The Great 2022 APUSH Study Guide
Noche Triste
"Sad night", when the Aztecs attacked Hernán Cortés and his forces in the Aztec capital, Tenochitlán, killing hundreds. Cortés laid siege to the city the following year, precipitating the fall of the Aztec Empire and inaugurating three centuries of Spanish rule.
Mexican-American War
(1846-1848) A war between the US and Mexico that was fueled by expansionism. Polk wanted both California and Texas in this war. In the end, America emerged victorious.
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.
Gettysburg Address
(1863) a speech given by Abraham Lincoln after the Battle of Gettysburg, in which he praised the bravery of Union soldiers and renewed his commitment to winning the Civil War; supported the ideals of self-government and human rights.
Osama Bin Laden
(1957-2011) Founder of al Qaeda, the terrorist network responsible for the attacks of September 11, 2001, and other attacks.
Camp David Accords
(1978) were negotiated at the presidential retreat of Camp David by Egypt's Anwar Sadat and Israel Menachem Begin; they were brokered by U.S. President Jimmy Carter. They led to a peace treaty the next year that returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt, guaranteed Israeli access to the Red Sea and Suez Canal, and more-or-less normalized diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries. This isolated Egypt from the other Arab countries and led to Sadat's assassination in 1981.
Election of 2016
(My friend wanted me to include this so here we go) Donald Trump went against Hillary Clinton in this election. Clinton used her private email server for communications, rather than a federal one so she lost some votes there. Partially as a result of that, the charismatic Donald Trump won the election, becoming the 45th President.
Effects of the War of 1812
- increased patriotism, weakened Native American resistance - increased manufacturing - Because the war interrupted trade, Americans were forced to make many of the goods they had previously imported. This encouraged the growth of U.S. manufacturing.
Strategic Hamlet Program
- isolate peasants from Vietcong (southern rebels) - put them in compounds - alienated villagers - meant to avoid killing our allies - Strategy used by Ngo Dinh Diem
Ulysses S. Grant
18th President of the US. A renowned Civil War general, he was the first of the truly Gilded Age presidents. As a Gilded Age president, he wasn't very consequential and his presidency was marked with scandals and corruption.
Phyllis Schlafly
1970s; A new right activist that protested the women's rights acts and movements as defying tradition and natural gender division of labor; demonstrated conservative backlash against the 60s.
War Powers Act
1973. A resolution of Congress that stated the President can only send troops into action abroad by authorization of Congress or if America is already under attack or serious threat.
Grover Cleveland (1st term)
22nd President of the US. A staunch supporter of laissez-faire capitalism, he was a well-renowned businessman and former governor of New York. First Democratic president since James Buchanan, and the only Democrat in the Gilded Age. He poked the sleeping bear of tariffs.
Powhatans
A Native American tribe in Virginia that helped the Jamestown settlers in the early days of the colony. They traded and maintained a peaceful relationship.
Stalwarts
A faction of the Republican party in the ends of the 1800s Supported the political machine and patronage. Conservatives who hated civil service reform.
American GI Forum
A group founded by World War II veterans in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1948 to protest the poor treatment of Mexican American soldiers and veterans.
Copperheads
A group of northern Democrats who opposed abolition and sympathized with the South during the Civil War.
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
A relief, recovery, and reform effort that gave 2.5 million poor citizens jobs and land. It brought cheap electric power, low-cost housing, cheap nitrates, and the restoration of eroded soil.
white primary
A state primary election that restricts voting to whites only; outlawed by the Supreme Court in 1944. Utilized by the Democrats, and Robert La Follette stressed reform of this.
Federalists
A term used to describe supporters of the Constitution during ratification debates in state legislatures. Believed that a strong central government was needed, and that only the right people should run it. They also argued that if anyone unprivileged ran the government, the government would be in disarray. (Kind of like how Andrew Yao runs the server lol) Supporters were rich northern merchants. Prominent Federalist: Alexander Hamilton
Camp Meetings
A tool of the Second Great Awakening where people would gather to hear hellfire speeches. Through these, Second Great Awakening ideas spread extremely quickly.
Royal African Company
A trading company chartered by the English government in 1672 to conduct its merchants' trade on the Atlantic coast of Africa. It later lost its charter, opening the way up for private planters to import slaves.
First Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT I)
A treaty signed between the USSR and US limiting nuclear arms production. It didn't end the arms race however, and this signified the end of American superiority in terms of weaponry.
Crack Cocaine Epidemic
A type of cocaine that became prevalent in inner-cities in the 1980s, despite the "War on Drugs" and Reagan's "Just Say No!" campaign at the time. Many Americans were incarcerated for bad reasons in inner cities just for being suspected of possessing drugs.
Townshend Acts
A series of taxes that the British Parliament passed in 1767 that was placed on leads, glass, paint and tea.
Casablanca Conference
A wartime conference held at Casablanca, Morocco that was attended by de Gaulle, Churchill, and FDR. The Allies demanded the unconditional surrender of the axis, agreed to aid the Soviets, agreed on the invasion Italy, and the joint leadership of the Free French by De Gaulle and Giraud.
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.
Helen Hunt Jackson
A writer. Author of the 1881 book A Century of Dishonor. The book exposed the U.S. governments many broken promises to the Native Americans. For example the government wanted Native Americans to assimilate, i.e. give up their beliefs and ways of life, that way to become part of the white culture.
Hippie Movement
A youth movement of the 1960s that embraced harmony with nature, communal living, the use of recreational drugs, artistic experimentation (especially when it came to music) and peace (anti-war).
Confederate States of America
A republic formed in February of 1861 and composed of the eleven Southern states that seceded from the United States due to slavery. They would be the main opponents in the Civil War.
The Beatles
A rock group from Liverpool who between 1962 and 1970 produced a variety of hit songs and albums. Their song heavily influenced the youth culture of the '60s and '70s.
Spindle Cities
Cities that the low wage workers would cluster to because they contained high amounts of factories that would allow more jobs for more people who needed them.
George Creel and the CPI
Committee on Public Information. This was formed by Woodrow Wilson to control the press and limit people's freedom of the press. It censored the media and kept opponents of the war out of the media- did everything it could to convince people to oppose the war. George Creel was appointed by Wilson as head of the CPI, and it was his job to distribute propaganda and convince the nation of the value of participating in the war. He did so by distributing propaganda through the news and by recruiting people to preach the value of the war across the country.
Dutch East and West India Companies
Companies founded by the Dutch in the early 17th century to establish and direct trade throughout Asia and to the west. Richer and more powerful, they drove out the Portuguese and established dominance over the region. It ended up going bankrupt and being bought out by the British.
Robert E. Lee
Confederate general who had opposed secession but did not believe the Union should be held together by force. Showed the South's strategical advantage over the north.
Battles of Lexington and Concord (April, 1775)
Considered the very first battles of the American Revolution. Thanks to the efforts of the local Massachusetts militia, they were able to beat the British.
New Freedom
Democrat Woodrow Wilson's political slogan in the presidential campaign of 1912; Wilson wanted to improve the banking system, lower tariffs, and, by breaking up monopolies, give small businesses freedom to compete.
William Jennings Bryan
Democratic candidate for president in 1896 under the banner of "free silver coinage" which won him support of the Populist Party.
Big Stick Diplomacy
Diplomatic policy developed by T.R where the "big stick" symbolizes his power and readiness to use military force if necessary. It is a way of intimidating countries without actually harming them and was the basis of U.S. imperialistic foreign policy.
British Anti Sentiment (Antebellum)
Due to the lack of British-supporting Federalist party, anti-British sentiment was rampant. Some British ships even seized American ones, as Britain saw themselves as superior.
Square Deal
Economic policy by Roosevelt that favored fair relationships between companies and workers. Consumer protection, conservation, and corporate cooperation.
Emancipation Proclamation (1863)
After the Union victory at Antietam, Sep. 23, 1862, Lincoln issued this which declared slaves free in territories still in rebellion. Did not apply to border slave states because Lincoln feared it would push them into CSA, also felt he could only free slaves as a war measure under his power as commander-in-chief. However, hearing of this many slaves fled to Union armies, and this turned federal forces into armies of liberation (also made European intervention for South much less likely since Europe was anti-slavery)
California Gold Rush (49ers)
After the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill, CA, thousands of "49ers" flocked to California to try and get gold. The high influx of people in California aroused the issue of popular sovreignty and its status of being free or slave.
Eisenhower Doctrine
Eisenhower proposed and obtained a joint resolution from Congress authorizing the use of U.S. military forces to intervene in any country that appeared likely to fall to communism. Used in the Middle East.
Federal Farm Board
Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture; it offered farmers insurance against loss of crops due to drought; flood; or freeze. It did not guarantee profit or cover losses due to bad farming. Herbert Hoover instituted it.
Berlin Airlift
Airlift in 1948 that supplied food and fuel to citizens of west Berlin when the Russians closed off land access to Berlin. It exemplified the new role the US would take in maintaining stability and security in the world.
Merchant Princes
Elite group of north who got rich from selling ships to England. In charge of New England by 1700's. Honored Puritans (but not really). Money is more important to them than religion. They got rich off of the wars Britain fought with other countries.
George Whitefield
English clergyman who was known for his ability to convince many people through his sermons. He involved himself in the Great Awakening in 1739 preaching his belief in gaining salvation. A "New Light" leader.
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Failed invasion of Cuba in 1961 when a force of 1,200 Cuban exiles, backed by the United States, landed at the Bay of Pigs. Worsened relations between Communist Cuba and America. America invaded because they didn't like having a communist nation so close to their country.
Daniel Webster
Famous American politician and orator. he advocated renewal and opposed the financial policy of Jackson. Many of the principles of finance he spoke about were later incorporated in the Federal Reserve System. Would later push for a strong union.
24th Amendment
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1964) eliminated the poll tax as a prerequisite to vote in national elections.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
American transcendentalist who was against slavery and stressed self-reliance, optimism, self-improvement, self-confidence, and freedom. He was a prime example of a transcendentalist and helped further the movement.
Treaty of Kanagawa
An 1854 agreement between the United States and Japan, which opened two Japanese ports to U.S. ships and allowed the United States to set up an embassy in Japan. This was the beginning of Japan's rise as an industrial power of the far east.
Vertical Integration
An approach typical of traditional mass production in which a company controls all phases of a highly complex production process. The corporation controls mining, to processing, to shipping.
Maize
An early form of corn by grown by Mesoamerican societies. Due to its ability to be grown easily it helped increase the influence, power, and populations of these societies along with Squash and Beans.
Joseph Smith
Founded Mormonism in New York in 1830 with the guidance of an angel. 1843, his announcement that God sanctioned polygamy split the Mormons and let to an uprising against Mormons in 1844; translated the Book of Mormon and died a martyr.
Carrie Nation
Founded WCTU to outlaw selling/drinking alcohol. She was married to an abusive man that she killed with an axe and she didn't get punished for it. She formed a group that walked into bars with hatchets. She then wrecked and destroyed those bars and saloons. Smashy smash.
Compromise of 1877
In return for Hayes getting the presidency, the government would have to move federal troops out of the South. This compromise went through, and it ended the Reconstruction Era. Now African Americans in the South were back on their own.
Suez Crisis (1956)
International crisis launched when Egyptian President Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, which had been owned mostly by French and British stockholders. This crisis failed without aid from the United States and marked an important turning point in the post-colonial Middle East and highlighted the rising importance of oil in world affairs.
Steel Plow
Invented by John Deere and was strong enough to cut through the tough prairie sod of the Midwest and the Plains.
Alexander Graham Bell
Inventor of the telephone, a successor to the telegram. Allowed messages to be spoken through a long line.
Operation Desert Shield
Iraq invades Kuwait and we send US troops and build up a coalition to take Saddam Hussein out and restore Kuwait back to power. US later further sent more troops to block Saddam's threats to invade Saudi Arabia. August 1990-January 1991.
United Farm Workers (UFW)
Is a union for agricultural laborers, primarily in California. Founded by charismatic leader, Cesar Chavez, UFW reached the peak of its influence in the 1970s, then declined until his death in 1993.
Main weakness of the Chesapeake Bay Region
It was a hotbed for disease, and it spread easily, so settlements in this area would have a hard time sustaining themselves. Though, this would later change.
Jackson's Bank War
Jackson believed the Bank of US had too much power and was too rich. Vetoed the 2nd Bank charter and withdrew gov't money from the US Banks and put it into "pet banks", resulting in the elimination of the National Bank.
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln during a performance of Our American Cousin at Ford's Theater in Washington DC on April 14, 1865. The assassination slowed the national recovery after the Civil War exponentially as a series of lackluster presidents had to bear the burden of trying to restore national wounds.
Clara Barton
Launched the American Red Cross in 1881. An "angel" in the Civil War, she treated the wounded in the field.
Slave Codes
Laws that controlled the lives of enslaved African Americans and denied them basic rights.
Manuel Noriega
Leader of the Panamanian Defense Forces, Noriega supplied information to the CIA during the Bush administration, but was indicted in 1988 for drug and other charges and eventually captured and convicted after a military standoff with U.S. troops in Panama.
Chief Powhatan
Leader of the Powhatan people and father of Pocahontas
Jerry Falwell
Leader of the Religious Right Fundamentalist Christians, a group that supported Reagan; rallying cry was "family values", anti-abortion, favored prayer in schools. He was key in preaching the ideals of the New Right wing Americans.
Louis Armstrong
Leading African American jazz musician during the Harlem Renaissance; he was a talented trumpeter whose style influenced many later musicians.
Committee to Defend America
Leading U.S. group advocating American support for Britain in the the fight against Hitler.
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.
Knights of Labor
Led by Terence V. Powderly; open-membership policy extending 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.
Huey P. ("Kingfish") Long
Louisiana governor, later senator, whose anti-New Deal "Share Our Wealth" program promised to make "Every Man a King"-that is, until he was gunned down in 1935.
26th Amendment
Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 because it was unfair that those eligible for draft were not eligible to vote.
Griswold v. Connecticut
Married couple wanted to get contraceptives; struck down a Connecticut law prohibiting the sale of contraceptives; established the right of privacy through the 4th and 9th amendment.
McCulloch v. Maryland
Maryland was trying to tax the national bank and Supreme Court ruled that federal law was stronger than the state law. It also declared loose construction came from the consent in the people.
Eugene J. McCarthy
Minnesota senator whose anti-war "Children's Crusade" helped force Johnson to alter his Vietnam policies.
intercontinental ballistic missiles
Missiles equipped with nuclear warheads that have a range of 5500 kilometers.
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. It helped convince Teddy Roosevelt to ratify new reforms for food inspection and worker safety.
Greenbacks
Name for Union paper money not backed by gold or silver. Value would fluctuate depending on status of the war (plural).
Mesoamerica
Name for the ancient societies that existed prior to the arrival of Europeans. Grew due to the cultivation of squash, beans, and most importantly Maize.
Literary Individualists
Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)- The Scarlet Letter (psychological effect of sin) Herman Melville (1819-1891) -Moby Dick -between good & evil told in whale captain
Anti-Saloon League (ASL)
National organization set up in 1895 to work for prohibition. Later joined with the WCTU to publicize the effects of drinking.
American Protective Association (APA)
Nativist organization that attacked "New Immigrants" and Roman Catholicism in the 1880s and 1890s.
Works Progress Administration (WPA)
New Deal agency that helped create jobs for those that needed them. It created around 9 million jobs working on bridges, roads, and buildings.
New Isolationism
Nickname for the mood of caution and restraint in the conduct of the nation's foreign affairs after the Vietnam War.
Election of 1824
No one won a majority of electoral votes, so the House of Representatives had to decide among Adams, Jackson, and Clay. Clay dropped out and urged his supporters in the House to throw their votes behind Adams. Jackson and his followers were furious and accused Adams and Clay of a "corrupt bargain."
Cesar Chavez
Non-violent leader of the United Farm Workers from 1963-1970. Organized laborers in California and in the Southwest to strike against fruit and vegetable growers. Unionized Mexican-American farm workers.
Notables
Northern landlords, slave-owning planters, and seaport merchants who dominated the political system of the early nineteenth century. As poorer farmers moved west, they began to break free of these people..
Anti-Imperialists
Opposed to US Imperialism: 1). Morality-believed that taking over Filipino's would violate American principle "the right of all people to independence and self-government" 2). Economics-feared competition from Filipino producers 3). Legality and Race-feared contaminating effects of contact with "inferior" Asian races.
Iranian Revolution of 1979
Opposition to the Shah, Mohammad-Rezā Shāh Pahlavi, grew from the brutality, inefficiency, malfeasance, and corruption of his regime. The shah had exiled his main opponent, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and massive street demonstrations and crippling strikes against the existing government forces the shah to leave the country in 1979. Since the Shah was American-backed, an anti-western and American sentiment began to develop.
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.
Force Acts
Passed by Congress following a wave of Ku Klux Klan violence, the acts banned clan membership, prohibited the use of intimidation to prevent blacks from voting, and gave the U.S. military the authority to enforce the acts.
Civil Rights Act of 1866
Passed by Congress on 9th April 1866 over the veto of President Andrew Johnson. The act declared that all persons born in the United States were now citizens, without regard to race, color, or previous condition.
Federal Securities Act (1933)
Passed in May 1933, required corporations to provide complete information on all stock offerings and made them liable for any misrepresentations.
Critics of Conformity
People who criticized the lifestyle and society of the 1950s.
Population in the colonies
Population was very high, higher than other British (England merged with Scotland) areas in fact, so it upset the balance of power. Most lived east of the Appalachian Mountains.
Dawes Plan, Young Plan
Post-WW I depression in Germany left it unable to pay reparation and Germany defaulted on its payments in 1923. In 1924, U.S. Vice President Charles Dawes formulated a plan to allow Germany to make its reparation payments in annual installments. This plan was renegotiated and modified in 1929 by U.S. financier Owen Young.
Jonathan Edwards
Preacher during the First Great Awakening; "Sinners in the hands of angry god". Congregationalist preacher, and "old light".
Lord North
Prime Minister of Britain from 1770 to 1782. The third and final British prime minister that influenced the Revolution. He was also the most notorious. Although he repealed the Townshend Acts, he generally went along with King George III's repressive policies towards the colonies even though he personally considered them wrong. He hoped for an early peace during the Revolutionary War and resigned after Cornwallis' surrender in 1781.
Benjamin Franklin
Printer, author, inventor, diplomat, statesman, and Founding Father. One of the few Americans who was highly respected in Europe, primarily due to his discoveries in the field of electricity. Helped negotiate with the French in the Revolutionary War. Helped establish many new institutions in America such as its first hospital, library, and college with the name "Penn".
National Woman's Party (Alice Paul)
Progressive era women who opposed the war and women's support of the war effort; engaged in marches and hunger strikes to protest the war.
15th Amendment (1870)
Prohibited voting restrictions based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude (slavery)
Anne Hutchinson
Puritan woman who disagreed with the beliefs of the Puritan church. She was banished from the New England colonies, but found refuge in Rhode Island. Preached Antinomianism.
Pennsylvania Colony
Quaker colony founded by William Penn as a "Holy Experiment" for all peoples to live. Because it was so well advertised, it attracted a wide array of diverse peoples, and it soon became the third most populous colony.
The Sixties
Really were in the '70s, it was a period of time where a neo-liberalism was born, as well as a youth culture.
Long Drive
Refers to the overland transport of cattle by the cowboy over the three month period. Cattle were sold to settlers and Native Americans.
Dust Bowl
Region of the Great Plains that experienced a drought in 1930 lasting for a decade, leaving many farmers without work or substantial wages. It forced many farmers, mostly from Oklahoma and Arkansas, to migrate to other parts of the country to have better lives.
Gibbons v. Ogden
Regulating interstate commerce is a power reserved to the federal government.
