
Insurrection
A violent uprising against an authority or government.
Middle Passage
A voyage that brought enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to North America and the West Indies.
Berlin Wall
A wall separating East and West Berlin built by East Germany (with Soviet backing) in 1961 to keep citizens from escaping to the West.
WWI
A war fought from 1914 to 1918 between the Allies, notably Britain, France, Russia, and Italy (which entered in 1915), and the Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire.
WWII
A war fought from 1939 to 1945 between the Axis powers — Germany, Italy, and Japan — and the Allies, including France and Britain, and later the Soviet Union and the United States.
Casablanca Conference
A wartime conference held at Casablanca, Morocco that was attended by de Gaulle, Churchill, and FDR. The Allies demanded the unconditional surrender of the axis, agreed to aid the Soviets, agreed on the invasion Italy, and the joint leadership of the Free French by De Gaulle and Giraud.
Francis Scott Key
A washington lawyer who watched the all-night battle at Fort McHenry and showed his pride by writing what became the national anthem.
Nonviolent Protest
A way of bringing change without using violence.
Sarah Grimké
A woman who published a pamphlet arguing for equal rights of women called "Letters on the Equality of the Sexes and the Condition of Women". She also argued for equal education opportunities.
Advertising
A written or spoken media message designed to interest consumers in purchasing a product or service.
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Abolitionist who wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin which showed how slavery contradicted Christian values, destroyed slave families, and corrupted slave owners.
American Expeditionary Force
About 2 million Americans went to France as members of this under General John J. Pershing. Included the regular army, the National Guard, and the new larger force of volunteers and draftees and they served as individuals.
Horizontal Integration
Absorption into a single firm of several firms involved in the same level of production and sharing resources at that level.
Temperance
Abstinence from alcoholic drink.
Religious Toleration
Acceptance of religious differences.
Quartering Act of 1765
Act forcing colonists to house and supply British forces in the colonies; created more resentment; seen as assault on liberties.
Taft-Hartley Act
Act that provides balance of power between union and management by designating certain union activities as unfair labor practices; also known as Labor-Management Relations Act (LMRA).
Administration of Justice Act
Act which allowed royal officials accused of crimes to be tried in England instead of the colonies.
Embargo Act
Act which ended all of America's importation and exportation. Jefferson hoped the act would pressure the French and British to recognize U.S. neutrality rights in exchange for U.S. goods. Really, however, just hurt Americans and our economy and got repealed in 1809.
Massachusetts Government Act
Act which reduced the power of the Massachusetts legislature while increasing the power of the royal governor.
Sedition Act of 1918
Added to Espionage Act to cover "disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language" about the American form of government, the Constitution, the flag, or the armed forces.
Declaration of the Causes and Necessities for Taking Up Arms
Adopted by the Second Continental Congress; Cited why the colonies had taken up rebellion against the British.
Martin Van Buren
Advocated lower tariffs and free trade, and by doing so maintained support of the south for the Democratic party. He succeeded in setting up a system of bonds for the national debt.
William Still
African American abolitionist and author; 18th son of ex-slaves; wrote The Underground Railroad which chronicles how he helped 649 slaves escape to freedom via the Underground Railroad.
Paul Robeson
African American actor and singer who promoted African American rights and left-wing causes.
Bessie Smith
African American blues singer who played and important role in the Harlem Renaissance.
Marcus Garvey
African American leader during the 1920s who founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and advocated mass migration of African Americans back to Africa. Was deported to Jamaica in 1927.
Jelly Roll Morton
African American pianist, composer, arranger, and band leader from New Orleans; Bridged the gap between the piano styles of ragtime and jazz; Was the first important jazz composer.
Langston Hughes
African American poet who described the rich culture of african American life using rhythms influenced by jazz music. He wrote of African American hope and defiance, as well as the culture of Harlem and also had a major impact on the Harlem Renaissance.
Booker T. Washington
African American progressive who supported segregation and demanded that African American better themselves individually to achieve equality.
Free African Americans
African Americans who were free citizens; majority lived in cities where they could own property, however they were still not considered equal with whites.
Sunni vs Shiite
After Saddam Hussein's death, the Sunni and Shiites attacked each other, and millions of Iraqis fled the country or were displaced. The Bush administration was widely criticized for going into Iraq without sufficient troops to control the country and to disband the Iraqi army.
German Democratic Republic (East Germany)
After WWII, Germany was divided into two countries, this part was communist in government and had a command economy.
Falling Farm Prices
After World War I, European farm product came back on the market, farm prices fell, which hurt farmers in the United States.
Islamic Roots of Anti-Americanism
After World War I, the Ottoman Empire, the last of Islamic empires, was replaced with Western-style secular nation states. The U.S. stationed troops in the Middle East after the Gulf War. Islamic religious fundamentalists objected to these actions.
Anti-Radical Hysteria
After World War I, xenophobia, (intense or irrational dislike of foreign people) increased. This lead to restrictions of immigration in the 1920s.
Mexican War
After disputes over Texas lands that were settled by Mexicans the United States declared war on Mexico in 1846 and by treaty in 1848 took Texas and California and Arizona and New Mexico and Nevada and Utah and part of Colorado and paid Mexico $15,000,000.
Border Security
After the 9/11 commissions report, the most significant area that needed to be reformed was how easily potential terrorists could enter and exit the country - Homeland Security.
Treaty of Greenville (1795)
After the Battle of Fallen Timbers. The 12 local Indian tribes gave Americans the Ohio Valley territory in exchange for a reservation and $10,000.
New South
After the Civil War, southerners promoted a new vision for a self-sufficient southern economy built on modern capitalist values, industrial growth, and improved transportation. Henry Grady played an important role in this idea.
White Juries
After the Civil War, the south disregarded the Civil Rights Act of 1875 and excluded African Americans from juries, calling into question whether the jury's decision in cases involving African Americans were unbiased.
Radical Republicans
After the Civil War. A group that believed the South should be harshly punished and thought that Lincoln was sometimes too compassionate towards the South.
Regulatory Commissions
Agencies of the executive branch of government that control or direct some aspect of the economy.
Reconstruction Finance Corporation
Agency established in 1932 to provide emergency relief to large businesses, insurance companies, and banks.
Suffolk Resolves
Agreed to by delegates from Suffolk county, Massachusetts, and approved by the First Continental Congress on October 8, 1774. Nullified the Coercive Acts, closed royal courts, ordered taxes to be paid to colonial governments instead of the royal government, and prepared local militias.
Kellogg-Briand Pact
Agreement signed in 1928 in which nations agreed not to pose the threat of war against one another.
Three-Fifths Compromise
Agreement that each slave counted as three-fifths of a person in determining representation in the House for representation and taxation purposes (negated by the 13th amendment).
Gadsden Purchase
Agreement w/ Mexico that gave the US parts of present-day New Mexico & Arizona in exchange for $10 million; all but completed the continental expansion envisioned by those who believed in Manifest Destiny.
Berlin Airlift
Airlift in 1948 that supplied food and fuel to citizens of west Berlin when the Russians closed off land access to Berlin.
Infant Industries
Alexander Hamilton's Financial Program: Newly developing businesses need protection from foreign competition in the form of tariffs on imported goods
Axis Powers
Alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan during World War II.
D-Day
Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. Formed an Allied beachhead in which they could push through France.
Big Three
Allies during WWII; Soviet Union - Stalin, United Kingdom - Churchill, United States - Roosevelt
Commercial Compromise
Allowed Congress to regulate interstate and foreign commerce yet prohibited any tariffs on exported goods. Incorporated needs of both Anti-Federalists and Federalists to some degree.
Tea Act of 1773
Allowed East India Company to avoid navigation taxes when exporting tea to colonies and gave them power to monopolize tea trade; this angered colonists and threatened merchants and the colonial economy.
Lend-Lease Act
Allowed sales or loans of war materials to any country whose defense the president deems vital to the defense of the U.S.
Mary McCauley (Molly Pitcher)
Also known as Molly Pitcher. Carried water to soldiers during the Battle of Monmouth Court House and took over her husband's gun when he was overcome by heat. (p. 94)
Proposition 13
Also known as the "tax revolt", it was a California ballot measure in 1978 that slashed property taxes and forced deep cuts in government services.
Fredericksburg
Ambrose Burnside led the Union toward Richmond and marched into waiting Confederate troops who shot them down as they marched. Horrible defeat for the Union.
22nd Amendment
Amendment that created a 2 term limit on presidents. (Solidified the 2 term tradition)
24th Amendment
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1964) eliminated the poll tax as a prerequisite to vote in national elections.
21st Amendment
Amendment which ended the Prohibition of alcohol in the US, repealing the 18th amendment.
Hawaii
America attained Hawaii by forcing the Hawaiian King to sign a constitution and reduced his power. The Queen Liliuokalani gave up her country because she didn't want to go to war with America. Hawaii became the 50th State.
John Adams
America's first Vice-President and second President. Sponsor of the American Revolution in Massachusetts, and wrote the Massachusetts guarantee that freedom of press "ought not to be restrained."
John Bartram
America's first botanist; traveled through the frontier collecting specimens.
Woodland Mound Builders
American Indian tribe east of the Mississippi that prospered because of a rich food supply.
Longhouses
American Indians along the Pacific Coast lived in these plank houses.
Hokokam, Anasazi, and Pueblos
American Indians located in the New Mexico and Arizona region. They developed farming using irrigation systems.
Thomas Paine
American Revolutionary leader and pamphleteer (born in England) who supported the American colonists' fight for independence, wrote Common Sense and supported the French Revolution (1737-1809)
Frederick Douglass
American abolitionist and writer, he escaped slavery and became a leading African American spokesman and writer. He published his biography, The Narrative of the Life of __________, and founded the abolitionist newspaper, the North Star.
Mountain Men
American adventurers and fur trappers who spent most of their time in the Rocky Mountains.
Mountain Men
American adventurers and fur trappers who spent most of their time in the Rocky Mountains. Most of their loyalties lied with the Union during the Civil War.
John Deere
American blacksmith that was responsible for inventing the steel plow. This new plow was much stronger than the old iron version; therefore, it made plowing farmland in the west easier, making expansion faster.
Thurgood Marshall
American civil rights lawyer, first black justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. Marshall was a tireless advocate for the rights of minorities and the poor.
Sylvester Graham
American clergyman whose advocacy of health regimen emphasizing temperance and vegetarianism found lasting expression in graham cracker.
Loyalists (Tories)
American colonists who remained loyal to Britain and opposed the war for independence.
Patriots
American colonists who were determined to fight the British until American independence was won.
External Job Markets
American companies would produce goods in nations with less strict labor laws, such as China, India, or Brazil. This lowered the amount of jobs for Americans.
Sierra Club
American environmental organization. It helped promote the protection of the environment and nature.
Jacqueline Kennedy
American first lady and wife of president Kennedy; she was known for her style and social grace; was used to create a favorable public opinion about his presidency.
George Rogers Clark (1752-1818)
American frontiersman who captured a series of British forts along the Ohio River during the Revolutionary war.
Billy Sunday
American fundamentalist minister; he used colorful language and powerful sermons to drive home the message of salvation through Jesus and to oppose radical and progressive groups.
Douglas MacArthur
American general, who commanded allied troops in the Pacific during World War II.
Benjamin Franklin
American intellectual, inventor, and politician He helped to negotiate French support for the American Revolution.
Thomas Edison
American inventor best known for inventing the electric light bulb, acoustic recording on wax cylinders, and motion pictures.
Robert Fulton
American inventor who designed the first commercially successful steamboat and the first steam warship.
John Marshall
American jurist and politician who served as the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1801-1835) and helped establish the practice of judicial review.
Margaret Sanger
American leader of the movement to legalize birth control during the early 1900's. As a nurse in the poor sections of New York City, she had seen the suffering caused by unwanted pregnancy. Founded the first birth control clinic in the U.S. and the American Birth Control League, which later became Planned Parenthood.
Theodore Dreiser
American naturalist who wrote The Financier and The Titan. Like Riis, he helped reveal the poor conditions people in the slums faced and influenced reforms.
Stephen Decatur
American naval officer known for his heroic deeds in the Tripolitan War, the War of 1812, and skirmishes against the Barbary pirates.
Sinclair Lewis
American novelist who satirized middle-class America in his 22 works, including Babbitt (1922) and Elmer Gantry (1927). He was the first American to receive (1930) a Nobel Prize for literature.
John Copley
American painter who did portraits of Paul Revere and John Hancock before fleeing to England to avoid the American Revolution. (1738-1815)
William Dawes
American patriot who rode with Paul Revere to warn that the British were advancing on Concord. (1745-1799)
Francis Townsend
American physician and social reformer whose plan for a government-sponsored old-age pension was a precursor of the Social Security Act of 1935.
Phillis Wheatley
American poet (born in Africa) who was the first recognized Black writer in America. (1753-1784)
James Weldon Johnson
American poet and part of the Harlem Renaissance, he was influenced by jazz music.
Credibility Gap
American public's growing distrust of statements made by the government during the Vietnam War.
Environmental Damage
American settlers caused this when they cleared and exhausted entire forests through poor farming methods.
Henry David Thoreau
American transcendentalist who was against a government that supported slavery. He wrote down his beliefs in Walden. He started the movement of civil-disobedience when he refused to pay the toll-tax to support the Mexican War.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
American transcendentalist who was against slavery and stressed self-reliance, optimism, self-improvement, self-confidence, and freedom. He was a prime example of a transcendentalist and helped further the movement.
Battle of Saratoga
American victory over British troops in 1777 that was a turning point in the American Revolution. (French join war)
Gertrude Stein
American writer of experimental novels, poetry, essays, operas, and plays. In Paris during the 1920s she was a central member of a group of American expatriates that included Ernest Hemingway. Her works include Three Lives (1908), Tender Buttons (1914), and The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas (1933).
Washington Irving
American writer remembered for the stories "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," contained in The Sketch Book.
Nativists
Americans who feared that immigrants would take jobs and impose their Roman Catholic beliefs on society.
Kanagawa Treaty
An 1854 agreement - the first between the United States and Japan - it opened two Japanese ports to American commerce, protected shipwrecked American sailors, and ended Japan's 200 years of isolation.
Henry Highland Garnet
An African American who advocated the most radical solution to the slavery question. He argued, that slaves should take action themselves by rising up in revolt against their owners.
Monroe Doctrine
An American foreign policy opposing interference in the Western hemisphere from outside powers.
Ulysses S. Grant
An American general and the eighteenth President of the United States. He achieved international fame as the leading Union general in the American Civil War.
William Henry Harrison
An American military leader, politician, the ninth President of the United States, and the first President to die in office. Led US forces in the Battle of Tippecanoe.
John C. Frémont
An American military officer, explorer, the first candidate of the Republican Party for the office of President of the United States, and the first presidential candidate of a major party to run on a platform in opposition to slavery.
Horace Greeley
An American newspaper editor and founder of the Republican party. His New York Tribune was America's most influential newspaper 1840-1870. Greeley used it to promote the Whig and Republican parties, as well as antislavery and a host of reforms.
Blanche K. Bruce
An American politician. Bruce represented Mississippi as a U.S. Senator from 1875 to 1881 and was the first black to serve a full term in the Senate.
George Caleb Bingham
An American realist artist, whose paintings depicted life on the frontier.
John Wilkes Booth
An American stage actor who, as part of a conspiracy plot, assassinated Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1865.
Amelia Bloomer
An American women's rights and temperance advocate. She presented her views in her own monthly paper, The Lily, which she began publishing in 1849. One of the major causes promoted by Amelia was a change in dress standards for women so that they would be less restrictive.
Benjamin West
An Anglo-American self-taught painter of historical scenes around and after the time of the American Revolution, West also painted the royal family of King George III and co-founded the Royal Academy of Arts.
Henry Hudson
An English explorer who explored for the Dutch. He claimed the Hudson River around present day New York and called it New Netherland. He also had the Hudson Bay named after him.
Salutary Neglect
An English policy of not strictly enforcing laws in its colonies.
American Colonization Society
An abolitionist society whose main goal was to move African Americans to American colonies in Africa.
John Brown
An abolitionist who attempted to lead a slave revolt by capturing Armories in southern territory and giving weapons to slaves, was hung in Harpers Ferry after capturing an Armory.
Sugar Act of 1764
An act that raised tax revenue in the colonies for the crown. It also increased the duty on foreign sugar imported from the West Indies.
William Graham Sumner
An advocate of Social Darwinism. Claimed that the rich were a result of natural selection and benefits society. He, like many others promoted the belief of Social Darwinism which justified the rich being rich, and poor being poor.
Office of Price Administration (OPA)
An agency established by Congress to control inflation during World War II.
Paris Agreement
An agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) dealing with greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, adaptation, and finance starting in the year 2020.
Warsaw Pact
An alliance between the Soviet Union and other Eastern European nations. This was in response to NATO.
Conservative Coalition
An alliance of Republicans and southern Democrats that can form in the House or the Senate to oppose liberal legislation and support conservative legislation.
The Liberator
An anti-slavery newspaper written by William Lloyd Garrison. It drew attention to abolition, both positive and negative, causing a war of words between supporters of slavery and those opposed.
Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda
An apologist known for writing "Just Causes of the War against the Indians". Justified war against the natives by referring to Aristotle's theory on "natural slavery". His reasons were that Indians were barbaric and inhuman and therefore did not deserve to own property. Instead they are destined to serve their natural masters; the Spaniards.
Welfare Capitalism
An approach to labor relations in which companies meet some of their workers' needs without prompting by unions, thus preventing strikes and keeping productivity high.
Organic Architecture
An architectural style in which the building was in harmony with its natural surroundings.
Sudetenland
An area in western Czechoslovakia that was covered by Hitler for its large German speaking population. This area was invaded by Germany and occupied.
Asymmetric Warfare
An armed conflict between actors with highly unequal military capabilities, such as when rebel groups or terrorists fight strong states.
Impressionism
An artistic movement that sought to capture a momentary feel, or impression, of the piece they were drawing.
Unions
An association of workers, formed to bargain for better working conditions and higher wages.
Cyber Attacks
An attempt by hackers to damage or destroy a computer network or system. This has been one of the largest growing forms of attacks upon other nations in modern warfare.
Maize
An early form of corn grown by Native Americans.
Fair Deal
An economic extension of the New Deal proposed by Harry Truman that called for higher minimum wage, housing and full employment. It led only to the Housing Act of 1949 and the Social Security Act of 1950 due to opposition in congress.
Supply-Side Economics (Reaganomics)
An economic philosophy that holds the sharply cutting taxes will increase the incentive people have to work, save, and invest. Greater investments will lead to more jobs, a more productive economy, and more tax revenues for the government.
Mercantilism
An economic policy under which nations sought to increase their wealth and power by obtaining large amounts of gold and silver and by selling more goods than they bought.
Laissez-Faire Capitalism
An economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately owned and operated for profit with minimal or no government interference.
Trickle Down Economics
An economic theory that holds that money lent to banks and businesses will trickle down to consumers.
Consumer Economy
An economy that depends on a large amount of spending by consumers.
Timothy Dwight
An educated Reverend (president of Yale College) who helped initiate the Second Great Awakening. His campus revivals inspired many young men to become evangelical preachers.
Two-Party System
An electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections.
Moral Majority
"Born-Again" Christians become politically active. The majority of Americans are moral people, and therefore are a political force.
James Madison
"Father of the Constitution," Federalist leader, and fourth President of the United States.
John Dickinson
"Letters from a farmer in Pennsylvania", protested Townshend acts, wrote Articles of Confederation.
Blitzkrieg
"Lighting war" The type of fast-moving warfare used by German forces against Poland in 1939.
Deep South
"Lower south" or "cotton kingdom"; area where the majority of the country's cotton was produced; plagued w/ disease.
Irish
"Pushed" to the U.S. due to a potato famine. Settled the urban Northeast. Discriminated against greatly.
Compromise of 1850
(1) California admitted as free state, (2) territorial status and popular sovereignty of Utah and New Mexico, (3) resolution of Texas-New Mexico boundaries, (4) federal assumption of Texas debt, (5) slave trade abolished in DC, and (6) new fugitive slave law; advocated by Henry Clay and Stephen A. Douglas.
Aztecs
(1200-1521) 1300, they settled in the valley of Mexico. Grew corn. Engaged in frequent warfare to conquer others of the region. Worshiped many gods (polytheistic). Believed the sun god needed human blood to continue his journeys across the sky. Practiced human sacrifices and those sacrificed were captured warriors from other tribes and those who volunteered for the honor.
King William's War
(1689-1697) Small war between French and English that had small battles fought in Northern New England.
French and Indian War
(1754-1763) War fought in the colonies between the English and the French for possession of the Ohio Valley area. The English won.
Peace of Paris
(1763) This ended the Seven Years War/French and Indian war between Britain and her allies and France and her allies. The result was the acquisition of all land east of the Mississippi plus Canada for Britain, and the removal of the French from mainland North America.
Prohibitory Act (1775)
(1775) Declaration of the king saying the colonies were in rebellion.
Zachary Taylor
(1849-1850), Whig president who was a Southern slaveholder, and war hero (Mexican-American War). Won the 1848 election. Surprisingly did not address the issue of slavery at all on his platform. He died during his term and his Vice President was Millard Fillmore.
Mao Zedong
(1893-1976) Leader of the Communist Party in China that overthrew Jiang Jieshi and the Nationalists. Established China as the People's Republic of China and ruled from 1949 until 1976.
Milton Friedman
(1912- ) American economist. Conservative thinker famous for his advocacy of monetarism (an revision of the quantity theory of money) in works like A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960 (1963). he is strongly associated with the ideals of laissez-faire government policy.
Roe v. Wade
(1973) Legalized abortion on the basis of a woman's right to privacy.
Gerald Ford
(1974-1977), Solely elected by a vote from Congress. He pardoned Nixon of all crimes that he may have committed. Evacuated nearly 500,000 Americans and South Vietnamese from Vietnam, closing the war. We are heading toward rapid inflation. He runs again and debates Jimmy Carter. At the debate he is asked how he would handle the communists in eastern Europe and he said there were none and this apparently sealed his fate.
Persian Gulf War
(1990 - 1991) Conflict between Iraq and a coalition of countries led by the United States to remove Iraqi forces from Kuwait which they had invaded in hopes of controlling their oil supply. A very one sided war with the United States' coalition emerging victorious.
Social Security Act
(FDR) 1935, guaranteed retirement payments for enrolled workers beginning at age 65; set up federal-state system of unemployment insurance and care for dependent mothers and children, the handicapped, and public health.
Alliance for Progress
(JFK) 1961,, a program in which the United States tried to help Latin American countries overcome poverty and other problems, money used to aid big business and the military.
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
(JFK) 1963, Wake of Cuban Missile Crisis (climax of Cold War and the closest we have ever come to nuclear war) Soviets & US agree to prohibit all above-ground nuclear tests, both nations choose to avoid annihilating the human race w/ nuclear war, France and China did not sign.
Peace Corps
(JFK) Volunteers who help third world nations and prevent the spread of communism by getting rid of poverty, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Panic of 1873 (Crime of 73)
-Over-enterprising, when profits failed to materialize, loans went unpaid, and caused the bust -economic strains on blacks+debtors -controversies over soft v. hard $
Movie Stars of the 1920s
-Rudy Valentino -Douglas Fairbanks Sr. -Mary Pickford
Schechter v. U.S.
1) Supreme Court struck down National Recovery Administration after violation of poultry code. 2) Legislation could not push powers to the executive branch, which had been happening through the New Deal. 3) People feared that Court might strike down entire New Deal.
Coercive Acts of 1774
1. Closed Boston port until destroyed tea paid for. 2. stopped town meetings. 3. Appointed a military government for Massachusetts. 4. Trials of government officials will be in England.
Causes of Industrial Growth
1. Raw Resources 2. Tech Boom 3. Heavy Investment in Tech Boom 4. Railroads Let Businesses Open 5. Social Darwinism Made Rich People Look Good
Millard Fillmore
13th President 1850-1853 Whig
Franklin Pierce
14th President Democrat, Candidate from the North who could please the South. He succeeded only in splitting the country further apart.
Great White Fleet
16 American battleships, painted white, sent around the world to display American naval power.
Mayflower Compact
1620 - The first agreement for self-government in America. It was signed by the 41 men on the Mayflower and set up a government for the Plymouth colony.
New England Confederation
1643 - Formed to provide for the defense of the four New England colonies, and also acted as a court in disputes between colonies.
King Philip's War
1675 - A series of battles in New Hampshire between the colonists and the Wampanoags, led by a chief known as King Philip. The war was started when the Massachusetts government tried to assert court jurisdiction over the local Indians. The colonists won with the help of the Mohawks, and this victory opened up additional Indian lands for expansion.
Bacon's Rebellion
1676 - Nathaniel Bacon and other western Virginia settlers were angry at Virginia Governor Berkeley for trying to appease the Doeg Indians after the Doegs attacked the western settlements. The frontiersmen formed an army, with Bacon as its leader, which defeated the Indians and then marched on Jamestown and burned the city. The rebellion ended suddenly when Bacon died of an illness.
Dominion of New England
1686 - The British government combined the colonies of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Connecticut into a single province headed by a royal governor (Andros). The Dominion ended in 1692, when the colonists revolted and drove out Governor Andros.
Cecil Calvert (Lord Baltimore)
1694 he was the founder of Maryland, a colony which offered religious freedom and a refuge for the persecuted Roman Catholics. (CUL)
Abraham Lincoln
16th President of the United States. He saved the Union during the Civil War and emancipated the slaves; was assassinated by Booth. (1809-1865)
King George's War
1744 and 1748. England and Spain were in conflict with French. New England captured French Bastion at Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island. They had to abandon it once peace treaty ended conflict in exchange for gains in India.
Pontiac's Rebellion
1763 - An Indian uprising after the French and Indian War, led by an Ottawa chief named Pontiac. They opposed British expansion into the western Ohio Valley and began destroying British forts in the area. The attacks ended when Pontiac was killed.
Letters From a Farmer in Pennsylvania
1767- by John Dickinson, argued that Parliament had no right to tax the colonies for revenue
Andrew Johnson
17th President of the United States, A Southerner form Tennessee. As V.P. when Lincoln was killed, he became president. He opposed radical Republicans who passed Reconstruction Acts over his veto. The first U.S. president to be impeached, he survived the Senate removal by only one vote. He was a very weak and sectional president compared to his formers.
John Locke
17th century English philosopher who opposed the Divine Right of Kings and who asserted that people have a natural right to life, liberty, and property.
Louisiana Purchase
1803 purchase of the Louisiana territory from France. Made by Jefferson, this doubled the size of the US.
Macon's Bill No. 2
1810 - Forbade trade with Britain and France, but offered to resume trade with whichever nation lifted its neutral trading restrictions first. France quickly changed its policies against neutral vessels, so the U.S. resumed trade with France, but not Britain.
Rush-Bagot Agreement
1817 agreement that limited American and British naval forces on the Great Lakes.
Webster-Ashburton Treaty
1842; Between the US and the Brits, settled boundary disputes in the North West, fixed most borders between US and Canada, and talked about slavery and excredition
Wilmot Proviso
1846 proposal that outlawed slavery in any territory gained from the War with Mexico.
Lewis Cass
1848 Democratic candidate known as the Father of Popular Sovereignty.
Republican Party
1854 - Anti-slavery Whigs and Democrats, Free Soilers and reformers from the Northwest met and formed this party in order to keep slavery out of the territories.
Kansas-Nebraska Act
1854 - Created Nebraska and Kansas as states and gave the people in those territories the right to chose to be a free or slave state through popular sovereignty.
Dred Scott v. Sandford
1857 Supreme Court decision that stated that slaves were not citizens; that living in a free state or territory, even for many years, did not free slaves; and declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional.
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
1858 Senate Debate. Lincoln forced Douglas to debate issue of slavery, Douglas supported pop-sovereignty, Lincoln asserted that slavery should not spread to territories, Lincoln emerged as strong Republican candidate.
Theodore Roosevelt
1858-1919. 26th President. Increased size of Navy, "Great White Fleet". Added the Roosevelt Corollary to Monroe Doctrine. "Big Stick" policy. Received Nobel Peace Prize for mediation of end of Russo-Japanese war. Later arbitrated split of Morocco between Germany and France.
