Periods 6 - 9

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;

Newlands Reclamation Act

A 1902 law, supported by President Theodore Roosevelt, that allowed the federal government to sell public lands to raise money for irrigation projects that expanded agriculture on arid lands. It helped to protect national resources.

Russo-Japanese War

A 1904-1905 conflict between Russia and Japan, sparked by the two countries' efforts to dominate Manchuria and Korea. Japan will win the conflict; This will begin American concerns over Japanese aggression.

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. They opposed any adjustments to the Neutrality Acts.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

A failed invasion of Cuba in 1961 when a force of 1,200 Cuban exiles, backed by the United States, landed in Cuba. It failed because the Cubans did not rise up as anticipated and the US did not intervene. This was a covert attempt by the US and CIA to overthrow Fidel Castro.

Title IX

A law that bans gender discrimination in schools that receive federal funds

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 weaked the Carter presidency; the hostages were finally released on January 20, 1981, the day Ronald Reagan became president.

March from Selma to Montgomery, 1965

A march that was attempted three times to protest voting rights, with many peaceful demonstrators injured and killed. Lead by MLK Jr. Violence perpetrated by law enforcement. LBJ will send in federal troops to protect protestors.

Total War

A war that involves the complete mobilization of resources and people, affecting the lives of all citizens in the warring countries, even those remote from the battlefields.

Frontier Thesis

American historian in the early 20th venture best known for his essay "The Significance of the Frontier in American History" where he argued that 1) the frontier had closed according to the 1890s census (Manifest Destiny was complete) and 2) the spirit and success of the US directly related to the country's westward expansion. The notion that conquering frontiers makes us uniquely American will, in part, motivate American imperialism

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.

Black Power Movement

African American movement that focused on gaining control of economic and political power to achieve equal rights by force in necessary.

Mining Industry

After gold and silver strikes in Colorado, Nevada, and other Western territories in the second half of the nineteenth century, fortune seekers by the thousands rushed to the West to dig. These metals were essential to U.S. industrial growth and were also sold into world markets.

Reconstruction Finance Corporation

Agency established by Hoover in 1932 to provide emergency relief to large businesses, insurance companies, and banks in hopes the benefits would trickle down to employees through wage stabilization and layoff reduction. No money is given to individuals- only businesses.

War Industries Board

Agency established during WWI to increase efficiency & discourage waste in war-related industries.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

Agency of the Department of Justice charged with enforcing Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other anti-discrimination laws

Flying Tigers

Americans who volunteered to serve as pilots fighting the Japanese in China prior to the US entering the war.

Reciprocal Trade Agreement

Agreement between nations to lower taxes and establish trade during the 1930's

Yalta Conference

FDR, Churchill and Stalin met at Yalta. Soviet Union agreed to declare war on Japan after the surrender of Germany and in return FDR and Churchill promised the USSR concession in Manchuria and the territories that it had lost in the Russo-Japanese War. They decide to divide Germany into 4 districts and agree (presumably) on free elections in Eastern Europe. The United Nations is also created.

38th Parallel

Dividing line between North and South Korea established post WWII. It was intended to be temporary initially.

Red Scare (1919-1920)

Fear among many Americans after World War I of Communists in particular and noncitizens in general, a reaction to the Russian Revolution, mail bombs, strikes, and riots. Directly affected socialists, immigrants, and labor unions.

Meat Inspection Act

Law that authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to order meat inspections and condemn any meat product found unfit for human consumption.

Omar Bradley

American general who led the ground forces at D-Day

Frederick Jackson Turner

American historian in the early 20th century best known for his essay "The Significance of the Frontier in American History" in which he argued that the spirit and success of the United States was directly tied to the country's westward expansion. Will eventually motivate American imperialism

Black Codes

Laws denying most legal rights to newly freed slaves; passed by southern states following the Civil War; essentially slavery by another name.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Legalized segregation in publicly owned facilities on the basis of "separate but equal."

Sandinistas

Members of a leftist coalition that overthrew the US supported Nicaraguan dictatorship n 1979 and attempted to install a socialist economy. The United States financed armed opposition by the Contras. They lost national elections in 1990.

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an alliance made to defend one another if they were attacked by any other country; US, England, France, Canada, Western European countries

Court Packing Plan/Scheme

President Franklin D. Roosevelt's plan to add six new justices to the nine-member Supreme Court after the Court had ruled some New Deal laws to be unconstitutional. Seen as an assault on checks and balances. FDRs plan defeated.

The Great Society

President Johnson's expansion of the New Deal reforms. In 1965, Congress passed many Great Society measures, including Medicare, civil rights legislation, and federal aid to education. LBJ's goal was to end poverty and provide aid to groups left out of the New Deal.

Booker T. Washington

Prominent black American, born into slavery, who believed that racism would end once blacks acquired useful labor skills and proved their economic value to society, was head of the Tuskegee Institute in 1881. Proponent of gradual gain of equal rights for African-Americans

Eisenhower Doctrine

Promises US economic and military aid to any country in the Middle East threatened by communism.

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.

Espionage Act

This law, passed after the United States entered WWI, imposed sentences of up to twenty years on anyone found guilty of aiding the enemy, obstructing recruitment of soldiers, or encouraging disloyalty. It allowed the postmaster general to remove from the mail any materials that incited treason or insurrection.

Underwood Tariff

This tariff provided for a substantial reduction of rates and enacted an unprecedented, graduated federal income tax. By 1917, revenue from the income tax surpassed receipts from the tariff, a gap that has since been vastly widened.

Gospel of Wealth

This was 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. Generally conveyed the belief that, as the guardians of society's wealth, the rich have a duty to serve society;

SALT I Treaty

a five-year agreement between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, signed in 1972, that limited the nations' numbers of intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched missiles.

Referendum

a general vote by the electorate (registered voters) on a single political question that has been referred to them for a direct decision.

Marshall Plan

a plan for aiding the European nations in economic recovery after World War II in order to stabilize and rebuild their countries and prevent the spread of communism.

Buffer zone (state)

a zone of separation that keeps rivals apart -for protection - can be natural or manmade. This was why Stalin wanted territory post WWII.

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

an international organization established in 1944 at Breton Woods Conference that acts as a lender of last resort, providing loans to troubled nations, and also works to promote trade through financial cooperation

Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP)

an organization formed to run Nixon's 1972 reelection campaign, which was linked to the Watergate scandal.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

leader of the Allied forces in Europe during WW2--leader of troops in Africa and commander in DDay invasion-elected president-president during integration of Little Rock Central High School

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, Alcatraz Island.

Free Speech Movement

led by Mario Savio it protested on behalf of students rights. It spread to colleges throughought the country discussing unpopular faculty tenure decisions, dress codes, dormitory regulations, and appearances by Johnson administration officials.

Eugene Debs

led the Pullman strike and founded the American Railway Union

Nikita Khrushchev

ruled the USSR from 1958-1964; sought peaceful coexistence with the West instead of confrontation

Office of Economic Opportunity

the agency responsible for administering most of the War on Poverty programs created as part of United States President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society legislative agenda.

Welfare Capitalism

when companies provide incentives to build better relationships with employees; health insurance, safety standards, buy stock in the company. Intended to reduce worker interest in labor union membership. This method was used by Henry Ford.

The Feminine Mystique

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

Boxer Rebellion

A 1900 revolt in China, aimed at ending foreign influence in the country. It was defeated by an international coalition including the United States

"In God We Trust"

A phrase that Congress made mandatory on all American currency in 1954, inspired by Eisenhower's patriotic crusade to bring Americans back to God.

Carrie Chapman Catt

(1859-1947) A suffragette who was president of the National Women's Suffrage Association, and founder of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance. Instrumental in obtaining passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. Supported a state by state suffrage approach.

Second Industrial Revolution

(1871-1914) Involved development of chemical, electrical, oil, and steel industries. Mass production of consumer goods also developed at this time through the mechanization of the manufacture of food and clothing. It saw the popularization of cinema and radio. Provided widespread employment and increased production.

Douglas MacArthur

(1880-1964), U.S. general. Commander of U.S. (later Allied) forces in the southwestern Pacific during World War II, he accepted Japan's surrender in 1945 and administered the ensuing Allied occupation. He was in charge of UN forces in Korea 1950-51, before being fired by President Truman.

William Howard Taft

(1908-1912), 27th president of the U.S.; was endorsed by Roosevelt because he pledged to carry on progressive program; he angered progressives by moving cautiously toward reforms and by supporting the Payne-Aldrich Tariff; he lost Roosevelt's support and was defeated for a second term.

Roe v. Wade

(1973) legalized abortion on the basis of a woman's right to privacy

Jimmy Carter

(1977-1981), Created the Department of Energy and the Depatment of Education. He was criticized for his return of the Panama Canal Zone, and because of the Soviet war in Afghanistan, he enacted an embargo on grain shipments to USSR and boycotted the 1980 Olympics in Moscow and his last year in office was marked by the takeover of the American embassy in Iran, fuel shortages, and the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, which caused him to lose to Ronald Regan in the next election.

Iranian Revolution

(1978-1979) a revolution against the Shah of Iran who had been put into power by the CIA in 1953. Revolution resulted in Iran becoming an Islamic republic with Khomeini as its leader

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. Establishes the precedent of federal responsibility for social welfare.