Objectives of the New Deal (3 R's)
Relief, Recovery, Reform
Election of 1896
Republican William McKinley defeated Democratic-Populist "Popocrat" William Jennings Bryan. 1st election in 24 years than Republicans won a majority of the popular vote. McKinley won promoting the gold standard, pluralism, and industrial growth.
John D. Rockefeller
Richest American of all time (even more than Elon). He monopolized off of the oil industry with his Standard Oil Company. He used horizontal integration and trusts to become rich. He was, however, a known philanthropist.
Scalawags and Carpetbaggers
Scalawags are hope to gain political offices with the help of the African-American vote and then use those offices to enrich themselves. Carpetbaggers where Democrats that used an equally unflatterring name for Northerners who moved to the South after the war.
William Fulbright
Senator from Arkansas who was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; he began to oppose the Vietnam War.
Aroostook War
Series of clashes between American and Canadian lumberjacks in the disputed territory of northern Maine, resolved when a permanent boundary was agreed upon in 1842.
Panic of 1893
Serious economic depression beginning in 1893. Began due to rail road companies over-extending themselves, causing bank failures. Was the worst economic collapse in the history of the country until that point, and, some say, as bad as the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Sugar
Served as the main cash crop of the West Indies. They were a key component in the triangular trade system.
Office of Economic Stabilization
Set forth to keep the wartime economy under control by setting price floors and ceilings, regulating the tax code, and instituting rationing.
Hernan Cortes
Spanish explorer and conquistador who conquered the Aztec Empire in the name of Spain. Established foundations for modern Mexico.
teach-in
Special session of lecture and discussion on a controversial topic that often occurred during the Vietnam War era.
Underwood Tariff Act
Tariff that slashed overall rates by about a third what they had been, revenue was made up through the addition of the 16th Amendment (Income Tax).
Robert McNamara
The US Secretary of Defense during the battles in Vietnam. He was the architect for the Vietnam war and promptly resigned after the US lost badly.
Middle Passage
The brutal journey that slaves took from West Africa to the New World. A significant portion of the slaves onboard died.
Pequot War (1637)
The expansion of English settlement led to wars against the native peoples. In this war, 700 Pequots were killed by the colonists and their Indian allies.
Urbanization in the Gilded Age
The growth of the population inside of a city. The technology was growing, making it difficult for farmers to make a living. As factories began growing, many workers left farms for employment in urban areas. Urban life was very convenient for many, so that was a factor that attracted people. Public transport such as electric trolleys were developed as well, and many urban citizens were able to get around quickly. However, cities had slums, and were filled with crime and poverty due to the size of the cities.
Conservation
The idea that America's lands and beauty should be protected.
Fordism
The manufacturing economy and system derived from assembly-line mass production and the mass consumption of standardized goods.
Tariff of 1816
This protective tariff helped American industry by raising the prices of British manufactured goods, which were often cheaper and of higher quality than those produced in the U.S. It was the first tariff in American history, and the US put it in place to foster a trading relationship with Britain.
Thomas Alva Edison
This scientist received more than 1,300 patents for a range of items including the automatic telegraph machine, the phonograph, improvements to the light bulb, a modernized telephone and motion picture equipment.
Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)
This series of laws were very harsh laws that intended to make Massachusetts pay for its resistance. It also closed down the Boston Harbor until the Massachusetts colonists paid for the ruined tea. Also forced Bostonians to shelter soldiers in their own homes.
Safety Valve Theory
This states that when hard times hit, the unemployed move west, took up farming and became prosperous. With the close of the frontier the less fortunate had no place to start a new life, thus leading to urban overcrowding and inner city problems.
Nullification Crisis
Upon being ignored, South Carolina passed the Ordinance of Nullification in 1832 as a state law that declared the Tariff of Abominations and Tariff of 1832 as null and void, developing another questioning of the power of the states vs. fed. gov. Jackson's VP, John C. Calhoun, silently supported SC's nullification act via newspapers. Andrew Jackson was furious upon finding out, and so he sent federal troops to South Carolina via a Force Bill to intimidate the opposition. After this, the ordinance was repealed, and Calhoun stepped down as VP.
Beaver pelts
Valuable beaver skin used for hats and other apparel items; used for trade between Native Americans and Europeans. A powerful resource that helped maintain friendly relations with Native Americans.
Marco Polo
Venetian merchant who traveled to the east and wrote of it in his books. Inspired Europeans to explore.
Saddam Hussein
Was a dictator in Iraq who tried to take over Iran and Kuwait violently in order to gain the land and the resources. He also refused to let the UN into Iraq in order to check if the country was secretly holding weapons of mass destruction. He was a major enemy of the US, turning Iraq into an aggressor nation.
Planters
Wealthy southern plantation owners at the top of Southern Society. Usually owned a lot of slaves, and grew very rich as a result of tobacco farming. They also dominated politics, passing many pro-slavery laws.
Seventh of March Speech
Webster's last great speech to the US Senate which called upon his fellow senators to give their full support to the Compromise of 1850.
Yippies
Youth International Party; anarchist party headed by Abbie Hoffman that opposed the Vietnam War & conformity; poured bags of dollars onto the New York Stock Exchange and carried pictures of LBJ upside down.
Federal Reserve Act
a 1913 law that set up a system of federal banks and gave government the power to control the money supply.
Daguerrotype
a photograph taken by an early photographic process employing an iodine-sensitized silvered plate and mercury vapor.
Salutary Neglect
an English policy of relaxing the enforcement of regulations in its colonies in return for the colonies' continued economic loyalty. The colonies still continued to become independent from influence of the British.
Progressive Party (Bull Moose Party)
an early 20th century reform movement seeking to return control of the government to the people, to restore economic opportunities, and to correct injustices in American life.
Willow Run Factory
built by Henry Ford to build B-24 bombers.
Manhattan Project
code name for the secret United States project set up in 1942 to develop atomic bombs for use in World War II.
New Jersey Colony
colony with a diverse population, including Dutch, Swedes, Finns, and Scots, Territory given to Sir John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. Territory was diverse religiously and ethnically.
Ohio River Valley
controversial land that led to the French and Indian War; British win war and claim this land; region where British fur traders went; rich soil for farming.
William James
founder of functionalism; studied how humans use perception to function in our environment
Adjusted Compensation Act
it gave every WW1 veteran a paid up insurance policy, vetoed by both Harding and Coolidge, but overridden by Congress. A precursor to the GI Bill.
Bering Strait Land Bridge
land bridge that connected Asia and North America together; enabled early settlers from Eurasia to populate the Americas.
End of the Frontier 1890
no new land available to settle, government bought land back from the Native Americans, most of the Plains settled- last rush in Oklahoma.
Albany Plan of Union
plan proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1754 that aimed to unite the 13 colonies for trade, military, and other purposes; the plan was turned down by the colonies and the Crown. The first attempt at full-scale colonial unity, and the idea of modern America.
Morill Act of 1862
provided federal money to colleges identifies as "land grant universities" throughout the United States.
Morill Tariff Act
superseding the low tariff of 1857 duties increased some 5-10% raise revenue and produce protection for manufacturing
Battle of Fort Duquesne
the British realize they must change their battle strategy during the French and Indian War after this battle, due to the failure of General Edward Braddock. At the site of modern-day Pittsburgh.
Queen Liliuokalani
the Hawaiian queen who was forced out of power by a revolution started by American business interests.
Mayflower
the ship in which the Pilgrim Fathers sailed from England to Massachusetts in 1620.
Charles Schenck
was a United States Supreme Court decision that upheld the Espionage Act of 1917 and concluded that a defendant did not have a First Amendment right to freedom of speech against the draft during World War I. Ultimately, the case established the "clear and present danger" test..
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.
Tallmadge Amendment
This was an attempt to have no more slaves to be brought to Missouri and provided the gradual emancipation of the children of slaves. In the mind of the South, this was a threat to the sectional balance between North and South.
Battle of Gettysburg
Turning point of the Civil War that began the downfall of the Confederates. It was also the bloodiest battle of the war. Pickett's Charge, a bloody Confederate bayonet charge, was awfully planned out by General Lee so he was forced to suffer massive losses, leading to a Union victory. It was all downhill from this point on for the South.
Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst
Two newspaper publishers who achieved mass circulation through sensational news coverage.
Russian Revolution of 1917
Two revolutions, the first of which, in February (March, New Style), overthrew the imperial government and the second of which, in October (November), placed the Bolsheviks in power. One of the world's most powerful nations was now dedicated to the practice of communism, a hated ideology in America.
Battle of Tippecanoe (1811)
U.S. forces - led by William Henry Harrison - defeated Tecumseh's confederacy then burned its headquarters at Prophetstown. *Historical Significance:* Tecumseh's confederacy allied with the British during the War of 1812; Harrison emerged as a war hero.
William Tecumseh Sherman
Union General who destroyed South during "march to the sea" from Atlanta to Savannah, example of total war.
Espionage Act of 1917
United States federal law passed shortly after entering World War I, on June 15, 1917, which made it a crime for a person to convey information with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the armed forces of the United States or to promote the success of its enemies. The legislation was passed at the urging of President Woodrow Wilson, who feared any widespread dissent in time of war, thinking that it constituted a real threat to an American victory.
George Marshall
United States general and statesman who as Secretary of State organized the European Recovery Program (1880-1959).
Christmas Bombings
To re-convince North Vietnam when they called off talking, Nixon launched a 3 week bombing on Vietnam in late December, 1972.
Seneca Falls Convention
Took place in Upstate New York in 1848. Women of all ages and even some men went to discuss the rights and conditions of women. There, they wrote the Declaration of Sentiments, which among other things, tried to get women the right to vote.
Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
(CORE) Civil rights organization started in 1944 and best known for its "freedom rides," bus journeys challenging racial segregation in the South in 1961.
Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)
(FDR) 1933 and 1938 , Helped farmers meet mortgages. Unconstitutional because the government was paying the farmers to waste 1/3 of there products. Created by Congress in 1933 as part of the New Deal this agency attempted to restrict agricultural production by paying farmers subsidies to take land out of production.
Antebellum Education Reform
-Promoted longer school years -Promoted higher pay for teachers -Promoted an expanded curriculum
Millard Fillmore (1850-1853)
13th President of the US. Became president after Zachary Taylor's unexpected death. He oversaw the Compromise of 1850 and its effects. He was also the last Whig President.
Franklin Pierce (1853-1857)
14th President of the US and a northern, slavery-supporting Democrat. His victory in 1852 spelled the end for the Whig Party. Under his watch, sectionalism continued to increase, yet there was still a pretty good foreign policy.
James Buchanan (1857-1861)
15th President of the US. Also a northern slave-supporting Democrat, he is almost unanimously regarded as the worst president of all time. He simply watched the country fracture between supporting slavery and opposing it. He hastened the split of the nation, and pretty much directly led to the Civil War.
Tobacco
A cash crop that would later influence the Southern economy greatly. Cash crops would later become a staple of the Southern economy. Because it damaged the soil, and so much of it was grown, it encouraged the expansion inland.
Stonewall Riots (1969)
A key event strengthening the gay rights movement, this event took place at a bar in Greenwich Village in NYC called the ___. In many locations, openly homosexual conduct in public was a crime punishable by law. When police raided the bar, gay patrons resisted arrest, and quickly the location became a magnet for protest over the next few days. The event led to the creation of gay rights activist organizations, and rallied the LGBT community.
Allen Ginsberg
A leading member of the Beat movement whose writings featured existential mania for intense experience and frantic motion.
political machine
A party organization that recruits members by dispensing patronage. Martin Van Buren used this strategy.
War on Terror
After 9/11, President George W. Bush declared a worldwide "war on terrorism" aimed at defeating international terrorist organizations, destroying terrorist training camps, and bringing terrorists themselves to justice.
Opium War
After Britain's victory in this war, China opened up 5 "treaty ports" to the rest of the world, and further opening the way for America.
Dulles Diplomacy
Believed that if the US pushed Communists to the brink of war, they would back down because of America's nuclear superiority. "brinkmanship"
Brown Berets
Activist group formed in 1967 in response to police treatment of Mexican Americans.
Sedition Act of 1918
Added to Espionage Act to cover "disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language" about the American form of government, the Constitution, the flag, or the armed forces. literally 1984
Olive Branch Petition (1775)
Adopted by the Continental Congress in an attempt to avoid a full-blown war with Great Britain. *Provisions:* Affirmed American loyalty to Great Britain and entreated the king to prevent further conflict. *Historical Significance:* Rejected and the colonies were formally declared in rebellion.
Duke Ellington
Born in Chicago middle class. moved to Harlem in 1923 and began playing at the cotton club. Composer, pianist and band leader. Most influential figures in jazz.
Voyageurs
Adventurers who journeyed by canoe from Montréal to the interior to trade with Indians for furs. Natives who worked with them however, had to pay a big price.
White Committee
Advocated unlimited assistances to England short of war, although some of its members privately favored entry into WWII.
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 Aguinaldo surrendered in 1902.
Keynesianism/Pump Priming
Belief in aggressive government intervention to combat recession & promote economic growth, especially by massive federal spending ("stimulus"). FDR had a heavy belief in this idea of government intervention.
Population boom (Antebellum)
As more and more moved west, a distinct divide between urban and rural began to develop. Many immigrants flocked to the urban centers as they began to rise in population. Europeans mostly came to America for opportunity and overpopulation in Europe.
Anti-Federalists
Anti-Federalists rose up as the opponents of the Constitution during the period of ratification. They opposed the Constitution's powerful centralized government, arguing that the Constitution gave too much political, economic, and military control. They instead advocated a decentralized governmental structure that granted most power to the states. Most southern poor farmers were Anti-Federalists. Prominent Anti-Federalist: Thomas Jefferson
Suburbanization
After WWII, following the Baby Boom, more rich Americans moved out of the cities and into the suburbs. Levittowns were able to help with this movement was there were a lot of them. Most of these newly rich Americans also were able to easily afford these suburban houses thanks to the GI Bill, and they could get there quickly with the car. Highways also made travel very easy to, from, and through the suburbs. Most who bought these houses were educated, White, and rich.
Battle of Appomattox Courthouse
After a crushing defeat, General Lee and the Confederacy surrender to General Grant in Central Virginia. This marks the unofficial end of the war (even though several battles occurred after).
Cross of Gold Speech
An impassioned address by William Jennings Bryan at the 1896 Democratic Convention, in which he attacked the "gold bugs" who insisted that U.S. currency be backed only with gold.
Caning of Charles Sumner (1856)
An incident in which Massachusetts senator Charles Sumner was assaulted on the floor of the Senate by South Carolina congressman Preston S. Brooks over Sumner's accusation that a distant cousin of Brooks' had taken ''the harlot slavery'' as his mistress.
New Haven Colony
Another Puritan colony in New England, except it was settled in the Connecticut River Valley.
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965
Abolished the national-origins quotas and providing for the admission each year of 170,000 immigrants from the Eastern Hemisphere and 120,000 from the Western Hemisphere. Great Society.
13th Amendment (1865)
Abolition of slavery w/o compensation for slave-owners.
Pottawatomie Massacre
Abolitionist John Brown and his men killed 5 pro-slavery men in Kansas; response to Sack of Lawrence. Began the era of Bleeding Kansas.
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. Synthesis to debates of the 1970s, regarding to African Americans and their rights (Malcolm X, MLK).
Booker T. Washington
African American progressive who supported segregation and demanded that African American better themselves individually to achieve equality.
Patriot Act (2001)
Act passed in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, granting broad police authority to the federal, state, and local governments to interdict, prosecute, and convict suspected terrorists. This caused debate among civil liberties mentioned in the 4th Amendment.
Charles Grandison Finney
An evangelist who was one of the greatest preachers of all time (spoke in New York City). He also made the "anxious bench" for sinners to pray and was was against slavery and alcohol.
Columbian Exchange
An exchange of goods, ideas and skills from the Old World (Europe, Asia and Africa) to the New World (North and South America) and vice versa. New technologies (like a hammock believe it or not) were brought to the Old World, but Europeans spread their diseases to the New World.
Michael Harrington, The Other America
As described in his book, the poor were trapped in a vicious cycle of want and a culture of deprivation. Because they could not afford good housing, a nutritious diet, and doctors, the poor got sick more often and for longer than more affluent Americans. Although the 1950s were a prosperous time, this man looks over the overlooked, and poor part of society which synthesizes with the 1920s and the overlooked farmers.
John Winthrop
As governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony, Winthrop (1588-1649) was instrumental in forming the colony's government and shaping its legislative policy. He envisioned the colony, centered in present-day Boston, as a "city upon a hill" from which Puritans would spread religious righteousness throughout the world.
Hurricane Katrina
August 29, 2005 *A large hurricane that caused major destruction and loss of life along the Gulf Coast of the US *The levee system in New Orleans, Louisiana, flooded due to catastrophic failure; water covered the city and nearby areas for weeks, and more than 1500 people died *The federal government was widely blamed for its slow response to the crisis, and the federal, state, and local governments were criticized for their lack of communication *Issues of race, poverty, and political power were debated nationwide as news of the tragedy spread *The levee failures led to investigation of the US Army Corps of Engineers, which had designed and built them, and into local levee boards that managed the system
Rock and Roll
Became a popular music genre in the fifties with the introduction of Elvis Presley. It represented youth culture, and the beginning of the separation of generational beliefs.
Anne Moody
Became involved in the civil rights movement. She joined the NAACP and also worked with CORE and SNCC. She took part in the first sit-ins in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1963. Like so many other students in the 1960s, Moody was jailed for taking part in civil rights demonstrations.
New England Families
Because of a lack of diseases, families tended to grow very large, and population in turn grew too. Children grew up in a strict environment, and they were very obedient and had a very good work ethic as a result. Preservation of marriage was a key characteristic as well.
Whiskey Ring Scandal
Before they were caught, a group of mostly Republican politicians were able to siphon off millions of dollars in federal taxes on liquor; the scheme involved an extensive network of bribes involving tax collectors, storekeepers, and others.
Peter Cartwright
Best known of the Methodist "circuit riders" (traveling frontier preachers). Sinewy servant of the Lord ranged for half-century from Tennessee to Illinois, calling upon sinners to repent.
Volstead Act
Bill passed by Congress to enforce the language of the 18th Amendment. This bill made the manufacture and distribution of alcohol illegal within the borders of the United States.
Emmett Till (1955)
Black Fourteen-year-old boy who was dared to say "Bye, baby" and whistle at a young white woman (in south). He was later beaten and shot to death by the woman's husband and brother-in-law. They went before an all white jury on trial and were found innocent. The brutality of the murder spread and fueled later African-American Civil Rights movements.
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.
Effects of automobiles
Boom in the economy and greater freedom to travel, urban sprawl and changed the American landscape. It revitalized the petroleum industry, but it also reduced the importance of the railroad. New roads were constructed, and it led to the rise of the suburbs. American youth also began to slowly distance themselves from the traditional values of their parents as well.
Admiralty Courts
British courts originally established to try cases involving smuggling or violations of the Navigation Acts which the British government sometimes used to try American criminals in the colonies. Trials in Admiralty Courts were heard by judges without a jury.
Charles Coughlin
Catholic priest who used his popular radio program to criticize the New Deal; he grew increasingly anti-Roosevelt and anti-Semitic until the Catholic Church pulled him off the air.
Cowboys
Cattle handlers who drove large herds across the southern Great Plains. They are staples of American culture, and drove these herds across to large train stations.
Second Red Scare
Caused by rise of "Red China" and the Shocks of 1949; Origins from formation of HUAC who made accusations about "subversives" (traitors/Communists) in government. Included FELP, blacklist, Alger Hiss Case, Rosenberg Case, and Joe McCarthy (rise of McCarthyism); deportations; escalated by Korean War.
Hawley-Smoot Tariff
Charged a high tax for imports thereby leading to less trade between America and foreign countries along with some economic retaliation. Not only did it make countries less-inclined to sell goods to America, it also put countries' economies at risk.