Crittenden Compromise
1860 - Attempt to prevent Civil War by Senator Crittenden - offered a Constitutional amendment recognizing slavery in the territories south of the 36º30' line, noninterference by Congress with existing slavery, and compensation to the owners of fugitive slaves - defeated by Republicans.
Pacific Railway Act
1862 legislation to encourage the construction of a transcontinental railroad, connecting the West to industries in the Northeast (Union Pacific and Central Pacific RR).
Henry Ford
1863-1947. American businessman, founder of Ford Motor Company, father of modern assembly lines, and inventor credited with 161 patents.
Wade-Davis Bill
1864; Proposed far more demanding and stringent terms for reconstruction; required 50% of the voters of a state to take the loyalty oath and permitted only non-confederates to vote for a new state constitution. Lincoln refused to sign the bill, pocket vetoing it after Congress adjourned.
Boxer Rebellion
1899 rebellion in Beijing, China started by a secret society of Chinese who opposed the "foreign devils". The rebellion was ended by British troops.
Seventeenth Amendment
1913 constitutional amendment allowing American voters to directly elect US senators.
Clayton Antitrust Act
1914 act designed to strengthen the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. Certain activities previously committed by big businesses, such as not allowing unions in factories and not allowing strikes, were declared illegal.
Jones Act
1916 - Promised The Philippines independence. Given freedom in 1917, their economy grew as a satellite of the U.S. Filipino independence was not realized for 30 years.
Five-Power Treaty
1922 *Committed the US, Britain, Japan, France, and Italy to restricting construction of new battleship class ships *Pact gave Japan naval supremacy in the Pacific.
Scopes Trial
1925 court case in which Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan debated the issue of teaching evolution in public schools.
Cesar Chavez
1927-1993. Farm worker, labor leader, and civil-rights activist who helped form the National Farm Workers Association, later the United Farm Workers.
Stimson Doctrine
1932, Hoover's Secretary of State said the US would not recognize territorial changes resulting from Japan's invasion of Manchuria.
Indian Reorganization Act
1934 - Restored tribal ownership of lands, recognized tribal constitutions and government, and provided loans for economic development.
Nye Committee
1934. Senate committee led by South Dakota Senator Gerald Nye to investigate why America became involved in WWI. Theory that big business had conspired to have America enter WWI so that they could make money selling war materials. Called bankers and arms producers "merchants of death".
Fair Labor Standards Act
1938 act which provided for a minimum wage and restricted shipments of goods produced with child labor.
Munich Conference
1938 conference at which European leaders attempted to appease Hitler by turning over the Sudetenland to him in exchange for promise that Germany would not expand Germany's territory any further. This backfired horribly as this ended up giving Germany more land and power which it used during WWII.
Smith Act
1940 act which made it illegal to speak of or advocate overthrowing the U.S. government. Was used by Truman 11 times to prosecute suspected Communists.
Selective Training and Service Act
1940 law requiring all males aged 21 to 36 to register for military service.
Atlantic Charter
1941-Pledge signed by US president FDR and British prime minister Winston Churchill not to acquire new territory as a result of WWII amd to work for peace after the war.
Battle of Midway
1942 World War II battle between the United States and Japan, a turning point in the war in the Pacific.
Korematsu v. U.S.
1944 Supreme Court case where the Supreme Court upheld the order providing for the relocation of Japanese Americans. It was not until 1988 that Congress formally apologized and agreed to pay $20,000 to each survivor.
McCarran Internal Security Act
1950 - Required Communists to register and prohibited them from working for the government. Truman described it as a long step toward totalitarianism. Was a response to the onset of the Korean war.
Ho Chi Minh
1950s and 60s; communist leader of North Vietnam; used guerilla warfare to fight anti-communist, American-funded attacks under the Truman Doctrine; brilliant strategy drew out war and made it unwinnable.
Television
1950s-1960s *Invented in the 1930s *FDR was the first president to appear on TV; he gave a speech in 1939 at the New York World's Fair, where the television was being officially introduced to the mass public *Seminal shows during the 1950s and 1960s included The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, and The Ed Sullivan Show *By 1960, over forty million homes had televisions
Joseph McCarthy
1950s; Wisconsin senator claimed to have list of communists in American gov't, but no credible evidence; took advantage of fears of communism post WWII to become incredibly influential; "McCarthyism" was the fearful accusation of any dissenters of being communists.
Malcolm X
1952; Renamed himself X to signify the loss of his African heritage; converted to Nation of Islam in jail in the 50s, became Black Muslims' most dynamic street orator and recruiter; his beliefs were the basis of a lot of the Black Power movement built on separatist and nationalist impulses to achieve true independence and equality
Brown v. Board of Education
1954 - The Supreme Court overruled Plessy v. Ferguson and declared that racially segregated facilities are inherently unequal and ordered all public schools desegregated.
Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO)
1954-1977 *Created to oppose the spread of Communism in Southeast Asia after France's withdrawal from Indochina *Original members included the US, Britain, France, Pakistan, Thailand, and the Philippines *The organization was meant to justify an American presence in Vietnam, though some members did not support America in this effort *Dismantled in 1977
Little Rock Crisis
1957 - Governor Faubus sent the Arkansas National Guard to prevent nine Black students from entering Little Rock Central High School. Eisenhower sent in U.S. paratroopers to ensure the students could attend class.
Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
1957 group founded by Martin Luther King Jr. to fight against segregation using nonviolent means.
Equal Pay Act
1963 law that required both men and women to receive equal pay for equal work.
Watts Riots
1964 riots which started in an African-American ghetoo of Los Angeles and left 30 dead and 1,000 wounded. Riots lasted a week, and spurred hundreds more around the country.
Escobedo v. Illinois
1964--Ruled that a defendant must be allowed access to a lawyer before questioning by police.
Barry Goldwater
1964; Republican contender against LBJ for presidency; platform included lessening federal involvement, therefore opposing Civil Rights Act of 1964; lost by largest margin in history.
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA)
1965 - Provided federal funding for primary and secondary education and was meant to improve the education of poor people. This was the first federal program to fund education.
Eugene McCarthy
1968 Democratic candidate for President who ran to succeed incumbent Lyndon Baines Johnson on an anti-war platform.
Richard Nixon
1968 and 1972; Republican; Vietnam: advocated "Vietnamization" (replace US troops with Vietnamese), but also bombed Cambodia/Laos, created a "credibility gap," Paris Peace Accords ended direct US involvement; economy-took US off gold standard (currency valued by strength of economy); created the Environmental Protection Agency, was president during first moon landing; SALT I and new policy of detente between US and Soviet Union; Watergate scandal: became first and only president to resign.
My Lai
1968, in which American troops had brutally massacred innocent women and children in the village of My Lai, also led to more opposition to the war.
Tet Offensive
1968; National Liberation Front and North Vietnamese forces launched a huge attack on the Vietnamese New Year (Tet), which was defeated after a month of fighting and many thousands of casualties; major defeat for communism, but Americans reacted sharply, with declining approval of LBJ and more anti-war sentiment.
Three Mile Island
1979 - A mechanical failure and a human error at this power plant in Pennsylvania combined to permit an escape of radiation over a 16 mile radius.
Breakup of the Soviet Union
1991 breakup of the ______ ______ into 15 separate countries. This marked the official end of the Cold War as the United States obviously didn't have many nations to combat.
Rutherford B. Hayes
19th president of the united states. Famous for being part of the Hayes-Tilden election, in which electoral votes were contested in 4 states, most corrupt election in US history.
Articles of Confederation
1st Constitution of the U.S. 1781-1788 (Weaknesses-no executive, no judicial, no power to tax, no power to regulate trade)
White House Conference
1st conference to talk about reforms on issues involving children and families and how they would be handled by the fed gov. Made legislation that states social policies on how states deal with certain problems pertaining to child welfare.
Knights of Labor
1st effort to create National union. It was open to everyone except lawyers and bankers. It had a vague program, no clear goals, weak leadership and organization. Failed in the long run.
Bull Run
1st real battle, Confederate victory, Washingtonian spectators gather to watch battle, Gen. Jackson stands as Stonewall and turns tide of battle in favor of Confederates. Causes realization that war is not going to be quick and easy for either side.
Native Language Diversity
20 language families, over 400 languages. (Families included Algonquian [Northeast], Siouan [Great Plains], and Athabaskan [Southwest])
Barack Obama
2008; Democrat; first African American president of the US, health care bill; Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster; economy: huge stimulus package to combat the great recession, is removing troops from Iraq, strengthened numbers in Afghanistan; repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell; New Start treaty with Russia.
Bicentennial
200th anniversary
Grover Cleveland
22nd and 24th president, Democrat, Honest and hardworking, fought corruption, vetoed hundreds of wasteful bills, achieved the Interstate Commerce Commission and civil service reform, violent suppression of strikes.
Warren Harding
29th president of the US; Republican; "Return to Normalcy" (life as it had been before WWI-peace, isolation); presidency was marred by scandal.
Woodstock
3 day rock concert in upstate N.Y. August 1969, exemplified the counterculture of the late 1960s, nearly 1/2M gather in a 600 acre field.
Boston Police Strike
3/4 of Boston's fifteen thousand policemen went on strike and for a few days the streets belonged to rioters. Governor Calvin Coolidge called out the Mass. National Guard which restored order and broke the strike.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
32nd US President - He began New Deal programs to help the nation out of the Great Depression, and he was the nation's leader during most of WWII.
Harry Truman
33rd President of the United States. Led the U.S. to victory in WWII making the ultimate decision to use atomic weapons for the first time. Shaped U.S. foreign policy regarding the Soviet Union after the war.
Neutrality Acts
4 laws passed in the late 1930s that were designed to keep the US out of international incidents.
George H. W. Bush
41st U.S. President. 1989-1993. Republican, republican, former director of CIA, oil company founder/owner, foreign policy (panama, gulf war), raised taxes even though said he wouldn't, more centrist than his son, NAFTA negotiation.
William (Bill) Clinton
42nd President 1993-2001 Democrat
George W. Bush
43rd president of the US who began a campaign toward energy self-sufficiency and against terrorism in 2001.
Ethiopia
A "free" African nation that was capitulated by Italy after a bloody war.
Treaty of Tordesillas
A 1494 agreement between Portugal and Spain, declaring that newly discovered lands to the west of an imaginary line in the Atlantic Ocean would belong to Spain and newly discovered lands to the east of the line would belong to Portugal.
Plessy v. Ferguson
A 1896 Supreme Court decision which legalized state ordered segregation so long as the facilities for blacks and whites were equal.
Federal Reserve Act
A 1913 law that set up a system of federal banks and gave government the power to control the money supply.
Schenck v. United States
A 1919 decision upholding the conviction of a socialist who had urged young men to resist the draft during World War I. Justice Holmes declared that government can limit speech if the speech provokes a "clear and present danger" of substantive evils.
Palmer Raids
A 1920 operation coordinated by Attorney General Mitchell Palmer in which federal marshals raided the homes of suspected radicals and the headquarters of radical organization in 32 cities.
Nine-Power China Treaty
A 1922 treaty affirming the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China as previously stated in the Open Door Policy.
Only Yesterday
A 1931 history book that portrayed the 1920s as a period of narrow-minded materialism in which the middle class abandoned Progressive reforms, embraced conservative Republican policies, and either supported or condoned nativism, racism, and fundamentalism.
National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act)
A 1935 law that guarantees workers the right of collective bargaining sets down rules to protect unions and organizers, and created the National Labor Relations Board to regulate labor-management relations.
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
A 1978 Supreme Court decision holding that a state university could not admit less qualified individuals solely because of their race.
START II
A 1993 treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union to severely reduce the number of long range nuclear weapons and banning MIRVs altogether.
Realism
A 19th century artistic movement in which writers and painters sought to show life as it is rather than life as it should be.
Pentagon Papers
A 7,000-page top-secret United States government report on the history of the internal planning and policy-making process within the government itself concerning the Vietnam War.
Edward Braddock
A British commander during the French and Indian War. He attempted to capture Fort Duquesne in 1755. He was defeated by the French and the Natives. At this battle, Braddock died.
Lusitania
A British passenger ship that was sunk by a German U-Boat on May 7, 1915. 128 Americans died. The sinking greatly turned American opinion against the Germans, helping the move towards entering WWI.
Father Charles Coughlin
A Catholic priest from Michigan who's radio show morphed into being severly against Jews during WWII and was eventually kicked off the air. However, because of his far-right rants, he was wildly popular among those who opposed FDR's New Deal.
Soviet Union
A Communist nation, consisting of Russia and 14 other states, that existed from 1922 to 1991. These states included the Russian SFSR (Russia), Ukrainian SSR (Ukraine), Byelorussian SSR (Belarus), Uzbek SSR (Uzbekistan), Kazakh SSR (Kazakhstan), Georgian SSR (Georgia), Azerbaijan SSR (Azerbaijan), Lithuanian SSR (Lithuania), Moldavian SSR (Moldova), Latvian SSR (Latvia), Kirghiz SSR (Kyrgyzstan), Tajik SSR (Tajikistan), Armenian SSR (Armenia), Turkmen SSR (Turkmenistan), and the Estonian SSR (Estonia).
Jacob Riis
A Danish immigrant, he became a reporter who pointed out the terrible conditions of the tenement houses of the big cities where immigrants lived during the late 1800s. He wrote How The Other Half Lives in 1890.
"Citizen" Genêt
A French diplomat who came to the U.S. 1793 to ask the American government to send money and troops to aid the revolutionaries in the French Revolution. Genêt began recruiting men and arming ships in U.S. ports. However, Washington later relented and allowed Genêt U.S. citizenship upon learning that the new French government planned to arrest Genêt.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
A French man who believed that Human beings are naturally good & free & can rely on their instincts. Government should exist to protect common good, and be a democracy.
J. Hector St. John Crevecoeur
A Frenchman who wrote , "America is a new man, who acts upon new principles; he must therefore entertain new ideas, and form new opinions. From involuntary idleness, servile dependence, and useless labor, he has passed to toils of a very different nature, rewarded by ample subsistence. This is an American." (1782)
Amana Colonies
A German religious communal movement in Ohio which emphasized simple living.
George Gershwin
A Jazz Age composer who was the son of Russian immigrants and, like many others during his time, mixed symphony and jazz together to create an entirely new style that represented how America was a mixture of peoples.
Cuban Revolt
A Nationalist-initiated conflict broke out in Cuba in 1895, the Spanish. The insurrectionists directed their destructive rampage at both sugar mills and sugar fields.
Incas
A Native American people who built a notable civilization in western South America in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The center of their empire was in present-day Peru. Francisco Pizarro of Spain conquered the empire.
Mayans
A Native American people, living in what is now Mexico and northern Central America, who had a flourishing civilization from before 0 C.E. until around 1600, when they were conquered by the Spanish. They are known for their astronomical observations, accurate calendars sophisticated hieroglyphics, and pyramids.
John Peter Zenger
A New York editor whose trial for seditious libel backfired on the government; the jury found that truth was a defense for libel.
Lech Walesa
A Polish politician, a former trade union and human rights activist, and also a former electrician. He co-founded Solidarity, the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and served as President of Poland from 1990 to 1995.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
A Protestant group who was founded by Joseph Smith in 1830. Based upon the teachings of the Book of Mormon.
Halfway Covenant
A Puritan church document; In 1662, the Halfway Covenant allowed partial membership rights to persons not yet converted into the Puritan church; It lessened the difference between the "elect" members of the church from the regular members; Women soon made up a larger portion of Puritan congregations.
Thomas Hooker
A Puritan minister who led about 100 settlers out of Massachusetts Bay to Connecticut because he believed that the governor and other officials had too much power. He wanted to set up a colony in Connecticut with strict limits on government..
Anne Hutchinson
A Puritan woman who was well learned that disagreed with the Puritan Church in Massachusetts Bay Colony. Her actions resulted in her banishment from the colony, and later took part in the formation of Rhode Island. She displayed the importance of questioning authority.
William Penn
A Quaker that founded Pennsylvania to establish a place where his people and others could live in peace and be free from persecution.
Lucretia Mott
A Quaker who attended an anti-slavery convention in 1840 and her party of women was not recognized. She and Stanton called the first women's right convention in New York in 1848.
Thaddeus Stephens
A Radical Republican who believed in harsh punishments for the South. A leader of the Radical Republicans in Congress along with Charles Sumner.
Andrew Carnegie
A Scottish-born American industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Carnegie Steel Company in 1892. By 1901, his company dominated the American steel industry.
George McGovern
A Senator from South Dakota who ran for President in 1972 on the Democrat ticket. His promise was to pull the remaining American troops out of Vietnam in ninety days which earned him the support of the Anti-war party, and the working-class supported him, also. He lost however to Nixon.
Tecumseh
A Shawnee chief who, along with his brother, Tenskwatawa, a religious leader known as The Prophet, worked to unite the Northwestern Indian tribes. The league of tribes was defeated by an American army at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. Tecumseh was killed fighting for the British during the War of 1812 at the Battle of the Thames in 1813.
Nikita Khrushchev
A Soviet leader during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Also famous for denouncing Stalin and allowed criticism of Stalin within Russia.
Alamo
A Spanish mission converted into a fort, it was besieged by Mexican troops in 1836. The Texas garrison held out for thirteen days, but in the final battle, all of the Texans were killed by the larger Mexican force.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
A U.S. government agency that helps protect consumers by regulating financial products and services, like mortgages, credit cards, and student loans.
No Child Left Behind Act
A U.S. law enacted in 2001 that was intended to increase accountability in education by requiring states to qualify for federal educational funding by administering standardized tests to measure school achievement.
Title IX
A United States law enacted on June 23, 1972 that states: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."
Marshall Plan
A United States program of economic aid for the reconstruction of Europe.
Beatniks
A United States youth subculture of the 1950s that rebelled against the mundane horrors of middle class life.
Antietam
A battle near a sluggish little creek, it proved to be the bloodiest single day battle in American History with over 26,000 lives lost in that single day.
Battle of New Orleans
A battle where the British army attempted to take New Orleans. Due to the foolish frontal attack, Jackson defeated them, which gave him an enormous popularity boost.
Battle of Lake Champlain
A battle where the British fleet was defeated and was forced to retreat and to abandon their plans to invade New York and New England after being stopped by Thomas Macdonough.
Rationalism
A belief or theory that opinions and actions should be based on reason and knowledge rather than on religious belief or emotional response.
US-Japanese Security Treaty
A bilateral alliance between the United States and Japan, created in 1951 against the potential Soviet threat to Japan. The United States maintains troops in Japan and is committed to defend Japan if attacked, and Japan pays the United States to offset about half the cost of maintaining the troops.
David Walker
A black abolitionist who called for the immediate emancipation of slaves. He wrote the "Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World." It called for a bloody end to white supremacy. He believed that the only way to end slavery was for slaves to physically revolt.
Stokely Carmichael
A black civil rights activist in the 1960's. Leader of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee. He did a lot of work with Martin Luther King Jr., but later changed his attitude. Carmichael urged giving up peaceful demonstrations and pursuing black power. He was known for saying,"black power will smash everything Western civilization has created."
Black Panthers
A black political organization that was against peaceful protest and for violence if needed. The organization marked a shift in policy of the black movement, favoring militant ideals rather than peaceful protest.
National War Labor Board (WWI)
A board that negotiated labor disputes and gave workers what they wanted to prevent strikes that would disrupt the war.
Unsafe at Any Speed
A book by Ralph Nader that told of the dangers of automobiles that owners allegedly knew about and were keeping from the people to increase profits.
The Feminine Mystique
A book written by Betty Friedan, journalist and mother of three children; described the problems of middle-class American women and the fact that women were being denied equality with men; said that women were kept from reaching their full human capacities.
Gospel of Wealth
A book written by Carnegie that described the responsibility of the rich to be philanthropists. This softened the harshness of Social Darwinism as well as promoted the idea of philanthropy.
The Impending Crisis of the South
A book written by Hinton Helper. Helper hated both slavery and blacks and used this book to try to prove that non-slave owning whites were the ones who suffered the most from slavery. The non-aristocrat from N.C. had to go to the North to find a publisher that would publish his book.
Uncle Tom's Cabin
A book written by harriet beecher stowe in 1853 that highly influenced England's view on the American Deep South and slavery. The novel promoted abolition and intensified sectional conflicts.
Silent Spring
A book written to voice the concerns of environmentalists. Launched the environmentalist movement by pointing out the effects of civilization development.
Organized Crime
A business supplying illegal goods or services.
Erie Canal
A canal between the New York cities of Albany and Buffalo, completed in 1825. The canal, considered a marvel of the modern world at the time, allowed western farmers to ship surplus crops to sell in the North and allowed northern manufacturers to ship finished goods to sell in the West.
Commission Plan
A city's government would be divided into several departments, which would each be placed under the control of an expert commissioner.
Grandfather Clause
A clause in registration laws allowing people who do not meet registration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before 1867.
Theodore Parker
A clergyman, theologian, and the author of A Letter to the People and A Discourse of Matters Pertaining to Religion. He was also an active opponent of slavery who aided in the escape of slaves and the rescue of Anthony Burns, supported New England Emigrant Society, and participated in John Brown's raid in 1859.
Baby Boom
A cohort of individuals born in the United States between 1946 and 1964, which was just after World War II in a time of relative peace and prosperity. These conditions allowed for better education and job opportunities, encouraging high rates of both marriage and fertility.
The Federalist Papers
A collection of 85 articles written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison under the name "Publius" to defend the Constitution in detail.
James Otis
A colonial lawyer who defended (usually for free) colonial merchants who were accused of smuggling. Argued against the writs of assistance and the Stamp Act.
Plymouth Colony
A colony established by the English Pilgrims, or Separatists, in 1620. The Separatists were Puritans who abandoned hope that the Anglican Church could be reformed. Plymouth became part of Massachusetts in 1691.
America First Committee
A committee organized by isolationists before WWII, who wished to spare American lives. They wanted to protect America before we went to war in another country. Charles A. Lindbergh (the aviator) was its most effective speaker.
Joint-Stock Company
A company made up of a group of shareholders. Each shareholder contributes some money to the company and receives some share of the company's profits and debts.
Open Shop
A company with a labor agreement under which union membership cannot be required as a condition of employment.
Cultural Pluralism
A condition in which many cultures coexist within a society and maintain their cultural differences.
Overproduction
A condition in which production of goods exceeds the demand for them; Causes deficits and profit loss.
Geneva Conference
A conference between many countries that agreed to end hostilities and restore peace in French Indochina and Vietnam.
Whittaker Chambers
A confessed Communist and a star witness for the HUAC in 1948 when he testified against Alger Hiss.
Cold War
A conflict that was between the US and the Soviet Union. The nations never directly confronted each other on the battlefield but deadly threats went on for years.
House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)
A congressional committee that investigated Communist influence inside and outside the U.S. government in the years following World War II.
Burger Court
A conservative jurist appointed by Nixon that nonetheless continued the judicial activism of the Warren Court as seen by Roe v. Wade; this was due to the other members of the court rather than his own liberal beliefs.
New Jersey Plan
A constitutional proposal that would have given each state one vote in a new congress.
Affordable Care Act
An expansion of medicaid, most of employers must provide health insurance, have insurance or face surtax, prevents rejection based on pre-existing condition. Also referred to as "Obamacare", signed into law in 2010.
Ellis Island 1892
An immigration center opened in 1892 in New York Harbor.
Cross of Gold Speech
An impassioned address by William Jennings Bryan at the 1896 Democratic Convention, in which he attacked the "gold bugs" who insisted that U.S. currency be backed only with gold.
George Washington
An important general during the French and Indian War. Fought the British during the American Revolution. Eventually became the first president of the United States of America.
China Visit of Nixon
An important strategic and diplomatic overture that marked the culmination of the Nixon administration's resumption of harmonious relations between the United States and the PRC.
Urbanization
An increase in the percentage and in the number of people living in urban settlements.
Compass
An instrument containing a magnetized pointer that shows the direction of magnetic north and bearings from it.
Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion
An insult made against NY Irish-Americans by a republican clergyman in the 1884 election. Blaine's failure to repudiate this statement lost him NY and contributed to his defeat by Grover Cleveland.
National Rifle Association (NRA)
An interest group that supports the wills of gun owners and tries to defeat efforts at gun control.
United Nations
An international organization formed after WWII to promote international peace, security, and cooperation.
Antinomianism
An interpretation of Puritan beliefs that stressed God's gift of salvation and minimized what an individual could do to gain salvation; identified with Anne Hutchinson.
Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
An interracial group founded in 1942 by James Farmer to work against segregation in Northern cities.
American Protective Association
An organization created by nativists in 1887 that campaigned for laws to restrict immigration.
American Temperance Society
An organization group in which reformers are trying to help the ever present drink problem. This group was the first well-organized group created to deal with the problems drunkards had on societies well being, and the possible well-being of the individuals that are heavily influenced by alcohol.
OPEC
An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the production and sale of petroleum.
Executive Department
An organization within the executive branch that carries out the work of government in a broad area of public policy, such as agriculture or labor.
Shay's Rebellion (1786-1787)
Angered by taxes & debts, Daniel Shay led a rebellion against the American Gov't. The federal government had to pay private mercenaries to put down the rebellion. (SHOWED how Articles of Confederation were weak)
Horses
Animal introduced by Europeans that transformed the Indian way of life on the Great Plains by increasing the efficiency of hunting Buffalo.
Stock Market Crash
Another leading component to the start of the Great Depression. The stock became very popular in the 1920's, then in 1929 in took a steep downturn and many lost their money and hope they had put in to the stock.
David Ruggles
Anti-slavery activist who was active in the New York Committee of Vigilance and the Underground Railroad. He claimed to have led over six hundred people, including friend and fellow abolitionist Frederick Douglass, to freedom in the North.
Germans
Anti-slavery immigrants who contributed the Conestoga wagon and the Kentucky rifle to the American Culture.
The North Star
Anti-slavery newspaper published by Frederick Douglass.
Conscience Whigs
Anti-slavery whigs who opposed both the Texas annexation and the Mexican War on moral grounds.
Sonia Sotomayor
Appointed by President Obama in 2009, first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice.
MLK Assassination
April 4th, 1968. killing of a prominent civil rights leader by James Earl Ray in Memphis Tennessee.
Lexington
April 8, 1775: Gage leads 700 soldiers to confiscate colonial weapons and arrest Adam, and Hancock; April 19, 1775: 70 armed militia face British at Lexington (shot heard around the world)
Osama Bin Laden
Arab terrorist who established al-Qaeda (born in 1957).
John Foster Dulles
As Secretary of State. he viewed the struggle against Communism as a classic conflict between good and evil. Believed in containment and the Eisenhower doctrine.
John Winthrop
As governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony, Winthrop (1588-1649) was instrumental in forming the colony's government and shaping its legislative policy. He envisioned the colony, centered in present-day Boston, as a "city upon a hill" from which Puritans would spread religious righteousness throughout the world.
Wartime Jobs for Women (WWI)
As men joined the military many of their former jobs were taken by women.
German Reparations
As part of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was ordered to pay fines to the Allies to repay the costs of the war. Opposed by the U.S., it quickly lead to a severe depression in Germany.
Huey Long
As senator in 1932 of Washington preached his "Share Our Wealth" programs. It was a 100% tax on all annual incomes over $1 million and appropriation of all fortunes in excess of $5 million. With this money Long proposed to give every American family a comfortable income, etc.
Women Clerical Workers
As the demand for clerical workers increased, women moved into formerly male occupations as secretaries, bookkeepers, typists, and telephone operators.
Deborah Sampson
At the age of 21, she dressed up as a man in order to fight in the American Revolution; is the first documented woman to impersonate a man to get into the army; was awarded an honorable discharge and pension; and proved that women could be of some use in the war.
Occupation Zones
At the end of World War II, Germany and Austria were divided into four regions controlled by the Soviets, United States, Britain, and France. These areas were supposed to be temporary but the Soviets maintained control of the eastern area.