Great Depression

(HH) , starting with collapse of the US stock market in 1929, period of worldwide economic stagnation and depression. Heavy borrowing by European nations from USA during WW1 contributed to instability in European economies. Sharp declines in income and production as buying and selling slowed down. Widespread unemployment, countries raised tariffs to protect their industries. America stopped investing in Europe. Lead to loss of confidence that economies were self adjusting, HH was blamed for it

Schechter v. US

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) fear that Court might strike down entire New Deal

Monroe Doctrine

1823 - Declared that Europe should not interfere in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere and that any attempt at interference by a European power would be seen as a threat to the U.S. It also declared that a New World colony which has gained independence may not be recolonized by Europe. (It was written at a time when many South American nations were gaining independence). Only England, in particular George Canning, supported the Monroe Doctrine. Mostly just a show of nationalism, the doctrine had no major impact until later in the 1800s.

Indian Wars

1850 to 1890; series of conflicts between the US Army / settlers and different Native American tribes as Americans migrated westward.

Homestead Act of 1862

1862 law that gave 160 acres to citizens willing to live in and cultivate it for five years. It was a wartime extension of the free spiked movement and was 1 of 2 ways the federal government promoted/subsidized westward expansion

Chinese Exclusion Act

1882 law that barred Chinese laborers from entering the United States

Interstate Commerce Act

1887 law passed to regulate railroad and other interstate businesses; initially ineffective but proved important for regulation later.

Forest Reserve Act

1891; authorized the president to set aside public forests as national parks and other reserves

Homestead Strike

1892 steelworker strike near Pittsburgh against the Carnegie Steel Company. Ten workers were killed in a riot when "scab" labor was brought in to force an end to the strike.

Sanford B. Dole

1894 wealthy, plantation owner and politician who was named President of New Republic of Hawaii after he led plans for a coup of Queen Liliuokalani. He asked US to annex Hawaii.

Pure Food and Drug Act

1906 - 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.

Great White Fleet

1907-1909 - Roosevelt sent the Navy on a world tour to show the world the growing U.S. naval power.

Muller v. Oregon

1908 - Supreme Court upheld Oregon state restrictions on the working hours of women as justified by the special state interest in protecting women's health (i.e. women's supposed physical weaknesses)

Clayton Antitrust Act

1914 law that strengthened the Sherman Antitrust Act

Snyder Act (Indian Citizenship Act)

1924: act that granted full citizenship to all Indians who had previously not received it.

Scopes Monkey Trial

1925 court case in Tennessee that focused on the issue of teaching evolution in public schools.

Kellogg-Briand Pact

1928 agreement in which many nations agreed to outlaw war. Failed because it was difficult to enforce and still allowed for defensive war.

Bonus Army

1932 - Facing the financial crisis of the Depression, WW I veterans tried to pressure Congress to pay them their retirement bonuses early. Angry veterans marched on Washington, D.C., and set up Hoovervilles. Eventually, Hoover called in the army to get the veterans out of there - a move which turns violent. This further tarnished Hoover's reputation

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

1934 - Created to supervise stock exchanges and to punish fraud in securities trading. Intended to stop/prevent speculation in the stock market.

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.

Korematsu v. United States

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.

Truman Doctrine

1947, President Truman's policy of providing economic and military aid to any country threatened by communism or totalitarian ideology, mainly helped Greece and Turkey

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 separationist and nationalist impulses to achieve true independence and equality. Rejected nonviolence.

Brown v. Board of Education

1954 - The Supreme Court overruled Plessy v. Ferguson, declared that racially segregated facilities are inherently unequal and ordered all public schools desegregated. Ended separate but equal legally.

Hungarian Revolt

1956 - Hungary tried to overthrow the Communist government, partly encouraged by the U.S. The rebellion was quickly crushed. US did not provide aid.

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 crisis that arose between the United States and the Soviet Union over a Soviet attempt to deploy nuclear missiles in Cuba. The Soviet Union places these missiles in Cuba as a reaction to American missiles in Turkey. This almost resulted in nuclear war with Russia.

March on Washington

1963 demonstration in which more than 200,000 people rallied for economic equality and civil rights. This is where MLK Jr. gave the "I Have a Dream" speech.

Barry Goldwater

1964; Republican contender against LBJ for presidency; platform included rejecting New Deal/Great Society reforms, and balanced budget, and lessening federal involvement, therefore opposing Civil Rights Act of 1964; lost by largest margin in history

Watts Riots

1965 riots which started in an African-American area of Los Angeles and left 34 dead and 1,000 wounded. Riots lasted a week, and spurred hundreds more around the country.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

1965; invalidated the use of any test or device to deny the vote and authorized federal examiners to register voters in states that had disenfranchised blacks

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

Tet Offensive

1968, during Tet, the Vietnam lunar new year - Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army raiding forces attacked provincial capitals throughout Vietnam, even seizing the U.S. embassy for a time. U.S. opinion began turning against the war.

Tet Offensive

1968, during Tet, the Vietnam lunar new year - Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army raiding forces attacked provincial capitals throughout Vietnam, even seizing the U.S. embassy for a time. U.S. opinion began turning against the war. This is the point where Americans realize the government was lying about the war and that it was not almost over.

My Lai Massacre

1968, in which American troops had brutally massacred innocent women and children in a Vietnamese village, also led to more opposition to the war.

Zoot Suit Riots

A series of riots in L.A. California during WW2, soldiers stationed in the city and Mexican youths because of the zoot suits they wore.

Gerald Ford

1974-1977, Republican, first non elected president and VP. 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.

University of California v. Bakke

1978 The supreme court ruled that a white man Allan Bakke had been unfairly denied admission to medical school on the basis of quotas. the court did not ruleout all forms of affirmative action, but it did strike down the quota system

Ronald Reagan

1981-1989,"Great Communicator" Republican, conservative economic policies, pushes toward end of Cold War.

Boland Amendment

1985 act of Congress prohibiting direct aid to the Nicaraguan Contra forces. Reagan ignited it during the Iran Contra Affair.

Fall of the Berlin Wall

1989 - Beginning of the fall of communism and the Soviet Union - symbolized the failure of communism and massive socialism

Operation Desert Storm

1991 American-led attack on Iraqi forces after Iraq refused to withdraw its troops from Kuwait.

Bill Clinton

1992 and 1996; Democrat; Don't Ask Don't Tell policy implemented by Congress. Scandals: Whitewater controversy, Lewinsky scandal (impeached and acquited), Travelgate controversy, Troopergate; first balanced budget since 1969. 42nd President advocated economic and healthcare reform; second president to be impeached

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.

William McKinley

25th president responsible for Spanish-American War, Philippine-American War, and the Annexation of Hawaii, imperialism. Is assassinated by an anarchist

Theodore Roosevelt

26th president, known for: conservationism, trust-busting, Hepburn Act, safe food regulations, "Square Deal," Panama Canal, Great White Fleet, Nobel Peace Prize for negotiation of peace in Russo-Japanese War

Woodrow Wilson

28th president of the United States, known for World War I leadership, created Federal Reserve, Federal Trade Commission, Clayton Antitrust Act, progressive income tax, lower tariffs, women's suffrage (reluctantly), Treaty of Versailles, sought 14 points post-war plan, League of Nations (but failed to win U.S. ratification), won Nobel Peace Prize

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. Took over when FDR died. 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.

Lyndon B. Johnson

36th U.S. President. 1963-1969. Democratic.

George W. Bush

43rd president of the US who began a campaign toward energy self-sufficiency and against terrorism in 2001.

Pearl Harbor

7:50-10:00 AM, December 7, 1941 - Surprise attack by the Japanese on the main U.S. Pacific Fleet harbored in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii destroyed 18 U.S. ships and 200 aircraft. American losses were 3000, Japanese losses less than 100. In response, the U.S. declared war on Japan and Germany, entering World War II. This attack officially ends the isolationist movement in the US.

Social Gospel Movement

A 19th century reform movement based on the belief that Christians have a responsibility to help improve working conditions and alleviate poverty

Jacob Riis

A Danish immigrant, he became a reporter who pointed out (through photography) 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.

Contras

A Nicaraguan rebel group that got financial support from the CIA. This group was formed as a response to the Sandinista's overthrow of the Pro-US dictatorship.

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.

Containment

A U.S. foreign policy adopted by President Harry Truman in the late 1940s, in which the United States tried to stop the spread of communism by creating alliances and helping weak countries to resist Soviet advances

George Dewey

A United States naval officer remembered for his victory at Manila Bay in the Spanish-American War, U.S. naval commander who led the American attack on the Philippines

Beatniks

A United States youth subculture of the 1950s that rebelled against the mundane horrors of middle class life; included authors such as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg.

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. Founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale

Watergate Scandal

A break-in at the Democratic National Committee offices in Washington was carried out under the direction of White House employees. Disclosure of the White House involvement in the break-in and subsequent cover-up forced President Nixon to resign in 1974 to avoid impeachment.

Cash and Carry Policy

A change to the earlier 1930s Neutrality Acts; adopted by the United States in 1939 to preserve neutrality while aiding the Allies. Britain and France could buy weapons from the United States if they paid in cash and transported them on their own ships.

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. Includes approximately 30 million births.

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.

Equal Rights Amendment

A constitutional amendment originally introduced in Congress in 1923 and passed by Congress in 1972, stating that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex." Despite public support, the amendment failed to acquire the necessary support from three-fourths of the state legislatures.