Earl Warren
Chief Justice during the 1950's and 1960's who used a loose interpretation to expand rights for both African-Americans and those accused of crimes.
Don't Ask Don't Tell
Clinton managed to gain support for a compromise measure under which homosexual servicemen and servicewomen could remain in the military if they did not openly declare their sexual orientation. This was a very draconian measure that was similar to segregation of armed forces.
land-grant colleges
Colleges and universities created from allocations of public land through the Morrell Act of 1862 and the Hatch Act of 1887. These grants helped fuel the boom in higher education in the late nineteenth century, and many of the today's public universities derive from these grants.
Scots-Irish
Colonial immigrants from Scotland and Ireland. Primarily settled in the frontier regions of America. Near the edge of the Appalachians.
Intrauterine Device (IUD)
Contraceptive device first developed in the 1960s. America would see a rise in divorce rates as women began to use more contraceptives, and therefore breaking the cultural homogenity of the 1950s. Women, and society as a whole, was now more free than ever before, and the importance of family began to fall back.
First Continental Congress (1774)
Convention of delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies that convened in Philadelphia to craft a response to the Intolerable Acts. It declared a set of basic rights for people, but no talk of independence was brought up yet.
Randolph Bourne
Cosmopolitan intellectual who advocated cultural pluralism and said America should be "not a nationality but a trans-nationality".
Long-horned cattle
Cowboys drove these livestock due to their rich meats. They were extremely valuable and profitable because of this.
Bureau of the Budget
Created in 1921, its primary task is to prepare the Annual Budget for presentation every January. It also controls the administration of the budget, improving it and encouraging government efficiency.
Hatch Act of 1887
Extended the Morrill Act and provided federal funds for the establishment of agricultural experiment stations in connection with the land-grant colleges.
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
Wright Brothers
First to achieve a sustained, controlled flight in a powered airplane.
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.
Delaware Colony
Formed as part of Pennsylvania but became a separate colony in 1775 because Pennsylvania couldn't govern both areas. When the Dutch originally tried to settle this area the American Indians killed them all and burned down their settlement.
Free Soil Party
Formed in 1847 - 1848, dedicated to opposing slavery in newly acquired territories such as Oregon and ceded Mexican territory. It attracted a diverse range of people.
Allies (Triple Entente)
France, Britain, Russia
Yom Kippur War (1973)
Frustrated by their losses in the Six-Day War, Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur on October 6, 1973. Israel counterattacked, won a decisive victory, and had even occupied portions of northern Egypt. After Arab nations found out the US assisted Israel, they placed an embargo on oil for the US and other western nations.
John Dewey
He was a philosopher who believed in "learning by doing" which formed the foundation of progressive education. He believed that the teachers' goal should be "education for life and that the workbench is just as important as the blackboard."
Hoover Dam
Huge public works project on the Colorado River that provided jobs, water for irrigation, and power.
Congress for Industrial Organization (CIO)
Huge union group that included both skilled and unskilled workers, perfected the sit-down strike, claimed 4 million members.
Freeport Doctrine
Idea authored by Stephen Douglas that claimed slavery could only exist when popular sovereignty said so.
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.
War on Drugs
In the late 70s and 80s, this campaign fought the new levels of poverty, crime, & drug addiction in the inner cities.
Civil Rights Act of 1960
It gave the Federal Courts the power to register Black voters and provided for voting referees who served wherever there was racial discrimination in voting, making sure Whites did not try to stop Blacks from voting.
Pan-American Congress
James G. Blaine, attracted delegates from 19 nations. They agreed to create the Pan American Union, a weak international organization located in DC that served as a clearinghouse for distributing info to member nations.
The Big 3 Antebellum Senators
John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, and Daniel Webster
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
LBJ issued this in response to US ships being supposedly attacked by the North Vietnamese. This allowed for LBJ to issue war powers that a president wouldn't normally have. It got America even more involved with the Vietnam War, and thus many young Americans were forcibly drafted and sent to Vietnam.
Jim Crow Laws
Limited rights of blacks. Literacy tests, grandfather clauses and poll taxes limited black voting rights in the South.
Election of 1864
Lincoln vs. McClellan, Lincoln wants to unite North and South, McClellan wants war to end if he's elected, citizens of North are sick of war so many vote for McClellan, Lincoln wins
Fundamentalism
Literal interpretation and strict adherence to basic principles of a religion (or a religious branch, denomination, or sect). Most people in the Bible Belt followed his idea.
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Monitors the stock market and enforces laws regulating the sale of stocks and bonds. Created to stop another kind of Great Depression from happening as a result of investment.
Vietnam Draft
Most unpopular draft in the history of the U.S. People disagreed with us fighting in that war, because it "wasn't our war". Many people found ways to get out of the draft., Draft until 1973. Mostly working class - richer people had students deferments or created medical exemptions or appointments. People especially got angry when middle class white men had to go.
Modern Republicanism
President Eisenhower's views. Claiming he was liberal toward people but conservative about spending money, he helped balance the federal budget and lower taxes without destroying existing social programs.
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.
Tariff of 1842
Protective measure passed by Congressional Whigs, raising tariffs to pre-Compromise of 1833 rates. Tyler passed this under pressure.
Wilson-Gorman Tariff of 1894
Protective tariff that was passed to ease the Panic of 1893—It had an amendment on it that created a graduated income tax. Caused Cubans to revolt against Spain due to the high duties.
Rhode Island Colony
Roger Williams founded this colony after being banished in 1635 to the south of the Mass. colonies. Founded to be a safe haven for everyone, including Catholics and Jews, thus leading it to become very diverse.
New Nationalism
Roosevelt's domestic platform during the 1912 election accepting the power of trusts and proposing a more powerful government to regulate them.
liability rules
Rules that provide a means for victims to be repaid for damages caused by accidents or property damage.
Panama Canal
Ship canal that cut through the Isthmus of Panama, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans more easily. Travel times were reduced immensely, and travel costs were cut. Finished construction in 1915.
Caraval
Ship invented by the Potuguese, allowed easier travel around Africa and the world. Also opened the way up for trade routes and eventually India.
California Bear Flag Republic
Short-lived California republic, established by local American settlers who revolted against Mexico. Once news of the war with Mexico reached the Americans, they abandoned the Republic in favor of joining the United States.
Settlement House Movement
Social movement designed to get the rich and poor in society to live more closely together. Settlement houses were located in poorer neighborhoods and staffed by middle class workers who hoped to share their knowledge and alleviate poverty. Many immigrants came to these places to live.
Adkins v. Children's Hospital
The 1923 Supreme Court case that voided a minimum wage for women workers in the District of Columbia, reversing many of the gains that had been achieved through the groundbreaking decision in Muller v. Oregon.
Roe v. Wade
The 1973 Supreme Court decision holding that a state ban on all abortions was unconstitutional. The decision forbade state control over abortions during the first trimester of pregnancy, permitted states to limit abortions to protect the mother's health in the second trimester, and permitted states to protect the fetus during the third trimester.
Jackie Robinson (1947)
The Brooklyn Dodger became the first African American to play for a Major League Baseball team. He helped desegregate Major League Baseball, and he encouraged many Americans to become anti-segregation due to baseball's popularity.
North and South Carolina Colonies
The Carolinas would be split into two colonies due to their differing attitudes and ways of life.
Great Depression and Isolationism
The Great Depression forced many Americans to think domestically, and not really care about foreign policy, instead caring about strengthening themselves. When news of the increasingly authoritarian world spread to America, not many people were enthusiastic about American involvement.
Reconstruction Era (1865-1877)
The period after the Civil War in the United States when the southern states were reorganized and reintegrated into the Union.
Nativism
The policy of protecting the interests of native-born or established inhabitants against those of immigrants.
Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)
The possession of second-strike nuclear capabilities, which ensures that neither of two adversaries could prevent the other from destroying it in an all-out war.
interlocking directorates
The practice of having executives or directors from one company serve on the Board of Directors of another company. J. P. Morgan introduced this practice to eliminate banking competition in the 1890s.
Reverse Discrimination
The practice or policy of favoring individuals belonging to groups known to have been discriminated against previously.
2nd Ku Klux Klan
The second Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1915 by William J. Simmons. A hate group that was against, communism, immigrants, blacks; and they advocated white supremacy, white nationalism, and nativism. Their mission was to keep America American. They used terrorism upon minority groups, or groups they disagreed with to subdue them.
Hundred Days
The special session of Congress that Roosevelt called to launch his New Deal programs. The special session lasted about three months: 100 days.
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.
Domino Effect
The theory that a political event in one country will cause similar events in neighboring countries, like a falling domino causing an entire row of upended dominoes to fall. This was also the fear that if one country fell to communism, surrounding countries would as well, creating a chain reaction. Eisenhower feared this especially.
Upon European arrival, how did Native American life change?
They acquired new technologies such as firearms, but also began to grow hostile towards Europeans, creating conflict between them and the tribes. Many also moved inward, where they were more open to Europeans.
Woman's Loyal League
Women's organization formed to help bring about an end to the Civil War and encourage Congress to pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting slavery.
Food Administration
This government agency was headed by Herbert Hoover and was established to increase the production of food and ration food for the military.
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 Capitalist Contra rebels in Nicaragua fighting against the Communist Sandinistas. Because it was found the Contras were smuggling and producing cocaine, Reagan's reputation was damaged.
Norris-La Guardia Anti-Injunction Act
This law banned "yellow-dog," or antiunion, work contracts and forbade federal courts from issuing injunctions to quash strikes and boycotts. It was an early piece of labor-friendly federal legislation.
Emergency Quota Act of 1921
This law restricted immigration to 3% of each nationality that was in the United States in 1910.
U-boats
This new machinery used by the Germans in sea warfare, to attack British and American supply ships in the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
Constitutional Union Party
This new political party recognized "no political principals other than the Constitution of the country, the Union of the states, and the enforcement of the laws."
Salvation Army
This welfare organization came to the US from England in 1880 and sought to provide food, shelter, and employment to the urban poor while preaching temperance and morality.
Common Sense (1776)
Thomas Paine's pamphlet urging the colonies to declare independence and establish a republican government. The widely read pamphlet helped convince colonists to support the Revolution.
West Indies
Those islands that the Spanish, French, and English colonized in the 15th and 16th century whose principal cash crop was sugar.
Women in 1950's America
Women were stereotyped in the conservatism of the 1950's to stay in the home. More women were going to university, but it was still a fraction of the population. Women began to work later in life after the children had left the home.
Christopher Columbus
While on a mission to discover a sea new route to Asia by sailing west, he accidentally discovered the Americas in 1492. Landed on the island of Hispaniola.
Great White Flight
White affluent people leave the cities making cities poor. It led to the cities, particularly in the center, becoming Ghettos. Many minority groups tended to live in cities.
Effects of Native American removal
With the massacre and removal of Native Americans, more land was opened up for westward movement.
Open Door Notes
message send by secretary of state John Hay in 1899 to Germany, Russia, Great Britain, France, Italy & Japan asking the countries not to interfere with US trading rights in China.
The Association
A document produced by the Continental Congress in 1775 that called for a complete boycott of British goods. This included non-importation, non-exportation and non-consumption. It was the closest approach to a written constitution yet from the colonies. It was hoped to bring back the days before Parliamentary taxation. Those who violated The Association in America were tarred and feathered.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
A feminist who published "Women + economics." ; called upon women to abandon their dependent status and contribute to the larger life of the community through productive involvement in the economy; wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper".
Sphere of Influence
A foreign region in which a nation has control over trade and other economic activities. The Soviets had a large one over Eastern Europe.
Limited Liability
A form of business ownership in which the owners are liable only up to the amount of their individual investments. Capital this way was more concentrated, and stocks were able to be defended easily.
Radio
A form of new mass-communication that emerged in the 1920s. It allowed for long-range broadcasts to easily be listened to by Americans, whether it be in their car, or at home. It connected American families closer than ever before, as now families could listen in together. Political leaders also used this technology as a medium for expressing their ideas.
Universal White Manhood Suffrage
A form of voting rights in which all white adult males within a political system, are allowed to vote regardless of income, property, religion, etc.
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.
Teapot Dome Scandal
A government scandal involving a former United States Navy oil reserve in Wyoming that was secretly leased to a private oil company in 1921. Secretary of the interior Albert B. Fall attempted to nationalize these reserves.
Muckrakers
A group of investigative reporters who pointed out the abuses of big business and the corruption of urban politics; 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).
Puritans
A group of radical Anglicans who thought the Anglican Church was too soft, later founded a group of colonies in the New World.
Beatniks/Beat Generation
A group of rebellious writers and intellectuals led by Jack Kerouac (On the Road in which the characters travel for the joy of traveling) and poet Allen Ginsberg ("Howl" about the evils of modern society). This group advocated spontaneity, use of drugs, and rebellion against societal standards. This group became the models for the youth rebellion of the sixties.
Progressives
A group of reformers who worked to solve problems caused by the rapid industrial urban growth of the late 1800s. They were often well-educated, religious, and women who advocated for the government to intervene for change.
Mugwumps
A group of renegade Republicans who supported 1884 Democratic presidential nominee Grover Cleveland instead of their party's nominee, James G. Blaine.
Oneida Community
A group of socio-religious perfectionists who lived in New York. Practiced polygamy, communal property, and communal raising of children.
Kerner Commission
A group that was appointed by President Johnson to study the causes of urban violence and that recommended the elimination of de facto segregation in American society. It found that two separate and unequal societies, White and Black, were forming in America, and that it's White Society that makes ghettos.
Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
A health care reform act that reduced the uninsured population via expanded Medicaid eligibility and a reworking of the individual insurance marketplace. The Obama administration's signature legislation. Contentious in the 2010s.
March on Washington (1963)
A large political rally that took place in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his historic "I Have a Dream" speech advocating racial harmony at the Lincoln Memorial during the march. Widely credited as helping lead to the Civil Rights Act (1964) and the National Voting Rights Act (1965). 80% of the marchers were black. Organized by union leader A. Philip Randolph.
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.
Act of Toleration
A legal document that allowed all Christian religions in Maryland: Protestants invaded the Catholics in 1649 around Maryland: protected the Catholics religion from Protestant rage of sharing the land: Maryland became the #1 colony to shelter Catholics in the New World.
Cotton Gin
A machine for cleaning the seeds from cotton fibers, invented by Eli Whitney in 1793. While being made to decrease the need for slaves in the south, it actually increased slavery because more were needed to pick the cotton it needed. Cotton growing became extremely profitable, and the South would grow into the world's "King of Cotton".
Massacre at Wounded Knee
A massacre in 1890 that started when Sioux left the reservation in protest because of the death of Sitting Bull. The US army killed 150 Sioux at wounded knee; last major incident in the great plains.
Fetterman Massacre
A massacre in December 1866 in which 1,500 Sioux warriors lured Captain William Fetterman and 80 soldiers from a Wyoming fort and attacked them. With the Fetterman massacre the Sioux succeeded in closing the Bozeman Trail, the main route into Montana.
Stamp Act Congress
A meeting of delegations from many of the colonies, the congress was formed to protest the newly passed Stamp Act. It adopted a declaration of rights as well as sent letters of complaints to the king and parliament, and it showed signs of colonial unity and organized resistance.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
A member of the women's right's movement in 1840. She was a mother of seven, and she shocked other feminists by advocating suffrage for women at the first Women's Right's Convention in Seneca, New York 1848. Stanton read a "Declaration of Sentiments" which declared "all men and women are created equal."
Factory System
A method of production that brought many workers and machines together into one building.
Al Capone
A mob king in Chicago who controlled a large network of speakeasies with enormous profits. His illegal activities convey the failure of prohibition in the twenties and the problems with gangs. He wasn't even convicted of his crimes, instead convicted on the crime of tax evasion.
Stephen A. Douglas
A moderate, who introduced the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 and popularized the idea of popular sovereignty. He stressed that the Nebraska territory be split up into Nebraska and Kansas, 2 separate slave and free states respectively. He later went on to debate with Lincoln in the Illinois Senatorial Election of 1858.
Moral Majority
A movement begun in the early 1980's among religious conservatives that supported primarily conservative Republicans opposed to abortion, communism and liberalism.
Temperance Movement
A movement caused by the Second Great Awakening that stressed the idea of reducing alcohol consumption. (Watch Oversimplified's prohibition video if you need more help)
Romanticism
A movement in literature and art during the late 18th and early 19th centuries that celebrated nature rather than civilization.
Era of Good Feelings
A name for President Monroe's two terms, a period of strong nationalism, economic growth, and territorial expansion. Since the Federalist party dissolved after the War of 1812, there was only one political party and no partisan conflicts.
Captains of Industry
A name given company owners such as Carnegie and Rockefeller by people who believed they steered the economy into prosperity.
Cumberland Road
A national road that stretched from Maryland to Illinois. It was the first national/interstate highway, and it was a milestone for the eventual connection of all the states by highways, thus increasing trade.
Pocahontas
A native Indian of America, daughter of Chief Powahatan, who was one of the first to marry an Englishman, John Rolfe, and return to England with him; about 1595-1617; her brave actions in saving an Englishman paved the way for many positive English and Native relations.
Ho Chi Minh Trail
A network of jungle paths winding from North Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia into South Vietnam, used as a military route by North Vietnam to supply the Vietcong during the Vietnam War.
Urban Liberalism
A new strand of progressives. Urban liberalism was the urban middle class reformers, machine bosses, and workers trying to work together. Their main goal was to break political machines down. Another idea driving urban liberalism was nativism, they strived for more rights to native born people-protestant males.
Naturalism
A nineteenth-century literary movement that was an extension of realism and that claimed to portray life exactly as it was.
Transcendentalism
A nineteenth-century movement in the Romantic tradition, which held that every individual can reach ultimate truths through spiritual intuition, which transcends reason and sensory experience. Pioneered by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Manifest Destiny
A notion held by a nineteenth-century Americans that the United States was destined to rule the continent, from the Atlantic the Pacific. It encouraged greater American settlement west towards California and other areas.
Stamp Act
1765; law that taxed printed goods, including: playing cards, documents, newspapers, etc. This time, Grenville was infringing on not just the pockets of the colonists, but also their liberties as well. This was probably the most hated of the British taxes.
Shakers
1770's by "Mother" Ann Lee; Utopian group that splintered from the Quakers; believed that they & all other churches had grown too interested in this world & neglectful of their afterlives; prohibited marriage and sexual relationships; practiced celibacy
Tea Act
1773 act which eliminated import tariffs on tea entering England and allowed the British East India Company to sell directly to consumers rather than through merchants. Led to the Boston Tea Party.
Alexander Hamilton
1789-1795; First Secretary of the Treasury. He advocated creation of a national bank, assumption of state debts by the federal government, and a tariff system to pay off the national debt. Prominent and staunch supporter of the constitution.
Andrew Johnson
17th President of the US. Regarded as another of one of the worst presidents in history, and the first president to be impeached. Despite being Lincoln's successor, he reversed many of the policies Lincoln implemented, and helped sink the country further into the slog of reconstruction.
Rush-Bagot Agreement
1817 agreement that limited American and British naval forces on the Great Lakes
Antebellum Reform
1820-1860 *Explosion in the number of colleges (Oberlin college in Ohio became the first do-ed college) *Expansion of state-supported elementary schools and other public schooling, in part due to the leadership of Horace Mann *Dorothea Dix led in the establishment of asylums of humane treatment of the insane *Prisons were also reformed
Wilmot Proviso
1846 proposal that outlawed slavery in any territory gained from the War with Mexico. It didn't pass, but it was endorsed in many of the new territories gained in the Mexican Cession.
Clayton-Bulwer Treaty
1850 - Treaty between U.S. and Great Britain agreeing that neither country would try to obtain exclusive rights to a canal across the Isthmus of Panama. Abrogated by the U.S. in 1881.