Italian Fascist Party (Black Shirts)
Attracted dissatisfied war veterans, nationalist, and those afraid of rising communism. Marched on Rome and installed Mussolini in power.
Paul Volcker
August 6, 1979 president Jimmy Carter installed Paul Volker at the head of the Federal Reserve. Volker committed the American central bank to do whatever was necessary to bring inflation down, high-interest, low-inflation, policy. He pushed real interest rates up from near or below zero to 10%. This forced companies to economize on other costs, such as labor.
Sigmund Freud
Austrian physician whose work focused on the unconscious causes of behavior and personality formation; founded psychoanalysis.
Adolf Hitler
Austrian-born founder of the German Nazi Party and chancellor of the Third Reich (1933-1945). His fascist philosophy, embodied in Mein Kampf (1925-1927), attracted widespread support, and after 1934 he ruled as an absolute dictator. Hitler's pursuit of aggressive nationalist policies resulted in the invasion of Poland (1939) and the subsequent outbreak of World War II. His regime is infamous for the extermination of millions of people, especially European Jews. He committed suicide when the collapse of the Third Reich was imminent (1945).
Thomas Jefferson
Author of the Declaration of Independence
Michael Harrington
Author who wrote The Other American. He alerted those in the mainstream to what he saw in the run-down and hidden communities of the country.
Indian Removal Act
Authorized Andrew Jackson to negotiate land-exchange treaties with tribes living east of the Mississippi. The treaties enacted under this act's provisions paved the way for the reluctant—and often forcible—emigration of tens of thousands of American Indians to the West.
Bland-Allison Act of 1878
Authorized coinage of a limited number of silver dollars and "silver certificate" paper money. Required government to buy between $2 and $4 million worth of silver. Repealed in 1900.
Forest Reserve Act of 1891
Authorized the President to set aside public forests as National Parks and other reserves.
Panic of 1837
Banks issued paper money and financed wild speculation, especially in federal lands. Jackson issued the Specie Circular to force the payment for federal lands with gold or silver. Many state banks collapsed as a result and the U.S. entered a depression.
Election of 2008
Barack Obama vs. John McCain. 365 electoral votes to Obama, 173 electoral votes to McCain.
New Laws of 1542
Bartolome de Las Casas convinced the King of Spain to institute these laws, which ended American Indian slavery, ended forced Indian labor, and began the process of ending the encomienda systems.
Pearl Harbor
Base in hawaii that was bombed by japan on December 7, 1941, which eagered America to enter WWII.
Battle of Tippecanoe
Battle between Americans and Native Americans. Tecumseh and the Prophet attempted to oppress white settlement in the West, but defeated by William Henry Harrison. Led to talk of Canadian invasion and served as a cause to the War of 1812.
Battle of the Thames River
Battle near Detroit in which American forces led by General William Henry Harrison killed Tecumseh on their way to victory.
Battle of Lake Erie
Battle where a Naval force led by Oliver Hazard Perry defeated the British and secured Lake Erie.
Harry S. Truman
Became president when FDR died; gave the order to drop the atomic bomb.
Calvin Coolidge
Became president when Harding died of pneumonia. He was known for practicing a rigid economy in money and words, and acquired the name "Silent Cal" for being so soft-spoken. He was a true republican and industrialist. Believed in the government supporting big business.
Samuel Gridley Howe
Became the first director of the New England Institution for the Education of the Blind (now Perkins School for the Blind), the first such institution in the United States.
Sit-In Movement
Began in Greensboro, North Carolina when four students sat at a "whites only" lunch counter.
Arab Nationalism
Belief that all Arabs should band together and form one large arab country. Nasser (leader of egypt at the time) was major component and leader of this new arab ideal. Power struggles soon began between countries.
Election of 1888
Benjamin Harrison is elected as a result of money from big business ad veterans votes. He supported the increase in tariffs and pensions, and resulted in the economy going into a depression by 1880.
Election of 1996
Bill Clinton ran against Dole and Perot. Clinton emerged as the winner with 379 electoral votes and 49% of the popular vote.
Election of 1992
Bill Clinton won over George H.W. Bush because of the economy's problems and the solving of foreign policy problems, Bush's greatest strength.
Anti-Crime Bill
Bill Clinton's bill that provided $30 billion in funding for more police protection and crime prevention programs, also banned the sale of most assault rifles.
Volstead Act
Bill passed by Congress to enforce the language of the 18th Amendment. This bill made the manufacture and distribution of alcohol illegal within the borders of the United States.
H. Ross Perot
Billionaire Texas businessman, best remembered for running for President in 1992 and 1996 under Independent Party banner.
Alabama
Birthplace of the Confederacy with its many conventions. Succeeded with the South during the Civil War.
Segregated Black Troops
Black troops were separated from white contingents during the Civil War.
Steamboats
Boats powered by steam that increased the speed of river travel and could travel upstream.
Atomic Bomb
Bomb dropped by an American bomber on Hiroshima and Nagasaki destroying both cities. The explosion is created from the energy released from a split atom.
Haymarket Bombing
Bomb thrown at protest rally, police shot protestors, caused great animosity in employers for workers' unions.
Oklahoma City Bombings
Bombing of Murrah Federal Building. The blast, set off by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, killed 168 people, including 19 children in the building's day-care center.
Tuskegee Institute
Booker T. Washington built this school to educate black students on learning how to support themselves and prosper.
Economic Cooperation
Booker T. Washington's National Negro Business League emphasized racial harmony and _____.
Duke Ellington
Born in Chicago middle class. moved to Harlem in 1923 and began playing at the cotton club. Composer, pianist and band leader. Most influential figures in jazz.
Paul Revere
Boston silversmith who rode into the countryside to spread news of British troop movement.
Economic Sanctions
Boycotts, embargoes, and other economic measures used to pressure another nation.
Legislative Branch
Branch of government that makes the laws.
Creek Nation
British ally who lived in the deep south until their defeat at the hands of Andrew Jackson during the War of 1812.
Robert Owen
British cotton manufacturer believed that humans would reveal their true natural goodness if they lived in a cooperative environment. Tested his theories at New Lanark, Scotland and New Harmony, Indiana, but failed.
Impressment
British practice of taking American sailors and forcing them into military service.
Concord
British soldiers tried to destroy colonial military supplies; on the return to Boston, the British suffered 250 casualties when abused by milita men.
Election of 1960
Brought about the era of political television. Between Kennedy and Nixon. Issues centered around the Cold War and economy. Kennedy argued that the nation faces serious threats from the soviets. Nixon countered that the US was on the right track under the current administration. Kennedy won by a narrow margin.
Election of 2000
Bush v. Gore; Bush won although Gore won popular vote; controversy over the final vote count in Florida; settled by Supreme Court decision in favor of Bush.
No New Taxes
Bush's 1988 campaign pledge that needed to be abandoned because of the sharp recession.
Corporations
Businesses that are owned by many investors who buy shares of stock.
Railroads and Middlemen
Businesses that were serial to the marketing of produce for the farmers often charged what they wished because there was hardly any competition.
Factory Wage Earners
By 1900, two-thirds of all working Americans worked for wages, usually at jobs that required them to work ten hours a day, six days a week.
State Prohibition Laws
By 1915, two-thirds of the states had passed these laws which prohibited the sale of alcohol.
Northern Migration
By 1930, almost 20 percent of African Americans out of the Southern United States to the North.
Overbuilding
By the 1870s, the railroad system fell on hard times due to _______, caused by a lack of planning.
Division of Vietnam
By the terms of the Geneva Convention, Vietnam would be temporarily divided at the 17 parallel until a general election could be held. A prolonged war (1954-1975) occurred between the Communist armies of North Vietnam who were supported by the Chinese and the non-communist armies of South Vietnam who were supported by the United States.
Peggy Eaton Affair
Calhoun's wife slandered Peggy Eaton, causing a heated debate between Jackson and Calhoun.
Mining Frontier
California, Colorado, Nevada, Black Hills of the Dakotas, where gold or silver rushes began; boomtowns started up.
Popular Campaigning
Campaigns of the 1830s and 1840s featured parades and large rallies with free food and drink.
Baker v. Carr
Case that established one man one vote. this decision created guidelines for drawing up congressional districts and guaranteed a more equitable system of representation to the citizens of each state.
White-Collar Workers
Category of workers employed in offices, sales, or professional positions.
CIA
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. Its primary function is obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and persons in order to advise public policymakers.
Frederick Church
Central figure in the Hudson River School, pupil of Thomas Cole, known for his landscapes and for painting colossal views of exotic places.
Henry Cabot Lodge
Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he was a leader in the fight against participation in the League of Nations.
Municipal Reform
Changes in city governments made to encourage greater efficiency, honesty, and responsiveness.
Hawley-Smoot Tariff
Charged a high tax for imports thereby leading to less trade between America and foreign countries along with some economic retaliation.
Phalanxes
Charles Fourier's small model communities that were self-contained cooperatives. The inhabitants would live and work together for their mutual benefit.
Earl Warren
Chief Justice during the 1950's and 1960's who used a loose interpretation to expand rights for both African-Americans and those accused of crimes.
Roger Taney
Chief justice of the supreme court who wrote an opinion in the 1857 Dred Scott case that declared the Missouri compromise unconstitutional.
Established Church
Chosen religion of a state.
Urban Frontier
Cities created because of the gold rush or natural resources. (San Francisco, Denver, Salt Lake City)
15th Amendment
Citizens cannot be denied the right to vote because of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Hollywood
City in the Los Angeles area of California where, by the 1920s, nearly 90 percent of all films in the world were produced.
State Regulation of Education and Safety
Civic-minded volunteers and reformers lobbied vigorously and with considerable success for better schools, juvenile courts, liberalized divorce laws, and safety regulations for tenements and workers.
Ex Parte Milligan
Civil War Era case in which the Supreme Court ruled that military tribunals could not be used to try civilians if civil courts were open.
Rio Grande
Claimed by United States as southern boundary of Texas.
Election of 1892
Cleveland v. Harrison, in which Cleveland won. The former was anti-protectionist tariffs, while the latter supported them. The people's party ran with Weaver, and showed their worth in this election. They did not win the presidency, but won several seats in both the house and the senate.
Al Gore
Clinton's vice president; presidential nominee in 2000.
Bank Holiday
Closed all banks until gov. examiners could investigate their financial condition; only sound/solvent banks were allowed to reopen.
Country Clubs
Clubs that offered members golf and sometimes other sporting activities such as tennis and swimming along with games and social activities.
New Deal Coalition
Coalition forged by the Democrats who dominated American politics from the 1930's to the 1960's. its basic elements were the urban working class, ethnic groups, Catholics and Jews, the poor, Southerners, African Americans, and intellectuals.
New Left
Coalition of younger members of the Democratic party and radical student groups. Believed in participatory democracy, free speech, civil rights and racial brotherhood, and opposed the war in Vietnam.
Colin Powell
Colin Powell was an American military general and leader during the Persian Gulf War. He played a crucial role in planning and attaining America's victory in the Persian Gulf and Panama.. He was also the first black four star general and chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff.
Bill of Rights (1791)
Collective name for the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. Proposed to assuage the fears of Anti-Federalists.
Royal Colonies
Colonies controlled by the British king through governors appointed by him and through the king's veto power over colonial laws.
Proprietary Colonies
Colonies in which the proprietors (who had obtained their patents from the king) named the governors, subject to the king's approval.
Corporate Colonies
Colonies operated by joint-stock companies during the early years of the colonies, such as Jamestown.
Indentured Servants
Colonists who received free passage to North America in exchange for working without pay for a certain number of years.
Pennsylvania Colony
Colony formed from the "Holy Experiment"; settled by Quakers. Founded by William Penn, who bought land from the Native Americans. Allowed religious freedom.
Georgia Colony
Colony founded by James Oglethorpe. Its first settlers were debtors and unfortunates( "worthy poor"). Tolerant to Christians but not Catholics. Acted as a buffer between Spanish Florida and the Carolinas.
Rhode Island Colony
Colony founded by Roger Williams that was a place of religious refuge.
Massachusetts Bay Colony
Colony founded in 1630 by John Winthrop, part of the Great Puritan Migration, founded by puritans. Had a theocratic republic. "City upon a hill". Very limited religious freedoms.
Connecticut Colony
Colony that was formed in 1665 when New Haven joined with the more democratic Hartford settlers. Its royal charter granted it a limited degree of self-government, including election of the governor.
Sam Houston
Commander of the Texas army at the battle of San Jacinto; later elected president of the Republic of Texas.
Warren Commission
Committee that investigated the assassination of President Kennedy.
People's Republic of China
Communist government of mainland China; proclaimed in 1949 following military success of Mao Zedong over forces of Chiang Kai-shek and the Guomindang.
Berlin Wall Falls (1989)
Communist in East Germany were forced out of power after protesters tore down the Berlin Wall [symbol of the Cold War]. Symbolized the fall of the Warsaw Pact.
Kim Il Sung
Communist leader of North Korea; his attack on South Korea in 1950 started the Korean War. He remained in power until 1994.
Organization of Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC)
Comprised of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Venezuela and Egypt; organizing the exporting of oil. This exploited Western economies by limiting their access to oil.
Missouri Compromise
Compromise caused by the issue of slavery in new states. It was decided Missouri entered as a slave state and Maine entered as a free state and all states North of the 36th parallel were free states and all South were slave states.
Valladolid Debate
Concerned the treatment of natives of the New World. Bartolomé de las Casas argued Amerindians were creations of God and deserved same treatment as Christian Europeans. Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda thought that the natives should be slaves because of their crimes against nature and against God.
Robert E. Lee
Confederate general who had opposed secession but did not believe the Union should be held together by force.
Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson
Confederate general whose men stopped Union assault during the Battle of Bull Run.
Pan-American Conference
Conference called by James Blaine that created an organization of cooperation between the US and Latin American countries.
Washington Conference of 1921
Conference of the major powers to reduce naval armaments among Great Britain, Japan, France, Italy, and the United States.
Popular Culture of the 1950s
Conformity to social norms, consensus about political issues and conformity in social behavior.
Steel and Steam Navy
Congress built modern steel ships, by 1900 US had the 3rd largest navy in the world.
Civil Service Reform
Congress took action in the late 19th century to protect ethical politicians and create standards for political service; including, a civil service test for those seeking a job in government.
Sumner-Brooks Incident
Congressman Preston Brooks severely beat Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner. The attack occurred in the Senate chamber, after Sumner gave a vitriolic speech, "The Crime Against Kansas".
Barnburners
Conscience Whigs and Free-soilers were known as this; their defection threatened to destroy the Democratic Party.
Draft Riots
Conscription Act in 1863 forced men between 20-45 years old to be eligible for conscription but one could avoid it if they paid 300 or got someone in their place. This provoked anger from poor workers.
Conservationists and Preservationists
Conservationist believed in scientific management and regulated use of natural resources, preservationists went a step further, and aimed to preserve natural areas from human interference.
Arthur Laffer
Conservative economist who believed that tax cuts would increase government revenues.
States-Rights Party (Dixiecrats)
Conservative southern Democrats who objected to President Truman's strong push for civil-rights legislation. They chose J. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina as their presidential candidate.
Whigs
Conservatives and popular with pro-Bank people and plantation owners. They mainly came from the National Republican Party, which was once largely Federalists. Their policies included support of industry, protective tariffs, and Clay's American System. They were generally upper class in origin. Included Clay and Webster
Frank Lloyd Wright
Considered America's greatest architect. Pioneered the concept that a building should blend into and harmonize with its surroundings rather than following classical designs.
Hurricane Katrina
Considered to be the one crisis of the Bush administrations second term and in is inefficiency to deal with the crisis. It destroyed 80% of New Orleans and more than 1300 people died, while the damages were $150 billion.
Supreme Court
Consists of nine justices, each appointed by the President and confirmed by Congress. Appointment is for life. Supreme Court exercises the power to determine constitutionality of statutes.
13th Amendment
Constitutional amendment outlawing slavery.
Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
Constitutional amendment passed by Congress but never ratified that would have banned discrimination on the basis of gender.
William S. Mount
Contemporary of the Hudson River school; began as a history painter but moved to depicting scenes from everyday life.
Olive Branch Petition (July 1775)
Continental Congress professed American loyalty and seeked an end to hostilities. King George rejected the petition and proclaimed the colonies in rebellion.
Birth of a Nation
Controversial but highly influential and innovative silent film directed by D.W. Griffith. It demonstrated the power of film propaganda and revived the KKK.
Political Machines
Corrupt organized groups that controlled political parties in the cities. A boss leads the machine and attempts to grab more votes for his party.
Dutch
Corruption of a German word used as a term for German immigrants in Pennsylvania. Founded New Amsterdam.
King Cotton
Cotton and the cotton-growing were considered, in the pre-Civil War South, as a vital commodity, the major factor not only in the economy but also in politics.
Writ of Assistance
Court document allowing customs officers to enter any location to search for smuggled goods.
McGuffey Readers
Created a series of elementary textbooks that became widely accepted as the basis of reading and moral instruction in hundreds of schools; extolled virtues of hard work, punctuality and sobriety.
Russian Republic
Created after the collapse of the Soviet Union, resulting in a democratically-elected government.
Telephone
Created by Alexander Graham Bell. An instrument that converts sound signals into a form that can be transmitted to remote locations and that receives and converts waves into sound signals.
Declaration of Rights and Grievances
Created by delegates from nine colonies,. Parliament didn't have right to tax colonists without their consent and demanded repeal of Stamp and Sugar Acts
Bureau of the Budget
Created in 1921, its primary task is to prepare the Annual Budget for presentation every January. It also controls the administration of the budget, improving it and encouraging government efficiency.
Farm Board
Created in 1929 before the crash but supported and enacted to meet the economic crisis and help farmers. Authorized to help farmers stabilize prices by temporarily holding surplus grain and cotton in storage.
Axis of Evil
Created in 2002 by George W. Bush to show the "bad guys" which include: Iran, Iraq, and N. Korea.
Kerner Commission
Created in July, 1967 by President Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the causes of the 1967 race riots in the United States.
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Created the Northwest Territory (area north of the Ohio River and west of Pennsylvania); Established conditions for statehood (60,000 people); Prohibited slavery in the territory.
Environmental Superfund
Created to clean up toxic dumps such as Love Canal in Niagara Falls, NY.
George Whitefield
Credited with starting the Great Awakening, also a leader of the "New Lights.".
Cuban Relations
Cuba and the United States restored diplomatic relations on 20 July 2015, which had been severed in 1961 during the Cold War. U.S. diplomatic representation in Cuba is handled by the United States Embassy in Havana, and there is a similar Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Fidel Castro
Cuban socialist leader who overthrew a dictator in 1959 and established a Marxist socialist state in Cuba.
Hard Money
Currency backed by a physical source. Less susceptible to inflation.
Soft Money
Currency not backed by a physical source. More susceptible to inflation.
International Darwinism
Darwin's concept of the survival of the fittest was applied not only to competition in the business world but also to competition among nations. Therefore, in the international arena, the US had to demonstrate its strength by acquiring territories overseas, a sort of continuing of the manifest destiny.
Compromise of 1877
Deal that settled the 1876 presidential election contest between Rutherford Hayes (Rep) & Samuel Tilden (Dem.); Hayes was awarded presidency in exchange for the permanent removal of fed. troops from the South--> ended Reconstruction.
Federal Courts
Deal with problems between states; they also handle cases that deal with the Constitution and the laws made by Congress, they lack enforcement powers.
Banks, Creditors vs. Debtors
Debtors wanted more "easy, soft" money in circulation. On the opposite side creditors stood for "hard, sound" money - meaning currency backed by gold.
Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794)
Decisive battle between the Miami confederacy and the U.S. Army. British forces refused to shelter the routed Indians, forcing the latter to attain a peace settlement with the United States.
14th Amendment
Declares that all persons born in the U.S. are citizens and are guaranteed equal protection of the laws.
Andrew Hamilton
Defense attorney in the Zenger case who made the first step toward freedom of the press.
Electoral College System
Delegates assign to each state a number of electors equal to the total of that state's representatives and senators; Delegates at Philadelphia feared that too much democracy might lead to mob rule
Gerrymandered Safe Seats
Democrats and Republicans manipulated congressional districts to create "safe seats", which rewarded partisanship and discouraged compromise in Congress.
Due Process of Law
Denies the government the right, without due process, to deprive people of life, liberty, and property.
Hillbillies
Derisive term for poor white subsistence farmers, they often lived in the hills and farmed less productive land.
Northeast Native Americans
Descendants of Adena-Hopewell culture. Spread to modern New York. Due to inefficient farming they had to move to fertile soil frequently. Combined food sources of fishing and farming. Included the Iroquois Confederation (Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk) in the Mohawk Valley of New York.
Atlantic Seaboard Native Americans
Descendants of Woodland mound builders and built imber and bark homes along rivers. Rivers and the Atlantic Ocean provided ample fish.
Art Deco
Descended from Art Nouveau, this movement of the 1920s and 1930s sought to upgrade industrial design in competition with "fine art" and to work new materials into decorative patterns that could be either machined or handcrafted. Characterized by streamlined, elongated, and symmetrical design.
Black Muslims
Developed by the black Muslim Leader Elijah Muhammad who preached black nationalism, separatism, and self-improvement. The movement attracted thousands of followers.
Sectarian
Devoted to a particular religious sect, particularly when referring to religious involvement in politics.
Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890
Directed the Treasury to buy even larger amounts of silver that the Bland-Allison Act and at inflated prices. The introduction of large quantities of overvalued silver into the economy led to a run on the federal gold reserves, leading to the Panic of 1893. Repealed in 1893.
Reverse Discrimination
Discrimination against the majority group.
Mexican Deportation
Discrimination in the New Deal programs and competition for jobs forced thousands of Mexican Americans to return to Mexico.
Venezuela Boundary Dispute
Dispute between Great Britain and Venezuela over the boundary between Venezuela and British Guiana. President Cleveland supported Venezuela and decided to determine the boundary line, Britain eventually agreed.
38th Parallel
Dividing line between North and South Korea.
Lowell System
Dormitories for young women where they were cared for, fed, and sheltered in return for cheap labor, mill towns, homes for workers to live in around the mills.
Social Reformers
Dorothea Dix, Jane Addams, and Jacob Riis. They tried to improve lives of the poor and underserved in society.
U.S. v. E. C. Knight
Due to a narrow interpretation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, the Court undermined the authority of the federal government to act against monopolies.
Prosperity of the 1990s
During President Clinton's two terms in office the U.S. enjoyed the longest peacetime economic expansion in history, with annual growth rates of more than 4 percent.
War Production Board
During WWII, FDR established it to allocated scarce materials, limited or stopped the production of civilian goods, and distributed contracts among competing manufacturers.
Anti-German Hysteria (WWI)
During World War I, Germans were labeled as the cause of the war and targeted with negative ads and comments.
Migration of Blacks and Hispanics
During World War I, many Mexicans crossed the border to take jobs in agriculture and mining. African Americans moved to the North for new job opportunities.
War Industry Boards (WWI)
During World War I, they set production priorities and established centralized control over raw materials and prices.
Government Spending Debt
During World War II federal spending increased 1000 percent between 1939 and 1945, and the gross national product grew by 15 percent or more each year. By the war's end, the national debt was $250 billion, five times what it had been in 1941.
Executive Order on Jobs
During World War II, President Roosevelt issued an executive order to prohibit discrimination in government and in businesses that received federal contracts.
Wartime Migration
During World War II, over 1.5 million African-Americans migrated from the South to job opportunities in the North and the West.
Role of Large Corporations
During World War II, the 100 largest corporations accounted for 70 percent of wartime manufacturing.
Ten-Hour Workday
During the 1840s and 1850s, most northern state legislatures passed laws establishing a ten-hour workday for industrial workers.
Foreigners and Communists
During the 1920s, widespread disillusionment with World War I, communism in the Soviet Union, and Europe's post war problems made Americans fearful of being pulled into another foreign war.
Nixon Doctrine
During the Vietnam War, the Nixon Doctrine was created. It stated that the United States would honor its exisiting defense commitments, but in the future other countries would have to fight their own wars without support of American troops.
Ferdinand and Isabella
During the late 15th century, they became King and Queen of a united Spain after centuries of Islamic domination. Together, they made Spain a strong Christian nation and also provided funding to overseas exploration, notably Christopher Columbus.
War Debts
During the war, the United States loaned huge amounts of funds to help with the war but the debts took too long to be paid back. Germany had a hard time paying back their debts.
Revival Camps
Dwight's campus speeches motivated a generation of young men to become evangelical preachers; became successful preachers who drew large crowds by offering salvation to all.
Midwest Native Americans
East of the Mississippi River, rich food supply. Adena-Hopewell culture is famous for creating mounds around modern Ohio and its river valley.
Soviet Satellites
Eastern European nations with communist puppet governments; policies were loosely controlled by the USSR.
Market Revolution
Economic changes where people buy and sell goods rather than make them themselves.
Panic of 1857
Economic downturn caused by over speculation of western lands, railroads, gold in California, grain. Mostly affected northerners, who called for higher tariffs and free homesteads.
Panic of 1819
Economic panic caused by extensive speculation, a decline of European demand for American goods, and with mismanagement within the Second Bank of the United States. Often cited as the end of the Era of Good Feelings.
Square Deal
Economic policy by Roosevelt that favored fair relationships between companies and workers.
American System
Economic program advanced by Henry Clay that included support for a national bank, high tariffs, and internal improvements; emphasized strong role for federal government in the economy.
Fast Food
Edibles that can be prepared and served very quickly, sold in a restaurant, and served to customers in packaged form.
Election of 1956
Eisenhower (R) defeats Stevenson (D) again.
Election of 1952
Eisenhower (R) defeats Stevenson (D) for the first time.
Dwight Eisenhower
Eisenhower (nicknamed "Ike") later became a very popular 2 term Republican American president. He was elected because he was a WWII war hero. Ike planned the successful Operation Torch attack and was later appointed to be "Supreme Allied Commander" in Europe (he was placed in charge of all generals for all nations allied with the US). His next big plan was Operation Overlord.
Military-Industrial Complex
Eisenhower first coined this phrase when he warned American against it in his last State of the Union Address. He feared that the combined lobbying efforts of the armed services and industries that contracted with the military would lead to excessive Congressional spending.
Economic Nationalism
Emphasis on home control of the economy.
Anti-Union Tactics
Employers used the following tactics to defeat unions: lockouts (closing the factory), blacklists (lists circulated among employers), yellow dog contracts (contracts that forbade unions), private guards to quell strikes, and court injunctions against strikes.
Fugitive Slave Law
Enacted by Congress in 1793 and 1850, these laws provided for the return of escaped slaves to their owners. The North was lax about enforcing the 1793 law, with irritated the South no end. The 1850 law was tougher and was aimed at eliminating the underground railroad.
Employment Act of 1946
Enacted by Truman, it committed the federal government to ensuring economic growth and established the Council of Economic Advisors to confer with the president and formulate policies for maintaining employment, production, and purchasing power.
Fair Employment Practices Committee
Enacted by executive order 8802 on June 25, 1941 to prohibit discrimination in the armed forces.
Back to Africa Movement
Encouraged those of African descent to return to Africa to their ancestors so that they could have their own empire because they were treated poorly in America.
Welfare Reform
Ended guarantees of federal aid to children, turned over programs such programs to states, food stamp spending cut, added five year limit on payments to any family.
Treaty of Ghent
Ended the War of 1812 and restored the status quo. For the most part, territory captured in the war was returned to the original owner. It also set up a commission to determine the disputed Canada/U.S. border.
Pilgrims
English Puritans who founded Plymouth colony in 1620.
Quakers
English dissenters who broke from Church of England, preached a doctrine of pacifism, inner divinity, and social equity, under William Penn they founded Pennsylvania.
John Cabot
English explorer who claimed Newfoundland for England while looking for Northwest Passage.
Office of War Information
Established by the government to promote patriotism and help keep Americans united behind the war effort.
Yellowstone National Park
Established in 1872 by Congress, ______ was the United States's first national park.
Yosemite National Park
Established in 1890 in California. It was created by Congress. Controversy over the Hetch Hetchy Valley as San Francisco residents worried about needing more water and want it to be a reservoir, naturalists said no, and after many years of delays construction finally began after WWI.