Granger Movement

A farmers' organization and movement that started as a social/educational association; the Grange later organized politically to pass a series of laws to regulate railroads in various states.

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

A federal corporation established in 1933 to construct dams and power plants in the Tennessee Valley region to generate electricity as well as to prevent floods. It gave 2.5 million poor citizens jobs. It brought cheap electric power, low-cost housing, cheap nitrates, and the restoration of eroded soil to a poor region of the South.

Medicare

A federal program of health insurance for persons 65 years of age and older. Part of the Great Society

Totalitarianism

A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.). The government assumes total control of life - public and personal - in the country.

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.

Berlin Wall

A fortified wall surrounding West Berlin, Germany, built in 1961 to prevent East German citizens from traveling to the West. Its demolition in 1989 symbolized the end of the Cold War. This wall was both a deterrent to individuals trying to escape and a symbol of repression to the free world.

Emergency Quota Act

A government legislation that limited the number of immigrants from Europe which was set at 3% of the nationality currently in the U.S. It greatly limited the number of immigrants who could move to the U.S. And it reflected the isolationist and anti-foreign feeling in America as well as the departure from traditional American ideals.

puppet government

A government set up and controlled by outside forces; example: Eastern European governments set up by the Soviets.

Freedom Riders

A group of civil rights activists who challenged racial laws in the American South in the 1960s, originally by refusing to abide by the laws designating that seating in buses be segregated by race.

Muckrakers

A group of investigative reporters who pointed out the abuses of big business and the corruption of urban politics and exposed it to the public; included Frank Norris (The Octopus) Ida Tarbell (A history of the standard oil company) Lincoln Steffens (the shame of the cities) and Upton Sinclair (The Jungle)

Jackson State Killings

A group of somewhat violent student protesters were confronted by city and state police. The police opened fire, killing two African American students and injuring twelve.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

A joint resolution of the U.S. Congress which gave U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson authorization, without a formal declaration of war by Congress, for the use of military force in Southeast Asia.

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. She brought down John D. Rockefeller

Moral Majority

A movement begun in the early 1980's among religious conservatives that supported primarily conservative Republicans opposed to abortion, communism and liberalism. The majority of Americans are moral people, and therefore are a political force.

Rock and Roll Music

A musical style derided as alarming, overly sexualized, and provocative. Reflects tension between younger and older generations of Americans in the 1950s.

Gilded Age

A name for the late 1800s, coined by Mark Twain to describe the tremendous increase in wealth caused by the industrial age and the ostentatious lifestyles it allowed the very rich. The great industrial success of the U.S. and the fabulous lifestyles of the wealthy hid the many social problems of the time, including a high poverty rate, a high crime rate, and corruption in the government.

Saturday Night Massacre

A name given to the resignation of the U.S. attorney general and the firing of his deputy in October 1973, after they refused to carry out President Nixon's order to fire the special prosecutor investigating the Watergate affair.

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.

Works Progress Administration (WPA)

A part of the Second New Deal intended to provide relief and reform. This time the federal government directly hired workers rather than giving money to state and local government. The program included public works jobs such as building roads, bridges, and parks. It also included jobs for artists, painters, writers, actors, and photographers.

Camp David Accords

A peace agreement between Egypt and Israel. The first signed agreement between Israel and an Arab country, in which Egypt recognized Israel as a legitimate state. Jimmy Carter helps with negotiations.

Laissez-faire economics

A philosophy that government should not interfere in economics or business. This approach reigned during the Gilded Age and resulted in almost no government oversight or reform during the era.

Dawes Plan

A plan to revive the German economy, the United States loans Germany money which then can pay reparations to England and France, who can then pay back their loans from the U.S.

Imperialism

A policy in which a strong nation seeks to dominate other countries poitically, socially, and economically.

Deregulation

A policy promoting cutbacks in the amount of federal regulation in specific areas of economic activity. Component of Reagan's conservative policies

Open Door Policy

A policy proposed by the US in 1899, under which ALL nations would have equal opportunities to trade in China.

Flexible Response

A policy, developed during the Kennedy administration, that involved preparing for a variety of military responses to international crises rather than focusing on the use of nuclear weapons.

Initiative

A procedure by which voters can propose a law or a constitutional amendment.

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.

Equal Rights Amendment

A proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution outlawing discrimination based on sex. It was originally introduced in Congress in 1923 and passed by Congress in 1972, stating that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex." Despite public support, the amendment failed to acquire the necessary support from three-fourths of the state legislatures.

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. Built Grand Central Station

National Child Labor Committee

A reform organization that worked (unsuccessfully) to win a federal law banning child labor. The NCLC hired photographer Lewis Hine to record brutal conditions in mines and mills where thousands of children worked.

Plumbers

A secret group created by Nixon that worked to stop government leaks to the press.

Pacific Railway Act (1862)

A series of acts by Congress that promoted the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad through the issuance of government bonds and the grants of land to railroad companies. It was 1 of 2 ways the federal government promoted/subsidized westward expansion

New Deal

A series of reforms enacted by the Franklin Roosevelt administration between 1933 and 1942 with the goal of ending the Great Depression. These reforms were largely experimental and consisted of new laws, programs, and government agencies

Temperance Movement

A social movement against the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

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. Established at Breton Woods Conference.

Interstate Highway System

A system of limited access roadways that connects all major cities in the US. The system was designed to give troops faster routes to get to destinations across the US in the event of an attack on the US. The system's main purpose now is travel by civilians. Provided for the development of 42,000 miles of highways.

Domino Theory

A theory that if one nation comes under Communist control, then neighboring nations will also come under Communist control.

Hydrogen Bomb (H-Bomb)

A type of nuclear weapon at least one thousand times more powerful than the atomic bomb. Truman ordered the development of it to surpass the Soviets' weapons supply. Tested by the US in 1952.

Vietnamization

A war policy in Vietnam initiated by Nixon in June of 1969. This strategy called for dramatic reduction of U.S. troops followed by an increased injection of S. Vietnamese troops in their place. A considerable success, this plan allowed for a drop in troops to 24,000 by 1972. . This policy became the cornerstone of the so-called "Nixon Doctrine". As applied to Vietnam, it was labeled "Vietnamization".

League of Nations

A world organization established in 1920 to promote international cooperation and peace. It was first proposed in 1918 by President Woodrow Wilson, although the United States never joined the League. Essentially powerless, it was officially dissolved in 1946.

Normandy Invasion

AKA D-day. The American and British invasion of France in World War II; Normandy is a province of northern France. The successful invasion began a series of victories for the Allies, and Germany surrendered less than a year later

Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965

Abolished the national-origins quotas (of the 1920s) and provided for the admission each year of 170,000 immigrants from the Eastern Hemisphere and 120,000 from the Western Hemisphere. Resulted in increased immigration from places like Latin America and Asia.

American Expeditionary Force (AEF)

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

Taft-Hartley Act

Act passed in 1947 that put increased restrictions on labor unions. Also, it allowed states to pass "right to work" laws: prohibited "union" shop (= workers must join union after being hired). It also prohibited secondary boycotts and established that the President has power to issue injections in strikes that endangered national health & safety ("cooling off" period). It was passed by a Republican majority Congress which overrode Truman's veto of the bill.

Roosevelt Corollary

Addition to the Monroe Doctrine asserting America's right to intervene in Latin American affairs - told European powers to come to the US for things like debt collection, managing ports, etc.

Ida B. Wells

African American journalist. published statistics about lynching, urged African Americans to protest by refusing to ride streetcards or shop in white owned stores; also promoted women's suffrage and civil rights

Ida B. Wells

African American journalist. published statistics about lynching, urged African Americans to protest by refusing to ride streetcars or shop in white owned stores

GI Bill of Rights

Also known as Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 gave money to veterans to study in colleges, universities, gave medical treatment, loans to buy a house or farm or start a new business

24th Amendment

Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1964) eliminated the poll tax as a prerequisite to vote in national elections.

Selective Training and Service Act of 1940

America's first peacetime draft was initiated-provision was made for training 1.2 million troops and 800,000 reserves each year

Island Hopping Strategy

America. WWII strategy of conquering only certain Pacific islands that were important to the Allied advance toward Japan. Want to get close enough to Japan to begin air bombing the mainland.

Wilson and the Mexican Revolution

An American intervention in Mexico under President Woodrow Wilson meant to protect American interests which led to even more anti-American feeling in Latin America.

Dawes Act

An act that removed Indian land from tribal possesion, redivided it, and distributed it among individual Indian families. Designed to break tribal mentalities and promote individualism. Some land, usually the best parcels, were sold to Americans.

Florence Kelley

An advocate for improving the lives of women and children. (Social Welfare). She was appointed chief inspector of factories in Illinois. She helped win passage of the Illinois Factory Act in 1893 which prohibited child labor and limited women's working hours.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

An agency created in 1933 to insure individuals' bank accounts, protecting people against losses due to bank failures. Established by the Glass-Steagall Act

Gentleman's Agreement with Japan

An agreement between the United States and Japan stating that Japan would limit the emigration of its laborers to the United States through visa restrictions and that the United States would stop discrimination against Japanese living in the United States.

Fair Deal

An economic extension of the New Deal proposed by Harry Truman that called for higher minimum wage, housing and full employment. Most proposals failed due to congressional opposition from Republicans and Southern Democrats. Did result in a minimum wage increase.