Wabash v. Illinois
1886 - Stated that individual states could control trade in their states, but could not regulate railroads coming through them. Congress had exclusive jurisdiction over interstate commerce.
Bonus Army
1932 - Facing the financial crisis of the Depression, WW I veterans tried to pressure Congress to pay them their retirement bonuses early. Congress considered a bill authorizing immediate assurance of $2.4 billion, but it was not approved. Angry veterans marched on Washington, D.C., and Hoover called in the army to get the veterans out of there.
Stimson Doctrine
1932, Hoover's Secretary of State said the US would not recognize territorial changes resulting from Japan's invasion of Manchuria.
Lindbergh Law
1932, making interstate abduction in certain circumstances a death-penalty offense.
Nye Committee
1934. Senate committee led by South Dakota Senator Gerald Nye to investigate why America became involved in WWI. Theory that big business had conspired to have America enter WWI so that they could make money selling war materials. Called bankers and arms producers "merchants of death."
Wagner Act
1935, also National Labor Relations Act; granted rights to unions; allowed collective bargaining.
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. Turned the rationale for war from Cuban liberation to conquest.
Rose Schneiderman
A Women's Trade Union League organizer who argued that only a strong working-class movement could bring real change to the workplace
Erie Canal
A canal between the New York cities of Albany and Buffalo, completed in 1825. The canal, considered a marvel of the modern world at the time, allowed western farmers to ship surplus crops to sell in the North and allowed northern manufacturers to ship finished goods to sell in the West. As shipping costs were reduced, the prices of crops of New England farmers would be reduced, and they would have less profits. This loss of profits encouraged the farmers to move West. New settlements such as Erie, PA sprung up along the canal.
Cold War
A conflict that was between the US and the Soviet Union. The nations never directly confronted each other on the battlefield but deadly threats went on from 1945-1991.
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. Was most notorious for investigating the movie industry for suspected Communists, as well as Hollywood.
Modernism
A cultural movement embracing human empowerment and rejecting traditionalism as outdated. Rationality, industry, and technology were cornerstones of progress and human achievement.
Fanie Lou Hamer
A delegate sent to the 1964 Democratic National Convention from Mississippi; as a farmer on a cotton plantation was fired when attempting to vote; noted for voter registration drives.
Irish Potato Famine
A devastating famine in the 1840s that led to the decimation of the Irish population. As a result, many of the Irish immigrated to America.
American Red Cross
A disaster relief organization founded in Washington, D.C. on May 21, 1881 by Clara Barton to aid US military and conduct peace time relief work. Synthesis to Peace Corps and UN, however they were different in that Red Cross was only national.
Roger Williams
A dissenter who clashed with the Massachusetts Puritans over separation of church and state and was banished in 1636, after which he founded the colony of Rhode Island to the south
Know-Nothing Party
A party which pushed for political action against these newcomers. They displayed the feelings of America regarding newcomers that were different and therefore, the double standard of the country.
Racketeer
A person who obtains money illegally by fraud, bootlegging, gambling, or threats of violence. Debt collectors of the 1920s as well.
Abolitionist
A person who wanted to end slavery in the United States
Pragmatism
A philosophy which focuses only on the outcomes and effects of processes and situations.
Silent Majority
A phrase used to describe people, whatever their economic status, who uphold traditional values, especially against the counterculture of the 1960s. Nixon won their votes in both 1968, and 1972.
Marshall Plan
A plan that the US came up with to revive war-torn economies of Europe. This plan offered $13 billion in aid to western and Southern Europe. Headed by Sec. of State George Marshall.
Affirmative Action
A policy designed to redress past discrimination against women and minority groups through measures to improve their economic and educational opportunities.
Imperialism
A policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.
Detente
A policy of reducing Cold War tensions that was adopted by the United States during the presidency of Richard Nixon. Tensions were reduced between the Soviet Union and 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.
Tammany Hall
A political organization within the Democratic Party in New York city (late 1800's and early 1900's) seeking political control by corruption and bossism.
Monica Lewinsky Scandal
A political sex scandal emerging from a sexual relationship between United States President Bill Clinton and a 22-year-old White House intern, Monica Lewinsky; eventually led to the impeachment of President Clinton in 1998 by the U.S. House of Representatives for accounts of pergury (Lying under oath).
Deism
A popular Enlightenment era belief that there is a God, but that God isn't involved in people's lives or in revealing truths to prophets. Many people were starting to catch onto this belief because of its positive outlook, which led to the Second Great Awakening.
Pancho Villa
A popular leader during the Mexican Revolution of 1910. An outlaw in his youth, when the revolution started, he formed a cavalry army in the north of Mexico and fought for the rights of the landless in collaboration with Emiliano Zapata.
Popular Sovreignty
A principle doctrinated by Lewis Cass, it stated that the people that lived in an area would determine its future. In America's case, that future was the status of being a free territory or a slave territory. Slave-supporting pioneers from the South heavily supported this idea when new territories were added, and it was widely used by slavery supporters.
Proclamation of 1763
A proclamation from the British government which forbade British colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains, and which required any settlers already living west of the mountains to move back east. Made after Pontiac's Rebellion, and it was the first act Britain took to limit the colonies' liberty.
Whip Inflation Now (WIN)
A program by the Ford administration to curb inflation and dramatic price increases by putting pressure on businesses to lower prices and deter consumers from hoarding goods.
Vietnam War
A prolonged war (1954-1975) between the communist armies of North Vietnam who were supported by the Chinese and the non-communist armies of South Vietnam who were supported by the United States.
Sunbelt
A region of the United States generally considered to stretch across the South and Southwest that has seen substantial population growth in recent decades, partly fueled by a surge in retiring baby boomers who migrate domestically, as well as the influx of immigrants, both legal and illegal. It was an area that was home to a lot plants used for mass-production in WWII. When oil was discovered in the area, suburbanization caused a lot of people to move to this region. Breaking Bad land.
Legal Realism
A school of legal thought that holds that the law is only one factor to be considered when deciding cases and that social and economic circumstances should also be taken into account. Doctrinated by Oliver Wendell Holmes.
Freedom Rides
A series of political protests against segregation by Blacks and Whites who rode buses together through the American South in 1961. On these buses, African Americans were brutally attacked by racists in the South.
New Deal
A series of reforms enacted by the Franklin Roosevelt administration between 1933 and 1942 with the goal of ending the Great Depression. It can be synthesized with Obama's programs of helping America out of the Great Recession.
Second Great Awakening
A series of religious revivals starting in 1801, based on Methodism and Baptism. Stressed a religious philosophy of salvation through good deeds and tolerance for all Protestant sects. The revivals attracted women, Blacks, and Native Americans. More prosperous and conservative Protestant denominations were less affected by this.
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.
Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858)
A series of seven debates for US Senate in Illinois between Lincoln (R) and Senator Douglas (D). The debates previewed the issues that Lincoln would face in the aftermath of his victory in the 1860 presidential election. The main issue discussed in all seven debates was slavery as it related to popular sovereignty in the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Lecompton Constitution and the Dred Scott decision. Douglas won election, but Lincoln's fine showing made him a national figure and helped him win Republican nomination in 1860
Navigation Laws
A series of strict British trade policies designed to promote English shipping & control colonial trade in regard to important crops (such as tobacco) & resources, which had to be shipped exclusively on British ships. Began to become more strict after British started practicing Mercantilism.
Bleeding Kansas (1856)
A series of violent conflicts in the Kansas territory between anti-slavery and pro-slavery factions over the status of slavery. Anti-Slavery and Pro-slavery settlers poured into the area to try and influence the vote for popular sovereignty in Kansas.
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. .
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. It was the economy and society used by the US in both world wars that granted many opportunities to everyone.
Horizontal Integration
Absorption into a single firm of several firms involved in the same level of production and sharing resources at that level. John D. Rockefeller used this strategy in his process.
Mark Hanna
An industrialist and Republican politician from Ohio. The campaign manager of McKinley in the 1896, in what is considered the forerunner of the modern political campaign, and subsequently became one of the most powerful members of the U.S. Senate.
J.P. Morgan
An influential banker and businessman who bought and reorganized companies. His US Steel company would buy Carnegie steel and become the largest business in the world in 1901. The father of banking.
XYZ Affair
An insult to the American delegation when they were supposed to be meeting French foreign minister, Talleyrand, but instead they were sent 3 officials Adams called "X,Y, and Z" that demanded $250,000 as a bribe to see Talleyrand.
Antinomianism
An interpretation of Puritan beliefs that stressed God's gift of salvation and minimized what an individual could do to gain salvation; identified with Anne Hutchinson.
Labor Unions
An organization formed by workers to strive for better wages and working conditions.
Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
An organization founded by MLK Jr., to direct the crusade against segregation. Its weapon was passive resistance that stressed nonviolence and love, and its tactic direct, though peaceful, confrontation.
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
An organization founded by women activists in 1919; its members denounced imperialism, stressed the human suffering caused by militarism, and proposed social justice measures.
American Temperance Society
An organization group in which reformers are trying to help the ever present drink problem. This group was formed in Boston in 1826, and it was the first well-organized group created to deal with the problems drunkards had on societies well being, and the possible well-being of the individuals that are heavily influenced by alcohol.
United Nations (UN)
An organization of independent states formed in 1945 to promote international peace and security. It was an idea mostly stressed by the US, who wanted to take more of a leadership role in the postwar world. America now wanted to see the world as shaped with the US as a protector of democracy.
Ludlow Massacre (1914)
An unsuccessful labor strike against the Rockefeller-owned Colorado Fuel and Iron Company. When the walkout began in 1913, mine owners evicted 11,000 strikers and their families from company housing. They moved into tent colonies, which armed militia units soon surrounded. In 1914, the militia attacked the largest tent city, at Ludlow, and burned it to the ground, killing an estimated twenty to thirty men, women, and children. This was one of a series of mass strikes among immigrant workers during the Progressive Era that placed labor's demand for the right to bargain collectively at the center of the reform agenda.
Democratic Party (Antebellum)
Andrew Jackson's political party that was formed as a result of the split of the Democratic-Republicans. They still practiced the same ideas more or less by emphasizing individual liberties.
Causes of the rise of slavery in the colonies
Bacon's Rebellion and rising wages in England, less people would be willing to pay for a new life in America.
H.L. Mencken
Baltimore writer who criticized the supposedly narrow and hypocritical values of American society.
Election of 1964
Barry Goldwater (R) vs. LBJ (D) Signaled important political changes. Last time democrats could win by proposing New Deal-ish programs that increased government power. Goldwater was a new kind of conservative, embracing a new wave of conservatism never before seen.
Indentured Servants
Colonists who received free passage to North America in exchange for working without pay for a certain number of years. They would later be able to get land, and people who hired them would get very rich.
New Hampshire Colony
Colony founded by Captain "John Mason. It was started as a fishing haven. It was a place of hills, mountains, and lowlands near the shore.
Massachusetts Bay Colony
Colony founded in 1630 by John Winthrop, part of the Great Puritan Migration, founded by puritans. Had a theocratic republic. "City upon a hill". Puritans who founded this were more moderate.
Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC)
FDR's executive order desegregating government jobs. It ordered that all companies with government contracts could not discriminate based on "race, creed, color, or national origin." The law was never fully implemented due to opposition in Congress and hostility from the South. Led to five states NY, NJ, MA, CT, and WA to create their own state versions of the law.
Good Neighbor Policy
FDR's foreign policy of promoting better relations w/Latin America by using economic influence rater than military force in the region.
Court Packing Scheme
FDR's plan to "pack" the Supreme Court with supporters to keep his New Deal programs from being declared unconstitutional. It was a failed plan however, and FDR lost popularity.
Yalta Conference
FDR, Churchill and Stalin met at Yalta. Russia 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. Germany would be split into 4 zones of control, with the west being given to France, America, and the UK, and the east given to the Soviets.
Josephine Shaw Lowell
Founded the New York Charity Organization Society and the New York Consumers' League established in 1890. This organization strove to improve the wages and the working conditions of women workers in New York City.
Lord De La Warr
New governor of Jamestown who arrived in 1610, immediately imposing a military regime in Jamestown and declaring war against the Powhatan Confederacy. Employed "Irish tactics" in which his troops burned houses and cornfields.
National Labor Union
Founded by William Sylvis (1866); supported 8-hour workday, convict labor, federal department of labor, banking reform, immigration restrictions to increase wages, women; excluded blacks. Crumbled in 1870s due to division and depression.
Maryland Colony
Founded in 1634 by Lord Baltimore, founded to be a place for persecuted Catholics to find refuge, a safe haven, act of toleration. Maryland later became another tobacco colony.
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)
Founded in 1962, this 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, the National Organization for Women (NOW) called for equal employment opportunity and equal pay for women. NOW also championed the legalization of abortion and passage of an equal rights amendment to the Constitution.
American Legion
Founded in Paris in 1919 by Colonel Theodore Roosevelt. Was distinguished for its militant patriotism, conservatism, and zealous anti-radicalism, but was notorious for aggressive lobbying for veterans' benefits.
Declaratory Act (1766)
Passed at the same time that the Stamp Act was repealed, the Act declared that Parliament had the power to tax the colonies both internally and externally, and had absolute power over the colonial legislatures.
Indian Removal Act of 1830
Passed by Congress under the Jackson administration, this act removed all Indians east of the Mississippi to an "Indian Territory" where they would be "permanently" housed.
criminal syndicalism laws
Passed by many states during the Red Scare of 1919-1920, these nefarious laws outlawed the mere advocacy of violence to secure social change. Stump speakers for the International Workers of the World, or IWW, were special targets.
Nicholas Biddle
President of the Second Bank of the United States; he struggled to keep the bank functioning when President Jackson tried to destroy it.
American War for Independence (1775-1783)
The Revolutionary war America fought for their independence against Britain. Came as a result of a cascade of earlier events.
Effects of the Civil War
The South was once the strongest economic powerhouse of America, but after the Civil War, its economy was now in shambles due to the ban of slavery. Without a hard labor force, harvesting cash crops like cotton was much harder to do. For the rest of American history, the South would continue to be a less economically influential area of America. Slavery was also finally banned entirely in the US, and soon African Americans began to receive rights equal to those of Whites. Then again, the South was slowly transformed into a hotbed of racism and bigotry. Southerners also continued to resent the North.
New Frontier
The campaign program advocated by JFK in the 1960 election. He promised to revitalize the stagnant economy and enact reform legislation in education, health care, and civil rights.
Plantation Colonies
The colonies, especially the southern ones, that relied on the plantation method of farming. Because of their reliance on harvesting cash crops, they were heavy reliant on manual labor such as indentured servitude or slavery.
Roaring 20's
The era of the 1920s in America. It was dominated by a wave of conservatism, and exorbitant wealth and prosperity. American culturalism flourished as jazz was on the rise, and women began to express their newfound rights. There was a rise of many new important technologies like the mass-produced automobile, moving pictures, and the radio. Prohibition was also a very heated issue.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
US agency established under Nixon meant to protect the environment. It also was an agency that wanted to stop pollution's harmful effects. The creation marked a major victory for environmentalists across America.
Monroe Doctrine (1823)
US foreign policy regarding Latin American countries stated that further efforts by European nations to colonize land or interfere with states in North or South America would be viewed as acts of aggression, requiring U.S. intervention. This was an effect of the post-1812 Nationalism.
Cash and carry policy
US supplied military supplies to warring nations on the condition that they picked up and transported all supplies and they paid in cash.
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Unanimously held that the racial segregation of children in public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Brown claimed that Topeka's racial segregation violated the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause because the city's black and white schools were not equal to each other and never could be. Overruled Plessy v. Ferguson's "separate but equal" doctrine and would eventually led to the desegregation of schools across the South. It was the first major step taken into fighting segregation.
Battle of Vicksburg
Union victory, it showed the prowess of up-and-coming general Ulysses S. Grant. It essentially split the Confederacy in two with the Union gaining control of the Mississippi River. Without the Mighty Mississippi, supplies couldn't be delivered to Confederates as easily. A turning point battle.
Rachel Carson
United States biologist remembered for her opposition to the use of pesticides that were hazardous to wildlife (1907-1964). She wrote Silent Spring, starting up the environmentalist movement, a successor to the conservationist movement.
John Jay
United States diplomat and jurist who negotiated peace treaties with Britain and served as the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1745-1829)
Lincoln Steffens
United States journalist who exposes in 1906 started an era of muckraking journalism (1866-1936), Writing for McClure's Magazine, he criticized the trend of urbanization with a series of articles under the title Shame of the Cities.
Polk's Mexican disputes
Upon attempting to negotiate acquisition of Texas and California with Mexico and being turned down, Polk felt that hostility was the only way to successfully acquire California and Texas.
Mayflower Compact
Upon leaving the Mayflower, Puritans signed this document agreeing to create a crude government in their new settlement in Plymouth Colony.
Silver
Upon the conquest of the Inca Empire by Francisco Pizarro, vast amounts of silver were found, making the Spanish Empire one of the most powerful empires on the planet.
Missouri Compromise of 1820
Upon the entry of Missouri as a state in the Union, it was debated between Congress whether it would be a free or slave state. Northerners preferred it to be free, while southerners preferred it to endorse slavery. In the end, it became a slave state, but as a compromise, no more slave states would be admitted passed the southern border of Missouri. Unassuming at first, this compromise would prove to have a cascade of events later down the line.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
American poet that was influenced somewhat by the transcendentalism occurring at the time. He was important in building the status of American literature. He adapted his poems towards the masses.
Americans in Hawaii
American presence since 1790's → there was a new queen in 1891 who was less friendly to Americans and wanted them to leave --Sugar planters begin to expand in 1830's and kicked out the queen of Hawaii --Hawaii had useful resources that America couldn't produce --Native Hawaiian population declined and was replaced by Asian workers --American sugar planters take over hawaiians and ask for statehood but President Cleveland vetoed --Hawaii is annexed in 1898 --Most Hawaiians had few rights; Americans took over Hawaii because they believed it would be economically beneficial.
Credibility Gap
American public's growing distrust of statements made by the government during the Vietnam War. Since Vietnam was the first televised war in American history, citizens could see what was really going on there, despite what the government said. Thus, a mistrust in the government began to develop, and it was exacerbated by further incidents such as Watergate and the Pentagon Papers.
Zebulon Pike
American soldier and explorer whom Pikes Peak in Colorado is named. His Pike expedition often compared to the Lewis and Clark expedition, mapped much of the southern portion of the Louisiana Purchase.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
American space organization founded in response to the Soviets launching Sputnik under Eisenhower.
Henry David Thoreau
American transcendentalist who was against a government that supported slavery. He wrote down his beliefs in Walden. He started the movement of civil-disobedience when he refused to pay the toll-tax to support him Mexican War.
Plessy v. Ferguson
An 1896 Supreme Court decision which legalized state ordered segregation so long as the facilities for blacks and whites were equal. They would prove to not be equal, and would serve as a key basis for the Civil Rights Movement.
Republicanism
An idea that was spread by Europeans arriving in the America that preached a society where citizens would use their private holdings to benefit it. One of the ideas found in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. It opposed many European ideas of government.
Speakeasies
An illegal bar where drinks were sold, during the time of prohibition. It was called this because people literally had to speak easy so they were not caught drinking alcohol by the police.
Yuppies
Young, urban professionals who wore ostentatious gear such Rolex watches or BMW cars. They came to symbolize the increased pursuit of wealth and materialism of Americans in the 1980s.
New Left Movement
Youth protest movement; hippies; Doves; participated in sit-ins. They differed from the "Old Left" in that they weren't socialists or communists, instead activists who used peaceful tactics to try and advocate for a safe environment.
Federalism
a form of government in which power is divided between the federal, or national, government and the states.