Public Land Act (1796)
Established orderly procedures for dividing and selling federal lands at reasonable prices.
Griswold v. Connecticut
Established that there is an implied right to privacy in the U.S. Constitution.
Declaration of Independence (1776)
Established the US as an independent nation, adopted on July 4, 1776; Offered reasons for the separation and laid out the principles for which the Revolution was fought.
Mapp v. Ohio
Established the exclusionary rule was applicable to the states (evidence seized illegally cannot be used in court).
Clean Water Act of 1972
Establishes and maintains goals and standards for U.S. water quality and purity. It has been amended several times, most prominently in 1987 to increase controls on toxic pollutants, and in 1990, to more effectively address the hazard of oil spills.
Scotch-Irish
Ethnic group that had already relocated once before immigrating to America and settling largely on the Western frontier of the middle and southern colonies.
Postwar Europe
Europe had not recovered from World War I and the U.S. insistence on loan repayment and tariffs weaken Europe and contributed to the Worldwide depression.
Statue of Liberty
European immigrants saw this structure as a symbol of hope and freedom. (Originally a gift from France)
Slave Trade
European trade agreement with Africa dealing with slaves brought from Africa. Integral part of Triangle Trade between the Americas, Africa, and Europe.
Bonus March
Event when nearly 17,000 veterans marched on Washington in 1932, to demand the military bonuses that they had been promised; this group was eventually driven from their camp city by the U.S army; increased the public perception that the Hoover administration cared little about the poor.
Pivot to Asia
Events in the Middle East limited the president's planned "pivot" to Asia. The Obama administration realized that America's future would be closely tied to the Pacific Rim because within two decades the economies of Asia would soon be larger than the U.S. and Europe combined.
Eighth Amendment
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Quebec Act of 1774
Extended Quebec's boundary to the Ohio River, recognized Catholicism as its official religion, and established a non-representative government for its citizens.
Jingoism
Extreme, chauvinistic patriotism, often favoring an aggressive, warlike foreign policy.
Breaking of the Two Term Tradition
FDR was nominated and elected a third time by the Democratic Party.
Eleanor Roosevelt
FDR's Wife and New Deal supporter. Was a great supporter of civil rights and opposed the Jim Crow laws. She also worked for birth control and better conditions for working women.
Good Neighbor Policy
FDR's foreign policy of promoting better relations w/Latin America by using economic influence rather than military force in the region.
Yalta Conference
FDR, Churchill and Stalin met at Yalta. The Soviet Union agreed to declare war on Japan after the surrender of Germany and in return FDR and Churchill promised the U.S.S.R. concession in Manchuria and the territories that it had lost in the Russo-Japanese War.
New Rich
Families that made, not inherited, their fortunes.
Colonial Families
Family was very important in the colonies; couples married young and had many children. Most families lived on farms. Men worked, owned land, and dominated politics. Women did housework, educated the children, and worked with her husband.
Daniel Webster
Famous American politician and orator. Advocated renewal and opposed the financial policy of Jackson. Many of the principles of finance he spoke about were later incorporated in the Federal Reserve System.
Appomattox Court House
Famous as the site of the surrender of the Confederate Army under Robert E. Lee to Union commander Ulysses S. Grant.
Subsistence Farming
Farming in which only enough food to feed one's family is produced.
Benito Mussolini
Fascist Dictator of Italy that at first used bullying to gain power, then never had full power.
Xenophobia
Fear (hatrid) of foreigners
Boston Marathon Bombing
Fear of homegrown terrorism became real when two brothers set off two bombs at the finish line of the Boston Marathon killing three and injuring more than 250 people. The young men who did the bombing seemed motivated by extremist Islamic beliefs.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Federal agency created to enforce the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which forbids discrimination on the basis of race, creed, national origin, religion, or sex in hiring, promotion, or firing.
Loyalty Review Board
Federal board set up by President Truman that checked up on government workers, and dismissed those found to be communist.
Fort Sumter
Federal fort in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina; the confederate attack on the fort marked the start of the Civil War.
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
Federal law requiring employers to verify and maintain records on applicants' legal rights to work in the United States.
Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)
Federalists; Residency for citizenship increased from 5 to 14 years, President able to arrest and deport dangerous aliens, Illegal to publish defamatory statements about the federal government or its officials.
Women in Nursing
Field nursing (wartime) now open to women for the first time.
Edmund Randolph
First Attorney General of the United States.
Alexander Hamilton (1789-1795)
First Secretary of the Treasury. He advocated creation of a national bank, assumption of state debts by the federal government, and a tariff system to pay off the national debt.
Sputnik
First artificial Earth satellite, it was launched by Moscow in 1957 and sparked U.S. fears of Soviet dominance in technology and outer space. It led to the creation of NASA and the space race.
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639)
First constitution in written history (1639). Established a representative government made up of a legislature elected by the people and a governor chosen by the legislature.
Ronald Reagan
First elected president in 1980 and elected again in 1984. He ran on a campaign based on the common man and "populist" ideas. He served as governor of California from 1966-1974, and he participated in the McCarthy Communist scare. Iran released hostages on his Inauguration Day in 1980. While president, he developed Reagannomics, the trickle down effect of government incentives. He cut out many welfare and public works programs. He used the Strategic Defense Initiative to avoid conflict. His meetings with Gorbachev were the first steps to ending the Cold War. He was also responsible for the Iran-contra Affair which bought hostages with guns.
Monitor vs. Merrimac
First engagement ever between two ironclad naval vessels. On March 9, 1862, the two ships battled for five hours, ending in a draw. This marked a turning point in naval warfare, wooden ships would be replaced by ironclad ones.
Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890
First federal action against monopolies, it was signed into law by Harrison and was extensively used by Theodore Roosevelt for trust-busting. However, it was initially misused against labor unions.
Sandra Day O'Connor
First female supreme court justice. She was appointed by Reagan.
Lady Bird Johnson
First lady after Jackie Kennedy, contributed to the environment with her Beautify America campaign.
Battle of Bunker Hill
First major battle of the Revolution. Showed that Americans could hold their own, but the British won the battle. Although, the British suffered heavy casualties.
Tehran Conference
First major meeting between the Big Three (United States, Britain, Russia) at which they planned the 1944 assault on France and agreed to divide Germany into zones of occupation after the war.
James Fenimore Cooper
First truly American novelist noted for his stories of Indians and the frontier life; man's relationship w/ nature & westward expansion.
Jeannette Rankin
First woman elected to the United States House of Representatives and the first female member of Congress. A Republican and a lifelong pacifist, she was the only member of Congress to vote against United States entry into both World War II and World War I. Additionally, she led resistance to the Vietnam War.
Security Council
Five permanent members( US, UK, France, China, USSR) with veto power in the UN. Promised to carry out UN decisions with their own forces.
Rural vs. Urban
For the first time, the 1920 census reported that more than half of the American population lived in urban areas. The culture of cities was based on popular tastes, morals, and habits of mass consumption that were increasingly at odds with the strict moral codes of rural America.
Pure Food and Drug Act
Forbade the manufacture or sale of mislabeled or adulterated food or drugs, it gave the government broad powers to ensure the safety and efficacy of drugs in order to abolish the "patent" drug trade. Still in existence as the FDA.
Causes of Immigration
Forces in the United States driving this process were (1) political and religious freedom, (2) economic opportunities in the western U.S. and cities, (3) large steamships offered relatively inexpensive transportation.
Trent Affair
Foreign event involving Union seizure of British ship with Confederate diplomats. Tensions between Britain & US eased with Lincoln's negotiations.
Secession
Formal withdrawal of states or regions from a nation.
Delaware Colony
Formed as part of Pennsylvania but became a separate colony in 1775 because Pennsylvania couldn't govern both areas. When the Dutch originally tried to settle this area the American Indians killed them all and burned down their settlement.
National Consumers' League
Formed in the 1890's under the leadership of Florence Kelley, attempted to mobilize the power of women as consumers to force retailers and manufacturing to improve wages and working conditions.
Reform of CIA
Former Congressman George H. W. Bush was appointed by President Ford to reform this agency after it had been accused of assassinating foreign leaders.
Interstate Commerce Commission
Former independent agency of the U.S. government, established in 1887; it was charged with regulating the economics and services of specified carriers engaged in transportation between states.
Alexander H. Stephens
Former vice president of the Confederacy who claimed a seat in Congress during reconstruction under Johnson. Congress denied him and other Confederates seats in Congress.
Jazz, Blues, Ragtime
Forms of music that combined African rhythms and western-style instruments and mixed improvisation with a structured band format.
W. E. B. Du Bois
Fought for African American rights. Helped to found Niagara Movement in 1905 to fight for and establish equal rights. This movement later led to the establishment of the NAACP.
7 Years War
Fought in both continental Europe and also in overseas colonies between 1756 and 1763; resulted in Prussian seizures of land from Austria, English seizures of colonies in Indian and North America.
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
Fought in central Alabama. On March 27, 1814, United States forces and Indian allies under General Andrew Jackson defeated the Red Sticks, a part of the Creek Indian tribe inspired by the Shawnee leader Tecumseh, effectively ending the Creek War.
Joseph Smith
Founded Mormonism in New York in 1830. Smith's announcement that God sanctioned polygamy split the Mormons and let to an uprising against Mormons in 1844; translated the Book of Mormon and died a martyr.
Standard Oil Company
Founded by John D. Rockefeller. Largest unit in the American oil industry in 1881. Known as A.D. Trust, it was outlawed by the Supreme Court of Ohio in 1899. Replaced by the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey.
Hudson River School
Founded by Thomas Cole, first native school of landscape painting in the U.S.; attracted artists rebelling against the neoclassical tradition, painted many scenes of New York's Hudson River.
American Peace Society
Founded in 1828 by William Laddit. Formally condemned all wars, though it supported the U.S. government during the Civil War, WWI, and WWII. It was dissolved after the United Nations was formed in 1945.
National American Woman Suffrage Association
Founded in 1890 to help women win the right to vote.
National Organization for Women (NOW)
Founded in 1966, the National Organization for Women (NOW) called for equal employment opportunity and equal pay for women. NOW also championed the legalization of abortion and passage of an equal rights amendment to the Constitution.
James Oglethorpe
Founder and governor of the Georgia colony. He ran a tightly-disciplined, military-like colony. Slaves, alcohol, and Catholicism were forbidden in his colony. Many colonists felt that Oglethorpe was a dictator, and that (along with the colonist's dissatisfaction over not being allowed to own slaves) caused the colony to break down and Oglethorpe to lose his position as governor.
R. H. Macy
Founder of 1st department store in NYC in 1902.
Thomas Cole
Founder of the Hudson River school, famous for his landscape paintings.
Samuel Adams
Founder of the Sons of Liberty and one of the most vocal patriots for independence; signed the Declaration of Independence.
Panic of 1873
Four year economic depression caused by over speculation on railroads and western lands, and worsened by Grant's poor fiscal response (refusing to coin silver).
Capitulation of France
France fell to Germany soon after declaring war and the "Free France" was exiled to their colonies and Britain while "Vichy France" became a German puppet-state in southern France.
Election of 1936
Franklin D. Roosevelt easily defeated the Republican nominee, Alf Landon.
Debate Over Freedom
Freedom is a main theme in American history, but an essentially contested concept. Through the years it has meant many different things to different people: freedom to enslave others, equal rights for all, liberation from a large government and federal regulations, unregulated capitalism, among others.
First Amendment
Freedom of the press, of speech, of religion, and of assembly.
Huguenots
French Protestants influenced by John Calvin.
Samuel de Champlain
French explorer in Nova Scotia who established a settlement on the site of modern Quebec. (1567-1635)
Jacques Cartier
French explorer who explored the St. Lawrence river and laid claim to the region for France. (1491-1557)
Northwestern Native Americans
From modern Alaska to northern California. Lived in longhouses or plank houses. Diet based upon hunting, fishing, and gathering nuts, berries, and roots.Built totem poles to save writing. Isolated by mountains.
Anti-Masonic Party
Gained considerable influence in New England and the mid-Atlantic during the 1832 election, campaigning against the politically influential Masonic order, a secret society. Anti-Masons opposed Andrew Jackson, a Mason, and drew much of their support from evangelical Protestants.
War Powers Act of 1973
Gave any president the power to go to war under certain circumstances, but required that he could only do so for 90 days before being required to officially bring the matter before Congress.
Indian Self-Determination Act
Gave reservations and tribal lands greater control over internal programs, education, and law enforcement.
Elkins Act
Gave the Interstate Commerce Commission more power to control railroads from giving preferences to certain customers.
Little Big Horn
General Custer and his men were wiped out by a coalition of Sioux and Cheyenne Indians led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse.
Chiang Kai-shek
General and leader of Nationalist China after 1925. Although he succeeded Sun Yat-sen as head of the Guomindang, he became a military dictator whose major goal was to crush the communist movement led by Mao Zedong.
Valeriano Weyler
General sent from Spain to Cuba to restore order in 1896. Used inhumane practices to quell revolution.
WMDs
Generally nuclear weapons with tremendous capability to destroy a population and the planet. WMD warfare refers to the application of force between countries using biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons.
Mt. Vernon Conference (1785)
George Washington hosted a conference at his home in Mt. Vernon, Virginia (1785). Representatives from four states (Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania) agreed that the problems were serious enough to hold further discussions at a later meeting at Annapolis, Maryland.
Joseph Stalin
Georgian Bolshevik revolutionary, head of the Soviet Communists after 1924, and dictator of the Soviet Union from 1928 to 1953. He led the Soviet Union with an iron fist, using Five-Year Plans to increase industrial production and terror to crush opposition.
Election of 1976
Gerald Ford (Republican) ran against former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter (Democrat). Ford lost the nation's support because of his pardon of Nixon and Carter won the nomination by portraying himself as an honest and candid "outsider", untainted by Washington politics.
Newt Gingrich
Gingrich was the Republican speaker in the House. He pushed for more conservative legislation during Clinton's presidency.
Trust-Busting
Government activities aimed at breaking up monopolies and trusts.
Limited Democracy
Government that includes voting but does not allow everyone to vote. (in 18th century generally only white, land-owning males could vote)
Sir Edmund Andros
Governor of the Dominion of New England from 1686 until 1692, when the colonists rebelled and forced him to return to England.
Granger Laws
Grangers state legislatures in 1874 passed law fixing maximum rates for freight shipments. The railroads responded by appealing to the Supreme Court to declare these laws unconstitutional.
Vicksburg
Grant besieged the city from May 18 to July 4, 1863, until it surrendered, yielding command of the Mississippi River to the Union.
Patronage
Granting favors, giving contracts, or making appointments to office in return for political support.
Medicare and Medicaid
Great Society programs to have the government provide medical aid to the elderly (Medicare) and the poor (Medicaid).
G-8
Group of 8 industrialized countries: Britain, France, Russia, Germany, Canada, USA, Japan, Italy; Great Powers.
Spoilsmen
Group of corrupt and manipulating politicians which arose during the Grant administration. Caused Grant to lose credibility with Reformers.
Framers of the Constitution
Group of delegates who drafted the United States Constitution at the Philadelphia Convention in 1787
Brain Trust
Group of expert policy advisers who worked with FDR in the 1930s to end the great depression.
Lost Generation
Group of writers in 1920s who shared the belief that they were lost in a greedy, materialistic world that lacked moral values and often choose to flee to Europe.
Weathermen
Group that branched off of the SDS; advocated terrorism in the US to stop another Vietnam from happening; name came from Bob Dylan lyrics "don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows"; dwindle away after 4 of them die in an explosion in Greenwich Village.
Professional Associations
Groups of individuals who share a common profession and are often organized for common political purposes related to that profession.
Utopian Communities
Groups of people who tried to form perfect societies, normally through religious communities.
Political Parties
Groups that help elect people and shape policies.
Stalwarts, Halfbreeds, and Mugwumps
Groups which competed for lucrative jobs in the patronage system.
Charter of Liberties (1701)
Guaranteed Pennsylvanians freedom of worship and unrestricted immigration.
National Bank
Hamilton's idea; opposed by Democratic-Rep. Privately owned bank with federal gov. as a major shareholder. Used to make / distribute / and handle national funds.
Samuel J. Tilden
Hayes' opponent in the 1876 presidential race. He was the Democratic nominee who had gained fame for putting Boss Tweed behind bars. He collected 184 of the necessary 185 electoral votes.
Webster-Hayne Debate
Hayne first responded to Daniel Webster's argument of states' rights versus national power, with the idea of nullification. Webster then spent 2 full afternoons delivering his response which he concluded by saying that "Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable".
J. P. Morgan Bail Out
He demonstrated his power over the country by loaning $65 million in gold to the U.S. government to support the gold standard.
W.E.B. Du Bois
He fought for African American rights. Helped to found Niagara Movement in 1905 to fight for and establish equal rights. This movement later led to the establishment of the NAACP.
Wendell Willkie
He led the opposition of utilities companies to competition from the federally funded Tennessee Valley Authority. His criticism of Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt led to his dark-horse victory at the 1940 Republican Party presidential convention. After a vigorous campaign, he won only 10 states but received more than 22 million popular votes, the largest number received by a Republican to that time.
Joseph Pulitzer
He used yellow journalism in competition with Hearst to sell more newspapers. He also achieved the goal of becoming a leading national figure of the Democratic Party.
Dean Acheson
He was Secretary of State under Harry Truman. It is said that he was more responsible for the Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine than those that the two were named for.
Albert Fall
He was Secretary of the Interior during Harding's administration, and was a scheming anti conservationist. He was convicted of leasing naval oil reserves and collecting bribes, which was called the Teapot Dome scandal.
Samuel Slater
He was a British mechanic that moved to America and in 1791 invented the first American machine for spinning cotton. He is known as "the Father of the Factory System" and he started the idea of child labor in America's factories.
Robert Kennedy
He was a Democrat who ran for president in 1968 promoting civil rights and other equality based ideals. He was ultimately assassinated in 1968, leaving Nixon to take the presidency but instilling hope in many Americans.
James Meredith
He was a civil rights advocate who spurred a riot at the University of Mississippi. The riot was caused by angry whites who did not want Meredith to register at the university. The result was forced government action, showing that segregation was no longer government policy.
Thomas Jefferson
He was a delegate from Virginia at the Second Continental Congress and wrote the Declaration of Independence. He later served as the third President of the United States.
John Dewey
He was a philosopher who believed in "learning by doing" which formed the foundation of progressive education. He believed that the teachers' goal should be "education for life and that the workbench is just as important as the blackboard."
George Kennan
He was an American diplomat and ambassador best known as "the father of containment" and as a key figure in the emergence of the Cold War.
James Earl (Jimmy) Carter
He was elected president in 1976. He was a former Democratic governor of Georgia.
J. Strom Thurmond
He was nominated for president on a States' Rights Party (Dixiecrats) in the 1948 election. Split southern Democrats from the party due to Truman's stand in favor of Civil Rights for African Americans. He only got 39 electoral votes.
John Rolfe
He was one of the English settlers at Jamestown (and he married Pocahontas). He discovered how to successfully grow tobacco in Virginia and cure it for export, which made Virginia an economically successful colony.
Alfred E. Smith
He was the Democratic presidential candidate in the 1928 election. He was the first Catholic to be elected as a candidate.
Thomas Dewey
He was the liberal Governor of New York (1943-1955) and the unsuccessful Republican candidate for the U.S. Presidency in 1944 and 1948.
Matthew C. Perry
He was the military leader who convinced the Japanese to sign a treaty in 1853 with the U.S. The treaty allowed for a commercial foot in Japan which was helpful with furthering a relationship with Japan.
Henry Demarest Lloyd
He wrote the book "Wealth Against Commonwealth" in 1894. It was part of the progressive movement and the book's purpose was to show the wrong in the monopoly of the Standard Oil Company.
Eugene V. Debs
Head of the American Railway Union and director of the Pullman strike. He was imprisoned along with his associates for ignoring a federal court injunction to stop striking. While in prison, he read Socialist literature and emerged as a Socialist leader in America.
Alice Paul
Head of the National Woman's party that campaigned for an equal rights amendment to the Constitution. She opposed legislation protecting women workers because such laws implied women's inferiority. Most condemned her way of thinking.
Mikhail Gorbachev
Head of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. His liberalization effort improved relations with the West, but he lost power after his reforms, which led to the collapse of Communist governments in eastern Europe.
Gifford Pinchot
Head of the U.S. Forest Service under Roosevelt, who believed that it was possible to make use of natural resources while conserving them.
Public Works Administration (PWA)
Helped construction workers get jobs doing public projects (highways, bridges, sewers).
Joseph Henry Noyes
Helped found the Oneida Community. 1848 in NY, they shared property and marriage partners.
Works Progress Administration (WPA)
Hires jobless people to build public buildings and parks.
Oliver Wendell Holmes
His opinions and famous dissents in favor of individual liberties had a large impact on the view of the rights of citizens. He argued that current necessity rather than precedent should determine the rules by which people are governed; that experience, not logic, should be the basis of law.
Alfred Kinsey
His research described human sexual behavior and was controversial (for its methodology & findings).
Poland: WWII
Hitler and Stalin agree to split this area while Britain and France agreed to protect it if it's attacked. When Germany blitzkrieg to Warsaw Britain and France declared war on them, starting WWII.
Standard of Living of the 1920s
Housing was limited to a house on the outskirts of town or rent rooms in a cramped boarding house. Mass transit enabled workers to to to and from work easier. The supply of safe drinking water was inadequate to none, with no indoor plumbing and collecting water from facets on the street to bathe. Horse manure piled on the streets, sewage flower in open gutters, factories polluted the air, garbage on the streets. Crime flourished, and wooden dwellings were like kindling waiting to ignite resulting in fires in cities regularly.
Election of 1916
Hughes, Wilson, issues: Wilson ran for reelection for the Democrats on the call that he had kept the United States out of the war. Charles Evans Hughes was the Republican candidate who attacked the inefficiency of the Democratic Party. Wilson won the election, and so was able to continue his idealistic policies.
Freeport Doctrine
Idea authored by Stephen Douglas that claimed slavery could only exist when popular sovereignty said so.
Cult of Domesticity
Idealized view of women & home; women, self-less caregiver for children, refuge for husbands.
Propaganda
Ideas spread to influence public opinion for or against a cause.
Interchangeable Parts
Identical components that can be used in place of one another in manufacturing.
New Immigrants
Immigrants who had come to the US after the 1880s from southern and eastern europe.
Old Immigrants
Immigrants who had come to the US before the 1880s from Britain, Germany, Ireland, Scandinavia, or Northern Europe.
John Davenport
In 1637, he founded a settlement south of Hartford, by the name of New Haven.
The Carolina Colonies
In 1663, King Charles II granted eight nobles the Carolinas. In 1729, the Carolinas were split into two royal colonies. In South Carolina, the economy was based on the fur trade and growing food for the West Indies, which led to many plantations. In North Carolina, there were many small tobacco farms and fewer plantations.
Frame of Government (1682)
In 1682-1683, William Penn provided the Pennsylvania colony with a Frame of Government which guaranteed a representative assembly elected by landowners and a written constitution.
Massachusetts Circular Letter
In 1768, this document was distributed to every colonial legislature. It urged the colonies to petition Parliament to repeal the Townshend Acts.
Judiciary Act of 1789
In 1789 Congress passed this Act which created the federal-court system. The act managed to quiet popular apprehensions by establishing in each state a federal district court that operated according to local procedures.
Whiskey Rebellion
In 1794, farmers in Pennsylvania rebelled against Hamilton's excise tax on whiskey. In October, 1794, the army, led by Washington, put down the rebellion. The incident showed that the new government under the Constitution could react swiftly and effectively to such a problem.
Jay Treaty (1794)
In 1794, this treaty with Britain, was negotiated by Chief Justice John Jay. The U.S. wanted Britain to stop seizing U.S. ships and impressing our sailors. However, the treaty said nothing about ship seizures, and Britain only agreed to evacuate posts on the U.S. frontier.
Pinckney Treaty (1795)
In 1795, Thomas Pinckney, the U.S. minister to Spain, negotiated this treaty with Spain. Spain agreed to open the lower Mississippi and New Orleans to trade. The right of deposit was granted to Americans so they could transfer cargos in New Orleans without paying duties. It was agreed that Spain would only control area south of the 31st parallel.
Two-Term Tradition
In 1796, George Washington decided to step down after two terms (four years per term) as president. This set the precedent In 1951, the 22nd amendment made two-term limit part of the Constitution.
Florida Purchase Treaty
In 1819 Spain ceded Florida and other claims to Oregon in exchange for Texas. This gave land to Mexico but later caused Americans to fight against Mexicans for their old land.
John C. Calhoun
In 1828, he lead the fight against protective tariffs which hurt the south economically. Created the doctrine of nullification which said that a state could decide if a law was constitutional. This situation became known as the Nullification Crisis.
Federal Land Grants
In 1850, the U.S. government gave 2.6 million acres of federal land to build the Illinois Central railroad from Lake Michigan to Gulf of Mexico.
French in Mexico
In 1865, Secretary of State William Seward invoked the Monroe Doctrine when Napoleon III sent French troops to occupy Mexico. He threatened U.S. military action unless France withdrew their troops, and they did.
Election of 1880
In 1880, James A. Garfield was elected president in a very close election. His vice president was Chester A. Arthur.
Immigration Act of 1882
In 1882, this act placed restrictions on the immigration of undesirable persons, such as paupers, criminals, convicts, and mentally incompetent.
American Railroad Association
In 1883, this organization divided the country into four different time zones, which would become the standard time for all Americans.
Ocala Platform of 1890
In 1890, a national organization of farmers, called the National Alliance, met in Florida to address the problems of rural America. It fell short of becoming a political party, but many of its reform ideas would become part of the Populist movement.
Farmers' Alliances in South and West
In 1890, this group of discontented farmers elected senators, representatives, governors, and majorities in state legislatures in the West.
Antisaloon League
In 1893, this organization became a powerful political force and by 1916 had persuaded twenty-one states to close down all saloons and bars.
Unlimited Coinage of Silver at 16 to 1
In 1896, the Democrats favored silver coinage at this traditional but inflationary rate.
Gold Standard and Higher Tariff
In 1897, William McKinley became president just as gold discoveries in Alaska increased the money supply under the gold standard. The Dingley Tariff increased the tariff rate to 46 percent.
Second Hay Note
In 1900, the U.S. was fearful that the international force sent to Beijing might try to occupy China. A second note was written to all the major imperialist countries, stating that China's territory must be preserved and that equal and impartial trade with all parts of China must be maintained.
Newlands Reclamation Act
In 1902 this act authorized federal funds from public land sales to pay for irrigation and land development projects, mainly in the dry Western states.
Manchurian Problem
In 1911, the U.S. was excluded from investing in railroads in Manchuria because of a joint agreement between Russia and Japan, which was in direct defiance of the Open Door Policy.
Lodge Corollary
In 1912 Senate passed resolution to Monroe Doctrine. It stated that non-European powers (such as Japan) would be excluded from owning territory in Western Hemisphere.
Edward House
In 1915, he was President Wilson's chief foreign policy adviser. He traveled to London, Paris, and Berlin to negotiate a peace settlement, but was unsuccessful.
Puerto Rico Citizenship
In 1917, an act of Congress granted U.S. citizenship and limited self government for this island.
Sacco and Vanzetti
In 1920 these two men were convicted of murder and robbery. They were found guilty and died in the electric chair unfairly.
Latin America Policy
In 1927, the United States signed an agreement with Mexico protecting U.S. interests in Mexico.
Reciprocal Trade Agreements
In 1934, Congress enacted a plan that would reduce tariffs for nations that reciprocated with comparable reductions for U.S. imports.
Philippines Independence
In 1934, President Roosevelt persuaded Congress to pass the Tydings-McDuffie Act which provided independence for the Philippines by 1946.
Spanish Civil War
In 1936 a rebellion erupted in Spain after a coalition of Republicans (liberals), Socialists, and Communists was elected. General Francisco Franco led the rebellion. The revolt quickly became a civil war. The Soviet Union provided arms and advisers to the government forces while Germany and Italy sent tanks, airplanes, and soldiers to help Franco.