Harlem Renaissance

Black literary and artistic movement centered in Harlem that lasted from the 1920s into the early 1930s that both celebrated and lamented black life in America; Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston were two famous writers of this movement.

direct primary

An election where voters directly select the candidates (by political party) who will run for office

executive privilege

An implied presidential power that allows the president to refuse to disclose information regarding confidential conversations or national security to Congress or the judiciary.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

An organization formed in 1957 by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other leaders to work for civil rights through nonviolent means

National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA)

An organization founded in 1890 to demand the vote for women. NAWSA argued that women should be allowed to vote because their responsibilities in the home and family made them indispensable in the public decision-making process. During World War I, NAWSA supported the war effort and lauded women's role in the Allied victory, which helped to finally achieve nationwide woman suffrage in the Nineteenth Amendment (1920).

Bataan Death March

April 1942, American and Filipino soldiers were brutally forced to march 65 miles to prison camps by their Japanese captors. It is called the Death March because so may of the prisoners died en route.

Spheres of influence

Areas in which countries have some political and economic control but do not govern directly (ex. Europe and U.S. in China); Generally, a country has exclusive trading privileges in an area - no other country is allowed there.

Orval Faubus

Arkansas governor who called out the National Guard to prevent nine black students from entering Little Rock's Central High School under federal court order.

Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

Arms limitation agreement settled by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev after several attempts. The treaty banned all intermediate-range nuclear missiles from Europe and marked a significant thaw in the Cold War.

Teller Amendment

As Americans were preparing for war with Spain over Cuba in 1898, this Senate measure stated that under no circumstances would the United States annex Cuba. The amendment was passed as many in the muckraking press were suggesting that the Cuban people would be better off "under the protection" of the U.S

Reverend Josiah Strong

Author of "Our Country: Its possible Future and Its present crisis", summoned Americans to spread their religion and values to the "backward" peoples

Michael Harrington

Author of famous book, The Other Americans - Poverty in the US, which he wrote in 1962. He argued that 25% of the country was actually in poverty, and highlighted the inequalities that plagued the country. It was regarded as a driving force behind the War on Poverty by the Johnson Administration

Roy Benavidez

Awarded the Medal of Honor for saving fellow soldiers in Vietnam War

Homer Plessy

Bought a train ticket (7/8th white) he sat in the white train car. He wanted to test the constitutionality of the law. Court case stated that states could separate the races as long as there equal facilities making segregation the law of the land until 1954.

Victory Gardens

Backyard gardens; Americans were encouraged to grow their own vegetables to support the war effort

Political Machines/Bosses

Bosses (often of foreign heritage) garnered support of large immigrant communities and won votes for his organization by providing social services for immigrants (food), jobs for unemployed, and patronage for his followers (city gov't agency positions) in exchange for political support. These systems were almost always corrupt.

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.

Oil Embargo of 1973

Because the US sent military aid to Israel during the Yom Kippur War, the Arab OPEC nations cut off oil sales to the US. Created serious economic problems in the US and oil shortages.

Betty Friedan

Best known for starting the second wave of feminism/ modern women's rights movement through the writing of her book "The Feminine Mystique".

Operation Ajax (1953)

CIA helps to overthrow elected Iranian government after they attempt to nationalize foreign oil companies. The Shah of Iran will come to power - brutal dictator. Fosters resentment against US in region.

Henry Frick

Chairman of Carnegie Steel (1889) during the Homestead Strike, wanted to introduce new machinery to steel plant. New machines would decrease number of workers. Couldn't agree with unions and set out to break unions and cut costs

Henry Cabot Lodge

Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he was a leader in the fight against participation in the League of Nations

Double Victory Campaign

Civil rights call for victory against both fascism overseas and racial prejudice at home.

Arms Race

Cold War competition between the U.S. and Soviet Union to build up their respective armed forces and weapons.

John J. Pershing

Commander of American Expeditionary Force of over 1 million troops who insisted his soldiers fight as independent units so US would have independent role in shaping the peace

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

Communists who received international attention when they were executed having been found guilty of conspiracy to commit espionage in relation to passing information on the American atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. Executed in 1953.

Isolationist

Concerning the belief that a country should take little or no part in foreign affairs, especially through alliances or wars.

Korean War

Conflict that began with North Korea's invasion of South Korea and came to involve the United Nations (primarily the United States) allying with South Korea and the People's Republic of China allying with North Korea. 1950-1953.

Dixiecrats

Conservative Southern Democrats who objected to President Truman's strong push for civil rights legislation. Southern Democrats broke from the party in 1948 over the issue of civil rights.

Public Works Administration (PWA)

Created jobs on government projects by giving federal money to state and local governments. Used to build things like roads, bridges, dams, etc.

National Labor Relations Board

Created under the Wagner Act; designed to enforce labor laws. Huge boost to the labor movement.

Settlement House Movement

Creation of places that offered social services to urban poor - often food, shelter, and basic higher education - Hull House was most famous

Reconcentration Camps

Cuban civilians were moved to these during the Cuban Revolt to help the Spanish pacify the rebellion; poorly run, death rates inside them were high; yellow journalism in the US helped promote the sympathy of the American public for the Cubans in the Reconcentration Camps.

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. This officially marks the point where Republicans stop trying to protect/ensure racial equality of African Americans.

Clarence Darrow

Defended John Scopes during the Scopes Trial. He argued that evolution should be taught in schools.

New Left Movement

Directly against capitalism and all the conformity of the 1950s and they fought it through sit-ins, protests, and violence.

War Production Board

During WWII, FDR established it to allocate scarce materials, limited or stopped the production of civilian goods for war production instead, and distributed contracts among competing manufacturers

Great Arsenal of Democracy

FDR's reasoning for the Lend Lease Act. Through the Lend Lease Act, the US could supply weapons and stay out of the fighting.

Square Deal

Economic policy by Roosevelt that favored fair relationships between companies and workers

John Foster Dulles

Eisenhower's tough-talking secretary of state who wanted to "roll back" communism; saw containment as weak and too passive.

Lend-Lease Act

Eliminated cash and carry requirements to allow the US to loan weapons to any country who was a victim of aggression. At the end of the war, used weapons would be returned. This marks the point the US was no longer neutral- seen as an economic declaration of war.

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

Established exclusionary rule; illegally obtained evidence cannot be used in court.

National Parks System

Established in 1916 by Teddy Roosevelt, has grown since then and includes the network of National Parks, National Monuments, and National Treasures across the country

John D. Rockefeller

Established the Standard Oil Company, the greatest, wisest, and meanest monopoly known in history. Also a philanthropist and helped to define the structure of modern philanthropy.

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

1940 election significance

FDR breaks 2nd term tradition set by George Washington. Wins a 3rd term as president.

Executive Order 9066

FDR's order to force all Japanese Americans on the West Coast into internment camps

George Patton

Famous American General who fought in North Africa and Europe. Allied Commander of the Third Army. Was instrumental in winning the Battle of the Bulge. Considered one of the best military commanders in American history.

Tuskegee Airmen

Famous segregated unit of African-American pilots (332 Fighter Group) - shot down over 200 enemy planes. They trained at the Tuskegee flying school.

Okies during The Great Depression

Farmers from Oklahoma who went to California looking for work during the Dust Bowl.

Medicaid

Federal (and state) program that provides medical benefits for low-income persons. Part of the Great Society.

Sputnik and the Space Race

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.

Sherman Antitrust Act

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

Tehran Conference

First major meeting between the Big Three (United States, Britain, Russia) at which they planned the 1944 assault on France (D-Day) and discuss postwar fate of Europe (no agreement)

Secret ballot / Australian ballot

First used in Australia in the 1880s. All candidates names were to be printed on the same white piece of paper at the government's expense and polling was to be done in private. It was opposed by the party machines, who wanted to be able to pressure people into voting for their candidates, but it was implemented and is still in use.

Dollar Diplomacy

Foreign policy created under President Taft that had the U.S. exchanging financial support ($) for the right to "help" countries make decisions about trade and other commercial ventures. Basically it was exchanging money for political influence in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Moral Diplomacy

Foreign policy proposed by President Wilson to condemn imperialism, spread democracy, and promote peace

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

Found a "right to privacy" in the Constitution that would bar any state law prohibiting the sales of contraceptives (birth control).

Populist Party

Founded 1891 with origins in the Granger Movement - called for free coinage of silver and paper money, national income tax, direct election of senators, regulation of railroads, and other government reforms to help farmers. It was a patchwork party of farmers, economic reformers, socialists, etc.

Students for a Democratic Society

Founded in 1962, the SDS was a popular college student organization that protested shortcomings in American life, notably racial injustice and the Vietnam War. It led thousands of campus protests before it split apart at the end of the 1960s.

National Organization for Women (NOW)

Founded in 1966, they called for equal employment opportunity and equal pay for women. They also championed the legalization of abortion and passage of an equal rights amendment to the Constitution.

Kent State Massacre

Four killed, nine wounded by Ohio National Guard during protest of U.S. invasion of Cambodia

Good Neighbor Policy

Franklin D. Roosevelt policy in which the U.S. pledged that the U.S. would no longer intervene in the internal affairs of Latin American countries. This reversed Teddy Roosevelt's Big Stick Policy. Some examples of implementation were the removal of Marines from Haiti and the rejection of the Platt Amendment in Cuba.