Tariff of 1824
represented a major victory for those advocating the protection of American manufacturing. This tariff, however, clearly worked to the benefit of manufacturing interests of the New England and Mid-Atlantic States at the expense of the South and West.
Susan B. Anthony
social reformer who campaigned for womens rights, the temperance, and was an abolitionist, helped form the National Woman Suffrage Assosiation.
Frances Perkins
U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945, and the first woman ever appointed to the cabinet.
Differences of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois
Washington believed that African Americans should fight individually for their freedoms, while DuBois encouraged African Americans to resist segregation and discrimination. Synthesis to MLK and Malcolm X disagreements for segregation.
Long Island campaign, 1776
Washington set up army at Manhattan island, where Howe attacks (July 1776) Howe defeats Washington a lot in New York City, but Washington escapes through. Washington helped the army through one of the toughest times, which earned him a lot of respect.
Flapper Girls
Were a generation of young Western women in the 1920s who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behavior.
Blitzkrieg
"Lighting war", typed of fast-moving warfare used by German forces against Poland in 1939.
U.S. Constitution
"The supreme law of the land." Written in 1787 at Philadelphia Convention to replace Articles of Confederation and create stronger central government. Outlines structure & power of 3 branches of national government. Oldest written constitution still in use (but amended 27 times plus myriad informal amendments). It allowed Congress to alter the constitution to fit its needs, which is why we have 27 amendments instead of the starting 10.
Henry Steele Commager
"Who is loyal to America?" -- said anticommunists crusade promoted a new definition of loyalty -- conformity; anything other than "uncritical and unquestioning acceptance of America as it is: is unpatriotic.
Laissez-faire government
"hands off" ( little or no government regulation of US businesses). US government during the Gilded Age and Roaring '20s.
Compromise of 1850
(1) California admitted as free state, (2) territorial status and popular sovereignty of Utah and New Mexico, (3) resolution of Texas-New Mexico boundaries, (4) federal assumption of Texas debt, (5) slave trade abolished in DC, and (6) new fugitive slave law; advocated by Henry Clay and Stephen A. Douglas. This was an agreement designed to ease tensions caused by the expansion of slavery into western territories.
Vasco De Gama
A Portugese sailor who was the first European to sail around southern Africa to the Indian Ocean. Opened up trade with India.
Walker Tariff
(1846) Revenue-enhancing measure that lowered tariffs from 1842 levels thereby fueling trade and increasing Treasury receipts. Import duties were lowered by 25% which was a delight for southerners.
Molasses Act
(1733) A British law that imposed a tax on sugar, molasses, and rum imported from non-British colonies into North American colonies. It was intended to maintain the monopoly of the American sugar market by the West Indies sugarcane growers. It was the least successful of the Navigation Acts, since it was avoided by smuggling.
Zenger Trial
(1734-1735) New York libel case against John Peter Zenger. Established the principle that truthful statements about public officials could not be prosecuted as libel. Established idea of Freedom of the Press.
French and Indian War
(1754-1763) Part of the larger Seven Years War. Fought in the New World in the Ohio River Valley over the lucrative resource of beaver pelt, control of trade in the region, and religious differences between the French and British. The final great war for hegemony over North America, and the catalyst for the American Revolution.
Sugar Act
(1764) British deeply in debt partly to French & Indian War. English Parliament placed a tariff on sugar, coffee, wines, and molasses. Colonists avoided the tax by smuggling and by bribing tax collectors. First of many of the hated taxes put on everyday goods.
Frederick Douglass
(1817-1895) American abolitionist and writer, he escaped slavery and became a leading African American spokesman and writer. He published his biography, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and founded the abolitionist newspaper, the North Star.
Adams-Onis Treaty
(1819) Spain ceded Florida to the United States and gave up its claims to the Oregon Territory. Encouraged some movement west too.
John Muir
(1838-1914) Naturalist who believed the wilderness should be preserved in its natural state. He was largely responsible for the creation of Yosemite National Park in California.
Thomas B. Reed
(1839-1902) The Republican congressman from Maine who became Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1889 and then led the Billion-Dollar Congress like a "czar," making sure that his agenda dictated the business of the legislature.
Commonwealth v. Hunt
(1842) a landmark ruling of the MA Supreme Court establishing the legality of labor unions and the legality of union workers striking if an employer hired non-union workers. It gave rise to the first labor unions.
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. The general was ambitious in Korea, and he believed America's future lay in establishing a democratic foothold in Asia. Truman fired him after he sent a rude letter to a senator.
Mao Zedong
(1893-1976) Leader of the Communist Party in China that overthrew Jiang Jieshi and the Nationalists. Established China as the People's Republic of China and ruled from 1949 until 1976. A massive thorn in the US' side, his government went unrecognized by the US and other nations for a while, instead recognizing Taiwan.
Niagara Movement
(1905) W.E.B. Du Bois and other young activists, who did not believe in accommodation, came together at Niagara Falls in 1905 to demand full black equality. Demanded that African Americans get right to vote in states where it had been taken away, segregation be abolished, and many discriminatory barriers be removed. Declared commitment for freedom of speech, brotherhood of all peoples, and respect for workingman. Synthesis to Seneca Falls Convention, where an oppressed group would meet collectively and demand for basic rights.
All Quiet on the Western Front
(1929) a novel written by Erich Maria Remarque illustrating the horrors of World War I and the experiences of veterans and soldiers. It was extremely popular, but also caused a lot of political controversy when it was first published, and was banned in Germany in the 1930's. It caused many Americans to go anti-war in the Great Depression.
Six Day War
(1967) Short conflict between Egypt and her allies against Israel won by Israel; Israel took over the Golan Heights , The West Bank of the Jordan River; and the Sanai Peninsula. With America preoccupied with Vietnam, it couldn't keep stability in the Middle East during this war.
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. First step towards universal healthcare.
Peace Corps
(JFK) , volunteers who help third world nations and prevent the spread of communism by getting rid of poverty, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Third World Nations were generally neutral in the Cold War, so if nations were to shift to America's belief in capitalism, it would be beneficial.
Alliance for Progress
(JFK) 1961,, a program in which the United States tried to help Latin American countries overcome poverty and other problems, money used to aid big business and the military. This did not help strengthen relationships as sometimes throwing money at poor countries won't shift their alliance.
Veterans of Future Wars
(VFW) Princeton University students began to agitate in 1936 for a bonus to be paid to this while the prospective frontliners were still alive.
Causes of the Great Depression
- Factories and farms produce more goods than people can buy. - Banks make loans that borrowers cannot pay back. - After the stock market crash, many businesses cannot find people who will invest in their growth. - Many bought on credit/bought on margin. - Droughts wreaked the nation, like in the Mississippi Valley. Many were forced to auction their farms. - Hawley-Smoot Tariff affected Europe, and Vienna Bank collapsed.
14th Amendment
1) Citizenship for African Americans, 2) Repeal of 3/5 Compromise, 3) Denial of former confederate officials from holding national or state office, 4) Repudiate (reject) confederate debts
John Tyler (1841-1845)
10th President of the US, and the first VP to become POTUS after the former POTUS died. Despite him being a Whig, he held Democratic ideas since he was only put on Harrison's ticket to gain the southern vote. As a result, it was hard for him to be popular. He vetoed many bills, like a Fiscal Bank, that his fellow Whigs attempted to pass.
James K. Polk
11th President of the US. Considered to be "the least known consequential president", Manifest Destiny was a major policy during his presidency, and his goals were outlined in a 4 point program: Lower tariffs, establish an independent treasury, acquire California (California had rich farmland, and was the only land out west with that kind of climate), and settle the Oregon Country.
Zachary Taylor (1849-1850)
12th President of the US. A Whig war hero of the Mexican-American War, his presidency oversaw debates concerning slavery, and the California Gold Rush. Southerners also dominated Congress, yet they were concerned with the shrinking land available for slavery. Meanwhile, tensions from Northerners were beginning to take hold.
New England Confederation
1643 - Formed to provide for the defense of the four New England colonies during the English Civil War, and also acted as a court in disputes between colonies. Albeit weak, it was the first time some kind of colonial union was proposed.
Abraham Lincoln
16th President of the US. He would serve as the president throughout the entirety of the Civil War, at first trying to preserve the Union, but later fighting for the total abolition of slavery. As president, he used his power to controversially surpress any opposition to Southern Slavery, and he also expanded the power of the federal government.
Treaty of Utrecht
1713, ended War of Spanish Succession between Louis XIV's France and the rest of Europe; prohibited joining of French and Spanish crowns; ended French expansionist policy; ended golden age of Spain; vastly expanded British Empire.
Albany Congress
1754 Intercolonial congress. Urged the crown to take direct control of Indian relations beyond the boundaries of the colonies. Drafted a plan of confederation for the continental colonies. was not ratified by any colony and parliament did not accept it.
Pontiac's Rebellion
1763 - An Indian uprising after the French and Indian War, led by an Ottowa chief named Pontiac. They opposed British expansion into the western Ohio Valley and began destroying British forts in the area. The attacks ended when Pontiac was killed.
Quartering Act
1765 - Required the colonials to provide food, lodging, and supplies for the British troops in the colonies.
Kansas-Nebraska Act
1854 - Created Nebraska and Kansas as states and gave the people in those territories the right to chose to be a free or slave state through popular sovereignty. Nebraska chose to be a free state, while Kansas chose to be a slave state. This blatantly ignored the original Missouri Compromise of 1820, and it led to the Democrats becoming shunned in the North. However, it did result in the birth of the Republican Party.
Robert La Follette
1855-1925. Progressive Wisconsin Senator and Governor. Staunch supporter of the Progressive movement, and vocal opponent of railroad trusts, bossism, WWI, and League of Nations. He organized the idea of a popular vote, and stressed the idea of a direct democracy for America.
Battle of Fort Sumter
1861 attack on Union troops in Sumter, South Carolina, by Confederate forces shortly after South Carolina seceded from the Union; this battle sparked the Civil War. The very first shots fired in the Civil War. Following this attack, Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to join the Union Army.
American Civil War
1861-1865: War between North (union states) and South (confederate states) over slavery and secceeding.
Lincoln's 10% Plan
1863 *Lincoln believed that seceded states should be restored to that Union quickly and easily, with "malice toward none, with charity for all." *This allowed Southerners, excluding high-ranking confederate officers and military leaders, to take an oath promising future loyalty to the Union and an end to slavery *When 10 percent of those registered to vote in 1860 took the oath, a loyal state government could be formed *This plan was not accepted by Congress
Sherman's March to the Sea
1864 *General William Tecumseh Sherman led Union troops through Georgia *Sherman and Union Commander, Ulysses S. Grant, believed in a "total war" that would break the South's psychological capacity to fight; Sherman's army sought to eliminate civilian support of Southern troops *Sherman captured and burned Atlanta in September of 1864 *The purpose of destroying Atlanta was to lower Southern morale and diminish supplies *Sherman led troops to Savannah, then on to South and North Carolina
Wade-Davis Bill
1864 Proposed far more demanding and stringent terms for reconstruction; required 50% of the voters of a state to take the loyalty oath and permitted only non-confederates to vote for a new state constitution; Lincoln refused to sign the bill, pocket vetoing it after Congress adjourned. The pocket veto revealed a drastic split in the Republican Party.
Tenure of Office Act
1866 - enacted by radical congress - forbade president from removing civil officers without senatorial consent - was to prevent Johnson from removing a radical republican from his cabinet
Ohio Idea
1867 - Senator George H. Pendleton proposed an idea that Civil War bonds be redeemed with greenbacks. It was not adopted.
Military Reconstruction Act of 1867
1867; divided the South into 5 districts and placed them under military rule; required Southern States to ratify the 14th amendment; guaranteed freedmen the right to vote in convention to write new state constitutions. Military occupation lasted until 1877 as the South was forced to follow these requirements under threat of force.
Tweed Ring Scandal
1868 William M. Tweed or boss tweed, heads Tammany hall in NYC. leads tweed ring, cheated city millions of dollars. Cartoonist Thomas Nast helps arouse public outrage. Tweed ring broken in 1871.
Great Railroad Strike of 1877
1877 *Pay cuts caused labor strikes to spread through the country *Workers of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad went on strike over a second pay cut *President Hayes used federal troops to restore order after workers were killed
Pago Pago, Samoa
1878 - The U.S. gained this strategic port in Samoa for use in refueling U.S. warships overseas. It was part of building an international military presence.
Pendleton Act
1883 law that created a Civil Service Commission and stated that federal employees could not be required to contribute to campaign funds nor be fired for political reasons. Ended Patronage.
American Federation of Labor
1886; founded by Samuel Gompers; sought better wages, hrs, working conditions; skilled laborers only, arose out of dissatisfaction with the Knights of Labor, rejected socialist and communist ideas, non-violent. It wasn't a large conglomerate of unions, instead a large collective under one group.
Interstate Commerce Act
1887 *Established the Interstate Commerce Commission in part to monitor discrimination within railroad industry *Prohibited rebates and pools and required railroads to publish their rates *Also prohibited unfair discrimination against shippers and outlawed the practice of charging more for short hauls than long hauls *In general, the Act opened competition, the goal of which was to preserve equality and spur innovation Similar organizations like the ICC would be established later on to regulate business *synthesis*.
Progressive Era
1890 - 1920, Progressives tended to be women, middle class, and live in urban areas. Progressives sought to use government influence to solve societal problems.
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.
Spanish-American War
1898 imperialist conflict that demanded the US punish Spain for their actions in Cuba. After this war, America turned into a global superpower, and establishing an empire that stretched from The Philippines to the Caribbean.
Boxer Rebellion
1899-1901 rebellion in Beijing, China started by a secret society of Chinese who opposed the "foreign devils". The US, among other powerful nations, sent their own troops to quell the rebellion. It ended the diplomatic maneuvering of the Open Door Policy.
Roosevelt Corollary
1904 addition to the Monroe Doctrine that affirmed the right of the United States to intervene in the internal affairs of Caribbean and Latin American countries to preserve order and protect American interests. Also affirmed the right for America to oppose European intervention in the western hemisphere.
Great White Fleet
1907-1909 - Roosevelt sent the Navy on a world tour to show the world the U.S. naval power. Also to pressure Japan into the "Gentlemen's Agreement."
Muller v. Oregon
1908 *Oregon established a law that limited women to ten hours of work in factories and laundries *Muller, a laundry owner, challenged the legality of the law, arguing that t violated the "liberty to contract" *Louis Brandeis, one of the attorneys arguing the case used extensive sociological evidence in his brief (the Brandeis Brief), which served as a model for later social reformers *The Supreme Court held that the law was unconstitutional
Clayton Antitrust Act
1914 act designed to strengthen the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890; certain activities previously committed by big businesses, such as not allowing unions in factories and not allowing strikes, were declared illegal.
Jones Act
1916 - Promised Philippine independence. Given freedom in 1917, their economy grew as a satellite of the U.S. Filipino independence was not realized for 30 years.
Tulsa Race Riot
1921; started b/c a black shoe shiner was accused of assaulting a young, white, female elevator worker; lynching was rumors and white and black assembled to protect/defend their respective people; America's wealthiest black neighborhood "Black Wall Street" ended up being burned to the ground.
Nine-Power Treaty
1922. Treaty that was essentially a reinvention of the Open Door Policy. All members to allow equal and fair trading rights with China. Signed by (9) US, Japan, China, France, Great Britain, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, and Portugal.
Scopes Trial
1925 court case in which Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan debated the issue of teaching evolution in public schools. It showed the continuing divide of science vs. religion.
The Jazz Singer
1927 - The first movie with sound; this "talkie" was about the life of famous jazz singer; Al Jolson. It revolutionized the movie industry, and movies skyrocketed in popularity after this.
Fair Labor Standards Act
1938 act which provided for a minimum wage and restricted shipments of goods produced with child labor.
Lend-Lease Act
1941 law that authorized the president to aid any nation whose defense he believed was vital to American security. FDR used this to send goods to the UK in WWII. This was followed by cash-and-carry.
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.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
1949 alliance of nations that agreed to band together in the event of war and to support and protect each nation involved. It was the main alliance of western nations to oppose the Soviets.
Ho Chi Minh
1950s and 60s; communist leader of North Vietnam; used guerilla warfare to fight anti-communist, American-funded attacks under the Truman Doctrine; brilliant strategy drew out war and made it unwinnable.
Television
1950s-1960s *Invented in the 1930s *FDR was the first president to appear on TV; he gave a speech in 1939 at the New York World's Fair, where the television was being officially introduced to the mass public *Seminal shows during the 1950s and 1960s included The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, and The Ed Sullivan Show *By 1960, over forty million homes had televisions
Joseph McCarthy
1950s; Wisconsin senator claimed to have list of communists in American gov't, but no credible evidence; took advantage of fears of communism post WWII to become incredibly influential; "McCarthyism" was the fearful accusation of any dissenters of being communists.
Malcolm X
1952; renamed himself X to signify the loss of his African heritage; converted to Nation of Islam in jail in the 50s, became Black Muslims' most dynamic street orator and recruiter; his beliefs were the basis of a lot of the Black Power movement built on separationist and nationalist impulses to achieve true independence and equality. He went against the ideas of MLK a lot, advocating for a more active way of achieving equality.
Civil Rights Act of 1957
1957 *First civil rights act since Reconstruction *Stimulated by Brown v. Board of Edu. of Topeka and civil rights activism *Created a panel to ensure that voting rights of African Americans were not violated.
Counterculture Movement
1960s *Began at Berkeley with free speech movement *Beliefs included women's liberation, anti-materialism, and opposition to the war in Vietnam *Experimented with drugs and sex *Young people who favored the counterculture were called "hippies" *The Woodstock Music and Art Festival in NY State (1969) marked the culmination of this movement
Barry Goldwater
1964; Republican contender against LBJ for presidency; platform included lessening federal involvement, therefore opposing Civil Rights Act of 1964; lost by largest margin in history. However, his beliefs attracted many of the Dixiecrats to his side, forcing an ideological switch to occur.
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; as more blacks became politically active and elected black representatives, it brought jobs, contracts, and facilities and services for the black community, encouraging greater social equality and decreasing the wealth and education gap.
Woodstock Music and Art Fair
1969 musical festival, on farm in upstate NY, festival represented "the '60s movement of peace and love and some higher cultural cause," most popular bands/musicians performed, peaceful and well organized.
Rutherford B. Hayes
19th President of the US. Ended reconstruction era, and was a forgettable president. He was a Republican and former abolitionist who supported African American rights. Quite middle of the road.
Horatio Alger
19th-century American author, best known for his many formulaic juvenile novels about impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of middle-class security and comfort through hard work, determination, courage, and honesty.
Articles of Confederation
1st Constitution of the U.S. 1781-1788 (weaknesses-no executive, no judicial, no power to tax, no power to regulate trade). The federal government held very little power with these documents, so most of the power was left to the states. With this, it seemed each stat was its own country, and there was little unity
George Washington
1st President of the United States; commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution (1732-1799)
W.E.B. DuBois
1st black to earn Ph.D. from Harvard, encouraged blacks to resist systems of segregation and discrimination, helped create NAACP in 1910.
Executive Order 9066
2/19/42; 112,000 Japanese-Americans forced into camps causing loss of homes & businesses, 600K more renounced citizenship; demonstrated fear of Japanese invasion. It was issued in response to the Bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Obama Doctrine
2012 Generally, the central part of his doctrine emphasizes negotiation and collaboration rather than confrontation and unilateralism in international affairs. This term describes several principles of his methods of foreign policy, rather than being introduced as a singular foreign policy program.
James A. Garfield
20th President of the US. He came into the oval office with high hopes, but was tragically shot and assassinated by a disgruntled voter who was promised a government office upon this president's victory. The assassination showed the weakness of patronage.
Chester A. Arthur
21st President of the US. He succeeded Garfield after he was assassinated. Most notable accomplishment was the Pendleton Act.