Levittown
In 1947, William Levitt used mass production techniques to build inexpensive homes in suburban New York to help relieve the postwar housing shortage. Levittown became a symbol of the movement to the suburbs in the years after WWII.
Racial Integration of Military
In 1948, President Truman ordered the end of racial discrimination throughout the federal government including the armed forces. The end of segregation changed life on military bases, many of which were in the South.
State of Israel
In 1948, after a civil war in the British mandate territory of Palestine left the land divided between the Israelis and the Palestinians, this nation was founded. The United Nations oversaw the process and many neighboring countries fought against the creation of this Jewish ethnostate.
Dennis et al. v. United States
In 1951, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Smith Act.
Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW)
In 1953, President Eisenhower consolidated welfare programs under this new department, run by Oveta Culp Hobby, the first woman in a Republican cabinet.
Iranian Overthrow
In 1953, the CIA helped overthrow this government and established a monarch ruler with close ties to the U.S. He provided favorable oil prices and purchased American military arms.
Montgomery Bus Boycott
In 1955, after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a city bus, Dr. Martin L. King led a boycott of city busses. After 11 months the Supreme Court ruled that segregation of public transportation was illegal.
Privacy and Contraceptives
In 1965, the Supreme Court ruled in Griswold v. Connecticut case that a citizen's had the right to privacy, and a state could not prohibit the use of contraceptives by adults.
March to Montgomery
In 1965, this was a voting rights march from Selma Alabama to the capitol in Montgomery. Television showed protesters being beaten and tear gassed and the march was a turning point in the civil rights movement. President Johnson sent federal troops to protect the marchers.
Off the Gold Standard
In 1971, President Nixon took the U.S. off the gold standard, which helped to devalue the U.S. dollar relative to foreign currencies.
Cost of Living Indexed
In 1972, Congress approved automatic increases for Social Security benefits based on the rise in the cost of living.
Cambodian Genocide
In 1975, the U.S. supported government in Cambodia fell to the Khmer Rouge, a radical Communist faction that killed over one million of its people in an effort to rid the country of western influence.
Iranian Hostage Crisis
In 1979, Iranian fundamentalists seized the American embassy in Tehran and held fifty-three American diplomats hostage for over a year. The Iranian hostage crisis weakened the Carter presidency; the hostages were finally released on January 20, 1981, the day Ronald Reagan became president.
Chernobyl Meltdown
In 1986, this nuclear plant in the Ukrainian SSR (Soviet Union), caused by Soviet oversight and demands, exploded, killing many people.
Exxon Valdez Disaster
In 1989, an oil tanker ran aground and created a massive oil spill off the coast of Alaska, causing an environmental disaster.
Deficit Reduction Budget
In 1994, Congress passed this budget which included $225 billion in spending cuts and $241 billion in tax increases. Part of the budget would go towards increased spending on education and job training.
Madeleine K. Albright
In 1997, she became the first woman to serve as secretary of state.
Bombing of U.S. embassies
In 1998, terrorists bombed two U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The U.S. responded by bombing Al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and the Sudan.
Northern Ireland Accords
In 1998, the U.S. played a key diplomatic role in negotiating an end to British rule and the armed conflict in Northern Ireland.
Growth of Hispanics
In 2000, the Hispanic population was the fasted growing segment of the population and emerged as the largest minority part in the nation.
Connect the Dots
In 2004, a bipartisan commission on terrorism criticized the FBI, CIA, and the Defense Department for failing to work together to ______ that may have uncovered the 9/11 plot. Congress followed up on their recommendations, creating a Director of National Intelligence position.
Ban on Torture
In 2009, President Obama placed a formal ban on torture by requiring that Army field manuals be used as the guide for interrogating terrorist suspects.
Repeal of Don't Ask, Dont Tell
In 2010, Congress repealed the Clinton era "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" to end discrimination of gays in the military.
Latino Voters
In 2012, 1 in every 6 American voter was a Latino voter, and President Obama won 71 percent of the Latino votes in this election.
Drawdown in Afghanistan
In 2012, the U.S. and Afghanistan signed a long-term agreement which called for the U.S. to train and support the Afghanistan military, and for the U.S. to end combat missions by 2014.
Mitt Romney
In 2012, this conservative, Mormon, former governor of Massachusetts, was the Republican presidential candidate.
Sequester Cuts
In 2013, Congress was unable to compromise on the budget so these cuts went into effect.
Tampico Incident
In April 1914, some U.S. sailors were arrested in Tampico, Mexico. President Wilson used the incident to send U.S. troops into northern Mexico. His real intent was to unseat the Huerta government there. After the Niagara Falls Conference, Huerta abdicated and the confrontation ended.
Bay of Pigs
In April 1961, a group of Cuban exiles organized and supported by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency landed on the southern coast of Cuba in an effort to overthrow Fidel Castro. When the invasion ended in disaster, President Kennedy took full responsibility for the failure.
Escalation of Troops
In April 1965, President Johnson used U.S. combat troops in Vietnam for the first time. Johnson continued a step-by-step escalation and by March 1969 there were 540,000 troops deployed to Vietnam.
Beirut Bombings
In April 1983, an Arab suicide bomber killed 63 people at the U.S. embassy in Beirut. A few months later, an Arab terrorist drove a bomb-filled truck into a U.S. Marines barracks, killing 241 servicemen.
Pullman Strike
In Chicago, Pullman cut wages but refused to lower rents in the "company town". Eugene Debs had the American Railway Union refuse to use Pullman cars, Debs thrown in jail after being sued, strike achieved nothing
Soviet Afghanistan Invasion
In December 1979, Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan, an action that ended a decade of improving U.S.-Soviet relations.
Wilson in Paris
In January 1919, President Wilson traveled to the World War I peace conference held at the Palace of Versailles outside Paris.
Paris Accords of 1973
In January 1973, the North Vietnamese agreed to an armistice, in which the United States would withdraw the last of its troops and get back over 500 prisoners of war (POWs). The agreement also promised a cease-fire and free elections. However, the armistice did not end the war, but it allowed the United States to extricate itself.
Escort Convoys
In July 1941, the U.S. began to provide protection for British ship carrying U.S. arms being transported to Britain.
Korean Armistice
In July 1953, China and North Korea agreed to an armistice that would divide Korea into North Korea and South Korea near the 38th parallel.
Watergate Cover-Up
In June 1972, a group of men hired by Nixon's reelection committee were caught breaking into the offices of the Democratic national headquarters in the Watergate complex. This break-in and attempted bugging were only part of a series of illegal activities. No proof demonstrated that Nixon had ordered the illegal activities. However, it was shown that Nixon participated in the illegal cover up of the scandal.
Enron
In November 2001 Enron, the United States' seventh largest corporation, issued a statement drastically revising its stated profits over the past three years. Within a month, the company was forced to declare bankruptcy—the largest bankruptcy in business history—and numerous charges surfaced that the company had engaged in a repeated pattern of unethical and perhaps illegal practices. In addition to shareholder and employee lawsuits, Enron's executives also faced potential criminal charges for their roles in the scandal.
2013 Shutdown of Government
In October 2013, the Republican effort to defund the Affordable Care Act resulted in a shutdown of the government for 16 days, and threatened default on the national debt. The approval rating of Congress dropped to 10 percent.
Japan Takes Manchuria
In September 1931, Japanese troops invaded Manchuria, on China's eastern seaboard. The League of Nations passed a resolution condemning the action but did not take action.
Oil and Steel Embargo
In September 1940, Japan joined the Axis powers. The United States responded by prohibiting export of steel and scrap iron to Japan and other countries. In July 1941, when Japan invaded French Indochina, the U.S. cut off Japanese access to many vital materials, including U.S. oil.
Lehman Brothers
In September 2008, this large Wall Street investment bank declared bankruptcy, which led to a panic in the financial industry.
Central Powers
In World War I the alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and other nations allied with them in opposing the Triple Entente.
Service of African Americans (WWI)
In World War I, nearly 400,000 African Americans served in segregated military units.
Operation Iraqi Freedom
In early 2003, President Bush declared that Iraq had not complied with numerous U.N. resolutions, and that "the game was over". In March 2003 the United States launched air attacks on Iraq, and within 4 weeks U.S., British, and other allies captured the capital city, Baghdad.
2007 Troop Surge
In early 2007, President George W. Bush sent an additional 30,000 troops in a "surge" to establish order in Iraq.
Withdrawal from Iraq
In early 2009, President Obama developed a plan to wind down US ground combat operations in Iraq. In 2011, the last of U.S. forces were withdrawn. However, Sunni and Al-Qaeda insurgents continued to terrorize the majority Shiite government.
Colonial Legislatures
In every colony the lower of these two houses was elected; this lower house controlled taxes. Only in Rhode Island and Connecticut were the upper houses elected.
Gustavus Swift
In the 1800s he enlarged fresh meat markets through branch slaughterhouses and refrigeration. He monopolized the meat industry.
Popular Election of President
In the 1832 presidential election, all states except South Carolina, allowed voters to choose their state's slate of presidential electors.
Germans
In the 1840s and 1850s, because of economic hardship and the failure of democratic revolutions, one million of these people came to the United States. They often established homesteads in the Old Northwest and generally prospered.
White Settlers
In the 1840s and 1850s, they settled the Western frontier. They worked hard, lived in log cabins or sod huts. Disease and malnutrition were even greater dangers than attacks by American Indians.
High Tariff
In the 1890s, tariffs provided more than half of the federal revenue. Some Democrats objected to the tariffs because the raised the price on consumer goods and made it for difficult for farmers to sell to export because foreign countries enacted their own tariffs.
Fusion of Democrats and Populists
In the 1896 presidential election the Democrats and Populists both nominated William Jennings Bryan for president in fused campaign.
Morals and Fashions of the 1920s
In the 1920s, movies, novels, automobiles, and new dances encouraged greater promiscuity. Young women shocked their elders by wearing dresses hemmed at the knee (flapper look), cutting their hair short, smoking cigarettes, and driving cars.
Electric Appliances
In the 1920s, refrigerators, stoves, vacuum cleaners, and washing machines became very popular as prices dropped due to reduced production costs and as electrical power to run them became more available.
Role of Women
In the 1920s, the traditional separation of labor between men and women continued. Most middle-class women expected to spend their lives as homemakers and mothers.
Impact of the Automobile
In the 1920s, this product had the largest impact on society. It caused a growth of cities and suburbs, and workers no longer needed to live near their factories. It provided job opportunities and was a much more efficient way of transportation.
High School Education
In the 1920s, universal high school education became a new American goal. By 1930, the number of high school graduates had doubled to over 25 percent of school-age adults.
Immigration Issues
In the 1950s, Congress dropped the bans on Chinese and other Asian immigrants and eliminated race as barrier to naturalization.
Social Critics of the 1950s
In the 1950s, conformity was valued. William Whyte documented the loss of individuality in his book, "The Organization Man".
Gay Liberation Movement
In the 1970s, homosexuals began an effort to win social and legal acceptance and to encourage gays to affirm their sexual identity. Despite some advances, the movement was slowed by the onset of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and the insistence of the military on banning openly gay individuals from the armed services.
Asian Americans
In the 1980s, this group became the fastest growing minority population.
Growth of Upper Incomes
In the 1980s, well educated workers and yuppies (young urban professionals) enjoyed higher incomes from the deregulated marketplace while the standard of living for the middle class remained stagnant or declined.
Technology Boom
In the 1990's national productivity was improved by personal computers, software, Internet, cable, and wireless communications.
Single-Parent Families
In the 1990s there was a decline of traditional family, and a growing number of single-parent families. By 2000, there were 12.8 million single-parent families.
Contract With America
In the 1994 congressional elections, Congressman Newt Gingrich had Republican candidates sign a document in which they pledged their support for such things as a balanced budget amendment, term limits for members of Congress, and a middle-class tax cut.
China, India, Brazil
In the 21st century, these three countries would soon surpass many of the older industrial powers. The growing gap between rich and poor nations of the world caused tensions.
Big-City Political Machines
In the North, one source of Democratic strength came from big-city political machines.
Northeast
In the early 19th century, the area which included New England and the Middle Atlantic states.
Euro Crisis
In the early 2010s, the European Union was struggling with a debt crisis in Greece, Spain, and Ireland. It took German leadership to save the euro as a common currency.
Eastern Trunk Lines
In the early days of the railroads, from the 1830s to the 1860s, railroad lines in the east were different incompatible sizes which created inefficiencies.
Ethnic Support
In the early part of World War I Americans supported neutrality. However, 30 percent were first or second generation immigrants and their support was usually based on their ancestry.
New Nationalism
In the election of 1912, Roosevelt called for a "New Nationalism", with more government regulation of business and unions, women's suffrage (voting rights), and more social welfare programs.
New Freedom
In the election of 1912, Wilson supported a "New Freedom", which would limit both big business and big government, bring about reform by ending corruption, and revive competition by supporting small business.
Divided Electorate
In the late 1800s, Republicans kept memories of the Civil War alive to remind war veterans of the pain caused by the Southern Democrats. Democrats could count on winning every former Confederate state.
College Elective System
In the late 1800s, colleges started reducing the number of required courses and offered more elective courses. These were courses students could choose, and this increased the number of foreign language and science courses.
Causes of Indian Wars
In the late 19th century, the settlement of the thousands of miners, ranchers, and homesteaders on American Indian lands led to violence.
Exports and Imports
In the mid-1800s, the U.S. was exporting primarily manufactured goods and agriculture products such as Western grains and Southern cotton. Imports also increased during this period.
Foreign Commerce
In the mid-1800s, the growth in manufactured goods as well as in agriculture products (Western grains and Southern cotton) caused a significant growth of exports and imports.
Colonial Governors
In the royal colonies, these were appointed by the King; in the proprietary colonies, these were appointed by the proprietor; in Rhode Island and Connecticut, these were elected by popular vote.
Streetcar Cities
In these cities, people lived in residences many miles from their jobs and commuted to work by horse-drawn streetcars.
Election of 1994
In these midterm elections, Republicans gained control of both houses of Congress for the first time since 1954.
Morrill Land Grant Act
In this act, the federal government had donated public land to the states for the establishment of college; as a result 69 land grant institutions were established.
Election of 1918
In this midterm congressional election Republicans gained control of both houses of Congress. This was a problem for Democrat President Woodrow Wilson because he need Republican votes to ratify the Treaty of Versailles.
Election of 2004
In this presidential election George W. Bush was reelected, defeating Senator John Kerry. The Republicans energized their base of voters by focusing on the war against terrorism, more tax cuts, and opposition to gay marriage and abortion.
Election of 2012
In this presidential election the Great Recession and Obamacare (new healthcare act) were the top issues. Barack Obama defeated Mitt Romney in this election.
XYZ Affair (1797)
Incident that precipitated an undeclared war with France when three French officials demanded that American emissaries pay a bribe before negotiating disputes between the two countries.
Morrill Tariff Act
Increased duties back up to 1846 levels to raise revenue for the Civil War.
Dingley Tariff of 1897
Increased the tariff rate to 46.5 percent and made gold the official standard of U.S. currency.
Dreamers
Individuals in the U.S. who were brought to the country at an early age without documentation but have assimilated to U.S. culture and have been educated by U.S. school systems.
Expanding Middle Class
Industrialization helped expand the middle class by creating jobs for accountants, clerical workers, and salespeople. The increase in the number of good-paying jobs after the Civil War significantly increased the size of the middle class.
Industrial Technology
Industrialization of 1840s on created shoes, sewing machines, ready-to-wear clothing, firearms, precision tools, and iron products for railroads, etc.
Fireside Chats
Informal talks given by FDR over the radio; sat by White House fireplace; gained the confidence of the people.
Settlement Houses
Institutions that provided educational and social services to poor people.
Red Scare
Intense fear of communism and other politically radical ideas.
Algeciras Conference
International conference called to deal with the Moroccan question. French get Morocco, Germany gets nothing, isolated. Result is U.S, Britain, France, Russia see Germany as a threat.
Earth Day (1970)
International day of celebration and awareness of global environmental issues launched by conservationists on April 22, 1970.
NAACP
Interracial organization founded in 1909 to abolish segregation and discrimination and to achieve political and civil rights for African Americans.
Elias Howe
Invented the sewing machine.
Samuel (F. B.) Morse
Invented the telegraph.
Alexander Graham Bell
Inventor of the telephone.
Rosenberg Case
Involved Julius and Ethel Rosenberg who were American communists. They were executed for passing nuclear weapons secrets to the USSR.
Cyrus McCormick
Irish-American inventor that developed the mechanical reaper. The reaper replaced scythes as the preferred method of cutting crops for harvest, and it was much more efficient and much quicker.
Transatlantic Cable
Is an undersea cable running under the Atlantic Ocean used for telegraph communications. The first was laid across the floor of the Atlantic.
ISIS
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
Al-Qaeda
Islamist terrorist organization that launched a series of attacks against U.S.
Roanoke Island
Island colony founded by Sir Walter Raleigh that mysteriously disappeared in the 1580s.
West Bank and Gaza Strip
Israel granted home rule to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank territories, and signed a peace treaty with Jordan in 1994. Israeli-Palestinian peace process slowed down after the assassination of the Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.
Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction
Issued by Lincoln: offered full pardon to Southerners who would take oath of allegiance to the Union and acknowledge emancipation.
Encomienda System
It gave settlers the right to tax local Native Americans or to make them work. In exchange, these settlers were supposed to protect the Native American people and convert them to Christianity. In reality, it became a way to enslave Natives.
Civil Rights Act of 1960
It gave the Federal Courts the power to register Black voters and provided for voting referees who served wherever there was racial discrimination in voting, making sure Whites did not try to stop Blacks from voting.
Committee on Public Information (WWI)
It was headed by George Creel. The purpose of this committee was to mobilize people's minds for war, both in America and abroad. Tried to get the entire U.S. public to support U.S. involvement in WWI. Creel's organization, employed some 150,000 workers at home and oversees. He proved that words were indeed weapons.
Christopher Columbus
Italian navigator who discovered the New World in the service of Spain while looking for a route to China. (1451-1506)
Military Advisers in Vietnam
JFK increased the number of these , who trained the South Vietnamese army + guarded weapons and facilities. Helped create "strategic hamlets" [fortified villages].
Proclamation to the People of South Carolina
Jackson's edict stating nullification and disunion were treason.
Revolution of 1828
Jackson's election showed shift of political power to "the common man" (1828), when the government changed hands from Quincy Adams to Jackson.
Rotation in Office
Jackson's system of periodically replacing officeholders to allow ordinary citizens to play a more prominent role in government.
Election of 1884
James G Blaine was nominated by the Republicans, while Grover Cleveland was the Democratic nominee. The Independent Republicans, known as "Mugwumps," supported Cleveland, which cost Blaine the election. The Democrats controlled the House, while the Republicans dominated the Senate.
Virginia Plan
James Madison's plan of government, in which states got a number of representatives in Congress based on their population.
New Jersey Colony
James gave to two friends, Lord John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret, a section of NY between the Hudson River and Delaware Bay; 1674, one received West ___and the other East ____; generous land offers, freedom of religion and assembly-1702, single royal colony of New Jersey.
Zimmermann Telegram
January 1917 the British intercepted a telegram from the German Empire's government to the Mexican government offering German support if Mexico declared war against the US; offered to return land Mexico lost the US
Japanese Internment
Japanese and Japanese Americans from the West Coast of the United States during WWII. While approximately 10,000 were able to relocate to other parts of the country of their own choosing, the remainder-roughly 110,000 me, women and children-were sent to hastily constructed camps called "War Relocation Centers" in remote portions of the nation's interior.
Revolution of 1800
Jefferson's election changed the direction of the government from Federalist to Democratic- Republican, so it was called a "revolution."
Harper's Ferry Raid
John Brown of Kansas attempted to create a major revolt among the slaves. He wanted to ride down the river and provide the slaves with arms from the North, but he failed to get the slaves organized. Brown was captured.
Pottawatomie Creek
John Brown rode with 4 sons & 2 others to Pottawatomie Creek; dragged 5 proslavery settlers from beds and murdered them.
The Grapes of Wrath
John Steinbeck's novel about a struggling farm family during the Great Depression. Gave a face to the violence and exploitation that migrant farm workers faced in America.
Virginia Company
Joint-Stock Company in London that received a charter for land in the new world. Charter guarantees new colonists same rights as people back in England.
Frederick Lewis Allen
Journalist who wrote "Only Yesterday" breath taking change from 1919 to 1920 overnight. Book had Mr. and Mrs. Smith who emulated typical 20's family and how progressed: can foods, radio, bob haircuts, smoking , clubs, etc.
Potsdam Conference
July 26, 1945 - Allied leaders Truman, Stalin and Churchill met in Germany to set up zones of control and to inform the Japanese that if they refused to surrender at once, they would face total destruction.
New Cities
Key transportation and transfer points on major rivers that processed farm products for shipment to the East and distributed manufactured goods from the East to different parts of the region.
King George III
King of England during the American Revolution. Thought that the colonists should pay more taxes to support the British government. Was named as a tyrant in the Declaration of Independence.
Stephen Austin
Known as the Father of Texas. Led the second, and ultimately successful, colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States.
Syngman Rhee
Korean leader who became president of South Korea after World War II and led Korea during Korean War.
Election of 1964
LBJ beats Senator Goldwater who voted against the civil rights act and was a conservative republican.
Meat Inspection Act
Laid down binding rules for sanitary meat packing and government inspection of meat products crossing state lines.
Mexican Cession
Lands sold by Mexico to the US following the Mexican War.
Planters
Large-scale farmers who held more than 20 slaves.
Redeemers
Largely former slave owners who were the bitterest opponents of the Republican program in the South. Staged a major counterrevolution to "redeem" the south by taking back southern state governments. Their foundation rested on the idea of racism and white supremacy. Redeemer governments waged an aggressive assault on African Americans.
Battle of Yorktown
Last major battle of the Revolutionary War. Cornwallis and his troops were trapped in the Chesapeake Bay by the French fleet. He was sandwiched between the French navy and the American army. He surrendered October 19, 1781.
Proclamation of 1763
Law forbidding English colonists to settle west of the Appalachian Mountains. Meant to prevent Native American attacks.
Selective Service Act (WWI)
Law passed by Congress in 1917 that required all men from ages 21 to 30 to register for the military draft.
Brady Bill
Law passed in 1993 requiring a waiting period on sales of handguns, along with a criminal background check on the buyer.
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
Law that suspended Chinese immigration into America. The ban was supposed to last 10 years, but it was expanded several times and was essentially in effect until WWII. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was the first significant law that restricted immigration into the United States of an ethnic working group. Extreme example of nativism of this period.
Espionage Act of 1917
Law which punished people for aiding the enemy or refusing military duty during WW1.
Black Codes
Laws denying most legal rights to newly freed slaves; passed by southern states following the Civil War.
Jim Crow Laws
Laws designed to enforce segregation of blacks from whites.
Slave Codes
Laws that controlled the lives of enslaved African Americans and denied them basic rights.
Navigation Acts
Laws that governed trade between England and its colonies. Colonists were required to ship certain products exclusively to England. These acts made colonists very angry because they were forbidden from trading with other countries.
J. Robert Oppenheimer
Lead the Manhattan Project: the World War II effort to develop the first nuclear bomb. He was remembered as the "Father of the Atomic Bomb".
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Leader of Mexico that lost Texas and western (modern American) Mexican lands to the Americans. Played an important part in Mexican politics during this time period.
Nat Turner
Leader of a slave rebellion in 1831 in Virginia. Revolt led to the deaths of 20 whites and 40 blacks and led to the "gag rule' outlawing any discussion of slavery in the House of Representatives.
Eugene V. Debs
Leader of the American Railway Union, he voted to aid workers in the Pullman strike. He was jailed for six months for disobeying a court order after the strike was over.
Louis Armstrong
Leading African American jazz musician during the Harlem Renaissance; he was a talented trumpeter whose style influenced many later musicians.
Debts and High Tariffs
Leading up to the Great Depression, the United States insisted on full World War I loan repayments and high tariffs on imports. This weakened Europe and contributed to the worldwide depression.
Charles Fourier
Leading utopian socialist who envisaged small communal societies in which men and women cooperated in agriculture and industry, abolishing private property and monogamous marriage as well.
League of Women Voters
League formed in 1920 advocating for women's rights, among them the right for women to serve on juries and equal pay laws.
American Indian Movement
Led by Dennis Banks and Russell Means; purpose was to obtain equal rights for Native Americans; protested at the site of the Wounded Knee massacre.
Democratic-Republicans
Led by Thomas Jefferson, believed people should have political power, favored strong STATE governments, emphasized agriculture, strict interpretation of the Constitution, pro-French, opposed National Bank.
Civil Rights Cases of 1883
Legalized segregation with regard to private property.
Campaign Finance Reform
Legislation aimed at placing limits on political candidates accepting money and gifts from individuals and special interest groups.
Teller Amendment
Legislation that promised the US would not annex Cuba after winning the Spanish-American war.
Platt Amendment
Legislation that severely restricted Cuba's sovereignty and gave the US the right to intervene if Cuba got into trouble.
Nonitercourse Act
Lifted the Embargo Act but banned US ships from trading in British or French ports.
Quota Laws of 1921
Limited immigration for 3% of the number of foreign-born people from a given nation.
Election of 1864
Lincoln vs. McClellan. Lincoln wanted to reunite the North and South, while McClellan wanted the war to end. Many citizens of the North were sick of the war, and thus many voted for McClellan. Lincoln won.
Election of 1860
Lincoln, the Republican candidate, won because the Democratic party was split over slavery. As a result, the South no longer felt like it has a voice in politics and a number of states seceded from the Union.
Fundamentalism
Literal interpretation and strict adherence to basic principles of a religion (or a religious branch, denomination, or sect).
Swedes
Lived in Central Sweden, Many from this country settled in Delaware.
Ernest Hemingway
Lost Generation writer, spent much of his life in France, Spain, and Cuba during WWI, notable works include A Farewell to Arms.
Suburban Growth
Low interest rates on mortgages that were government-insured and tax deductible made the move from the city to the suburb affordable for almost any family. In a single generation the majority of middle-class Americans became suburbanites.
Sectionalism
Loyalty to one's own region of the country, rather than to the nation as a whole.
House-Divided Speech
Made by Abraham Lincoln before he was elected stating that the United States will either be all slave or all free because it can't be half and half and still succeed.
Dwight Moody
Made the Moody Bible Institute. Helped generations of urban evangelists to adapt traditional Christianity into city life.
Conglomerates
Major corporation that owns smaller companies in unrelated industries.
Antiglobalization
Major international movement that protests the development of the global economy on the grounds that it makes the rich richer and keeps poor regions in poverty while exploiting their labor and environments; the movement burst onto the world stage in 1999 with massive protests at a meeting of the World Trade Organization in Seattle.
Strikes of 1919
Major strike in Seattle where 60,000 unionists held a peaceful strike for higher pay. Boston police went on strike to protest firing of police officers who tried to unionize and Governor Calvin Coolidge sent in National Guard. U.S. Steel Corporation had a strike, and after considerable violence the strike was broken by state and federal troops.
"Permanent Alliances)
Making a permanent pack with another country that you will support them and they will support you economically and in war.
Department of Interior
Manages and protects the nation's public lands and natural resources.
Black Pride
Many African American leaders agreed with Marcus Garvey's ideas on racial pride and self-respect. This influenced another generation in the 1960s.
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
March 1911 fire in New York factory that trapped young women workers inside locked exit doors; nearly 50 ended up jumping to their death; while 100 died inside the factory; led to the establishment of many factory reforms, including increasing safety precautions for workers.
Fall of Saigon
Marked the end of the Vietnam War in April, 1975 when North Vietnamese invaded South Vietnam, forcing all Americans left to flee in disarray as the capitol was taken.
McCulloch v. Maryland
Maryland was trying to tax the national bank and Supreme Court ruled that federal law was stronger than the state law.
Gun Violence
Mass shootings at a Colorado movie theater and a Connecticut school sparked another debate over guns. President Obama's proposals to tighten gun laws went nowhere because of gun rights advocates.