19th Amendment (1920)

Gave women the right to vote

German U-boats

German submarines in WWI and WII which were most effective during naval blockade against enemy shipping, primary targets were from Canada, British empire and the US to Great Britain

Iron Curtain Speech

Given by the former Prime Minister of Britain, Winston Churchill, in Missouri, in which he talks about the dangers of communism engulfing Europe. He wants western democratic counties to stop the spread of communism together.

Trust Busting

Government activities aimed at breaking up monopolies and trusts.

Pentagon Papers

Government documents that showed the public had been lied to about the status of the war in Vietnam from JFK onward. Leaked by Daniel Ellsberg

14th Amendment

Grants citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States"; it forbids any state to deny any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of its laws." Applies the protection of the Bill of Rights to state legislation. Most important law passed besides original Constitution and Bill of Rights. Passed as a reaction to Southern black codes.

Wagner Act

Guaranteed the right of unions to organize and to collectively bargain with management. One of the first times the federal government protects workers right to join unions.

J. Pierpont Morgan

He was a banker who financed the reorganization of railroads, insurance companies, and banks. He bought out Carnegie and in 1901 he started the United States Steel Corporation.

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 by JFK, showing that segregation was no longer government policy. Became the first African American student at the University of Mississippi.

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.

A. Phillip Randolph

He was the black leader of The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. He demanded equal opportunities in war jobs and armed forces during WWII. He helped encourage the end of segregation in the military, although that happened after the war. His threats to march on Washington to end workplace discrimination helped lead to the Executive Order 8802.

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.

Rugged Individualism

Herbert Hoover's belief that people must be self-reliant and not depend upon the federal government for assistance.

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.

New South

Idea that the south should industrialize (textiles) after the Civil War. Despite calls for industrialization, sharecropping and tenant farming persisted in the South

New Immigrants

Immigrants who came to the United States during and after the 1880s; most were from Southern and Eastern Europe.

Battle of Little Bighorn

In 1876, Indian leaders Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse defeated Custer's troops who tried to force them back on to the reservation, Custer and all his men died. Last notable Native American victory in the west.

Spanish-American War

In 1898, a conflict between the United States and Spain, in which the U.S. supported the Cubans' fight for independence; resulted in the US acquisition of territories (Guam, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines).

Alphabet Agencies

In 1933 President Franklin D. Roosevelt launched his New Deal to deal with the Great Depression. The administrative style was to create new agencies. Some were set up by Congress (such as TVA) and others by Roosevelt's Executive Order (such as WPA). The agencies were also referred to as "alphabet soup".

Executive Order 8802

In 1941 FDR passed it which prohibited discriminatory employment practices by fed agencies and all unions and companies engaged in war related work. It established the Fair Employment Practices Commission to enforce the new policy.

Levittown

In 1947, William Levitt used mass production techniques to build inexpensive homes in surburban New York to help relieve the postwar housing shortage. Levittown became a symbol of the movement to the suburbs in the years after WWII. Typically inhabited by white middle-class people who fled the cities in search of homes to buy for their growing families.

Freedom Summer

In 1964, when blacks and whites together challenged segregation and led a massive drive to register blacks to vote. Several activists disappeared that summer.

Sand Creek Massacre

In Colorado territory in 1864, U.S army colonel John M. Chivington led a surprise attack on a peaceful Cheyenne settlement along Sand Creek River. The Cheyenne under Chief Black kettle tried to surrender. First he waved the America Flag and the White flag of surrender. Chivington ignored the gestures. The U.S army killed about 200 Cheyenne during the conflict

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.

Little Rock Nine

In September 1957 the school board in Little rock, Arkansas, won a court order to admit nine African American students to Central High - a school with 2,000 white students. The governor ordered troops from Arkansas National Guard to prevent the nine from entering the school. The next day as the National Guard troops surrounded the school, an angry white mob joined the troops to protest the integration plan and to intimidate the AA students trying to register. The mob violence pushed Eisenhower's patience to the breaking point. He immediately ordered the US Army to send troops to Little Rock to protect and escort them for the full school year.

Western Front

In WWI, the region of Northern France where the forces of the Allies and the Central Powers battled each other.

Bull Moose/Progressive Party

In the 1912 election, Theodore Roosevelt was unable to secure the Republican nomination for president. He left the Republican party and formed his own party of progressive Republicans, called the "Bull Moose" party. Roosevelt and Taft split the Republican vote, which allowed Democrat Woodrow Wilson to win.

Social Rights

In the late 1800s: the right to conduct civil rights in the company of other races.

United Nations

International organization founded in 1945 to promote world peace and cooperation. It replaced the League of Nations.

Nye Commission

Investigation into the causes of US entry into WWI. Finds that the US had been dragged into WWI by greedy bankers and arms dealers. The large profits that banks and manufacturers made during the war serve as evidence. The public disillusioned withe the findings which serves as a reason for isolationism.

Nixon Doctrine

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.

Casablanca Conference

January 1943 conference between FDR and Churchill that produces Unconditional Surrender doctrine; also agree to start fighting in Italy. Stalin not present - angry at the outcome because he wanted American relief in the East against Germany.

Manchurian Crisis

Japan wanted some of China's natural resources and space. in 1932 Japan annexed an area in Manchuria after an alleged attack by the Chinese in 1931. League of Nations did nothing.

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 hastly constructed camps called "War Relocation Centers" in remote portions of the nation's interior.

The Grapes of Wrath

John Steinbeck's novel about a struggling Oklahoma farm family during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. Gave a face to the violence and exploitation that migrant farm workers faced in America

Berlin Airlift

Joint effort by the US and Britian to fly food and supplies into W Berlin after the Soviet blocked off all ground routes into the city. Lasted 11 months

Yellow Journalism

Journalism that exploits, distorts, or exaggerates the news to create sensations and attract readers; Tactics frequented by William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer during the build up to Spanish American War.

D-Day

June 6, 1944 - Led by Eisenhower, over a million troops (the largest invasion force in history) stormed the beaches at Normandy and began the process of re-taking France. The turning point of World War II.

Mother Jones

Labor activist who was a member of the Knights of Labor union and who used publicity techniques to create awareness of the plight of mine workers and child laborers.

Selective Service Act

Law passed by Congress in 1917 that required all men from ages 21 to 30 to register for the military draft

Neutrality Acts

Laws passed in the late 1930s that were designed to keep the US out of international conflicts. They barred Americans from sailing on ships belonging to nations at war. Weapons or loans could not be given to nations at war either even if the nation was an innocent victim of aggression.

Jerry Falwell

Leader of the Moral Majority/Fundamentalist Christians, a group that supported Reagan; rallying cry was "family values", anti-abortion, favored prayer in schools.

Committee to Defend America

Leading U.S. group advocating American support for Britain in the the fight against Hitler. The hope was that supporting Britain would keep the US out of war.

Knights of Labor

Led by Terence V. Powderly; open-membership policy extended to unskilled, semiskilled, women, African-Americans, immigrants; goal was to create a cooperative society between in which labors owned the industries in which they worked; Declined following the Haymarket Riot of 1886.

Platt Amendment

Legislation that severely restricted Cuba's sovereignty and gave the US the right to intervene if Cuba got into trouble; Also established Guantanamo Bay as an US naval base.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

Letters written by MLK encouraging non-violent protest against segregation.

Sedition Act

Made it a crime to criticize the government or government officials. Opponents claimed that it violated citizens' rights to freedom of speech and freedom of the press, guaranteed by the First Amednment.

preservation

Maintenance of a resource in its present condition, with as little human impact as possible.

Brain Trust

Many of the advisers who helped Roosevelt during his presidential candidacy continued to aid him after he entered the White House. A newspaperman once described the group as "Roosevelt's Brain Trust." They were more influential than the Cabinet.

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory 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

Zimmerman Telegram

March 1917. Sent from German Foreign Secretary, addressed to German minister in Mexico City. Mexico should attack the US if US goes to war with Germany (needed that advantage due to Mexico's promixity to the US). In return, Germany would give back Tex, NM, Arizona etc to Mexico.

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

vaqueros

Mexican cowboys

Pancho Villa

Mexican guerrilla leader who conducted raids on the United States killing Americans in TX & NM in retaliation for American intervention in Mexican affairs.

MAIN

Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism. The causes of World War I

Social Darwinism

Misinterpretation of Darwin's natural section theory; used to justify societal inequities based on racial or ethnic differences.

Great Migration

Movement of African Americans from the South to the North for jobs and to escape the segregation/violence in the Jim Crow South; begins in the 1890s but grows significantly during WWII.

urbanization

Movement of people from rural areas to cities; occurs in significant numbers during the Gilded Age because of the Second Industrial Revolution.

Suburbanization

Movement of upper and middle-class people from urban core areas to the surrounding outskirts to escape pollution as well as deteriorating social conditions (perceived and actual). More and more Americans moved after WWII due to the use of cars, Interstate Highway System, and development of places like Levittown.

Bretton Woods System (1944-1973)

Named for a conference held at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, in 1944, this system provided the foundation for postwar economic globalization, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund; based on the promotion of free trade, stable currencies, and high levels of capital investment. Meant to ensure a stable global economy and promote international trade.

Navajo Code Talkers

Native Americans from the Navajo tribe used their own language to make a code for the U.S. military that the Japanese could not decipher.