Benjamin Harrison
23rd President of the US. Republican president who was the grandson of former president William Henry Harrison.
Grover Cleveland (2nd Term)
24th President of the US. Became president due to division in the Republican and Populist parties. In his previous term, America was suffering from an overabundance of money, but now it was in defecit. The only president to serve 2 non-consecutive terms. The gold standard price was worsening, so he repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890. Made a deal with JP Morgan. He was deemed a "sellout" for his corruption with the rich banker.
Interstate Highway Act, 1956
25 billion dollars for the construction of the Interstate Highway System over a 20-year period, it was the largest public works project in American history through that time. Passed under Eisenhower, it was justified in part by the necessity for internal transportation in case of communist attack. Stimulated growth of suburbs and economy.
Willam McKinley
25th President of the US. A Republican, he advocated for the continuation of the gold standard in the American economy. He also led America through the Spanish-American War, and turned the country into a global superpower. Assassinated in 1901.
Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)
26th President of the US. He was a known progressive president, instituting many reforms and methods of trust-busting. He also implemented conservationism. He used the policy of the Square Deal. In addition to progressivism, he continued to expand American influence abroad as a keeper of the peace and as "the world's police".
William Howard Taft (1909-1913)
27th President of the US. He was originally meant to be the successor to TR. Unfortunately, he did not live up to the expectations. He was better at trustbusting than TR, but used Dollar Diplomacy in foreign affairs.
Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)
28th President of the US. Led the nation through WWI, and had an aggressive foreign policy initially. At first didn't want to get involved with WWI, but a number of incidents changed his mind. At war's end, he organized 14 points to prevent another war like WWI from happening again. He also oversaw the country during the First Red Scare, where nativism was rampant.
Warren G. Harding
29th President of the US. A conservative Republican, he promised "a return to normalcy" after WWI. He didn't do a lot on his own, instead leaving most of the heavy work to his cabinet. He ended up being extremely corrupt, and was involved with a notorious scandal. His administration undid a lot of the progress gained during the Progressive Era. Synthesis could be given to Grant's presidency.
John Adams (1797-1801)
2nd President of the US, and the first Federalist president (George Washington didn't belong to any party). He exercised incredible power in his role as president, and utilized the federal government's power to its full extent.
Calvin Coolidge
30th President of the US. Became president after the death of Warren G. Harding. He sympathized with Secretary Andrew Mellon, and did a better job than Harding overall. He was known for having a robust foreign policy.
Herbert Hoover
31st President of the US. He initially saw the country through prosperity, up until the Great Depression hit, and then he handled it poorly. Since he was an individualist, he believed that Americans could get out of the tricky situation of the Depression on their own. his election of 1928, he first utilized the radio in getting his points across which was instrumental as he won a landslide victory.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
32nd President of the US. The longest serving president, he served from 1933-1945. Under his watch, he helped recover America through the Great Depression, and saw the country through most of WWII. He is most known for his policies that strengthened the federal government, and got it more involved with the lives of Americans.
Harry S. Truman (1945-1953)
33rd President of the US. Became president after FDR died during WWII. His policies vastly differed from his predecessor, in that he doctrinated a more active foreign policy rather than passive. He oversaw the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and saw the US' buildup into undoubtedly the world's most powerful nation. He also desegregated the military and armed forces.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
34th President of the US. First Republican president since Hoover, though he still shared a lot of the same beliefs for social welfare as Truman and FDR. He exponentially increased defense spending, and oversaw the construction of America's highway.
John F. Kennedy (JFK)
35th President of the US. He won the election of 1960 by a very narrow margin against Richard Nixon. Under his watch, some reforms were passed regarding social welfare, but most of the big things this president did were related to foreign policy, such as the Space Race, and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Lyndon B. Johnson
36th President of the US. He succeeded JFK as president, and made America even more entrenched in Vietnam. Domestically, he passed significant legislation with regards to Civil Rights, and his social welfare program, The Great Society, was also somewhat successful.
Richard Nixon
37th President of the US. He was one of the first truly conservative presidents in a long time, and the first Republican since Eisenhower. He pulled American troops out of Vietnam, and did many things that would help the environment. The only president to resign after he was involved with perhaps the most notorious scandal in US history.
Gerald Ford
38th President of the US. Succeeded Nixon, and wasn't really known for anything, other than pardoning Nixon of impeachment. Other than that, he promised to end the inflation of the 1970s, and signed many treaties maintaining peace.
Jimmy Carter
39th President of the US. A democratic president during a wave of conservatism, he unfortunately didn't do much to fix the country's issues and was fairly unpopular. He did however, try to negotiate peace between world nations, and valued a moral belief in humanity. He also used detente as platform to support a moral cause.
Thomas Jefferson
3rd President of the United States, and prominent Anti-Federalist. First Democratic-Republican president. In many ways, he was a hypocrite, and he was famous for it. For example, despite believing in small government, he did an embargo, and he bought Louisiana from the French. He also left Hamilton's financial systems intact.
Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)
40th President of the US. Initially he was a very aggressive president, and was tough on Communism, increasing defense spending to the highest in US history. He even wanted to use lasers to stop the USSR in a program called Star Wars. His idea of economics helped drag the country out of stagflation, and America became rich again. Most known for ending the Cold War.
George H.W. Bush
41st President of the US. Was the president that presided over the collapse of the Soviet Union, and also got involved with the Persian Gulf War. After promising not to raise taxes, he did. Since he was a former CIA director, he was tough on Communism.
Bill Clinton
42nd President of the US. He was a very moderate president, and a centrist. He issued a lot of reforms, notably in healthcare, and helped lead America through economic prosperity and the age of computers. Then again, his presidency was riddled with scandals.
George W. Bush (2001-2009)
43rd President of the US. Son of his former president father, he was a neo-conservative who wanted intense tax cuts. Following a certain event, he made the US' status as a world protector again, as he would dedicate his presidency to fight against terrorism.
Barack Obama
44th President of the US, and the first African-American President, and first president of color. His actions in solving the Great Recession can be synthesized with FDR's methods of solving the Great Depression. He is best known for the affordable care act, and the killing of Osama Bin Laden. His entry into the Oval Office couldn't have been done without the youth vote.
James Madison (1809-1817)
4th President of the US, and oversaw America through the War of 1812. He was a Federalist as well, and one of the founding fathers.
James Monroe (1817-1825)
5th President of the US. His presidency was marked by an era of nationalism and sectionalism, as many controversial topics began to spring up, in an Era of Good Feelings.
Andrew Jackson
7th President of the US. A very influential president, and the first president from the Democratic party. As president, he greatly expanded executive power, and promised to fight for the people more. However, he also wasn't afraid to use the power of the federal government.
William Henry Harrison
9th President of the US, and had the shortest term in office. He famously gave the longest presidential speech in American history, before ironically dying of pneumonia a month after his inauguration. Henry Clay and Daniel Webster wanted to make this president a figurehead before he died. Replaced by John Tyler.
Treaty of Tordesillas
A 1494 agreement between Portugal and Spain, declaring that newly discovered lands to the west of an imaginary line in the Atlantic Ocean would belong to Spain and newly discovered lands to the east of the line would belong to Portugal.
Schenck v. United States
A 1919 decision upholding the conviction of a socialist who had urged young men to resist the draft during World War I. Justice Holmes declared that government can limit speech if the speech provokes a "clear and present danger" of substantive evils.
Brinkmanship
A 1956 term used by Secretary of State John Dulles to describe a policy of risking war in order to protect national interests.
Iran Hostage Crisis (1979)
A 1978 revolution in Iran forced the Shah to flee. The U.S. had supported the Shah with arms and money. The revolutionaries invaded the American embassy in Iran, threatening to kill the hostages if the Shah was not returned to Iran to face trial for his actions. Carter rejected the demand, froze all Iranian assets in the United States, and issued an embargo on trade. All hostages were released in 1980, once the Shah had died and Reagan had been sworn in as President.
Realism
A 19th century artistic movement in which writers and painters sought to show life as it is rather than life as it should be.
Pentagon Papers
A 7,000-page top-secret United States government report on the history of the internal planning and policy-making process within the government itself concerning the Vietnam War. It showed that the US government was misleading people into believing things about the Vietnam War.
Viet Cong (VC)
A Communist-led army and guerrilla force in South Vietnam that fought its government and was supported by North Vietnam.
Jacob Riis
A Danish immigrant, he became a reporter who pointed out the terrible conditions of the tenement houses of the big cities where immigrants lived during the late 1800s. He wrote How The Other Half Lives in 1890. Synthesis to Michael Harrington's analysis of Appalachia in the 1950s.
Peter Stuyvesant
A Dutch General; He led a small military expedition in 1664 to New Sweden. He was known as "Father Wooden Leg". Lost the New Netherlands to the English. He was governor of New Netherlands
Farmers' Alliance
A Farmers' organization founded in late 1870s; worked for lower railroad freight rates, lower interest rates, and a change in the governments tight money policy
Sinking of the Lusitania (1915)
A German U-Boat sank the British passenger liner Lusitania (which was actually carrying ammunition) despite the American civilian passengers onboard. One of the causes to US involvement in WWI.
Pony Express
A Mail carrying service; ran from 1860-1861; was established to carry mail speedily along the 2000 miles from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California; they could make the trek in 10 days.
Hiawatha
A Mohawk leader who called members of five groups together forming the Iroquis Confederacy around 1570.
NSC-68
A National Security Council document, approved by President Truman in 1950, developed in response to the Soviet Union's growing influence and nuclear capability; it called for an increase in the US conventional and nuclear forces to carry out the policy of containment. It also led to the buildup of the military and defense spending.
King Phillip's War (1675)
A Native American leader named Metacom (called King Phillip by the English) led a coalition of other Native American tribes against the English in 1675. In the end, English settlement in New England slowed, and the Native Americans lost some of their population.
Louis Brandeis
A Progressive-style lawyer called "the people's lawyer," and fought for public causes. When nominated to the Supreme Court by Woodrow Wilson in 1916, his appointment drew outrage as his "radical" behavior and anti-Semitism as he was the first Jew on the Supreme Court.
Half-Way Covenant
A Puritan church document; In 1662, the Halfway Covenant allowed partial membership rights to persons not yet converted into the Puritan church; It lessened the difference between the "elect" members of the church from the regular members; Women soon made up a larger portion of Puritan congregations.
Tecumseh
A Shawnee chief who, along with his brother, Tenskwatawa, a religious leader known as The Prophet, worked to unite the Northwestern Indian tribes. The league of tribes was defeated by an American army led by William Henry Harrison at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. Tecumseh was killed fighting for the British during the War of 1812 at the Battle of the Thames in 1813.
Sacagawea
A Shoshone woman whose language skills and knowledge of geography helped Lewis and Clark.
Carolina Colony
A Southern colony that was granted to 8 lord proprietors, who hoped to make provisions for the West Indies. Exported Indigo and rice, and imported a lot of sugar.
Nikita Khrushchev
A Soviet leader during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Also famous for denouncing Stalin and allowed criticism of Stalin within Russia.
James G. Blaine
A U.S. Representative, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, U.S. Senator from Maine, two-time United States Secretary of State, and champion of the Half-Breeds. He was a dominant Republican leader of the post Civil War period, obtaining the 1884 Republican nomination, but lost to Democrat Grover Cleveland
Stokely Carmichael
A black civil rights activist in the 1960's. Leader of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee. He did a lot of work with Martin Luther King Jr. but later changed his attitude. Carmichael urged giving up peaceful demonstrations and pursuing black power. He was known for saying, "black power will smash everything Western civilization has created."
United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA)
A black nationalist organization founded in 1914 by the Jamaican-born Marcus Garvey in order to promote resettlement of African Americans to their "African homeland" and to stimulate a vigorous separate black economy within the United States.
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. In fact, they were socialists, which probably garnered them a lot of resistance from the public.
Steamboat
A boat that moves by the power of a steam engine, made it easier and quicker to travel goods. Invented by Robert Fulton. These were primarily used in the South and West to quickly transport their cotton and crops via rivers. Because of its proximity to the Mississippi River, New Orleans became an even more important port city.
Operation Rolling Thunder
A bombing campaign began in 1965 and authorized by President Johnson. This tactical movement relentlessly bombed Viet Cong-occupied land, decimating the landscape of hundreds of miles of land. However, the intricate and enormously large network of tunnels the guerrilla soldiers had built were largely unharmed, and it failed to stop the Viet Cong from continuing to press on. More bombs were dropped on Vietnam than all the bombs of WWII combined.
The Impending Crisis of the South
A book written by Hinton Helper. Helper hated both slavery and blacks and used this book to try to prove that non-slave owning whites were the ones who suffered the most from slavery. The non-aristocrat from N.C. had to go to the North to find a publisher that would publish his book.
Watergate Scandal
A break-in at the Democratic National Committee offices in the Watergate complex 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. After this incident, Nixon resigned as president, leaving the office to Gerald Ford. All of this continued to contribute to the credibility gap, which was bigger than ever before.
Philadelphia
European-styled city that was a safe haven for everyone. Capital of Pennsylvania colony, and was a beacon for European-Indian relations.
Model T
A cheap, simple, and mass produced car designed by Henry Ford. Because it was so widely available, many Americans were able to receive access to it in the 1920s. It began the rise of the automobile in American life.
Congregational Church
A church grown out of the Puritan church, was established in all New England colonies but Rhode Island. It was based on the belief that individual churches should govern themselves. Thus, the north seemed to be more distant from the British government.
Grandfather Clause
A clause in registration laws allowing people who do not meet registration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before 1867.
Union Party (1864)
A coalition party of pro-war Democrats and Republicans formed during the 1864 election to defeat anti-war Northern Democrats. Lincoln ran under this party in the 1864 election.
American Indian Movement (AIM)
A coalition that fought for Indian rights guaranteed by treaties(broken by the U.S. government many, many times over) and better conditions and opportunities for American Indians in the 1970s.
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.
Trust
A combination of firms or corporations formed by a legal agreement, especially to reduce competition.
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.
Matthew Perry
A commodore in the American navy. He forced Japan into opening its doors to trade, thus brining western influence to Japan while showing American might.
William Walker
A proslavery American adventurer from the South, he led an expedition to seize control on Nicaragua in 1855. He wanted to petition for annexation it as a new slave state but failed when several Latin American countries sent troops to oust him before the offer was made. Many other southern Democrats wanted land in Latin America for slavery.
John Brown
A radical abolitionist who led the resistance against slavery in Bleeding Kansas. He later organized a raid on a Southern arsenal in Harper's Ferry, VA to acquire guns for slaves. He failed however, and was hanged, becoming a martyr.
New York Central Railroad
A railroad line that was consolidated with local lines in 1867 by Cornelius Vanderbilt that ran from New York City to Chicago and operated 4,500 miles of track.
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. He was one of the great American wealthy magnates in the Gilded Age, and gained his wealth through railroading.
Central Pacific Railroad
A railroad that started in Sacramento , and connected with the Union Pacific Railroad in Promentary Point, Utah.
Islamophobia
A range of negative feelings toward Muslims and their religion that ranges from generalized intolerance to hatred. Exacerbated after 9/11. This fear is best synthesized with First and Second Red Scare, where a mass hysteria was present against a minority group.
Bacon's Rebellion
A rebellion lead by Nathaniel Bacon with backcountry farmers to attack Native Americans in an attempt to gain more land. Rebellion was stirred partially because of VA governor William Berkley's unpopularity. As a result of this, distrust formed between the planters and indentured servants, so planters turned to Africa for new forms of labor.
Lochner v. New York (1905)
A setback for progressivists, it was ruled in this case that a law enforcing a 10-hour work day for bakers was unconstitutional.
Black Power
A slogan used to reflect solidarity and racial consciousness, used by Malcolm X. It meant that equality could not be given, but had to be seized by a powerful, organized Black community.
Banana Republic
A small country (especially in Central America) that is politically unstable and whose economy is dominated by foreign companies and depends on one export (such as bananas). Usually these foreign companies were from the US.
Civil Rights Movement
A social movement in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s, in which people organized to demand equal rights for African Americans and other minorities. People worked together to change unfair laws. They gave speeches, marched in the streets, and participated in boycotts.
Social Gospel Movement
A social reform movement that developed within religious institutions and sought to apply the teachings of Jesus directly to society. Possibly was a foundation for fundamentalism.
Feminists
A supporter of women's claims to the same rights and treatment as men.
Underground Railroad
A system that helped enslaved African Americans follow a network of escape routes out of the South to freedom in the North. Harriet Tubman was a prominent figure in helping Slaves escape to the north, helping over 300 of them escape bondage. Because of the amount of slaves escaping, Southerners demanded a fugitive slave law.
Sharecropping
A system used on southern farms after the Civil War in which farmers worked land owned by someone else in return for a small portion of the crops. Most newly freed African Americans went to work on farms after the Compromise of 1877 which seemed like slavery they fought so long to stop.
domestic feminism
A term used by American historians to describe how women's authority was, beginning the mid-19th century, situated within the "separate sphere" of the home. This emerging discourse allowed (primarily) northern, middle class, white women to connect new ideas about gender roles within the family to their growing participation in abolitionism.
Boomtowns
A town that grew in mining areas where there were gold rushes. These usually didn't last because the gold usually ran out, or there was no gold at all.
Freedom Summer (1964)
A voter registration drive in Mississippi spearheaded by the collaboration of civil rights groups, the campaign drew the activism of thousands of black and white civil rights workers, many of whom were students from the north, and was marred by the abduction and murder of three such workers at the hands of white racists.
Taft-Hartley Act
Act that provides balance of power between union and management by designating certain union activities as unfair labor practices; also known as Labor-Management Relations Act (LMRA).
Langston Hughes
African American poet who described the rich culture of African American life using rhythms influenced by jazz music. He wrote of African American hope and defiance, as well as the culture of Harlem and also had a major impact on the Harlem Renaissance.
Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1962
After discovering that the Soviets were secretly building nuclear missile launch sites in Cuba, which could have been used for a sneak-attack on the U.S., President Kennedy announced a quarantine of Cuba, which was really a blockade, but couldn't be called that since blockades are a violation of international law. After 13 days of confrontation that led to the brink of nuclear war, Khrushchev backed down and agreed to dismantle the launch sites. After this, JFK would want to maintain a more peaceful stance on the USSR. It was the beginning of Detente.
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. After surface metals were removed, people sought ways to extract ore from underground, leading to the development of heavy mining machinery. This, in turn, led to the consolidation of the mining industry, because only big companies could afford to buy and build the necessary machines.
Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
After many years of battles, and the surrenders of Germany and Italy, Japan was still fighting. After much deliberation, the U.S. decided to drop their newly developed atomic bomb on Hiroshima killing thousands. After Japan didn't surrender, the U.S. dropped another one a few days after on Nagasaki also killing thousands. This ended WWII, and turned the US into a global superpower since now they had access to the tech of nuclear weapons.
Radical Republicans
After the Civil War, a group that believed the South should be harshly punished and thought that Lincoln was sometimes too compassionate towards the South.
Effects of American Inventions (Gilded Age)
After the Civil War, many went on to profit through fortunes. Railroads now connected more people than ever before, and the American market had increased exponentially. Foreign investors were now attracted to America, as tons of liquid capital were now available. New methods of mass production were also invented.
Reconstruction Finance Corporation
Agency established in 1932 to provide emergency relief to large businesses, insurance companies, and banks. Not individuals though.
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.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Agency under Nixon that would work to maintain a safe working environment, and to improve safety standards. Synthesis to Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and its improvements to worker safety.
Kellogg-Briand Pact
Agreement signed in 1928 in which nations agreed not to pose the threat of war against one another. It was only an agreement however, and it did not call for any regulations of any kind. It reflected the mindset of most Americans at the time with their false sense of security.