Commonwealth v. Hunt
Massachusetts Supreme Court decision that strengthened the labor movement by upholding the legality of unions.
Hartford Convention
Meeting by Federalists dissatisfied with the war to draft a new Constitution; resulted in seemingly traitorous Federalist party's collapse.
Constitutional Convention
Meeting in 1787 of the elected representatives of the thirteen original states to write the Constitution of the United States.
Minutemen
Member of a militia during the American Revolution who could be ready to fight in sixty seconds.
Sandinistas
Members of a leftist coalition that overthrew the Nicaraguan dictatorship of Anastasia Somoza in 1979 and attempted to install a socialist economy. The United States financed armed opposition by the Contras. They lost national elections in 1990.
Freemasons
Membership provided a place outside the traditional channels of socializing where nobles and middle-class professionals and even some artisans mingled and shared their common interest in the Enlightenment and reform. The movement began in Great Britain in the early 18th century and spread eastward across Europe. Although not explicitly political, members encouraged equality among its members.
First Continental Congress (1774)
Met to discuss a response to the Intolerable Acts; adopted the *Declaration and Resolves* in which they: Declared the Intolerable Acts null and void. Recommended that colonists arm themselves and that militias be formed. Recommended a boycott of British imports.
Sit-Down Strike
Method of boycotting work by sitting down at work and refusing to leave the establishment.
Literacy Tests
Method used to deny African-Americans the vote in the South that tested a person's ability to read and write. They were done very unfairly, so while even though most African-Americans could read and write by the 1950's they still failed.
General Huerta
Mexican revolutionary whose bloody regime Wilson refused to recognize and nearly ended up fighting.
Nueces River
Mexico believed this river was the border between Texas and Mexico.
Anti-Trust Movement
Middle class people feared a growth of new wealth due to the trusts. In the 1880s trusts came under widespread scrutiny and attack. Not until the Progressive era, would the trusts be controlled.
African American Migration
Migration of African Americans during the 20th century from the rural south to the industrialized north.
Race Riots
Migration of African Americans to northern cities increased racial tensions, which led to violence in many cities. Conditions were no better in the South than in the North.
Suez Canal Crisis
Military attack on Egypt by Britain, France, and Israel in 1956 after Egypt seized the Suez Canal from British administration.
Winfield Scott
Military hero of the Mexican War who became the Whigs' last presidential candidate in 1852.
Anthracite Coal Miners' Strike
Miners in Pennsylvania demanded a 20% increase in pay and reduction of the working day from 10 to 9 hours. Owners refused to negotiate because they were confident that the public would react against the miners. Roosevelt threatened to seize control of mines; owners agreed to 10% pay boost and 9 hour work day.
Silver Rush
Miners rushed to Colorado, Nevado, the Black Hills of the Dakotas, and other western states to search for silver.
Professions; Religion, Medicine, Law
Ministers, Physicians, and Lawyers (due to legal support of revolution) were all respected careers in the 18th century.
Anti-Ballistic Missiles
Missiles that can shoot down other missiles.
John Roberts
Modern Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Monitors the stock market and enforces laws regulating the sale of stocks and bonds.
English Cultural Domination
Most of the population of the colonies was English, but Africans and Europeans created some diversity in the culture of the colonies.
Public School Movement
Movement aimed at providing greater educational opportunities through the establishment of tax-supported public schools.
City Beautiful Movement
Movement in environmental design that drew directly from the beaux arts school. Architects from this movement strove to impart order on hectic, industrial centers by creating urban spaces that conveyed a sense of morality and civic pride, which many feared was absent from the frenzied new industrial world.
Immigration
Movement of individuals into a population.
Social Mobility
Movement of individuals or groups from one position in a society's stratification system to another.
Great Migration
Movement of over 300,000 African American from the rural south into Northern cities between 1914 and 1920.
Black Lives Matter
Movement that grew out of the perceived discounting of black lives by police and juries.
Abolitionism
Movement to end slavery.
Millennialism
Much of religious enthusiasm of the time was based on the widespread belief that the world was about to end with the second coming of Christ.
Upton Sinclair
Muckraker who shocked the nation when he published The Jungle, a novel that revealed gruesome details about the meat packing industry in Chicago. The book was fiction but based on the things Sinclair had seen.
Rock and Roll
Music that grew out of rhythm and blues and that became popular in the 1950s.
Greenbacks
Name for Union paper money not backed by gold or silver. Value would fluctuate depending on status of the war.
Jazz Age
Name for the 1920s, because of the popularity of jazz-a new type of American music that combined African rhythms, blues, and ragtime.
Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany)
Nation combined by the Western powers (U.S., UK, and France). Bonn was the capital city.
NSC-68
National Security Council memo #68 US "strive for victory" in cold war, pressed for offensive and a large increase ($37 bil) in defense spending. This determined US foreign policy for the next 20 to 30 years.
National Networks
Nationwide radio networks enabled people all over the country to listen to the same news, sports, soap operas, quiz shows and comedies.
Metacom
Native American chief who fought against English colonists in the King Philip's War.
Old Stock Protestants
Nativist and traditionalist Protestant groups. Similar to the Old Lights of colonial times.
Thomas Macdonough
Naval officer who forced the invading British army near Plattsburgh to retreat on September 11, 1814; He saved the upper New York from conquest.
Around the Maginot
Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands and Belgium to get around the French forts protecting the French-German border.
Railroads
Networks of rails on which locomotives pulled long trains at high speeds. The first were built in England in the 1830s. Success caused the construction of these to boom lasting into the 20th Century.
Railroads
Networks of rails on which steam (later electric or diesel) locomotives pulled long trains at high speeds. The first were built in England in the 1830s. Success caused the construction of these to boom lasting into the 20th Century
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
New Deal program that hired unemployed men to work on natural conservation projects.
Dartmouth College v. Woodward
New Hampshire had attempted to take over Dartmouth College by revising its colonial charter. The Court ruled that the charter was protected under the contract clause of the U. S. Constitution; upholds the sanctity of contracts.
Birmingham (Steel)
New South's attempt in the iron and steel industry. The iron deposits were "ill suited" for the kind of steel in demand, and thus it was later sold and controlled by the North.
New Social Sciences
New fields such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, and political science emerged during this time.
Lord Frederick North
New prime minister of Britain, urged Parliament to repeal the Townshend Acts.
Penitentiaries
New prisons built in Pennsylvania that experimented with the technique of placing prisoners in solitary confinement; these experiments were dropped because of the high suicide rate.
Nationalist Media
Newspapers and magazines published printed stories about distant and exotic places. This increased public interest and stimulated demands for a larger U.S. role in world affairs.
Bear Flag Republic
Nickname for California after it declared independence from Mexico in 1846.
Bull Moose Party
Nickname for the new Progressive Party, which was formed to support Roosevelt in the election of 1912.
Recognition of China
Nixon established a trade policy and recognized the People's Republic of China, which surprised many because China had been an enemy during the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
Southern Strategy
Nixon's plan to persuade conservative southern white voters away from the Democratic party.
Washington's Farewell Address
No involvement in European affairs; No permanent alliances; No political parties; Avoid sectionalism.
Universal White Male Suffrage
No religious or property owning restrictions on voting. All white males could vote.
Great Plains Native Americans
Nomadic hunters of buffalo or sedentary farmers and traders. Nomads used buffalo products for food, tools, decorations, and clothing. Lived in Tepees. Farming tribes hunted buffalo, lived in earthen lodges along rivers, and raised maize, beans, and squash. They traded with other tribes. Tribes would split as conditions changed.
Lakota Sioux
Nomadic tribe that followed Bison. Based in Great plains. Sitting Bull is a famous chief. Fight with the US in Dakotas, end up getting crushed. Massacred at Wounded Knee.
Nonsectarian
Not limited to or associated with a particular religious denomination.
Anti-Imperialist League
Objected to the annexation of the Philippines and the building of an American empire. Idealism, self-interest, racism, constitutionalism, and other reasons motivated them, but they failed to make their case; the Philippines were annexed in 1900.
Black Tuesday
October 29, 1929; date of the worst stock-market crash in American history and beginning of the Great Depression.
Trade Expansion Act
October, 1962 - The Act gave the President the power to reduce tariffs in order to promote trade. Kennedy could lower some tariffs by as much as 50%, and, in some cases, he could eliminate them.
Kent State
Ohio college where an anti-war protest got way out of hand, the Nat'l Guard was called in and killed 3 students (innocent & unarmed, wounded 9) indiscriminate fire of M-1 rifles.
WWI Declaration of War
On April 6, 1917 the U.S. declared war on the German Empire, ending U.S. neutrality and bringing it into WWI.
LBJ Withdraws
On March 23, 1968, President Johnson made a television address in which he said that the U.S. would limit bombing of North Vietnam and negotiate peace. He also announced that he would not run for president in 1968.
Assassination of JFK
On November 22, 1963, Kennedy arrived in Dallas with his wife, Jacqueline. As the president and the First Lady rode through the streets in an open car, JFK was shot and killed. After months of study, the Warren Commission issued its report. Oswald had acted on his own. Many people believed the assassination was a conspiracy, or secret plot.
World Trade Center
Once an icon for the global economy in New York, became a target for terrorism in 1993 and 2001; al-Qaeda was solely responsible for the 9-11 attacks
Virginia Colony
One of the Chesapeake colonies. Focused on Tobacco growing. Held the first permanent English settlement on the New World.
Large Department Stores
One of the early symbols of the dawning era of consumerism in urban America was. Macy in NY and Marshall Fields in Chicago.
Bank Failures
One of the factors that led to the Great Depression; when a bank ran out of reserves to pay customers who wanted to withdraw their deposits.
Massachusetts 54th Regiment
One of the first black units in the US Armed Forces. Earned place in history at Fort Wagner.
Aaron Burr
One of the leading Democratic-Republicans of New york, and served as a U.S. Senator from New York from 1791-1797. Opponent of Alexander Hamilton. In the election of 1800, they tied with Jefferson in the Electoral College. The House of Representatives awarded the Presidency to Jefferson and made Burr Vice- President.
Corner Saloon
One of the most popular forms of recreation in the late 19th century was drinking and talking at the ____.
Bosnia
One of the nations that fought for their independence from Yugoslavia. At the end of the war they became Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Whigs
One of the two dominant political parties in England at the time of the American Revolution. Revolting colonists were nicknamed this out of familiarity.
Railroad Strike of 1877
One of the worst outbreaks of labor violence. During an economic depression railroad companies cut wages in order to reduce costs. It shut down 2/3 of country's rail trackage. The strike quickly becoming national in scale. For the first time since 1830s federal troops used to end labor violence. More than 100 people killed.
Unicameral Legislature
One-house legislature
Immigrant Act of 1965
Opened the door for many non-European immigrants to settle in the US by ending quotas based on nationality.
Anti-Federalists
Opponents of the American Constitution at the time when the states were contemplating its adoption. Wanted a weaker federal government
Transcedentalists
Optimistic writers who believed that God, Nature, and Humans are one. These include Emerson and Thoreau.
Panama Invasion (1989)
Ordered by Bush in December 1989 to remove the autocratic General Manuel Noriega. The said purpose of the invasion was to stop Noriega from using the country as a "drug pipeline" to the US.
New England Immigrant Aid Company
Organization created to facilitate the migration of free laborers to Kansas in order to prevent the establishment of slavery in the territory.
Committees of Correspondence
Organization founded by Samuel Adams consisting of a system of communication between patriot leaders in New England and throughout the colonies.
Freedmen's Bureau
Organization run by the army to care for and protect southern Blacks after the Civil War.
Sons and Daughters of Liberty
Organizations that led protests, helped American soldiers, instated a boycott, and generally resisted the British.
Captain John Smith
Organized Jamestown and imposed a harsh law "He who will not work shall not eat".
National Grange Movement
Organized by Oliver H. Kelley primarily as a social and educational organization for farmers and their families. By the 1870s however, the Grange organized economic ventures and took political action to defend members against the middlemen, trusts, and railroads.
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Originally a transcendentalist; later rejected them and became a leading anti-transcendentalist. He was a descendant of Puritan settlers. The Scarlet Letter shows the hypocrisy and insensitivity of New England puritans by showing their cruelty to a woman who has committed adultery and is forced to wear a scarlet "A".
Movie Palaces
Ornate, lavish single-screen movie theaters that emerged in the 1910s in the United States.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Overthrew French Directory in 1799 and became emperor of the French in 1804. Failed to defeat Great Britain and abdicated in 1814. Returned to power briefly in 1815 but was defeated and died in exile.
Far West
Pacific states that were the focus of Manifest Destiny: California, Oregon, Texas, etc.
Soil-Bank Program
Paid farmers to non use land, goal: decrease farm production to increase cost/income.
Grant Wood
Painted American Gothic, one of the most famous portrayals of America's rural life during the Great Depression.
Yasser Arafat
Palestinian statesman who is chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Continentals
Paper bills issued by the Continental Congress to finance the revolution; supposed to be exchanged for silver but the overprinting of bills made them basically worthless.
Headright System
Parcels of land consisting of about 50 acres which were given to colonists who brought indentured servants into America. They were used by the Virginia Company to attract more colonists.
Gold Bug Democrats
Part of the Democratic Party that broke away from the principle of unlimited coinage of silver and the rest of the Democratic Party; included Grover Cleveland.
Equal Protection of the Laws
Part of the Fourteenth Amendment emphasizing that the laws must provide equivalent "protection" to all people.
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT)
Part of the policy of detente, attempted to reduce the weapons each country contains.
Liberal Republicans
Party formed in 1872 (split from the ranks of the Republican Party) which argued that the Reconstruction task was complete and should be set aside. Significantly dampered further Reconstructionist efforts.
Democrats
Party led by Jackson - "Common Man"; pro states' rights; against the Bank of the United States (BUS).
Corrupt Politicians
Party patronage, the process of providing jobs to faithful party members was more important than policy issues during the Gilded Age.
Party Nominating Convention
Party politicians and voters would gather in a large meeting hall to nominate the party's candidates. Replaced the king caucus.
Declaratory Act of 1766
Passed at the same time that the Stamp Act was repealed, the Act declared that Parliament had the power to tax the colonies both internally and externally, and had absolute power over the colonial legislatures.
Force Acts
Passed by Congress following a wave of Ku Klux Klan violence, the acts banned clan membership, prohibited the use of intimidation to prevent blacks from voting, and gave the U.S. military the authority to enforce the acts.
Americans With Disabilities Act
Passed by Congress in 1991, this act banned discrimination against the disabled in employment and mandated easy access to all public and commercial buildings.
Civil Rights Act of 1866
Passed by Congress on 9th April 1866 over the veto of President Andrew Johnson. The act declared that all persons born in the United States were now citizens, without regard to race, color, or previous condition.
Panama Canal Treaty of 1977
Passed by President Carter, these called for the gradual return of the Panama Canal to the people and government of Panama. They provided for the transfer of canal ownership to Panama in 1999 and guaranteed its neutrality. Condemned by many of Carter's opponents.
Federal Farm Loan Act
Passed by president Wilson in 1916. Was originally a reform wanted by the Populist party. It gave farmers the chance to get credit at low rates of interest.
Mann-Elkins Act
Passed in 1910, it empowered the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) for the first time to initiate rate changes, extend regulation to telephone and telegraph companies and set up a Commerce Court to expedite appeals from the ICC rulings.
National Security Act
Passed in 1947 in response to perceived threats from the Soviet Union after WWII. It established the Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and National Security Council.
Immigrants
People who have left the country of their birth to live in another country.
Separatists
People who wanted to have a separate, or different church. Also known as Pilgrims.
Urban Reformers
People who worked to improve the standards of living for the poor through the means of education, health, economic support, and sanitary means.
Plumbers
People whose job it was to stop leaks of what Nixon was trying to achieve from being let out of the White House.
Ninth Amendment
People's rights are not limited to those listed in the Constitution.
Firing of Pinchot
Pinchot was fired by Taft after he criticized Ballinger for opening up public lands in Alaska for private development.
Valley Forge
Place where Washington's army spent the winter of 1777-1778, a 4th of troops died here from disease and malnutrition, Steuben comes and trains troops
Election of 1972
Placed Nixon against Democrat George McGovern, with the former being the embodiment of the radical movements Nixon's "silent majority" of middle-class Americans opposed, resulting in a landslide victory for Nixon.
Stamp Act of 1765
Placed a tax on almost all printed materials in the colonies.
Albany Plan of Union
Plan proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1754 that aimed to unite the 13 colonies for trade, military, and other purposes; the plan was turned down by the colonies and the Crown.
Connecticut Plan / Great Compromise
Plan which provided for a two house Congress; the Senate with two representatives per state and the House of Representatives with representatives based on population.
Credit Cards
Plastic cards used to make purchases on credit.
Barbary Pirates
Plundering pirates off the Mediterranean coast of Africa; President Thomas Jefferson's refusal to pay them tribute to protect American ships sparked an undeclared naval war with North African nations.
Communist Satellites
Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia were all satellites, or nations under the control of a great power; in this situation, the Soviet Union.
Wage and Price Controls
Policies and regulations making it illegal for firms to give raises or raise prices without government permission.
Cash and Carry
Policy adopted by the United States in 1939 to preserve neutrality while aiding the Allies. Britain and France could buy goods from the United States if they paid in full and transported them.
Neutrality
Policy of supporting neither side in a war.
Eisenhower Doctrine
Policy of the US that it would defend the Middle East against attack by any Communist country.
William "Boss" Tweed
Political Machine Leader of NYC's Tammany Hall. Corrupt in spending tax dollars for personal benefit. Benefit voters for votes and politicians for graft/greed.
William (Boss) Tweed
Political Machine Leader of NYC's Tammany Hall. Corrupt in spending tax dollars. Benefit voters for votes and politicians for graft/greed.
Identity Politics
Political activity and ideas based on the shared experiences of an ethnic, religious, or social group emphasizing gaining power and benefits for the group rather than pursuing ideological, universal, or even statewide goals.
Omaha Platform
Political agenda adopted by the populist party in 1892 at their Omaha, Nebraska convention. Called for unlimited coinage of silver (bimetallism), government regulation of railroads and industry, graduated income tax, and a number of election reforms.
Political Action Committees (PAC)
Political funding vehicles created by the 1974 political campaign finance reforms. A corporation, union, or some other interest group can create this and Federal Election Commission, which will meticulously monitor the groups expenditures.
Know-Nothing Party
Political party of the 1850s that was anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant.
Progressive Party
Political party that emerged from the Taft-Roosevelt battle that split the Republican Party in 1912.
Tenements
Poorly built, overcrowded housing where many immigrants lived.
Edwin Stanton
Popular Secretary of War who is fired by Johnson and leads to Johnson's impeachment.
Coin's Financial School
Popular pamphlet written by William Hope Harvey that portrayed pro-silver arguments triumphing over the traditional views of bankers and economics professors.
Reformers vs. Racism in South
Populist movements were biracial, as southerners felt threatened by black power. Southerners pushed harder to limit political rights and future democratic reforms, such as the income tax, direct election of senators, and secret ballot.
Executive Power
Power to enforce laws. (President)
Implied Powers
Powers inferred from the express powers that allow Congress to carry out its functions.
Tenth Amendment
Powers not delegated to the federal gov. are reserved to the states
Vertical Integration
Practice where a single entity controls the entire process of a product, from the raw materials to distribution.
Jonathan Edwards
Preacher during the First Great Awakening; "Sinners in the hands of angry god".
Afghanistan, Taliban
President Bush declared he wanted Osama bin Laden and other Al-Qaeda leaders "dead or alive". The Taliban refused to turn them over, so in response the U.S. quickly overthrew the Taliban government in Afghanistan. U.S. led troops pursued bin Laden to the mountains bordering Pakistan, but were unable to catch him.
Privatization of Social Security
President Bush pushed Congress to privatize Social Security by encouraging Americans to invest part of their Social Security payroll deductions into various market investments.
Modern Republicanism
President Eisenhower's views. Claiming he was liberal toward people but conservative about spending money, he helped balance the federal budget and lower taxes without destroying existing social programs.
Reorganization Plan
President Franklin Roosevelt proposed a plan that allowed the president to appoint a new Supreme Court justice for each current justice over the age of 70. Congress refused to pass this legislation.
Samuel Alito
President George W. Bush appointed this conservative judge to the Supreme Court.
Bush Tax Cuts
President George W. Bush cut taxes on the top tax bracket, gradually eliminated estate taxes, increased child tax credits, gave all taxpayers an immediate rebate. Bush pushed for tax cuts for stock dividends, capital gains, and married couples.
Assassination of James Garfield
President James Garfield was shot while preparing to board a train. He died after an 11 week struggle.
Great Society
President Johnson called his version of the Democratic reform program the Great Society. In 1965, Congress passed many Great Society measures, including Medicare, civil rights legislation, and federal aid to education.
War on Poverty
President Lyndon B. Johnson's program in the 1960's to provide greater social services for the poor and elderly.
DOT and HUD
President Lyndon Johnson established the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Afghanistan Surge
President Obama made fighting Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan a priority. He sent an additional 47,000 troops to Afghanistan. The counter-terrorism surge proved effective in Afghanistan, but the increase in drone attacks on terrorists in Pakistan intensified anger against the U.S.
Budget and Trade Deficits Under Reagan
President Reagan's tax cuts combined with large increases in military spending lead to federal deficits of more than $200 million a year. During his two terms the national debt tripled from $900 million to $2.7 trillion. The U.S. trade deficit reached $150 billion a year.
Vietnamization
President Richard Nixon's strategy for ending U.S involvement in the vietnam war, involving a gradual withdrawal of American troops and replacement of them with South Vietnamese forces.
Bad vs. Good Trusts
President Theodore Roosevelt did make a distinction between breaking up "bad trusts", which harmed the public and stifled competition, and regulating "good trusts" which through efficiency and low prices dominated a market.
Conservation of Public Lands
President Theodore Roosevelt's most original and lasting contribution in domestic policy may have been his efforts to protect the nation's natural resources.
Truman Doctrine
President Truman's policy of providing economic and military aid to any country threatened by communism ideology.
Peace Without Victory
President Wilson call to the fighting nations that neither side would impose harsh terms on the others. Wilson hoped that all nations would join a "league for peace".
Wilson's Stroke
President Woodrow Wilson went on a speaking tour to rally public support for the Treaty of Versailles which required joining the League of Nations. In September 1919, he collapsed after delivering a speech in Colorado. He returned to Washington and a few days later suffered a massive stroke from which he never recovered.
John F. Kennedy
President during part of the cold war and especially during the superpower rivalry and the cuban missile crisis. he was the president who went on tv and told the public about the crisis and allowed the leader of the soviet union to withdraw their missiles. other events, which were during his terms was the building of the berlin wall, the space race, and early events of the Vietnamese war.
James K. Polk
President in March 1845. He wanted to settle the Oregon boundary dispute with britain. He wanted to acquire California. He wanted to incorporate Texas into union.
Imperial Presidency
President is seen as a tyranical emperor taking strong actions without consulting Congress or seeking its approval.
Hamid Karzai
President of Afghanistan, helped overthrow Taliban, and sought international aid for Afghanistan.
Jefferson Davis
President of the Confederate States of America.
Boris Yeltsin
President of the Russian Republic in 1991. Helped end the USSR and force Gorbachev to resign.
Nicholas Biddle
President of the Second Bank of the United States; he struggled to keep the bank functioning when President Jackson tried to destroy it.
Election of 2016
Presidential election in which businessman Republican Donald Trump defeated the first female presidential nominee of a major political party, Democrat Hillary Clinton, despite losing the popular vote by almost 3 million; Republicans gained control over all of the electoral federal government for the first time since the Bush Presidency of 2003 to 2007.
Civil Rights Act of 1957
Primarily a voting rights bill, was the first civil rights legislation enacted by Republicans in the United States since Reconstruction.
Abu Ghraib Prison
Prison in Iraq made famous by revelation of photos taken by Army Reserve MP guards in the acts of humiliating and torturing prisoners.
Auburn System
Prison reform in 1790, based on concept that solitary confinement would induce meditation and moral reform; actually led to many mental breakdowns; Auburn system, 1816, allowed congregation of prisoners during the day.
Ethnic Cleansing
Process in which a more powerful ethnic group forcibly removes a less powerful one in order to create an ethnically homogeneous region.
Assembly Line
Production method that breaks down a complex job into a series of smaller tasks.
Operation Wetback
Program which apprehended and returned some one million illegal immigrants to Mexico.
Robert La Follett
Progressive Wisconsin Senator and Governor. Staunch supporter of the Progressive movement, and vocal opponent of railroad trusts, bossism, WWI, and League of Nations.
Civil Rights Act of 1875
Prohibited discrimination against blacks in public place, such as inns, amusement parks, and on public transportation. Declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
William Lloyd Garrison
Prominent American abolitionist, journalist and social reformer. Editor of radical abolitionist newspaper "The Liberator", and one of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society.
Hillary Clinton
Prominent child care advocate and health care reformer in Clinton administration; won U.S. senate seat in 2000. Presidential candidate in 2016. She won the popular vote but Donald Trump won the electoral college.
Atoms for Peace
Proposal by Eisenhower to hand over nuclear materials to a peaceful UN body, rejected by Stalin.
Fifth Amendment
Protection against double jeopardy, self-incrimination, and punishment without due process of law.
Fordney McCumber
Protective tariff which was the highest at that time; encouraged consumers to buy American made products.
Fourth Amendment
Protects against unreasonable search and seizure.
Homestead Act
Provided free land in the West to anyone willing to settle there and develop it. Encouraged westward migration.
Angelina Grimké
Published an appeal to christian women of the south in which called on women to overthrow the horrible system of oppression and cruelty.
Cotton Mather
Puritan theologian, who urged the inoculation against smallpox, played a role in Salem Witch Trials.
Underwood Tariff
Pushed through Congress by Woodrow Wilson, this 1913 tariff reduced average tariff duties by almost 15% and established a graduated income tax.
Moon Race
Race between Russia and US to make the most planetary discoveries by Russia first launching space unit and Us having first man on the moon.
Benjamin Wade
Radical republican and a senator of Ohio. He wanted to abolish slavery completely and was the chair of the committee on the conduct of the war.
McKinley Tariff of 1890
Raised tariffs to the highest level they had ever been. Big business favored these tariffs because they protected U.S. businesses from foreign competition.
The American Scholar
Ralph Waldo Emerson's address at Harvard College, in which he declared an intellectual independence from Europe, urging American scholars to develop their own traditions.
Disease
Ravaged the Native populations of the Americas after European settlement. Important diseases included Smallpox measles, and the flu.
Tear Down This Wall Speech
Reagan gave this speech telling Gorbachev to dismantle the Berlin Wall and end communism.
Election of 1984
Reagan ran against Walter Mondale , who chose Geraldine Ferraro the 1st woman for VP. Reagan won by a landslide with 525 electoral votes.
PACTO Strike
Reagan took a tough stand against unions, he fired thousands of striking federal air traffic controllers for violating their contract and decertified their union.
Texas
Rebelled from Mexico and became an independent republic. Then, it was annexed by the U.S. Succeeded with the Confederacy.
Corrupt Bargain
Refers to the presidential election of 1824 in which Henry Clay, the Speaker of the House, convinced the House of Representatives to elect Adams rather than Jackson.
Florence Kelley
Reformer who worked to prohibit child labor and to improve conditions for female workers.
Asylum Movement
Reformers proposed setting up new public institutions such as state-supported prisons, mental hospitals, and poorhouses; hope was that the inmates of these institutions would be cured of their antisocial behavior by being treated to a disciplined pattern of life in some rural setting.
Old Northwest
Region north and west of the Ohio River, included Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, MIchigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota.
Kosovo
Region of Yugoslavia that had autonomy until Milosovic attempted to crush the Albanian group with ethnic cleansing. In 1999 NATO used military strikes against Yugoslavia until the crisis came to an end in 1999. Kosovo is still not fully independent and Serbia denies its independence.
Gibbons v. Ogden
Regulating interstate commerce is a power reserved to the federal government.
Inflation and Labor Unions
Relaxed controls on the Office of Price Administration resulted in an inflation rate of about 25 percent during the first year and a half after World War II. Workers and unions wanted wages to increase after years of wage controls during World War II.