Alfred Thayer Mahan

Naval officer who wrote "The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783" stated that every successful world power once held a great navy; started a naval race among the great world powers; moved the US to naval supremacy; motivated the US to overseas expansion in the quest for US friendly ports and canals.

National Recovery Administration (NRA)

New Deal agency intended to deal with the problem of overproduction. It promoted economic recovery by regulating production through production limits and set wages and hours for workers. Also ensured worker rights to unionize. This will be declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Glasnost and Perestroika

New Soviet reform policies of capitalism and openness (with freedoms)

Stonewall Riots

New York City - Triggered activist protests among gays and lesbians. Police raided gay bar - people fought back - became symbol of oppression of gays, began the gay pride movement

Separate Spheres

Nineteenth-century idea in Western societies that men and women, especially of the middle class, should have different roles in society: women as wives, mothers, and homemakers; men as breadwinners and participants in business and politics

Cambodia

Nixon widened the Vietnam War by moving troops into this country to try and remove enemy camps. Begins bombings in the 1970s.

Expansion of Vietnam War

Nixon widened the war by binning and moving troops into Cambodia to try and remove enemy camps.

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.

Black Tuesday

October 29, 1929; date of the worst stock-market crash in American history and beginning of the Great Depression.

Election of 1876

One of the most disputed presidential elections in US history between Samuel Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes. Neither candidate earned a majority of the electoral votes. 20 disputed electoral votes were ultimately awarded to Hayes after a bitter legal and political battle, giving him the victory on the condition that Hayes would remove remaining federal troops from the South, marking the end of Reconstruction and the beginning of Jim Crow segregation.

W.E.B. DuBois

Opposed Booker T. Washington. Wanted social and political integration. Founder of the Niagara Movement which led to the creation of the NAACP.

Committee on Public Information

Organization also known as the Creel Commision which was responsible for rallying American's around the war effort through propaganda. 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. He proved that words were indeed weapons.

Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)

Organization founded by pacifists in 1942 to promote racial equality through peaceful means. Will be very active in the 1950s/1960s Civil Rights Movement.

Anti-Saloon League

Organization founded in 1893 that increased public awareness of the social effects of alcohol on society; supported politicians who favored prohibition and promoted statewide referendums in Western and Southern states to ban alcohol.

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

Organized in the fall of 1960 by Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. as a student civil rights movement inspired by sit-ins, it challenged the status quo and walked the back roads of Mississippi and Georgia to encourage Blacks to resist segregation and to register to vote.

Phillis Schlafly

Organized opposition to modern feminism and campaign against equal rights movement. Worried that the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment would destroy traditional gender roles and values.

Atlantic Charter

Outlines the postwar goals after WWII ends. Includes self determination/decolonization for colonies, free trade, no territorial gains for the victors, and a new, stronger collective security organization to replace the League of Nations

New Right

Outspoken conservative movement of the 1980s that emphaszed such "social issues" as opposition to abortion, the Equal Rights Amendment, pornography, homosexuality, and affirmative action.

Women's Roles in WWII

Over 200,000 served in non-combat roles in military. 5 million took industrial or defense jobs. Many had never worked before outside the home. They were paid less than men and expected to quit when the war was over.

Wisconsin Idea

Package of reform ideas advocated by LaFollette that included initiative, recall, referendum intended to give voters more power in government

Agriculture Adjustment Act

Paid farmers not to grow crops in order to cut supply and increase crop prices. Will be ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. It will also be harmful to non-land owning farmers (tenant farmers, sharecroppers) and small farmers.

Hawks vs. Doves

Pro-war sentiment vs. anti-war (peace) sentiment.

Palmer Raids

Part of the Red Scare, these were measures to hunt out political radicals and immigrants who were potential threats to American security; led to the arrest of nearly 5,500 people and the deportation of nearly 400.

17th Amendment

Passed in 1913, this amendment to the Constitution calls for the direct election of senators by the voters instead of their election by state legislatures.

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.

Lewis Hine

Photographer who used his pictures to draw attention to social problems such as child labor and the poor living conditions of immigrants in New York City.

Immigration Restriction Act

Placed yearly quotas on immigrants allowed into the US by country. Quotas favored Northern and Western European countries and restricted Southern and Eastern European countries. Africans from any country were limited to 1,000 per year and Asians were barred entirely.

Huey Long

Political leader from Louisiana who criticized the New Deal; pushed "Share Our Wealth" program and make "Every Man a King' - redistribute money from the wealthy via taxes to give to the poor; assassinated

Socialist Party/Eugene V. Debs

Political party led by Eugene Debs that promoted an economic system in which businesses are publicly owned and run by the government; Arose as a challenge to Capitalism and the exploitation seen during the Gilded Age.

Religious Right

Politically active religious conservatives, especially Catholics and evangelical Christians, who became particularly vocal in the 1980s against feminism, abortion, and homosexuality and who promoted "family values."

Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)

Popularly known as "Star Wars," President Reagan proposed the construction of an elaborate computer-controlled, anti-missile defense system capable of destroying enemy missiles in outer space with lasers. Critics claimed it could never be perfected.

Southern Labor Force

Post-Civil War the labor force of the South consisted primarily of African Americans and poor whites.

Second Red Scare

Post-World War II Red Scare caused by rise of "Red China" and the Shocks of 1949; focused on the fear of Communists in U.S. government positions; peaked during the Korean War and declined soon thereafter, when the U.S. Senate censured Joseph McCarthy, who had been a major instigator of the hysteria.

Vertical Integration

Practice where a single entity controls the entire process of a product, from the raw materials to distribution

safety net

Precedent set by FDR and New Deal. The federal government is responsible for society.

Green Berets

President Kennedy gave enthusiastic support to the expansion of the Special Forces, soldiers who trained specifically to fight guerrilla conflicts and other limited wars.

New Frontier

President Kennedy's domestic plan aimed at improving the economy, fighting racial discrimination, and exploring space. It largely failed due to Congressional opposition and a focus on foreign policy.

Vietnamization

President Richard Nixons strategy for ending U.S involvement in the vietnam war, involving a gradual withdrawl of American troops and replacement of them with South Vietnamese forces

Dollar Diplomacy

President Taft's policy of linking American business interests to diplomatic interests abroad

Triple Wall of Privilege

President Wilson called for an all-out war on the tariff, the banks, and the trusts.

John F. Kennedy

President of the US during the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Was responsible for putting the first (covert) troops on the ground in Vietnam. 1st Catholic president.

Henry Ford and the Assembly Line

Produced first of famous cars. Introduced moving assembly line for his automobile plants in 1914. Enabled him to raise wages and reduce hours while cutting base price of Model T (became a standard for other industries). Ford revolutionized the efficiency of manufacturing by mechanically moving the semi-finished product from work station to work station, which made assembly faster, cheaper and with less labor.

Robert La Follette

Progressive Wisconsin governor who attacked machine politics and pressured the state legislature to require each party to hold a direct primary.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

Prohibited state-sponsored recitation of prayer in public schools by virtue of 1st Amendment's establishment clause and the 14th Amendment's due process clause.

18th Amendment

Prohibition of alcohol

Conservation Movement

Protecting and preserving natural resources and the environment; the movement arose in response to the rapid destruction and corporate use of natural resources in the West during the Gilded Age

conservation

Protecting natural resources and the environment through strategic, planned use of these resources

Resettlement Administration

Provided monetary loans to small farmers, tenant farmers, and sharecroppers to buy land.

Robber Barons

Refers to the industrialists or big business owners who gained huge profits by paying their employees extremely low wages. They also drove their competitors out of business by selling their products cheaper than it cost to produce it. Then when they controlled the market, they hiked prices high above original price.

Woman's Christian Temperance Movement

Reformers who wanted to ban alcohol use and prostitution.

Dust Bowl

Region of the Great Plains that experienced a drought in 1930 lasting for a decade. Overproduction in the 1920s led farmers to remove the natural grass/plow land to grow crops. This grass protected topsoil during times of drought. When drought hit nothing kept the soil down leading to major dust storms. Many farmers were left without work or substantial wages.

3 R's of the New Deal

Relief, Recovery, Reform. Relief for those suffering. Recovery for the economy to get it back on track. Reform to ensure a depression like this never happens again.

Ghost Dance Movement

Religious revival of the late 1880s and early 1890s started by the Sioux in the Dakota Territory. It fostered Plains Indians' hope that they could, through sacred dances, resurrect the great bison herds and call up a storm to drive whites back across the Atlantic and return tribes to greatness.

Barry Goldwater

Republican candidate for President in 1964 (loses to LBJ), and initial leader of the conservative movement.

Labor Contracts (Black Codes)

Requirement in southern black codes that all free African Americans enter into a labor contract. Motivated by the intense Southern fear that they were losing their labor force and the Southern economy would plummet.

Civil Rights

Rights to participate in society. Includes things like contracts, property, and court testimony in the late 1800s

Destroyers for Bases Agreement

Roosevelt's compromise for helping Britain as he could not sell Britain US destroyers without defying the Neutrality Act; 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.

Big Stick Policy

Roosevelt's philosophy - In international affairs, ask first but bring along a big army to help convince them. Threaten to use force, act as international policemen

Coal Miners Strike of 1902

Roosevelt: threatened to seize the mines and operate them with federal troops, attempted arbitration with representatives from both sides, and gave workers and mine owners a "square deal

Teapot Dome Scandal

Scandal during the Harding administration involving the granting of oil-drilling rights on government land in return for money

Atlantic Conference 1941

Secret meeting between FDR and Churchill off the coast of Newfoundland. They develop postwar goals here.