Nonimportation Agreements
Agreements not to import goods from Great Britain. They were designed to put pressure on the British economy and force the repeal of unpopular parliamentary acts.
September 11, 2001 (9/11)
Al-Qaeda terrorists, living in the U.S., hijacked several commercial airliners and crashed them into the Pentagon and World Trade Center. After this notorious incident, George H W Bush declared "A war on terror" and the "Axis of Evil". For the first time, Americans were unanimous in wanting to stop this existential threat of terrorism. However, the country would soon fracture. As a result of the fear caused by this event, a sense of Islamophobia began to develop, as innocent people were sent Guantonomo Bay Prison.
Judicial Review
Allows the court to determine the constitutionality of laws
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Along with John Marshall, he is often considered considered one of the greatest justices in Supreme Court history. His opinions and famous dissents in favor of individual liberties are still frequently quoted today. He argued that current necessity rather than precedent should determine the rules by which people are governed; that experience, not logic, should be the basis of law.
Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
Also called the "Bloodhound Bill". Passed as part of the Compromise of 1850, it set high penalties for anyone who aided escaped slaves and compelled all law enforcement officers to participate in retrieving runaways. Strengthened the antislavery cause in the North.
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
Proposition 13
Also known as the "tax revolt", it was a Californian ballot measure in 1978 that slashed property taxes and forced deep cuts in government services. Was evidence for growing conservatism.
Immigration Act of 1924
Also known as the Johnson-Reed Act. Federal law limiting the number of immigrants that could be admitted from any country to 2% of the amount of people from that country who were already living in the U.S. as of the census of 1890.
19th Amendment
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1920) extended the right to vote to women in federal or state elections A major victory for feminists everywhere. Synthesis to Civil Rights legislation passed in the 1960s.
16th Amendment
Amendment to the United States Constitution (1913) gave Congress the power to tax income.
21st Amendment
Amendment which ended the Prohibition of alcohol in the US, repealing the 18th amendment.
America and the Mexican Civil War
America intervened in the Mexican Civil War, and denounced the regime of Victoriano Huerta when it overthrew the Democratic-minded Francisco Madero. America attacked Veracruz and overthrew the Huerta regime. When the new regime didn't agree with America's terms for a new Mexico, Wilson became hostile.
Margaret Sanger
American leader of the movement to legalize birth control during the early 1900's. As a nurse in the poor sections of New York City, she had seen the suffering caused by unwanted pregnancy. Founded the first birth control clinic in the U.S. and the American Birth Control League, which later became Planned Parenthood.
Gilded Age Causation
America is abundant in natural resources, which caused them to industrialize easily. Industrialization allowed for the rise of factories and new forms of manufacturing. As America industrialized there was a higher demand for jobs and labor, thus attracting opportunistic immigrants from across the world. New immigrants from other areas were attracted this way. As more and more immigrants arrived in the US, the population grew exponentially, causing a larger need for housing. That housing came in the cities, so as more people arrived, cities were forced to urbanize to allocate as much space as possible in a small area. Now, cities were much larger, albeit having a high influx of crime and a wealth gap. From this point on, a shift from rural to urban focus would occur.
Sitting Bull
American Indian medicine man, chief, and political leader of his tribe at the time of the Custer massacre during the Sioux War.
Washington Irving
American Romanticist writer remembered for the stories "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," contained in The Sketch Book (1819-1820).
Ngo Dinh Diem
American ally in South Vietnam from 1954 to 1963; his repressive regime caused the Communist Viet Cong to thrive in the South and required increasing American military aid to stop a Communist takeover. he was killed in a coup in 1963. The regime also made him very unpopular, causing many civilians to support the Vietminh cause.
Clipper Ships
American boats, built during the 1840's in Boston, that were sleek and fast but inefficient in carrying a lot of cargo or passengers.
Napalm and Agent Orange
American bombing campaigns attempted to chase the enemy out of the jungle by dropping these two defoliants to kill and burn plant life. Unfortunately, this had the effect of accidentally killing a number of innocent Vietnamese.
Henry Ford
American businessman and founder of the Ford Motor Company. He was the father of the automobile industry, and utilized the assembly line in his work. Later mass produced the Model-T in the 1920s for all Americans, making the automobile widely available.
Cyrus Field
American businessman who laid the first telegraph wire across the Atlantic. This cut down the time it took for a message to be sent from Europe to American and vice-versa.
Thurgood Marshall
American civil rights lawyer, first black justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. He was a tireless advocate for the rights of minorities and the poor.
Loyalists
American colonists who remained loyal to Britain and opposed the war for independence.
Patriots
American colonists who were determined to fight the British until American independence was won.
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.
James Meredith and Ole Miss
An American civil rights movement figure, a writer, and a political adviser. In 1962, he was the first African-American student admitted to the segregated University of Mississippi. He was escorted the entire time he was there.
McClure's Magazine
An American illustrated monthly periodical popular at the turn of the 20th century. It was in this magazine that progressive muckraker journalists like Lincoln Steffens and Ida Tarbell got their start.
Gloria Steinem (Ms. Magazine)
An American journalist, who became the spokeswoman for the woman's liberation movement in the 1960s. She was the co founder of Ms. Magazine, which is an American feminist magazine. It was the first magazine to describe the issue of domestic violence.
Jazz
An American music style combining work songs, gospel music, spirituals, and African rhythms. It blossomed in the 1920s as part of the Harlem Renaissance.
Whig Party
An American political party formed in the 1830s to oppose President Andrew Jackson and the Democrats, stood for protective tariffs, national banking, and federal aid for internal improvements.
Birth of a Nation, 1915
An American silent film directed by D. W. Griffith. The film was a commercial success, but was highly controversial owing to its portrayal of African-American men as unintelligent and sexually aggressive towards white women, and the portrayal of the Ku Klux Klan as a heroic force. It is is also credited as one of the events that inspired the formation of the "second era" Ku Klux Klan. Despite the film's controversial content, Griffith's innovative film techniques make it one of the most important and influential films in the commercial film industry.
Jefferson Davis
An American statesman and politician who served as President of the Confederate States of America for its entire history from 1861 to 1865.
Henry Hudson
An English explorer who explored for the Dutch. He claimed the Hudson River around present day New York and called it New Netherland. He also had the Hudson Bay named for him.
Pope's Rebellion
An Native American uprising in 1680 where pueblo rebels in an attempt to resist catholicism and Europeans all together destroyed every catholic church in the province and killed scores of priests and hundreds of spanish settlers.
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.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
An agency created after World War II to coordinate American intelligence activities abroad. It became involved in intrigue, conspiracy, and meddling as well. This group even went as far as to overthrow some governments for even thinking about allying with Communism.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
An agency created in 1933 to insure individuals' bank accounts, protecting people against losses due to bank failures.
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.
Warsaw Pact
An alliance between the Soviet Union and other Eastern European nations. This was in response to the NATO.
Fair Deal
An economic extension of the New Deal proposed by Harry Truman that called for higher minimum wage, housing and full employment. It led only to the Housing Act of 1949 and the Social Security Act of 1950 due to opposition in congress.
Mercantilism
An economic policy under which nations sought to increase their wealth and power by obtaining large amounts of gold and silver and by selling more goods than they bought. The British used this to indirectly influence colonial America and to gain more authority there.
Regionalism
An element in literature that conveys a realistic portrayal of a specific geographical locale, using the locale and its influences as a major part of the plot.
Oregon Country
Anglo-American jointly occupied territory in the northwest region of the modern-day lower 48, and southwest modern-day British Columbia. The Columbia River held valuable pelts for the fur trade, so that's why the British claimed it. America claimed it through the Louisiana Purchase and exploration. Relations were generally peaceful until "Oregon Fever" where American pioneers settled the area. However, the debate upon where the border should be settled.
Election of 1860
Another important election, this would be the last major event before the outbreak of the Civil War. Many different branches of the Democratic Party were formed and ran in this election, like the Constitutional Union Party. Buchanan didn't even run again because he was so disliked. In the end, Abraham Lincoln won, and he would have to be faced with the toughest event the nation has faced up to this point. Upon Lincoln's victory, a vote in South Carolina in December, 1860 resulted in secession.
Conscience Whigs
Anti-slavery whigs who opposed both the Texas annexation and the Mexican War on moral grounds.
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Arab leader, set out to modernize Egypt and end western domination, nationalized the Suez canal, led two wars against the Zionist state, remained a symbol of independence and pride, returned to socialism, nationalized banks and businesses, limited economic policies.
Shay's Rebellion (1786)
Armed uprising of western Massachusetts debtors seeking lower taxes and an end to property foreclosures led by Daniel Shays. Though quickly put down, the insurrection inspired fears of "mob rule" among leading Revolutionaries. It also led political leaders to develop a more formal government system.
Henry Kissinger
Awarded 1973 Nobel Peace Prize for helping to end Vietnam War and withdrawing American forces. Heavily involved in South American politics as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State. Condoned covert tactics to prevent communism and fascism from spreading throughout South America. In addition, he tried his best to establish a policy of detente, or making friendly relations with communist nations such as China and the USSR.
Recovery Act of 2009
At $787 billion, the largest stimulus measure in U.S history; enacted in February 2009 and projected to last two years. It was meant to finance the country's recovery from the Great Recession, and it worked well.
Richard Olney
Attorney General of the U.S., he obtained an active injunction that state union members couldn't stop the movement of trains. He moved troops in to stop the Pullman strike.
Watts Riots
August 1965 *Six-day riots in Watts, a depressed African American section of Los Angeles *Causes included a drunk-driving arrest of a young African American and claims of police brutality *Thirty-four deaths and over $200 million worth of property damage resulted *Sparked other riots throughout the country
Central Powers
Austria-Hungary, Germany, Ottoman Empire
Sigmund Freud
Austrian physician whose work focused on the unconscious causes of behavior and personality formation; founded psychoanalysis. His writings about sexual repression justified most of America's sexual desires.
Merchant Marine Act of 1920
Authorized the Shipping Board, which controlled about 1500 vessels, to dispose of much of the hastily built wartime fleet at bargain-basement prices.
Second New Deal, 1935
Began in 1935 after the midterm congressional elections in 1934 which further expanded Democratic majorities in Congress thus giving FDR a mandate to go further with the New Deal. Created Works Progress Administration which put over 3 million people to work paid by the government among many other programs. Most important legacies: Social Security & Wagner Act
Hoarce Kallen
Believed the US should act as a protector for immigrants, and a place where they should practice their customs.
Afghanistan War (2001)
Bush demanded that Afghanistan's Taliban government surrender the al Qaeda terrorists or risk military attack. The Taliban refused, and on October 7, 2001, the United States and its allies launched Operation Enduring Freedom. After American and British cruise missiles and bombers destroyed Afghan military installations and al Qaeda training camps, ground troops from the United States and some of its NATO allies routed Taliban forces. On December 9, the Taliban regime collapsed. The war in Afghanistan then transitioned into a high-stakes manhunt for the elusive Osama bin Laden, who had escaped into the mountains of Pakistan. The war wouldn't conclude until Summer of 2021.
Irish Immigrants
Came to the U.S. because of the Irish Potato Famine. Many worked in factories in harsh conditions for little pay. Groups like the Molly Maguires and Ancient Order of Hibernians were formed to protest Irish mistreatment.
German Immigrants
Came to the US in 1848 as a result of the liberal movements happening. They were very liberal thinking and often settled in western areas since they were richer than other immigrants. They also brought elements of German culture, words, and new technologies from Germany such as the Conestoga Wagon and Kentucky Rifle.
Personal Computer Revolution
Causes: -Hardware vision of engineers -Software developers seeking challenges -Electronic hobbyists realizing a dream -All necessary hardware and software elements were at hand or being developed -Social, economic, and personal forces came together for support -Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs -People now had access to the internet, which allowed them to get their news much easier. In addition, people now had a new form of entertainment accessible from their home, or at work.
American Mechanization
Cheap land drove American farmers away from the urban factories, and the farmers thought they could more easily profit off of agriculture out west. The labor gap in the factories was filled by the immigrants, even though it was hard to acquire money. Factories were primarily present in the north, since it was more dense and it was closer to the water.
Philippe Bunau-Varilla
Chief engineer of the French company that attempted to build a canal through the Panamanian isthmus, chief planner of the Panamanian revolt against Colombia, and later minister to the United States from the new Republic of Panama.
Antebellum Colleges
Colleges were given federal land grants so they expanded exponentially. Thanks to the Second Great Awakening, Liberal Arts and Religion was emphasized in teaching of colleges now. Several colleges soon began to open up to Blacks and women.
Boston Tea Party (December 16, 1773)
Colonists were upset at first being forced to pay taxes on tea, then forced to purchase tea from the British East India Tea Company. To protest, colonists dressed as Mohawks and dumped crates of tea into the Boston Harbor.
George B. McClellan
Commander of the Union Army of the Potomac, and appointed by Lincoln. He was famously cautious however, and he was notorious for being an inexperienced general. Despite him winning at Antietam, he never chased fleeing Lee, so as a result he was fired.
Presidential Commission on the Status of Women
Commission appointed by President Kennedy in 1961, which issued a 1963 report documenting job and educational discrimination.
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. Synthesis to Vietnam War as well as other Proxy Wars where the US would help one side, and the Soviets would help another. This war wasn't as popular as other US wars, and it would serve as the basis for the coming foreign policy of the US. America was now much more global and expansive after this war, and they would continue to become involved with the affairs of Asia.
Union Pacific Railroad
Congress commissioned this railroad to push westward from Omaha, Nebraska to California.
Spot Resolutions
Congressman Abraham Lincoln supported a proposition to find the exact spot where American troops were fired upon, suspecting that they had illegally crossed into Mexican territory.
Dixiecrats
Conservative southern Democrats who objected to President Truman's strong push for civil-rights legislation. Southern Democrats who broke from the party in 1948 over the issue of civil rights and ran a presidential ticket as the States' Rights Democrats with J. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina as a candidate.
War Industries Board (WIB)
Created by Wilson to oversee the production and distribution of goods made by the country's war industries. Overseen by Bernard Baruch. It had total control over the economy, including labor disputes and allocating raw materials.
American Railway Union
Created by radical socialist Eugene V. Debs, it was a union created in a short-lived attempt to bring all of the railroad workers into one organization. This union was a precursor of the union movement that followed in the 1930s. The union was involved in the 1894 Pullman Strike.
Glass-Steagall Banking Reform Act
Created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which insures the accounts of depositors of its member banks. It outlawed banks investing in the stock market. After this, the banks wouldn't fail anymore, and all gold was to be exchanged for paper money, ending the gold standard debate.
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
Created to allow the free movement of goods between Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. by lessening and eliminating tariffs. However, this was absolutely horrible for workers' unions, as it heavily limited workers' opportunities and their collective bargaining powers. From these point onward, all members of a workers union would not vote for Democrats.
Federal Relief Administration (FERA)
Created to distribute $500 million in relief aid to state and local agencies, at least half went to the states for direct distribution to families. New Deal.
Fidel Castro
Cuban socialist leader who overthrew a dictator in 1959 and established a Marxist socialist state in Cuba (born in 1927).
Kitchen Debate
Debate between Nixon and Krushchev. The two men discussed the merits of each of their respective economic systems, capitalism and communism. The debate took place during an escalation of the Cold War, beginning with the launch of Sputnik in 1957, through the U-2 Crisis in 1960. Most Americans believed Nixon won the debate.
Pearl Harbor Attack
Dec 7 1941, "a date that will live in infamy"; Japanese attack American naval base and air forces in Pearl Harbor; US declares war on japan, Italy and Germany declare war on US. This action by the Japanese broke the rigid debate about interventionism in WWII within America, with everyone becoming totally pro-war.
Treaty of Ghent
December 24, 1814 - Ended the War of 1812 and restored the status quo. For the most part, territory captured in the war was returned to the original owner. It also set up a commission to determine the disputed Canada/U.S. border.
Danbury Hatters Case
Decided in 1908 by the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1902 the hatters' union instituted a nationwide boycott of the products of a nonunion hat manufacturer in Danbury, Conn., and the manufacturer brought suit against the union for unlawfully combining to restrain trade in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. The Supreme Court held that the union was subject to an injunction and liable for the payment of treble damages. This precedent for federal court interference with labor activities was later modified by statutes.
Battle of Saratoga (1777)
Decisive colonial victory in upstate New York; considered to be the turning point of the American Revolution. *Historical Significance:* Caused France to openly support the colonies with military forces in addition to the supplies and money already being sent..
Strom Thurmond
Democratic governor of South Carolina who headed the State's Rights Party (Dixiecrats); he ran for president in 1948 against Truman and his mild civil rights proposals and eventually joined the Republican Party.
war hawks (1811-1812)
Democratic-Republican Congressmen who pressed James Madison to declare war on Britain. Largely drawn from the South and West, the war hawks resented British constraints on American trade and accused the British of supporting Indian attacks against American settlements on the frontier.
Cleveland and the Tariff
Democrats nominated Grover Cleveland, tariff had been raised during war; American industry benefited from protection and didn't want tariff to go down, Cleveland proposes to lower tariff to reduce surplus and have lower consumer prices-became dividing issue in election of 1888.
Antebellum Railroads
Despite being hard work to build, these rails that carried the trains were important because they defied most weather conditions. However, they were at first unpopular due to their faultiness and complexity.
American System
Devised by Henry Clay, it was a new nationalistic system that was intended to connect America closer than ever before. It created a network of roads and canals, mostly in the Ohio River Valley, and a strong banking system with credit.
Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890
Directed the Treasury to buy even larger amounts of silver that the Bland-Allison Act and at inflated prices. The introduction of large quantities of overvalued silver into the economy led to a run on the federal gold reserves, leading to the Panic of 1893. Repealed in 1893.
Henry Clay
Distinguished senator from Kentucky, who ran for president five times until his death in 1852. He was a strong supporter of the American System, a war hawk for the War of 1812, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and known as "The Great Compromiser." Outlined the Compromise of 1850 with five main points. Died before it was passed however.
Great Recession of 2008
Dramatic loss of jobs (and consumer spending) that began with the bursting of the U.S. housing bubble in late 2007. At this point, it was the biggest financial collapse since the Great Depression (Not as big as the COVID economic collapse). This game as a result of government deregulation on investment and spending. Everyone knew that it was time for Bush to go after this.
OPEC oil embargo, 1973
During the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, Arab members of OPEC imposed an oil embargo against the US in retaliation for the US support for Israel. The price of oil in the US tripled causing widespread economic hardship. This event would signal the end of abundant energy for the US, and would make citizens realize how dependent they were on foreign energy. In addition, the US, and the rest of the world took an even greater interest in the Middle East, as they now had to rely even more on oil.
Nixon Doctrine
During the Vietnam War, this was created. It stated that the United States would honor its existing defense commitments, but in the future other countries would have to fight their own wars without support of American troops.
New Amsterdam
Dutch colonial settlement that served as the capital of New Netherland on the mouth of the Hudson River. Originally, it was formed as a stockholder town, but it quickly grew into a bustling port city.
Jacobus Arminius
Dutch theologian who rejected predestination, preaching that salvation could be attained through the acceptance of God's grace and was open to all, not just the elect. (Individual free will, beginnings of liberal ideas in the colonies)
Panic of 1857
Economic downturn caused by overspeculation of western lands, railroads, gold in California, grain. Mostly affected northerners, who called for higher tariffs and free homesteads. Pretty much everyone hated this event.
Panic of 1819
Economic panic caused by extensive speculation and a decline of European demand for American goods along with mismanagement within the Second Bank of the United States. Often cited as the end of the Era of Good Feelings. Many poor Americans had their local banks taken away by the federal bank, and were left in debt.
The Man Without A Country
Edward Everett Hale's fictional account of a treasonous soldier's journeys in exile. The book was widely read in the North, inspiring greater devotion to the Union.