Religious Fundamentalism
Religious movement whose objectives are to return to the foundations of the faith and to influence state policy.
Great Awakening
Religious revival in the American colonies of the eighteenth century during which a number of new Protestant churches were established.
Amnesty Act of 1872
Removed voting restrictions and office-holding disqualification against most of the secessionists who rebelled during the Civil War.
Robert LaFollette
Republican Senator from Wisconsin - ran for president under the Progressive Party - proponent of Progressivism and a vocal opponent of railroad trusts, bossism, World War I, and the League of Nations.
Herbert Hoover
Republican candidate who assumed the presidency in March 1929 promising the American people prosperity and attempted to first deal with the Depression by trying to restore public faith in the community.
Billion Dollar Congress
Republican congress of 1890. passed record # of significant laws that helped shape later policies and asserted authority of federal govt., gave pensions to Civil War veterans, increased government silver purchases, and passed McKinley Tariff Act of 1890.
Quids
Republicans who criticized the War of 1812 (even though it was started by a Republican president) because it did not follow the traditional Republican idea of limited federal government.
Poll Taxes
Required citizens of a state to pay a special tax in order to vote.
Tenure of Office Act
Required the president to seek approval from the Senate before removing appointees. (Later ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court)
White Backlash
Resistance to Black demands led by "law and order" advocates whose real purpose was to oppose integration.
Indian Reorganization Act of 1934
Restored tribal ownership of lands, recognized tribal constitutions and government, and provided loans for economic development.
Contract Labor Act of 1885
Restricted the immigration of temporary workers to protect American workers.
Clinton Impeachment
Result of a political sex scandal emerging from a sexual relationship between United States President Bill Clinton and a 22-year-old White House intern, Monica Lewinsky.
Judicial Review
Review by the US Supreme Court of the constitutional validity of a legislative act.
Sixth Amendment
Right to counsel, the right to confront witnesses, and the right to a speedy and public trial.
Second Amendment
Right to keep and bear arms to form a militia.
Right of Deposit
Right to transfer goods at a destination without having to pay fees for the cargo.
Seventh Amendment
Right to trial by jury in civil cases.
Barnum & Bailey
Ringmasters who, through their showmanship in the 1880s, pushed the circus to become "the greatest show on earth".
Lancaster Turnpike
Road built in the 1790s by a private company, linking Philadelphia and Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Standard Oil Trust
Rockefeller's company, which, in 1881, owned 90 percent of the oil refinery business, with a board of trustees at its head.
Election of 1980
Ronald Reagan won over Jimmy Carter because of the Iranian hostage crisis and America's stagflation.
Roosevelt Corollary
Roosevelt's 1904 extension of the Monroe Doctrine, stating that the United States has the right to protect its economic interests in South And Central America by using military force.
Destroyers-For-Bases Deal
Roosevelt's compromise for helping Britain. Britain received 50 old, but still serviceable, US destroyers in exchange for giving the US the right to build military bases on British Islands in the Caribbean.
Sir William Berkeley
Royal Governor of Virginia who favored large plantation owners and did not support or protect smaller farms from Indian raids. He put down Bacon's rebellion in 1676.
Adam Smith
Scottish moral philosopher and a pioneer of political economics. Seen today as the father of Capitalism. Wrote On the Wealth of Nations (1776). One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment.
Revivalism
Second Great Awakening led to it. Revived a great faith in Christianity with more Americans belonging to the church. Led to more people advocating equal rights such as African Americans and women.
Queen Anne's War
Second in a series of conflicts between the European powers for control of North America, fought between the English and French colonists in the North, and the English and Spanish in Florida. Under the peace treaty, the French ceded Acadia (Nova Scotia), Newfoundland, and Hudson Bay to Britain.
Ostend Manifesto (1854)
Secret Franklin Pierce administration proposal to purchase or, that failing, to wrest militarily Cuba from Spain. Once leaked, it was quickly abandoned due to vehement opposition from the North.
American Supreme Order of the Star-Spangled Banner
Secret order formed by Charles B. Allen to combat the rise of Irish and German immigrants in the North.
Alaska Purchase
Secretary of State William Seward bought Alaska from Russia for $7.2 Million.
John Quincy Adams
Secretary of State, He served as sixth president under Monroe. In 1819, he drew up the Adams-Onis Treaty in which Spain gave the United States Florida in exchange for the United States dropping its claims to Texas.
Andrew Mellon
Secretary of Treasury under President Harding, Coolidge and Hoover, who instituted a Republican policy of reduced government spending, lower taxes to the wealthy and higher tariffs.
Horace Mann
Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education; a prominent proponent of public school reform, & set the standard for public schools throughout the nation; lengthened academic year; pro training & higher salaries to teachers.
West
Section of the country that wanted to buy cheap land, for tariffs, & improved transportation. It was sparsely populated and had little production. Home of the frontier.
De Facto Segregation
Segregation resulting from economic or social conditions or personal choice.
Reservationists
Senators who pledged to vote in favor of the Treaty of Versailles if certain changes were made - led by Henry Cabot Lodge.
Irreconcilables
Senators who voted against the League of Nations with or without reservations.
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Sent on an expedition by Jefferson to gather information on the United States' new land and map a route to the Pacific.
Yugoslav Civil War
Serbs on one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other. Ethnic Cleansing to create a pure Serbian society. Between 1991 and 1995. This destabilized the Balkans. Led to the breakup of Yugoslavia.
Aroostook War
Series of clashes between American and Canadian lumberjacks in the disputed territory of northern Maine, resolved when a permanent boundary was agreed upon in 1842.
Confiscation Acts
Series of laws passed by fed gov. designed to liberate slaves in seceded states. Authorized Union seizure of rebel property and stated that all slaves who fought with Confederate military services were freed of further obligations to their masters. Virtually the emancipation acts of all slaves in Confederacy
Panic of 1893
Serious economic depression beginning in 1893. Began due to railroad companies over-extending themselves, causing bank failures. This was the worst economic collapse in the history of the country until that point, and, some say, as bad as the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Reconstruction Acts
Set of laws that divided the South into five districts under military control.
Quota Laws of 1924
Set quotas to 2% to limited the number of immigrants from southern and eastern Europe.
Civil Rights Commission
Set up by the Civil Rights Act and was made to investigate violations of civil rights and authorized federal injunctions to protect voting rights.
Panama Canal
Ship canal cut across the isthmus of Panama by United States, it opened in 1915.
Payne-Aldrich Tariff
Signed by Taft in March of 1909 in contrast to campaign promises. This act was supposed to lower tariff rates but Senator Nelson N. Aldrich of Rhode Island put revisions that raised tariffs. This split the Republican party into progressives (lower tariff) and conservatives (high tariff).
Servicemen's Readjustment Act
Signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 22, 1944, this act, also known as the GI Bill, provided veterans of the Second World War funds for college education, unemployment insurance, and housing.
Lyndon B. Johnson
Signed the civil rights act of 1964 into law and the voting rights act of 1965. He had a war on poverty in his agenda. in an attempt to win, he set a few goals, including the great society, the economic opportunity act, and other programs that provided food stamps and welfare to needy families. he also created a department of housing and urban development. his most important legislation was probably medicare and medicaid.
Tiananmen Square
Site in Beijing where Chinese students and workers gathered to demand greater political openness in 1989. The demonstration was crushed by Chinese military with a great loss of life.
Seneca Falls Convention (1848)
Site of the first modern women's rights convention, and the start of the organized fight for women's rights in US history.
Vaqueros
Skilled riders who herded cattle on ranches in Mexico, California, and the Southwest.
Steel-Framed Buildings
Skyscrapers were made possible by this type of building. The first, was the Home Insurance Company Building in Chicago. It was made possible by a steel skeleton, Otis elevator, and central steam heating system.
Fifty-Four Forty or Fight
Slogan used in the 1844 presidential election as a call for us annexation of the oregon territory.
Susan B. Anthony
Social reformer who campaigned for women's rights and temperance while also being abolitionist. She helped form the National Woman Suffrage Association
Susan B. Anthony
Social reformer who campaigned for women's rights, temperance, helped form the National Woman's Suffrage Association, and she was an abolitionist.
Margaret Fuller
Social reformer, leader in women's movement and a transcendentalist. Edited "The Dial" which was the publication of the transcendentalists. It appealed to people who wanted "perfect freedom" "progress in philosophy and theology and hope that the future will not always be as the past".
Southwestern Native Americans
Societies supported by irrigation based farming. Lived in caves, under cliffs, and in multistoried buildings. Area included present day New Mexico and Arizona. (Hokokam, Anasazi, and Pueblos)
American Antislavery Society
Society formed in 1833 by William Lloyd Garrison and other abolitionists. Garrison condemned and burned the Constitution as a pro-slavery document. Garrison also argued for "no Union with slaveholders" until they repented for their sins by freeing their slaves.
Southern White Conservatives
Southerners Newt Gingrich, Tom DeLay, and Trent Lott took over the leadership of the Republican party, making it more conservative and partisan.
Bartolomé de Las Casas
Spaniard who fought against the enslavement and colonial abuse of native Americans.
Conquistadores
Spanish 'conqueror' or soldier in the New World. They were searching for the 3-G's: gold, God, and glory.
De Lome Letter
Spanish Ambassador's letter that was illegally removed from the U.S. Mail and published by American newspapers. It criticized President McKinley in insulting terms. Used by war hawks as a pretext for war in 1898.
Hernan Cortés
Spanish conquistador who defeated the Aztecs and conquered Mexico (1485-1547)
Francisco Pizarro
Spanish explorer who conquered the Incas in what is now Peru and founded the city of Lima (1475-1541).
Francisco Franco
Spanish general whose armies took control of Spain in 1939 and who ruled as a dictator until his death (1892-1975).
Abortion Rights
Sparked the right-to-life movement that joined together Catholics and fundamentalist Protestants.
Thomas Eakins
Specialized in painting the everyday lives of working-class men and women. He used the new technology of serial-actions photographs to study human anatomy and paint it more realistically.
YMCA
Spiritual organization meant to provide healthy activities for young workers in the cities.
Oregon Territory
Split between U.S. and Great Britain, the U.S. had finally achieved its goal of Manifest Destiny.
Paperbacks
Started in 1940s, sales exceeded hardbacks in 1960 and today makes up about 60% of the market.
Family Size
Started reducing since 1900s due to Industrialization and Birth control. Smaller sized _____ pushed forward issues like government provided day-care/school programs.
Wabash v. Illinois
Stated that individual states could control trade in their states, but could not regulate railroads coming through them. Congress had exclusive jurisdiction over interstate commerce.
Sunbelt
States in the south and southwest that have a warm climate and tend to be politically conservative.
Obergefell v. Hodges
States obligated to recognize same-sex marriage from other states.
Second Industrial Revolution
Steel, chemicals, electricity. This is the name for the new wave of more heavy industrialization starting around the 1860s.
Strict Interpretation
Stick to literal word meaning of the Constitution.
DC v. Heller
Struck down a Washington DC ordinance that banned handguns.
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
Students whose purpose was coordinate a nonviolent attack on segregation and other forms of racism.
Thomas Gallaudet
Studied techniques for instructing hearing impaired people and established the first american school for the hearing impaired.
Lecompton Constitution
Supported the existence of slavery in the proposed state and protected rights of slaveholders. It was rejected by Kansas, making Kansas an eventual free state.
Lochner v. New York
Supreme Court case that decided against setting up an 8 hour work day for bakers.
Fletcher v. Peck
Supreme Court case which protected property rights and asserted the right to invalidate state laws in conflict with the Constitution.
Miranda v. Arizona
Supreme Court held that criminal suspects must be informed of their right to consult with an attorney and of their right against self-incrimination prior to questioning by police.
Muller v. Oregon
Supreme Court upheld Oregon state restrictions on the working hours of women as justified by the special state interest in protecting women's health.
Worchester v. Georgia
Supreme court ruled that georgia law could not be enforced in the cherokee nation.
City Manager Plan
System of city government in which a small council, chosen on a nonpartisan ballot, hires a city manager who exercises broad executive authority.
Asiento System
System that took slaves to the New World to work for the Spanish. Required that a tax be paid to the Spanish ruler for each slave brought over.
Strategic Bombing
Tactic of dropping bombs on key political and industrial targets.
California
Taken from Mexico after the Mexican American war. Became a state in 1850. Sided with the Union during the American Civil War.
Townshend Acts of 1767
Tax on tea, glass, and paper. Passed around the times of the other "Intolerable Acts".
Public High School
Taxes supported _____ and became frequent, teaching vocational and citizenship education for a changing urban society.
Washingtonians
Temperance movement which involved relying on each other, sharing alcoholic experiences and relying upon divine help, to help keep each other sober. Total abstinence from alcohol was their goal. The group taught sobriety and preceded Alcoholics Anonymous by 100 years.
Third World
Term applied to a group of "developing" or "underdeveloped" countries who professed nonalignment during the Cold War.
Chesapeake Colonies
Term for the colonies of Maryland and Virginia.
Peaceful Coexistence
Term used by Khrushchev in 1963 to describe a situation in which the United States and Soviet Union would continue to compete economically and politically without launching a thermonuclear war.
September 11, 2001
Terrorist attacks on World Trade Center and pentagon occured on this day.
Common Man
The "average" American citizen, whose concerns are represented in government.
Massive Retaliation
The "new look" defense policy of the Eisenhower administration of the 1950's was to threaten "massive retaliation" with nuclear weapons in response to any act of aggression by a potential enemy.
James Buchanan
The 15th President of the United States (1857-1861). He tried to maintain a balance between proslavery and antislavery factions, but his moderate views angered radicals in both North and South, and he was unable to forestall the secession of South Carolina on December 20, 1860.
Federalist Era
The 1790s were known as the Federalist Era because they were dominated by two Federalist presidents (Washington and Adams) and saw the power of the central government increase. It also saw the formation of the two-party system in American politics.
Entente Cordiale
The 1904 "gentleman's agreement" between France and Britain establishing a close understanding.
Engel v. Vitale
The 1962 Supreme Court decision holding that state officials violated the First Amendment when they wrote a prayer to be recited by New York's schoolchildren.
Cuban Missile Crisis
The 1962 confrontation between US and the Soviet Union over Soviet missiles in Cuba.
Chicago Convention
The 1968 Democratic Convention was held in Chicago. Television showed what looked like a "police riot" as antiwar protesters were brutally beaten.
Roe v. Wade
The 1973 Supreme Court decision holding that a state ban on all abortions was unconstitutional. The decision forbade state control over abortions during the first trimester of pregnancy, permitted states to limit abortions to protect the mother's health in the second trimester, and permitted states to protect the fetus during the third trimester.
United States v. Nixon
The 1974 case in which the Supreme Court unanimously held that the doctrine of executive privilege was implicit in the Constitution but could not be extended to protect documents relevant to criminal prosecutions.
Rise of South and West
The 2000 census reported the population of the United States was 281.4 million people. The fastest growing regions were the West and the South. Greater populations meant more congressional representatives and electoral votes.
Gaming Casinos
The American Indians attacked widespread unemployment and poverty on reservations by building these facilities.
Siouan
The American Indians had 20 language families and 400 distinct languages. This tribe from the Great Plains was one of the largest.
2009 Stimulus Bill
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided $787 billion economic stimulus package designed to create or save 3.5 billion jobs. It featured tax cuts, aid to state and local governments, and funding for construction projects, health care, education, and renewable energy.
Chesapeake-Leopard Affair
The American ship Chesapeake refused to allow the British on the Leopard to board to look for deserters. In response, the Leopard fired on the Chesapeake. As a result of the incident, the U.S. expelled all British ships from its waters until Britain issued an apology.
Big Four
The Big Four were the four most important leaders, and the most important ones at the Paris Peace Conference. They were Woodrow Wilson- USA, David Lloyd George- UK, George Clemenceau- France, and Vittorio Orlando- Italy.
Brexit
The British exit from the European Union realized in a 2016 referendum.
Against Prohibition
The Catholics, Lutherans, and Jews were generally against this policy.
Cherokee Nation v. Georgia
The Cherokees argued that they were a seperate nation and therefore not under Georgia's jurisdiction. Marshall said they were not, but rather had "special status".
Roman Catholic Church
The Christian Church based in the Vatican and presided over by a pope and an episcopal hierarchy.
Nuclear Arms Race
The Cold War competition between superpowers to develop more powerful and greater numbers of nuclear weapons.
Adlai Stevenson
The Democratic candidate who ran against Eisenhower in 1952. His intellectual speeches earned him and his supporters the term "eggheads". Lost to Eisenhower.
Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP)
The Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 created this controversial program. The federal government used $700 million to purchase failing assets, that included mortgages and mortgage-related securities, from financial institutions. Conservatives called it socialism, and liberals called it a bailout of the people who had caused the problems in the first place.
Yates v. United States
The First Amendment protected radical and revolutionary speech, even by Communists, unless it was a 'clear and present danger" to the safety of the country.
Hollywood Blacklists
The House Un-American Activities Committee created a list of people who would be denied work in the film industry.
Federal Treaty Policies
The Indian Appropriation Act of 1871 ended recognition of tribes as independent nations by the federal government and nullified previous treaties made with the tribes.
Wartime Solidarity
The New Deal helped immigrant groups feel more included, and serving together in combat or working together in defense plants helped to reduce prejudices.
Urban Life
The North's urban population grew from about 5 percent of the population in 1800 to 15 percent by 1850.
OPEC Oil Embargo
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries that placed an embargo on oil sold to Israel's supporters. Caused worldwide oil shortage and long lines at gas stations in the US.
Alliance of Whites and Blacks in South
The Populist party tried to form a political alliance with these poor farmers.
Presidential Reconstruction
The President's idea of reconstruction : all states had to end slavery, states had to declare that their secession was illegal, and men had to pledge their loyalty to the U.S.
Soviet Union Recognized
The Republican presidents of the 1920's had refused to grant diplomatic recognition to the Communist regime that ruled the Soviet Union. President Franklin Roosevelt promptly changed this policy by granting recognition in 1933.
Soft on Communism
The Republican's term to describe the Democrats after China adopted Communism and the Korean War stalemate.
Freedom of Expression in Arts
The Second Red Scare, the search for Communists, had a chilling effect on freedom of expression, especially in the arts.
ABC Powers
The South American countries of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, which attempted to mediate a dispute between Mexico and the United States in 1914.
Codes of Chivalry
The Southern aristocratic planter class ascribed to a code of chivalrous conduct, which included a strong sense of personal honor, defense of womanhood, paternalistic attitudes toward all who were deemed inferior.
Communist Poland
The Soviet puppet government in Poland established after WWII.
Open Skies
The Soviets rejected this proposal for open aerial photography of each other's territory in order to eliminate surprise nuclear attacks.
Munn v. Illinois
The Supreme Court upheld the Granger laws. The Munn case allowed states to regulate certain businesses within their borders, including railroads, and is commonly regarded as a milestone in the growth of federal government regulation.
Civil War in Syria
The Syrian leader, Bashar al-Assad used poisonous gas on the people in the country who were rising up against him. Military action was avoided when the Syrians agreed to give up all their chemical weapons.
Middle East War (Six-Day War)
The Syrians and Egyptians launched a surprise attack on Israel in an attempt to recover the lands in the Six-Day War of 1967.
(Cherokee) Trail of Tears
The U.S. Army forced 15,000 Cherokees to leave Georgia and march to Oklahoma. 4,000 Cherokees died on the trip.
Rejection of Treaty of Versailles
The U.S. Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles which ended WWI because it included the League of Nations. The Senate was afraid the League of Nations would drag the U.S. into future wars. Senate and many Americans wanted to return to isolationism and "normalcy".
Sinking of the Maine
The U.S. battleship Maine was at anchor in the harbor of Havana, Cuba when it suddenly exploded. 260 Americans were killed on board. The yellow press accused Spain of blowing up the ship, even though experts later concluded that the explosion was an accident.
Pan-American Conferences
The U.S. pledged to never again intervene in the internal affairs of any Latin American country and to cooperate with Latin American nations to defend the Western Hemisphere against foreign invasion.
Fall of Diem
The US ally in South Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem, was not popular. He lost support of the peasants in the countryside and monks set themselves on fire to protest him. Diem was killed by his generals.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The US federal agency with a mission to protect human health and the environment.
Conflict in Ukraine
The Ukrainian president refused to sign an association agreement with the European Union and instead accepted economic aid from Russia, causing protests and unrest from Ukrainians who wanted to join the European Union. The protests led the country to almost go to war with Russia.
Operation Desert Storm
The United States and its allies defeated Iraq in a ground war that lasted 100 hours (1991).
START I
The United States and the Soviet Union signed this treaty in July 1991 which called for a reduction in the number of long-range nuclear warheads and bombs held by each country by about one-third over a period of seven years.
NASA
The United States government agency responsible for the civilian space program as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.
Unilateralist Approach
The United States would pursue its own defense policy with little or no cooperation with other nations.
Enemies List
The White House created this list of prominent Americans who opposed Nixon or the Vietnam War.
McCarthyism
The act of accusing people of disloyalty and communism, usually through baseless claims, to destroy their reputation.
Budget Deficits
The amount by which a government's spending in a given fiscal year exceeds its revenue.
Scientific Management
The application of scientific principles to increase efficiency in the workplace.
Preparedness
The arms build-up the U.S. entered into pre-WWI to combat their chance at becoming involved in the war.
Landscape Architecture
The art, business, or protection of designing, arranging, or modifying the features of a landscape for aesthetic or practical reasons.
Euro
The basic monetary unit of most members of the European Union (introduced in 1999).
Social Darwinism
The belief that only the fittest survive in human political and economic struggle.
Flexible Response
The buildup of conventional troops and weapons to allow a nation to fight a limited war without using nuclear weapons.
Slave Trade
The business of capturing, transporting, and selling people as slaves.
New Frontier
The campaign program advocated by JFK in the 1960 election. He promised to revitalize the stagnant economy and enact reform legislation in education, health care, and civil rights.
Poor Regulation of Financial Institutions.
The causes of the Great Recession will be debated for years, causes include: Excessive deregulation of the financial industry Real estate bank fraud Federal Reserve kept interest rates too low Government efforts to promote home ownership
Federal Reserve
The central bank of the United States.
Warren Court
The chief justice that overturned Plessy v. Ferguson in Brown v. Board of Education (1954); he was the first justice to help the civil rights movement, judicial activism.
Decolonization
The collapse of colonial empires. Between 1947 and 1962, practically all former colonies in Asia and Africa gained independence.
New York Colony
The colony the English peaceably took away from the Dutch, then given to James II, duke of York and Albany (not yet king), who held almost unlimited power of the colony. Religious tolerance and property protection were promised to the people of New York.
General Westmoreland
The commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam.
Korean War
The conflict between Communist North Korea and Non-Communist South Korea. The United Nations (led by the United States) helped South Korea.
Government Shutdowns
The confrontations of between Newt Gingrich and President Clinton resulted in two shutdowns of the federal government in late 1995. Many Americans blamed overzealous Republicans in Congress for the shutdown.
Sixteenth Amendment
The constitutional amendment adopted in 1913 that explicitly permitted Congress to levy an income tax.
Nineteenth Amendment
The constitutional amendment adopted in 1920 that guarantees women the right to vote.
November 11, 1918
The day that the German Empire signed Armistice ending WWI.
LGBT Rights
The demand that LGBT individuals be able to openly identify their sexual orientation and not be discriminated against with regard to civil rights available to other citizens. This movement found an uptake in the 21st century.
Industrialization
The development of industries for the machine production of goods.
Mining Frontier
The discovery of gold in CA in 1848 caused the first flood of newcomers to the West. A series of gold strikes and silver strikes in what became the states of Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, and South Dakota kept a steady flow of hopeful young prospectors pushing into the Western mountains.
Great Depression
The economic crisis beginning with the stock market crash in 1929 and continuing through the 1930s.
Election of 1988
The election in which George Bush (R) defeats Michael Dukakis (D).
Era of Republican Dominance
The election of McKinley in 1896 started an era of Republican dominance of the presidency (seven of next nine elections) and Congress.
Impact of 1965 Immigration Law
The end of ethnic quotas favoring Europeans opened the United States to immigrants from all parts of the world.
Desegregation
The ending of authorized segregation, or separation by race.
Textile Mills
The factories in which cloth is made.
Federal Land Grants and Loans
The federal government provided land and loans to the railroad companies in order to encourage expansion of the railroads.
James Monroe
The fifth President of the United States. His administration was marked by the acquisition of Florida; the Missouri Compromise, in which Missouri was declared a slave state; and the profession of the Monroe Doctrine, declaring U.S. opposition to European interference in the Americas.
Battle of the Atlantic
The fight for control of the ocean shipping lanes between U-Boats and Allied ships. Allied victory.
Jackie Robinson
The first African American player in the major league of baseball. His actions helped to bring about other opportunities for African Americans.
Hiram Revels
The first African American to serve in the U.S. Congress.
Armory Show
The first art show in the U.S., organized by the Ashcan School. This was most Americans first exposure to European Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art, and caused a modernist revolution in American art.
Virginia House of Burgesses
The first elected assembly in the New World, established in Virginia in 1619.
American Federation of Labor
The first federation of labor unions in the United States. Founded by Samuel Gompers in 1886.
National Road (Cumberland Road)
The first highway built by the federal government. Constructed during 1825-1850, it stretched from Pennsylvania to Illinois. It was a major overland shipping route and an important connection between the North and the West.
Jamestown
The first permanent English settlement in North America, found in East Virginia.
Breakup of Yugoslavia
The former communist country of _______ broke apart due to ethnic differences, and broke apart into seven new republics.
William James
The founder of functionalism; studied how humans use perception to function in our environment.
Industrial Design
The fusion of art and technology during the 1920s and 1930s created the new profession of industrial design.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
The government agency that insures customer deposits if a bank fails.
Railroad Administration
The government agency which took all railroads from private hands until after WWI.
Third Amendment
The government may not house soldiers in private homes without consent of the owner.
County Government
The government unit that administers a small area of a colony.
Graying America
The growing percentage of older people in the U.S. population caused by the Baby Boom.
Growth of Leisure Time
The growth of leisure time activities was a result of the reduction of work hours, improved transportation, advertizing, and the decline of restrictive values.
Supreme Court
The highest federal court in the United States.
Role of the President
The idea that the president is supposed to be the representative of the people and protector of the common man against abuses of power by the rich and the privileged.
U-2 Incident
The incident when an American U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union. The U.S. denied the true purpose of the plane at first, but was forced to when the U.S.S.R. produced the living pilot and the largely intact plane to validate their claim of being spied on aerially. The incident worsened East-West relations during the Cold War and was a great embarrassment for the United States.
Dow Jones Index
The index of stock prices that fell from its high of 381 before the crash to an ultimate low of 41 during the Great Depression.
Corporate Corruption
The involvement in illegal activities, such as bribery and fraud, to further one's business interests.
Africans
The largest single group of non-English immigrants did not come to America by choice. By 1775, the African American population (slave and free) comprised 20 percent of the colonial population. About 90 percent were in the southern colonies. (p. 46)
U.S. Steel
The largest steel company in the US at the time, created by J.P. Morgan by merging Andrew Carnegie's Carnegie Steel and several other steel companies together. At the time it was the largest corporation in existence.
New Hampshire Colony
The last New England colony, originally a part of Mass Bay; Hoping to increase royal control over the colonies, Charles II separated New Hampshire from the Bay colony in 1679 and made it a royal colony, subject to the authority of an appointed governor.
Ghost Dance Movement
The last effort of Native Americans to resist US domination and drive whites from their ancestral lands, came through as a religious movement.
Taiwan
The last stronghold of nationalist China in the Chinese Civil war. The communists could not land a naval invasion of the island, and so, even today, the communist Chinese have set up a diplomatic embargo of Taiwan, preventing recognition of the island as belonging to the nationalists. (Note: The nationalists are now democratic moderates)
Clean Air Act of 1970
The law aimed at combating air pollution, by charging the EPA with protecting and improving the quality of the nation's air.