Hull House

Settlement home designed as a welfare agency for needy families. It provided social and educational opportunities for working class people in the neighborhood as well as improving some of the conditions caused by poverty. Founded by Jane Addams.

Yates v. U.S. (1957)

Several leaders of the Communist Party in California, were convicted for violating the Smith Act, which made it an offense to advocate or belong to a group that advocated the violent overthrow of the government. This case held that the First Amendment protected radical and reactionary speech, unless it posed a "clear and present danger."

Hoovervilles

Shanty towns that the unemployed built in the cities during the early years of the Depression; the name given to them shows that thte people blamed Hoover directly for the Depression.

Panama Canal

Ship canal cut across the isthmus of Panama by United States, it opened in 1915; Theodore Roosevelt supported Panamanian independence from Columbia in exchange for the rights to build the canal.

Mikhail Gorbachev

Soviet leader of the 1980s who worked with Reagan to end the Cold War.

Eugene V. Debs

Socialist leader who won nearly a million votes as a presidential candidate. Support for him reflects American impatience with the pace of Progressive reforms.

Herbert Spencer

Sociologist who was influenced by Charles Darwin; coined the term "survival of the fittest" and opposed government assistance for the poor arguing that the weak should be bred out of the populace.

Jim Crow Laws

State laws in the South that legalized segregation. Limited rights of blacks. Literacy tests, grandfather clauses and poll taxes limited black voting rights.

RMS Lusitania

The Germans torpedoed and sunk this passenger ship off the coast of Ireland killing most onboard including several Americans. Munitions from America (to Britain) were likely stores onboard the ship.

Harlem Hell Fighters

The 369th United States Infantry, made up of African-Americans. The French respected their bravery, although the USA made them fight separately. They were the regiment that saw the most time under fire. They were the first to engage Germans in combat

Federal Emergency Relief Act

The Act was the first direct-relief operation under the New Deal. Law provided money to state and local governments for food and other necessities for the unemployed. It still in effect today

Reagan Doctrine

The Reagan administration's commitment to ending communism by providing military assistance to anti-communist groups. Applied in Nicaragua, Grenada, Angola, Cambodia and Afghanistan

2nd Great Migration

The Second Great Migration was the migration of more than 5 million African Americans from the South to the other three regions of the United States. It took place from 1941 and lasted until 1970. Wartime migration included over 1 million African Americans who not only moved to cities in the North but also the West Coast in search of wartime jobs.

National War Labor Board

The board was a composition of representatives from business and labor designed to arbitrate disputes between workers and employers. It settled any possible labor difficulties that might hamper the war efforts.

Decolonization

The collapse of colonial empires. Between 1947 and 1962, practically all former colonies in Asia and Africa gained independence. This leads the US and Soviets to compete for influence in these areas

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

The court ruled that those subjected to in-custody interrogation be advised of their constitutional right to an attorney and their right to remain silent.

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.

Potsdam Conference

The final wartime meeting of the leaders of the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union was held at Potsdamn, outside Berlin, in July, 1945. Truman, Churchill, and Stalin discussed the future of Europe but their failure to reach meaningful agreements which led to the onset of the Cold War. Also decided to inform the Japanese that if they refused to surrender at once, they would face total destruction.

First 100 days of FDR

The first 100 days of Franklin Roosevelt's presidency where he pushed program after program through congress providing relief, creating jobs, and stimulating economic recovery

Battle of Argonne Forest

The largest battle in U.S. history involving over 1 million soldiers, they would be successful in breaking through the German defenses. It was part of the 100 days offensive that would lead to the end of World War I. The U.S. soldiers were led in battle by John J. Pershing.

Long Telegram

The message written by George Kennan in 1946 to Truman advising him to contain Communist expansion. Told Truman that if the Soviets couldn't expand, their Communism would eventually fall apart, and that Communism could be beaten without going to war. Origins of containment policy that would guide US action throughout the Cold War.

New Look Policy

The name for Eisenhower's national security policy, which worked to balance the demands of the growing arms race with a realistic view of America's financial resources. Relying on strategic nuclear weapons would give the US "more bang for their buck"

John Marshall Harlan

The only Supreme Court justice to dissent from the "separate, but equal" decision in Plessy v. Ferguson. Stated the Constitution is color blind

Sunbelt phenomenon

The postwar migration of millions of Americans from northern and northeastern states to the South and Southwest. This results from deliberate governmental economic and social policies that favor "Sunbelt" cities through federal spending. People moved for the warm weather, lower production costs, and presence of defense factories. The overall effect was a changed urban hierarchy in the Sunbelt region.

McCarthyism

The term associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy who led the search for communists in America during the early 1950s through his leadership in the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Treaty of Paris 1898

The treaty that concluded the Spanish American War, Commissioners from the U.S. were sent to Paris on October 1, 1898 to produce a treaty that would bring an end to the war with Spain after six months of hostilitiy. From the treaty America got Guam, Puerto Rico and they paid 20 million dollars for the Philipines. Cuba was freed from Spain.

Keynesian economics

Theory based on the principles of John Maynard Keynes, stating that government spending should increase during business slumps and be curbed during booms. This is the basis of FDRs New Deal

Safety Valve Theory

Theory that people from the city could always fall back on the frontier if things didn't work out in the city.

Race Riots of 1919

They were a series of conflicts in Chicago caused by the Great Migration. U.S. soldiers were upset after coming back from WWI that African Americans had started replacing their jobs and started violent riots.

Vernon Baker

This First Lieutenant was awarded the Medal of Honor by Bill Clinton for his efforts in WW2. He was in the all black 92nd Infantry.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

This act made racial, religious, and sex discrimination by employers illegal and gave the government the power to enforce all laws governing civil rights, including desegregation of schools and public places.

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.

Wilson's Fourteen Points

This is the plan for post-World War I outlined by President Wilson in 1918. This plan called for self-determination (countries in Africa and Asia govern themselves), freedom of the seas, free trade, end to secret agreements, reduction of arms and a league of nations.

Native American assimilation

To dampen further conflicts the U.S. Government encouraged Native Americans to assimilate into white society. Most indians however rejected wholesale assimilation, even those who joined Christian churches retained many ancestral values and religious beliefs.

NSC-68

Top-secret government report of April 1950 warning that national survival in the face of Soviet communism required a massive military buildup. It pressed for a gross increase in defense spending & determined US foreign policy for the next 20-30 years.

Limited War

Truman favored limiting military combat to Korea (he didn't want the war to get bigger). Truman rejected MacArthur's request to "widen" the war and attack China. Truman also understood that attacking China with nuclear weapons would have triggered World War Three (the Soviet Union, a nuclear power, would have come to aid of communist China and World War Three would have been catastrophic).

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Two Japanese cities on which the U.S. dropped the atomic bombs to end World War II.

Horizontal Integration

Type of monopoly where a company buys out all of its competition. Ex. Rockefeller

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. Won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

Populist Party

U.S. political party formed in 1892 representing mainly farmers, favoring free coinage of silver and government control of railroads and other monopolies. "The People's Party"

Allied Convoy System

US begins escorting lend-lease supplies across the Atlantic because of the danger of German U-boats. This is an undeclared war on Germany - FDR gives the command to shoot German ships on sight in these excursions.

Annexation of Hawaii

US business interests (sugar and fruit; Dole family) devise a revolt to overthrow Queen Liliuokalani to hasten Hawaiian annexation; opposed by many Hawaiians.

Battle of Wounded Knee

US soldiers massacred 300 unarmed Native American in 1890. This ended the Indian Wars.

Federal Employee Loyalty Program

United States Executive Order 9835, sometimes known as The Loyalty Order, was signed March 21, 1947[1] by U.S. President Harry S. Truman. The order established the first general loyalty program in the United States, which was designed to root out communist influence within the various departments of the U.S. federal government. It allowed the FBI to investigate federal employees background.

Chester Nimitz

United States admiral of the Pacific fleet during World War II who used aircraft carriers to destroy the Japanese navy (1885-1966)

Charles Lindbergh

United States aviator who in 1927 made the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean (1902-1974)

Rosa Parks

United States civil rights leader who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery, AL and so triggered the national civil rights movement.

Douglas MacArthur

United States general who served as chief of staff and commanded Allied forces in the South Pacific during World War II.

George Marshall

United States general, who as Secretary of State organized the European Recovery Program

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 and exposed the political corruption in many American cities with a series of articles under the title Shame of the Cities.

Segregated Units

Units African American soldiers served in separated from white soldiers; most African Americans served in non-combat positions, though there are several examples of critical combat contributions by African American regiments

Rough Riders

Volunteer regiment of US Cavalry led by Teddy Roosevelt during the Spanish American War

Bracero Program

Wartime agreement between the United States and Mexico to import farm workers to meet a perceived manpower shortage; the agreement was in effect from 1941 to 1947. This circumvented the immigration process.

Yellow Peril

Western term for perceived threat of Japanese imperialism around 1900; met by increased Western imperialism in region

Nixon Tapes

White house aid revealed Nixon w/secret taping system in Oval Office; Citing executive privilege, refused turn over tapes; under enormous pressure gave them sanitized version w/ 18 minutes missing; June 23, 1974-Supreme Court orders Nixon release unexpurgated tapes; lawyers find Nixon ordered cover-up of Watergate break-in. Aug 9, 1974 - Nixon resigns knowing will be impeached/convicted.