Parliament
The lawmaking body of British government.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
The leader of the Allied forces in Europe during WW2--leader of troops in Africa and commander in the D-Day invasion. He was elected president during the civil rights movement.
Students for a Democratic Society
The leader of this movement was Tom Hayden. Port Huron Statement (declaration of beliefs): "We are the people of this generation, bred in at least moderate comfort, housed in universities, looking uncomfortable to the world we inherit." Also, the idea of "participatory democracy" was upheld.
Iroquois Confederation
The league of Indian tribes in the Northeast that fought with the English in the French-Indian War and supported the Loyalists in the American Revolution.
Congress
The legislature of the United States government. Similar to a Parliament.
House of Representatives
The lower house of Congress, consisting of a different number of representatives from each state, depending on population.
Henry Kissinger
The main negotiator of the peace treaty with the North Vietnamese; secretary of state during Nixon's presidency (1970s).
Southern Manifesto
The manifesto was a document written by legislators opposed to integration. Most of the signatures came from Southern Democrats, showing that they would stand in the way of integration, leading to another split/shift in the Democratic Party.
Melting Pot
The mixing of cultures, ideas, and peoples that has changed the American nation. The United States, with its history of immigration, has often been called this.
Women's Movement
The movement beginning in the mid-1800s in the United States that sought greater rights and opportunities for women.
Boland Amendment
The name given to three U.S. legislative amendments between 1982 and 1984, all aimed at limiting U.S. government assistance to the rebel Contras in Nicaragua.
Providence
The original city within the colony of Rhode Island.
Pardon of Nixon
The pardon of Richard Nixon, which occurred in 1974, was US history's most significant presidential pardon. Given by Gerald Ford, the President at that point in time, the pardon of Richard Nixon removed all punishment towards Richard Nixon as a result of Nixon's attempt to steal information from the Democratic Party at Watergate. Richard Nixon was impeached as a result of the Watergate incident, although he did not have to serve any time in prison as a result of this pardon. This is significant as this was the first and only pardon of a presidential impeachment.
Hispanic Americans
The people that made up a large percentage of the immigrants who came to the US during the 70s and early 80s.
Reconstruction
The period after the Civil War in the United States when the southern states were reorganized and reintegrated into the Union.
Hughes Hiram Johnson
The person who was successful in fighting against the economic and political power of the Pacific Railroad.
Political Polarization
The process by which the public opinion divides and goes to the extremes. This has proliferated modern American politics.
Reapportionment
The process of reassigning representation based on population, after every census.
Securitization
The process of transforming loans or other financial assets into securities.
George Wallace
The racist gov. of Alabama in 1962 ("segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever"); runs for pres. In 1968 on American Independent Party ticket of racism and law and order, loses to Nixon; runs in 1972 but gets shot.
Union Railroad
The railroad company commissioned by Congress to build westward from Omaha, NE; eventually met the Central Pacific near Ogden, UT. Company was granted 20 square-miles of land for every mile of track built, also given large federal loans. Employed Irish labor gangs. Was involved in the Credit Mobilier scandal, when insiders reaped millions in profits.
Deforestation
The removal of trees faster than forests can replace themselves.
Russian Revolution
The revolution against the Tsarist government which led to the abdication of Nicholas II and the creation of a provisional government in March 1917. This then led to the Russian Civil War and the establishment of the Soviet Union.
French Revolution
The revolution that began in 1789, overthrew the absolute monarchy of the Bourbons and the system of aristocratic privileges, and ended with Napoleon's overthrow of the Directory and seizure of power in 1799.
States' Rights
The rights and powers held by individual US states rather than by the federal government.
Civil RIghts
The rights of all people to political freedom, social freedom, and equality.
Andrew Jackson
The seventh President of the United States (1829-1837), who as a general in the War of 1812 defeated the British at New Orleans (1815). As president he opposed the Bank of America, objected to the right of individual states to nullify disagreeable federal laws, and increased the presidential powers.
Popular Heros
The shift from political heros to sports heros and movie stars.
Mayflower
The ship that brought the Pilgrims to the New World.
Malaise Speech
The speech Carter delivered in response to the energy crisis, it was most notable for Carter's bleak assessment of the national condition and his claim that there was a "crisis of confidence" that had struck "at the very heart and soul of our national will". The speech helped fuel charges that the president was trying to blame his own problems on the American people.
Quarantine Speech
The speech was an act of condemnation of Japan's invasion of China in 1937 and called for Japan to be quarantined. FDR backed off the aggressive stance after criticism, but it showed that he was moving the country slowly out of isolationism.
Balanced Budgets
The spending cuts and tax increases during President Clinton's first term, along with record growth in the economy, created this budget in 1998.
National Debt
The sum of government deficits over time.
New Federalism
The system in which the national government restores greater authority back to the states.
Federal Income Tax
The taxes that the federal government imposes on personal income in order to provide services.
Log Cabin and Hard Cider Campaign
The term for the 1840 presidential campaign. Popular war hero, William Henry Harrison was the Whig candidate. He used log cabins and hard cider to portray his down-home heritage. He attacked Martin Van Buren as an aristocrat. Harrison and John Tyler won the election.
The Good War
The term for the unity of Americans supporting the democratic ideals in fighting World War II.
Antebellum Period
The time period before the Civil War during which there were many reforms, including the establishment of free (tax-supported) public schools, improving the treatment of the mentally ill, controlling/abolishing the sale of alcohol, winning equal legal/political rights for women, and abolishing slavery.
Second American Revolution
The transformation of American government and society brought about by the Civil War.
Treaty of Versailles
The treaty imposed on Germany by the Allied powers in 1920 after the end of World War I which demanded exorbitant reparations from the Germans
Concentration of Wealth
The upper class was gaining a considerable amount of wealth in the 1990s while the middle and lower classes were stagnating.
Senate
The upper house of Congress, consisting of the same number of representatives from each state.
Distribution of Income
The way in which the nation's income is divided among families, individuals, or other designated groups.
Laissez-Faire Economics
Theory that opposes government interference in economic affairs beyond what is necessary to protect life and property.
Poverty and Homelessness
These economic and homely situations resulted from the Great Depression.
Rice Plantations
These plantations grew food for the West Indies, and relied on slave labor. Found in South Carolina.
Transcontinental Railroads
These were built across North America in the 1860s, linking the railway network of the Eastern United States with California on the Pacific coast; made communication and trade throughout the country easier; opened west to miners and open range ranching; Irish and Chinese workers played role in construction; led to the near extinction of buffalo.
Tobacco Farms
These were mainly small farms in North Carolina, but larger tobacco plantations were found in other parts of the colonies.
Poor Whites
They rented farm land from landowners and paid for rent with crops. Owned no slaves, but could vote.
Hepburn Act
This 1906 law used the Interstate Commerce Commission to regulate the maximum charge that railroads to place on shipping goods.
Interstate Commerce Act of 1886
This Act tried to regulate corrupt railroad companies through their prices, but it did not have a large effect on the corruption.
Tom L. Johnson
This Cleveland mayor devoted himself to the cause of tax reform and three-cent trolley fares. He fought for public controlled city utilities and services, but failed.
Stephen Kearney
This Colonel, under the direction of Polk, led a small army that captured Santa Fe with no opposition. He then proceeded to California where he joined a conflict already in progress that was being staged jointly by American settlers.
Henry the Navigator
This Portuguese prince who lead an extensive effort to promote seafaring expertise in the 14th century. Sent many expedition to the coast of West Africa in the 15th century, leading Portugal to discover a route around Africa, ultimately to India.
John McCain
This Republican senator was a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War and is seeking the Republican nomination in the 2008 presidential election.
Richmond (Tobacco)
This Southern city became the capital of the nation's tobacco industry.
Memphis (Lumber)
This Southern city prospered as the center of the South's growing lumber industry.
Samuel M. Jones
This Toledo mayor used "Golden Rule" as his middle name. He instituted free kindergartens, night schools, and public playgrounds.
Immigration Act of 1986
This act attempted to create a fair entry process for immigrants, but failed to stop the problem of illegal entry into the U.S. from Mexico. It was criticized for granting amnesty to undocumented immigrants from Mexico and the Americas.
Forest Management Act of 1897
This act withdrew federal timberland from development and regulated their use.
National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities
This agency formed in 1965 provided federal funding for the arts and for creative and scholarly projects.
Romanesque Style
This architecture style featured massive stone walls and rounded arches.
Marbury v. Madison
This case establishes the Supreme Court's power of Judicial Review.
Port Act
This closed Boston Harbor, prohibiting trade in or out until the tea destroyed in the Boston Tea Party was paid for.
Homeland Security Department
This department combined over 20 federal agencies with 170,000 employees, including Customs, Immigration and Naturalization, the Coast Guard, and the Secret Service. It was one of the largest governmental reorganizations since the introduction of the Department of Defense following World War II.
Food Administration (WWI)
This government agency was headed by Herbert Hoover and was established to increase the production of food and ration food for the military.
White Supremacists
This group favored separating (segregating) public facilities, as a means of treating African American as social inferiors.
U.N. Police Action in Korean War
This group maintained peace in South Korea and pushed North Korea back to their China, in which the Chinese retaliated and pushed this group back to the ceasefire line.
Joseph Galloway
This influential politician in colonial Pennsylvania served in the First Continental Congress in 1774. He proposed a plan of imperial union with Great Britain in which the British Parliament and a Colonial Congress would both have to approve colonial legislation Congress as a whole rejected his compromise 6-5.
Iran-Contra Affair
This involved high officials in the Reagan administration secretly selling arms to Iran (in return for the release of Western hostages in the Middle East) and illegally using the proceeds to finance the Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
Dawes Plan (1924)
This loan program was crafted to give money to Germany so that they could pay war reparations and lessen the financial crisis in Europe; the program ended with the 1929 stock market crash.
Clarence Thomas
This man was an African American jurist, and a strict critic of affirmative action. He was nominated by George H. W. Bush to be on the Supreme Court in 1991, and shortly after was accused of sexual harassment by Anita Hill. Hearings were reopened, and he became the second African American to hold a seat in the Supreme Court.
Extinction
This occurred to some species in the West due to environmental damage.
National Recovery Administration (NRA)
This organization provided for a system of Industrial Self-regulation under federal supervision.
Women's Christian Temperance Union
This organization was dedicated to the idea of the 18th Amendment - the Amendment that banned the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcohol.
Article X
This part of the Versailles Treaty morally bound the U. S. to aid any member of the League of Nations that experienced any external aggression.
German Nazi Party
This party arose in 1920's Germany in reaction to deplorable economic conditions after WWI and national resentments over the Treaty of Versailles. By 1933, the party, under leader Adolf Hitler, had gained control of the German legislature.
Socialist Party of America
This party was dedicated to the welfare of the working class. The platform called for more radical reforms such as public ownership of the RRs, utilities, and even of major industries such as oil and steel.
Vladimir Putin
This person was elected president of Russia in 2000, launched reforms aimed at boosting growth and budget revenues and keeping Russia on a strong economic track. Slowly consolidated power into a semi-dictatorship.
Tariff of 1816
This protective tariff helped American industry by raising the prices of British manufactured goods, which were often cheaper and of higher quality than those produced in the U.S.
USS Cole
This ship sunk in 2000 after an Al Qaeda terrorist attack.
Unemployment
This skyrocketed during the Great Depression as companies could not pay high amounts of workers.
Wilson-Gorman Tariff of 1894
This tariff provided a moderate reduction in tariff rates and levied a 2 percent income tax.
Treaty of Paris (1783)
This treaty ended the Revolutionary War, recognized the independence of the American colonies, and granted the colonies the territory from the southern border of Canada to the northern border of Florida, and from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River.
Impeachment and Resignation of Nixon
This was a certain presidents ___________ and ___________ because of the Watergate Scandal and its effects.
Adena-Hopewell
This was a mound-building Native American culture that lived in the Ohio Valley Area.
Tallmadge Amendment
This was an attempt to have no more slaves to be brought to Missouri and provided the gradual emancipation of the children of slaves. In the mind of the South, this was a threat to the sectional balance between North and South.
Shiloh
This was battle fought by Grant in an attempt to capture the railroad of the South. The battle was fought in the west and thus prevented the north from obtaining an easy victory. However, the Confederates strong resistance showed that they would not go quietly and the war was far from over.
Highway Act of 1956
This was enacted on June 29, 1956, appropriating $25 billion for the construction of 40,000 miles (64,000 km) of interstate highways over a 10-year period, it was the largest public works project in American history to that point.
Compulsory School Attendance
This was proposed by the National Child Labor Committee to keep kids out of mines and factories.
Salvation Army
This welfare organization came to the US from England in 1880 and sought to provide food, shelter, and employment to the urban poor while preaching temperance and morality.
Menlo Park Research Laboratory
Thomas Edison's lab in New Jersey which introduced the concept of machines in which engineers work as a team instead of working alone.
On Civil Disobedience
Thoreau's writings contemplating the mexican war, "the work of comparatively few individuals using the government as their tool" refused to pay his taxes.
Old Rich
Those who inherited money and have been rich for generations.
War Hawks
Those who were eager for war with Britain. (War of 1812)
Relief, Recovery, Reform
Three components of the New Deal. The first "R" was the effort to help the one-third of the population that was hardest hit by the depression, & included social security and unemployment insurance. The second "R" was the effort in numerous programs to restore the economy to normal health, achieved by 1937. Finally, the third "R" let government intervention stabilize the economy by balancing the interests of farmers, business and labor. There was no major anti-trust program.
Tenskwatawa (The Prophet)
Told Indians to be scared of white culture's corruption. Caused indian religious revival, and united the Indians.; died at the Battle of Tippecanoe.
Cleveland Threatens Lower Tariff
Toward the end of Grover Cleveland's first term he urged Congress to lower the tariff rates.
Historians: Traditionalists vs. Revisionists
Traditional historians believe the Cold War was started by the Soviet government subjugating the countries of Eastern Europe in the late 1940s. In the 1960s, revisionist historians began to argue that the United States contributed to starting the Cold War.
George Ripley
Transcendentalist, established a utopian community known as Brook Farm in 1841.
American Indian Removal
Treaties signed between tribes and the federal government, Indian nations are now on their own and treated as foreign nations. Government paid people to remove "foreign" nations. Became a federal policy
Treaty of 1818
Treaty between Britain and America, it allowed the Americans to share the Newfoundland fisheries with Canada, and gave both countries a joint occupation of the Oregon Territory for the next 10 years.
Clayton-Bulwer Treaty
Treaty between the U.S. and Great Britain agreeing that neither country would try to obtain exclusive rights to canal across Isthmus of Panama; Abrogated by U.S. in 1881.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Treaty that ended the Mexican War, granting the U.S. control of Texas, New Mexico, and California in exchange for $15 million.
Wampanoags
Tribe whose chief, Metacom, known to the colonies as King Philip, united many tribes in southern New England against the English settlers.
Dawes Act of 1887
Tried to "civilize" Native Americans and make them more like "Americans" by giving them land to farm, instead it harmed their native culture.
Committee on Civil Rights
Truman bypassed the southern Democrats in key seats in Congress and established this committee to challenge racial discrimination in 1946.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Two Japanese cities on which the U.S. dropped the atomic bombs to end World War II.
Mail-Order Companies
Two companies, Sears Roebuck, and Montgomery Ward, used the improved rail system to ship to rural customers to sell many different products. The products were ordered by mail from a thick paper catalog.
Laird Rams
Two confederate warships being constructed in British shipyards. They were eventually seized by the British for British use to remain neutral in the Civil War.
RFK Assassination
Two months after MLK's assassination in 1968, Robert Kennedy was assassinated in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in LA. The killer, Sirhan, is still in jail for the crime. This prompted the Secret Service to protect not only the incumbent president, but also presidential candidates.
UN Inspections
U.N. inspections failed to find WMDs in Iraq. However, the Bush administration continued to present claims of their existence based on intelligence information that proved to be false.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
U.S government corporations involved in real estate.
Martin Luther King Jr.
U.S. Baptist minister and civil rights leader. A noted orator, he opposed discrimination against blacks by organizing nonviolent resistance and peaceful mass demonstrations. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. He won a Nobel Peace Prize.
Frances Perkins
U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945, and the first woman ever appointed to the cabinet.
Harry Daugherty
U.S. attorney general and a member of Harding's corrupt "Ohio Gang" who was forced to resign in administration scandals.
Containment Policy
US policy to stop expansion of Soviet Union and Communism.
Spirit of Geneva
USSR and US conferring on peace in 1955, couldn't agree on demilitarization or Open Skies but suspended nuclear tests.
WikiLeaks
Unaffiliated online source that posts secret government and corporate documents. Designed to correct abusive practices and promote public dialogue and involvement.
Covert Action
Undercover intervention in foreign government by the CIA during Eisenhower's presidency.
Coxey's Army
Unemployed workers marched from Ohio to Washington D.C. to draw attention to the plight of workers and to ask for government relief.
Sherman's March
Union General William Tecumseh Sherman's destructive March through Georgia. An early instance of "Total war", purposely targeting infrastructure and civilian property to diminish moral and undercut the confederate war effort.
David Farragut
Union naval admiral whose fleet captured New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
Anaconda Plan
Union war plan under Winfield Scott. Called for blockade of southern coast, capture of Richmond, capture of the Mississippi River, and to take an army through heart of south.
Old Ironsides
United States 44-gun frigate that was one of the first three naval ships built by the United States.
Sojourner Truth
United States abolitionist and feminist who was freed from slavery and became a leading advocate of the abolition of slavery and for the rights of women.
Harriet Tubman
United States abolitionist born a slave on a plantation in Maryland and became a famous conductor on the Underground Railroad leading other slaves to freedom in the North.
Rosa Parks
United States civil rights leader who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery (Alabama) and so triggered the national civil rights movement.
Oliver Hazard Perry
United States commodore who led the fleet that defeated the British on Lake Erie during the War of 1812.
Scott Joplin
United States composer who was the first creator of ragtime to write down his compositions.
John Jay
United States diplomat and jurist who negotiated peace treaties with Britain and served as the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1745-1829)
Aimee Semple McPherson
United States evangelist (born in Canada) noted for her extravagant religious services. (1890-1944)
Jay Gould
United States financier who gained control of the Erie Canal and caused a financial panic in 1869 when he attempted to corner the gold market.
Jay Gould
United States financier who gained control of the Erie Canal and who caused a financial panic in 1869 when he attempted to corner the gold market.
Denmark Vesey
United States freed slave and insurrectionist in South Carolina who was involved in planning an uprising of slaves and was hanged.
Eli Whitney
United States inventor of the mechanical cotton gin and interchangeable parts.
Lincoln Steffens
United States journalist who exposes in 1906 started an era of muckraking journalism (1866-1936), Writing for McClure's Magazine, he criticized the trend of urbanization with a series of articles under the title Shame of the Cities.
William Rehnquist
United States jurist who served as an associate justice on the United States Supreme Court from 1972 until 1986, when he was appointed chief justice (born in 1924).
William Jennings Bryan
United States lawyer and politician who advocated free silver and prosecuted John Scopes (1925) for teaching evolution in a Tennessee high school.
The Star-Spangled Banner
United States national anthem written by Francis Scott Key during the war of 1812.
Brigham Young
United States religious leader of the Mormon Church after the assassination of Joseph Smith.
Gouverneur Morris
United States statesman who led the committee that produced the final draft of the United States Constitution. (1752-1816)
King Caucus
Up until 1820, presidential candidates were nominated by caucuses of the two parties in Congress, but in 1824, this idea was overthrown.
Bush v. Gore
Use of 14th Amendment's equal protection clause to stop the Florida recount in the election of 2000.
Submarine Warfare
Used during World War I mainly between German U-Boats and Atlantic supply convoys for Great Britain.
Barbed Wire
Used to fence in land on the Great Plains, eventually leading to the end of the open frontier.
Great American Desert
Vast arid territory west of the Missouri River & east of the Rocky Mountains; encouraged westward expansion after Stephen Long's Expedition.
John Tyler
Vice President, became the 10th President of the United States when Harrison died 1841-1845, President responsible for annexation of Mexico after receiving mandate from Polk. He opposed many parts of the Whig program for economic recovery.
Assimilationists
Wanted to eradicate tribal life and assimilate Native Americans into white culture through education, land policy, and federal law.
Mexican Civil War
Wanting democracy to triumph there, Wilson refused to recognize the military dictatorship of General Victoriano Huerta, who had seized power in Mexico in 1913 by arranging to assassinate the democratically elected president.
Russo-Japanese War
War between Russia and Japan; Japan wins and takes parts of Manchuria under its control.
War of 1812
War between the U.S. and Britain caused by American outrage over the impressment of American sailors by the British, the British seizure of American ships, and British aid to the Indians attacking the Americans on the western frontier. The War Hawks argued for war in Congress. U.S. troops led by Andrew Jackson seized Florida and at one point the British managed to invade and burn Washington, D.C. The war strengthened American nationalism and encouraged the growth of industry.
Chinese Civil War
War between the communist Mao Zedong and nationalist Chiang-Kai Shek. The communists took over and forced the nationalists to retreat to Taiwan.
Debt Moratorium
War debts could no longer continue, it was so bad. Hoover proposed a suspension on the payment of international debts, Britain and Germany agree, but France declined. The international economy suffered from massive loan defaults.
Saddam Hussein
Was a dictator in Iraq who tried to take over Iran and Kuwait violently in order to gain the land and the resources. He also refused to let the UN into Iraq in order to check if the country was secretly holding weapons of mass destruction.
John D. Rockefeller
Was an American industrialist and philanthropist. Revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of modern philanthropy. Founded the Standard Oil Trust, which was the largest and most exploitative monopoly at the time.
Toussaint L'Ouverture
Was an important leader of the Haïtian Revolution and the first leader of a free Haiti. He led the blacks to victory over the whites and free coloreds and secured native control over the colony in 1797, calling himself a dictator.
Henry Knox
Washington's Secretary of War.
E-Commerce
Web-based economic activities.
Overland Trails
Westward trail route of wagon trains bearing settlers; collective experience; despite contradicting stories, Indian attacks were extremely rare & more helpful than harmful.
Okies
Whe farmers, who during the Great Depression, were forced to move. Many farmers moved to Oklahoma.
Kamikaze Attacks
When Japanese pilots would deliberately crash their planes into American ships, killing themselves but also inflicting severe damage.
Hungarian Revolt
When the Hungarians tried to win their freedom from the Communist regime in 1956, they were crushed down by Soviet tanks. There was killing and slaughtering of the rebels going on by military forces.
Liquidity Crisis
When the housing market bubble burst, banks and financial institutions faced failure resulting in this crisis. Banks either lacked funds or were unable to make the loans to businesses and consumers necessary for the day-to-day functioning of the economy.
Poor Richard's Almanack
Widely read annual pamphlet edited by Benjamin Franklin. Best known for its proverbs and aphorisms emphasizing thrift, industry, morality, and common sense.
War's Long Term Effects
Widespread destruction and devastation of southern economy because of the total war and the inflation; women took greater economic roles while men were fighting, managed farms and businesses; north enacted banking and currency reforms. SOUTH DESTROYED: RECONSTRUCTION BEGINS
Abigail Adams
Wife of John Adams. During the Revolutionary War, she wrote letters to her husband describing life on the homefront. She urged her husband to remember America's women in the new government he was helping to create.
Nature's Metropolis
William Cronon argued that the "frontier and the metropolis turn out to be two sides of the same coin." in this book.
Start of the Modern Presidency
William McKinley emerged as the first modern president, as he would make America an important country in international affairs.
Holy Experiment
William Penn's term for the government of Pennsylvania, which was supposed to serve everyone and provide freedom for all.
Walker Expedition
William Walker, a southern adventurer, tried to take Baja California from Mexico in 1853; took Nicaragua to develop a proslavery empire but collapsed when he was killed by Honduran authorities.
Expeditionary Force
Wilson ordered General Pershing to pursue Pancho Villa into Mexico. They were in northern Mexico for months without being able to capture Villa. Growing possibility of U.S. entry into World War I caused Wilson to withdraw Pershing's troops.
Conciliation Treaties
Wilson's commitment to democracy was shared by Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan. Bryan negotiated treaties in which nations pledged to submit disputes to international commissions and observe a one-year cooling-off period before taking military action. Thirty of these treaties were negotiated.
Ladies' Home Journal
With articles that discuss women's issues beyond cooking and fashion, this magazine reached a circulation of one million.
4 Million Freedmen
With the passage of the thirteenth amendment in 1865, 4 million African Americans were now free.
INF Agreement
With this agreement, Reagan and Gorbachev agreed to remove and destroy all intermediate-range missiles.
Women in the Workplace
Women took men's place in jobs during wartime, giving them more rights.
Causes of Labor Discontent
Worker's discontent was caused by performing monotonous task required completion within a certain time, dangerous working conditions, and exposure to chemicals and pollutants.
Seven Years' War
Worldwide struggle between France and Great Britain for power and control of land.
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
Written anonymously by Jefferson and Madison in response to the Alien and Sedition Acts, they declared that states could nullify federal laws that the states considered unconstitutional.
Sociology of the South
Written by George Fitzhugh (1854); writings on the benefits of a slave society, and the disadvantages of a "free society". He argued that Slavery protected the disadvantaged, and promoted community and morality.
Twentieth Amendment
Written by George Norris and also called the "Lame Duck Amendment," it changed the inauguration date from March 4 to January 20 for president and vice president, and to January 3 for senators and representatives. It also said Congress must assemble at least once a year.
Walden
Written by Henry David Thoreau; a personal account of his life spent in a cabin on the edge of Walden Pond, where he lived simply and found truth.
Countee Cullen
Wrote "Any Human to Another," "Color," and "The Ballad of the Brown Girl;" American Romantic poet; leading African-American poets of his time; associated with generation of poets of the Harlem Renaissance.
Hinton R. Helper
Wrote The Impending Crisis, a book about slavery. He said the non-slaveholding whites were the ones who suffered the most from slavery. He was captured and killed by Southerners.
Election of 1944
Year in which Republicans nominated Thomas E. Dewey for president and John W, Bricker (an isolationist senator) for vice president. Democrats renominated Roosevelt but changed vice president to Harry S. Truman. Roosevelt won with sweeping victory. 4th term for Roosevelt.
Hawks and Doves
____ are people who supported the Vietnam War's goal, and ____ were people who opposed the war.
Divorce
____ rates increased as the legal grounds for divorce became more lenient.
Federal Trade Commission
a federal agency established in 1914 to investigate and stop unfair business practices.
Habeas Corpus
a writ requiring a person under arrest to be brought before a judge or into court, especially to secure the person's release unless lawful grounds are shown for their detention.
Frederick W. Taylor
an engineer, an inventor, and a tennis player. He sought to eliminate wasted motion. Famous for scientific-management especially time-management studies.
League of Nations
an international organization formed in 1920 to promote cooperation and peace among nations.
National Urban League
an interracial organization formed in 1910 to help solve social problems facing African Americans who lived in the cities.
Communist Cuba
in 1959 fidel castro led communist revolt and took control of cuba, major setback to containment strategy, close proximity to us mainland made it vulnerable to communist military attack.
Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts)
in reaction to the Boston Tea Party; closing of Boston Harbor, revocation of Massachusetts charter (power to governor), murder in the name of royal authority would be tried in England or another colony.
Intolerable Acts
in response to Boston Tea Party, 4 acts passed in 1774, Port of Boston closed, reduced power of assemblies in colonies, permitted royal officers to be tried elsewhere, provided for quartering of troops in barns and empty houses.
Border States
in the civil war the states between the north and the south: delaware, mayland, kentucky, and missouri.
Specie Circular
issued by President Jackson July 11, 1836, was meant to stop land speculation caused by states printing paper money without proper specie (gold or silver) backing it. It required that the purchase of public lands be paid for in specie. It stopped the land speculation and the sale of public lands went down sharply.
NDEA (National Defense Education Act)
provides federal money to improve science, math, engineering, and language programs in schools.
Nuclear Proliferation
the spread of nuclear weapons production technology and knowledge to nations without that capability.
Gross National Product
the total value of goods produced and services provided by a country during one year, equal to the gross domestic product plus the net income from foreign investments.