Ku Klux Klan

White supremacy organization that intimidated blacks out of their newly found liberties. Terrorist organization that's conducted raids at night to inspire fear in the South amongst African Americans (primarily). Initial intentions were to prevent African Americans and their allies from voting.

Edward Bellamy

Wrote Looking Backward; said that captialism supported the few and exploited the many. character wakes up in 2000 after napping in a Socialist utopia where all Gilded Age problems have been solved; says socialism will be on top in the end

Federal Reserve Act

a 1913 law that set up a system of federal banks and gave government the power to control the money supply

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.

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

a federal agency established in 1914 to investigate and stop unfair business practices

US Food Administration

a governmental group that organized the delivery of food to soldiers and citizens in allied countries; led by Herbert Hoover and also encouraged the conservation of resources and food in order to help decrease starvation rate of soldiers and citizens abroad --> "go meat less" and "sweet less" ; "gospel of the clean plate"

Anti-Imperialist League

a group that opposed the Treaty of Paris (following Spanish American War) and the creation of an American colonial empire - they specifically objected to American involvement in the Philippines.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

a national organization of labor unions founded in 1886 by Samuel Gompers; Focused solely on wages, hours, and working conditions; ignored social aspects. Only focused on skilled laborers.

Stagflation

a period of slow economic growth and high unemployment (stagnation) while prices rise (inflation)

Return to Normalcy

a return to the way of life before World War I, was United States presidential candidate Warren G. Harding's campaign promise in the election of 1920.

Tenement Housing

a run-down and often overcrowded apartment house, especially in a poor section of a large city;

Warden G. Harding

a senator from Ohio running in the 1920s presidential election who had a campaign strategy to bring the country back to stability and prosperity

Overproduction

a situation in which the supply of manufactured goods exceeds the demand. Farmers also overproduce crops in the 1920s contributing to the Great Depression

Big Three

allies during WWII; Soviet Union - Stalin, United Kingdom - Churchill, United States - Roosevelt

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

an agency, established as part of the New Deal, that put young unemployed men to work building roads, developing parks, planting trees, and helping in erosion-control and flood-control projects.

Helen Hunt Jackson

an author who wrote A Century of Dishonor which chronicled the government's actions against the Native Americans. Her writing helped inspire sympathy towards the Native Americans.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964)

an authorization by Congress empowering President Johnson "to take all necessary measures" to protect U.S. forces in Vietnam; it was issued following reported attacks on U.S. destroyers off the Vietnam coast. Congress later regretted this action as the Vietnam War escalated, and questions emerged about the legitimacy of the attacks.

Philippine-American War

armed conflict between the Philippines and the United States from 1899-1902. It was a continuation of the Philippine struggle for independence. The Philippines declared war on the US and it became a savage conflict with guerilla warfare. Villages were destroyed, civilians were murdered, and prisoners were tortured. The war ended when Emilio Aguinaldo surrendered in 1902.

Race Riots of 1943

broke out in Detroit, Michigan in June 1943, and lasted for three days before federal troops restored order. The rioting between blacks and whites began on Belle Isle on June 20, 1943 and continued until June 22 killing 34, wounding 433, and destroying property valued at $2 million.

Bank Holiday

closed all banks until government examiners could investigate their financial condition; only sound/solvent banks were allowed to reopen. Intended to restore public confidence in the banks

Manhattan Project

code name for the secret United States - England joint project set up in 1942 to develop atomic bombs for use in World War II

Office of Research and Development

contracted scientist and universities to help in tech development for things like radar, sonar, and rockets.

Office of War Mobilization

cordinated all government agencies involved in the war effort

Evil Empire Speech

delivered by Reagan in 1983, this speech characterized the Soviet Union as "an evil empire" with "dark purposes." The U.S. administration proceeded to spend more on military preparedness, including "Star Wars" and took a more assertive role in foreign policy including in Central America, the Caribbean, Libya, and the Middle East. Even repressive authoritarian regimes were propped up if they were anti-Communist.

J. Robert Oppenheimer

director of the Manhattan Project and later of the Atomic Energy Commission. Known as the father of the atomic bomb.

Trickle Down Economics

economic theory that holds that money lent to banks and businesses will trickle down to consumers

Schneck v. US

established the 'clear and present danger' test for limiting First Amendment free speech. Schneider C.L. disrupted WWI recruitment by distributing leaflets claiming that conscription was unconstitutional.

Sandra Day O'Connor

first female Supreme Court Justice - appointed by Reagan; part of the Conservative court.

National Consumers League

formed in the 1890's under the leadership of Florence Kelly, attempted to mobilize the power of women as consumers to force retailers and manufacturing to improve wages and working conditions.

John Muir

founded Sierra Club in 1892; fought unsuccessfully to prevent the damming of the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park.

White Man's Burden

idea that many European countries had a duty to spread their religion and culture to those less civilized; Poem by Rudyard Kipling

Old Immigrants

immigrants who had come to the US before the 1880s from Britain, Germany, Ireland, and Scandenavia, or Northern Europe

Desegregation of military

in 1948 President Truman ordered desegregation of the military. This would create a divide in the Democratic Party.

Pullman Strike

in Chicago, Pullman cut wages but refused to lower rents in the "company town", Eugene Debs had American Railway Union refuse to use Pullman cars, Debs thrown in jail after being sued, strike achieved nothing. President Cleveland used both the US Army and the courts to break the strike.

Fireside Chats

informal talks given by FDR over the radio where he explained his initiatives; sat by White House fireplace; gained the confidence of the people

Office of Price Administration (OPA)

installed price controls on essential items to prevent inflation; froze wages; rationed goods.

Cattle Industry

introduced to Texas by the Spanish. Cattle was driven northward from Texas across Oklahoma to market at Abilene, Kansas. By the end of the 1880's 4 million cattle were driven over the Chisholm Trail. The cattle industry was brought to an end by the expansion of the railroad refrigerated cars and the invention of the barbed wire ending the open range.

Alvin York

killed 25 machine-gunners and captured 132 German soldiers when his soldiers took cover; won Congressional Medal of Freedom

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 period

ABM Treaty

most important detente treaty in which the US and the Soviet Union agreed to limit antiballistic missiles

Great Migration

movement of over 300,000 African American from the rural south into Northern cities between 1914 and 1920

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. This book resulted in food legislation.

Sierra Club

oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892 in San Francisco, California by the well-known conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president. The Sierra Club has hundreds of thousands of members in chapters located throughout the US, and is affiliated with Sierra Club Canada.

Rachel Carson

one of the first people to realize the global dangers of pesticide abuse (DDT). Wrote Silent Spring which inspired the clean air and water legislation of the Great Society

Emergency Banking Relief Act

only banks that were financially stable could reopen after bank holiday

E Pluribus Unum

out of many, one (the motto of the US).

George H.W. Bush

president during the Gulf War, ability to quickly bring the war to a conclusion while suffering relatively few casualties resulted in the second-highest approval rating of any president, 89%

Recall

procedure whereby voters can remove an elected official from office

Child Labor Act

prohibited the shipment in interstate commerce of products manufactured by children under 14 years old

Hawley-Smoot Tariff

protective import tax authorized by Congress in 1930. It raised taxes on imports and printed Europeans to pass their own protective tariffs. It ultimately worsened the depression for Americans and the world.

Sit-ins

protests by black college students, 1960-1961, who took seats at "whites only" lunch counters and refused to leave until served; in 1960 over 50,000 participated in sit-ins across the South. Their success prompted the formation of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.

entitlement spending

public expenditure that gives people to benefits by virtue of age, income, or some other factor; conservatives generally oppose these programs.

detente

relaxation of tensions between the United States and its two major Communist rivals, the Soviet Union and China

Detente

relaxation of tensions between the United States and its two major Communist rivals, the Soviet Union and China. Richard Nixon was skilled at implementing this, especially with China.

Liberty Bonds

sold to American people to raise money for the war efforts

Queen Liliuokalani

the Hawaiian queen who fought against Hawaiian annexation but was forced out of power by a revolution started by American business interests

Reaganomics

the economic policies of the former US president Ronald Reagan, associated especially with the reduction of taxes (especially for the wealthy, increased arms/defense spending, and the promotion of unrestricted free-market activity.

Jane Addams

the founder of Hull House in Chicago, which provided English lessons for immigrants, daycares, and child care classes

Cult of Domesticity

the ideal woman was seen as a tender, self-sacrificing caregiver who provided a nest for her children and a peaceful refuge for her husband. These social customs restricted women to caring for the house

Prohibition

the period from 1920 to 1933 when the sale of alcoholic beverages was prohibited in the United States by a the 18th amendment

Nativism

the policy of protecting the interests of native-born or established inhabitants against those of immigrants; many nativists worried that new immigrants (seen as undesirable) would undermine or ruin the American way.

Appeasement Policy

the policy where Europe gave into the aggressor nations (Germany) to avoid war in the 1930s. It was a failure.

buying on margin

the purchasing of stocks by paying only a small percentage of the price and borrowing the rest

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

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

the use of submarines to sink without warning any ship (including neutral ships and unarmed passenger liners) found in an enemy's waters.