Radical Whigs
Eighteenth-century British political commentators who agitated against political corruption and emphasized the threat to liberty posed by arbitrary power. Their writings shaped American political thought and made colonists especially alert to encroachments on their rights.
Employment Act of 1946
Enacted by Truman, it committed the federal government to ensuring economic growth and established the Council of Economic Advisors to confer with the president and formulate policies for maintaining employment, production, and purchasing power.
Effects of Railroads
Encouraged industrial growth, provided millions of new jobs, boosted agriculture, Influenced travel of ordinary people. However, lots of cheap land was gobbled up for building, so it was difficult for farmers to acquire more of it. Places that weren't connected became "ghost towns". They also gave birth to time zones to keep scheduling easier, and to develop an easier system of tracking time. This industry gave birth to a new millionaire class of people, even higher than that of the upper class, symbolizing another gap in wealth.
Homestead Act of 1862
Encouraged westward settlement by allowing heads of families to buy 160 acres of land for a small fee ($10-30); settlers were required to develop and remain on the land for five years. Over 400,000 families got land through this law.
Treaty of Paris (1763)
Ended French and Indian War, France lost Canada, land east of the Mississippi, to British, New Orleans and west of Mississippi to Spain. Britain would get total hegemony over North America east of the Mississippi. However, victory came with a price of crippling debt in the colonies, thus the colonists needed to repay those debts.
Treaty of Versailles (1919)
Ended World War I; it was much harder on Germany than Wilson wanted but not as punitive as France and England desired. It was harsh enough, however, to set stage for Hitler's rise to power in Germany in the 1930s. US refused to ratify it.
Treaty of Paris (1898)
Ended the Spanish-American War, and gave the US control of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and The Philippines. The Philippines would ultimately cause debate.
National Labor Relations Board
Enforces procedures whereby employees may vote to have a union and for collective bargaining.
Quakers
English dissenters who broke from Church of England, preach a doctrine of pacifism, inner divinity, and social equity.
Virginia Company of London
English joint stock company established by royal charter by James I of England on April 10, 1606 with the purpose of establishing colonial settlements in North America.
Capture of New Amsterdam
English ships showed up off the coast of New Amsterdam led by the Duke of York. Peter Stuyvesant surrendered the city without firing a shot, and the city was renamed to New York.
Ernest Hemmingway & the Lost Generation
Ernest Hemingway, a friend of Gertrude Stein, made it a popular concept when he included it as an epigraph in his novel The Sun Also Rises. The Lost Generation, therefore, really referred to that group of men and women who came of age during World War I and who felt disillusioned in this unfamiliar post-war world.
Containment Policy
Established by the Truman administration in 1947 to contain Soviet influence to what it was at the end of World War II. It was to stop the spread of Communism globally.
17th Amendment
Established the direct election of senators (instead of being chosen by state legislatures). An achievement of Robert La Folette.
Agricultural Marketing Act
Established the first major government program to help farmers maintain crop prices with a federally sponsored Farm Board that would make loans to national marking cooperatives or set up corporations to buy surpluses and raise prices. This act failed to help American farmers.
First Great Awakening Effects
Establishment of new educational institutions, encouraged missionary work, and began the first Great Migration of America.
Who were most of the early colonists?
Farmers trying to acquire land. Although it was more expensive in the South.
Half-Breeds
Favored tariff reform and social reform, major issues from the Democratic and Republican parties. They did not seem to be dedicated members of either party.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Federal agency responsible for preventing terrorist attacks within the United States, reducing America's vulnerability to terrorism, and minimizing the damage and assisting in recovery from attacks that do occur. Formed in 2002 following 9/11.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Federal agency that has established rules and regulations that further interpret the practices affected by federal law; for example, HUD distributes an equal housing opportunity poster. Established during Great Society. It had the first African American cabinet secretary, Robert C. Weaver.
Patent Office
Federal government bureau that reviews patent applications. A patent is a legal recognition of a new invention, granting exclusive rights to the inventor for a period of years. Gave incentive for more innovations in America.
Phillis Wheatley
First African American female writer to be published in the United States. Her book Poems on Various Subjects was published in 1773, pioneered African-American literature. One of the most well- known poets in America during her day; first African American to get a volume of poetry published.
Roanoake Colony
First English colony in North America founded by Sir Walter Raleigh in modern-day North Carolina. Was found abandoned upon John White returning from England with supplies.
Sputnik
First artificial Earth satellite, it was launched by Moscow in 1957 and sparked U.S. fears of Soviet dominance in technology and outer space. It led to the creation of NASA and the space race.
Bartolome de Las Casas
First bishop of Chiapas, in southern Mexico. He devoted most of his life to protecting Amerindian peoples from exploitation. His major achievement was the New Laws of 1542, which limited the ability of Spanish settlers to compel Amerindians to labor.
Plymouth Colony
First colony in New England, founded in 1620 by Puritans. While it wasn't rich in resources, it stood out due to its system of government, being a strict theocracy.
King William's War and Queen Anne's War
First couple of great wars fought in the New World. Most of the early fighting was done with Guerilla Warfare. Some gains were made, but nothing too significant.
Comstock Lode
First discovered in 1858 by Henry Comstock, some of the most plentiful and valuable silver was found here, causing many Californians to migrate here, and settle Nevada.
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
Battle of Bunker Hill (1775)
First major battle of the American Revolution; ended in colonial defeat. *Historical Significance:* The British suffered heavy casualties, including a notably large number of officers.
Battle of Fort Necessity
First major battle of the French and Indian War. Up and coming colonel George Washington led a defense of a small fort by the Ohio River and Allegheny River. Ended in a British defeat.
George Grenville
First of the hated British Prime Ministers that influenced the beginnings of the American Revolution. He passed the Stamp and Sugar Acts, and enforced Navigation Laws more strictly.
Bill of Rights
First ten amendments to the constitution: 1st Amendment: Freedom of Speech, Religion, and the Press 2nd Amendment: Right to bear arms (Guns) 3rd Amendment: No quartering soldiers (the outdated one) 4th Amendment: Prohibits unauthorized searches and seizures, must have a warrant in order to search 5th Amendment: Right to due process, and not double jeopardy 6th Amendment: Right to speedy trial and jury. 7th Amendment: Inhibits courts from overturning jury rulings 8th Amendment: (HAHAHA FUNNY JTOH REFERENCE) No cruel and unusual punishment 9th Amendment: Address rights not specifically mentioned in the constitution 10th Amendment: All powers reserved to the government and the states should be used only by the government and states
Jeanette Rankin
First woman to serve in Congress. Suffragist and pacifist, voted against US involvement in WWI and WWII.
Brigham Young
Following Joseph Smith's murder in 1844, he became the leader of the Mormons in 1844. He led them to settle down in Utah, where the population grew exponentially due to the fact that Mormons practiced polygamy.
Election of 1856
For the first time, the Republican Party went against the Democrats with adventurer John C. Fremont going against James Buchanan. Despite losing, this election is significant because the Republicans made significant gains for the first time.
Standard Oil Company
Founded by John D. Rockefeller. Largest unit in the American oil industry in 1881. Known as A.D. Trust, it was outlawed by the Supreme Court of Ohio in 1899. Replaced by the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey.
Dominion of New England
Formed in 1686, another attempt at uniting the New England colonies, except they were more directly in control of the English government. It was meant to promote administration of navigation laws partially, but it ended up being more of a dictatorship.
Liberal Republican Party
Formed in 1872 by reform-minded citizens in response to the political corruption in Washington. The party met in Cincinnati and chose Horace Greeley as their presidential candidate.
Mexican American Political Association
Formed in Fresno, California, in 1960, this organization committed itself to aiding Mexican-American candidates in their efforts to get elected to public office.
Republican Party (pre-Nixon)
Formerly the Free-Soilers, this party was the first sectional party. It was created as a result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and attempted to keep slavery out of the territories. The spiritual successor to the Whig Party Republicans supported a large government, strong moral values, and a forward and liberal way of thinking.
War of 1812 (1812-1815)
Fought between Britain and the United States largely over the issues of trade and impressment. Though the war ended in a relative draw, it demonstrated America's willingness to defend its interests militarily, earning the young nation new found respect from European powers. After this, there was a newfound sense of American nationalism (At the cost of burned White House).
Hudson River School
Founded by Thomas Cole, first native school of landscape painting in the U.S.; attracted artists rebelling against the neoclassical tradition, painted many scenes of New York's Hudson River.
James Oglethorpe
Founder and governor of the Georgia colony. He ran a tightly-disciplined, military-like colony. Slaves, alcohol, and Catholicism were forbidden in his colony. Many colonists felt that Oglethorpe was a dictator, and that (along with the colonist's dissatisfaction over not being allowed to own slaves) caused the colony to break down and Oglethorpe to lose his position as governor.
Panic of 1873
Four year economic depression caused by overspeculation on railroads and western lands, and worsened by Grant's poor fiscal response (refusing to coin silver).
New France
French colony in North America, with a capital in Quebec, founded 1608 by Samuel de Champlain. It controlled pretty much all of Canada, and the area passed the Appalachian Mountains, and into the Ohio River Valley. Held the lucrative resource of Beaver pelt.
Coureours de bois/Runners of the woods
French frontiersmen that hunted beavers for their pelt, and helped negotiate with Native Americans. Discovered many landmarks on their travels in the frontier.
Chiang Kai-shek
General and leader of Nationalist China after 1925. Although he succeeded Sun Yat-sen as head of the Guomindang, he became a military dictator whose major goal was to crush the communist movement led by Mao Zedong.
Ecological imperialism
Fur trappers sometimes hunted certain species to near extinction such as the wild buffalo.
Emergency Banking Relief Act
Gave the President power over the banking system and set up a system by which banks would be reorganized or reopened.
Betty Friedan, The Feminine Mystique
Gave the women's movement a new direction by encouraging middle-class women to seek fulfillment in professional careers rather than confining themselves to the roles of wife, mother, and homemaker. She wrote this through her book, "The Feminine Mystique". This connects to Alice Paul and other movements for women's rights.
Palmer Raids, 1919-1920
General A. Mitchell Palmer and J.E. Hoover orchestrated a series of raids on alleged radical centers throughout the country and arrested more than 6,000 people. These actions had been intended to uncover huge caches of weapons and explosives; they netted a total of three pistols and no dynamite.
Axis Powers
Germany, Italy, Japan
Andrew Carnegie
Gilded Age industrialist who made his wealth through the steel industry, and the bessemer process. He used vertical integration to make all parts of his Pittsburgh steelmaking plant work. Preached gospel of wealth.
Glasnost and Perestroika
Glasnost is a policy that was introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev which means openness in 1985. He supported the Soviet citizens to talk about ways to improved their living environment. In 1985, he imported the idea of Perestroika, which means economic restructuring. This was tried in 1986.
War Production Board (WPB)
Government agency that decided which companies would make war materials and how to distribute raw materials. It was similar to the War Industries Board (WIB) in WWI.
National Recovery Administration (NRA)
Government agency that was part of the New Deal and dealt with the industrial sector of the economy. It allowed industries to create fair competition which were intended to reduce destructive competition and to help workers by setting minimum wages and maximum weekly hours.
Granger Laws
Grangers state legislatures in 1874 passed law fixing maximum rates for freight shipments. The railroads responded by appealing to the Supreme Court to declare these laws unconstitutional
Patronage
Granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support. In the Gilded Age, it was used to acquire votes in exchange for government positions.
Medicare and Medicaid
Great Society programs that guaranteed healthcare for specific groups: -care for the elderly, -aid for the poor.
National Consumers League (NCL)
Group organized in 1899 to investigate the conditions under which goods were made and sold and to promote safe working conditions and a minimum wage.
Ostend Manifesto
Guaranteed casus belli (reason for war) against Spain if America wanted Cuba. It was used by Southerners for them to gain slaveholding properties in Cuba, and was signed in secret. Upon being leaked, it outraged northerners.
Huron Indians
Had friendly relations with the French. Became allies with the French to defeat the Iroquois. Indigenous people of North America.
Hawks and Doves
Hawks believed that the Vietnam War was part of a Soviet-backed Communist master plan to conquer all of Southeast Asia. Doves believed it was a civil war, fought by Vietnamese nationalists and some Communists who wanted to unite their country by overthrowing a corrupt Saigon government.
Jack Kerouac, On the Road
He produced what may have been known the bible of the Beat Generation. His novel was an account of a cross-country automobile trip that depicted the rootless, iconoclastic lifestyle of himself and his friends. This novel gave way for many neo-liberal movements of the 1950s and '60s such as the Beatnik and Hippie Movement.
Robert F. Kennedy
He ran for President in 1968; stirred a response from workers, African Americans, Hispanics, and younger Americans; would have captured Democratic nomination but was assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan after victory speech during the California primary in June 1968.
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
He was America's most popular author, but also renowned platform lecturer. He lived from 1835 to 1910. Used "romantic" type literature with comedy to entertain his audiences. In 1873 along with the help of Charles Dudley Warner he wrote The Gilded Age. This is why the time period is called the "Gilded Age". The greatest contribution he made to American literature was the way he captured the frontier realism and humor through the dialect his characters use.
John Rolfe
He was one of the English settlers at Jamestown (and he married Pocahontas). He discovered how to successfully grow tobacco in Virginia and cure it for export, which made Virginia an economically successful colony.
Charles Evan Hughes
He was the Republican governor of New York who ran for the presidency in 1916. He lost to Wilson. He was a strong reformer who gained his national fame as an investigator of malpractices in gas and insurance companies. In 1921 he became Harding's Secretary of State. He called together the major powers to the Washington Disarmament Conference in 1921. As a justice in the Supreme Court, he was opposed to FDR's court-packing scheme.
Edmund Andros
He was the royal governor of the Dominion of New England. Colonists resented his enforcement of the Navigation Acts and the attempt to abolish the colonial assembly. Later overthrown in the Glorious Revolution.
Henry George
He wrote Progress and Poverty in 1879, which made him famous as an opponent of the evils of modern capitalism.
Eugene V. Debs
Head of the American Railway Union and director of the Pullman strike; he was imprisoned along with his associates for ignoring a federal court injunction to stop striking. While in prison, he read Socialist literature and emerged as a Socialist leader in America. He was later jailed again for giving a speech protesting the WWI draft.
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. She later managed to achieve women's suffrage.
World's Columbian Exposition
Held in Chicago, Americans saw this World's Fair as their opportunity to claim a place among the world's most "civilized" societies, by which they meant the countries of western Europe. The Fair honored art, architecture, and science, and its promoters built a mini-city in which to host the fair that reflected all the ideals of city planning popular at the time. For many, this was the high point of the "City Beautiful" movement.
Iroquois Indians
Helped and allied with the British in the fur trade, and in the French and Indian War.
Public Works Administration (PWA)
Helped construction workers get jobs doing public projects (highways, bridges, sewers).
John Smith
Helped found and govern Jamestown. His leadership and strict discipline helped the Virginia colony get through the difficult first winter.
Pacific Railroad Act
Helped fund the construction of the Union Pacific transcontinental railroad with the use of land grants and government bonds.
Henry Cabot Lodge
Henry Cabot Lodge was a Republican who disagreed with the Versailles Treaty, and who was the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He mostly disagreed with the section that called for the League to protect a member who was being threatened.
Anglican Church
Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic church, creating this new sect of Protestant Christianity. Primarily practiced in the Southern colonies, leading to them being more faithful towards the British monarchy.
Joint Chief
Highest military commanders in their branch
Alan Brinkley
Historian who argues that New Left has caricatured any American conservatives that advocate a non-liberal approach.
National Liberation Front (NLF)
Ho Chi Minh wanted to unite Vietnam under Northern rule and aided what group of communist rebels trying to overthrow Diem in the south. Official title of the Viet Cong. Created in 1960, they lead an uprising against Diem's repressive regime in the South.
Interchangeable Parts
Identical components that can be used in place of one another in manufacturing. Invented by Eli Whitney. Since all components identical, it would require less skill to assemble the final product, so unskilled workers, mostly immigrants, worked in this field. Goods were also made more available and cheaper with this method.
New Immigrants
Immigrants who came to the United States during and after the 1880s; most were from southern and eastern Europe.
New Orleans
Important trading port which was at the mouth of the Mississippi River, established by the French as a trading post to protect themselves from the Spanish.
Whiskey Rebellion
In 1794, farmers in Pennsylvania rebelled against Hamilton's excise tax on whiskey, and several federal officers were killed in the riots caused by their attempts to serve arrest warrants on the offenders. In October, 1794, the army, led by Washington, put down the rebellion. The incident showed that the new government under the Constitution could react swiftly and effectively to such a problem, in contrast to the inability of the government under the Articles of Confederation to deal with Shay's Rebellion.
John C. Calhoun
In 1828, he lead the fight against protective tariffs which hurt the south economically. Created the doctrine of nullification which said that a state could decide if a law was constitutional. This situation became known as the Nullification Crisis. He was Jackson's former VP, but resigned after this crisis.
Charles R. Forbes
In 1923 he resigned as head of the Veteran's Bureau. He swindled $200 million from the government in building Veteran's hospitals. He was sentenced to two years in the penitentiary. This was part of the Harding scandal and the "Ohio gang".
Baruch Plan
In 1946, Bernard Baruch presented an American plan to control and eventually outlaw nuclear weapons. The plan called for United Nations control of nuclear weapons in three stages before the United States gave up its stockpile. Soviet insistence on immediate nuclear disarmament without inspection doomed the Baruch Plan and led to a nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Levittown
In 1947, William Levitt used mass production techniques to build inexpensive homes in suburban New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania to help relieve the postwar housing shortage. This became a symbol of the movement to the suburbs in the years after WWII. These were cookie-cutter neighborhoods that could be produced easily, and so they spread fast. They also contributed to the cultural homeogenity at the time as the houses and families generally practiced the same practices.
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. This was the first time MLK came into the limelight, and the first time he became a known name. It also showed that if African Americans got the law on their side, they would be able to achieve Civil Rights.
Little Rock Nine Crisis
In 1957, 9 African American students were on their way to their first day at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Upholding segregation laws, governor Orval Faubus sent the Arkansas National Guard to stop the kids from entering. A large mob also gathered outside of the high school. Upon learning of this, President Eisenhower sent the 101st Paratrooper Division to escort the 9 students into the school. This is similar to President Andrew Jackson sending an army to South Carolina during the Nullification Crisis to uphold federal law. Eisenhower did this to uphold the ruling in Brown v. Board.
My Lai Massacre
In 1968 American troops under Lieutenant William Calley massacred women and children in the Vietnamese village of My Lai; this deepened American people's disgust for the Vietnam War.
Acquisition of Texas (1845)
In a Joint Resolution of both houses of Congress, they opted to allow Texas into the United States which passed. Mexico still believed they had claims on Texas so they were angry at America.
Assembly Line
In a factory, an arrangement where a product is moved from worker to worker, with each person performing a single task in the making of the product.
Dingley Tariff of 1897
Increased the tariff rate to more than 46 percent and made gold the official standard of U.S. currency. (p. 390)
5 civilized tribes
Indian tribes that adopted the culture and government of America. They were the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole.
Colonial era Roads
In this era, roads were horribly maintained, and the best method of transport was often by boat. However, taverns sprung up along these roads which allowed for the spread of more enlightenment ideas as people mingled. Population centers also tended to be along banks of rivers.
Causes of the Progressive Movement
Income disparity, practices of robber barons, and dangerous/unethical working conditions.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
Interracial organization founded in 1909 to abolish segregation and discrimination and to achieve political and civil rights for African Americans.
Reservation System
Introduced in 1870, forced Indian nations to live on barren land, it confined people so they could not support themselves in their accustomed way. It has left to the institutional of this enforced segregation.
Telegraph
Invented by Samuel F.B. Morse, this machine was a communication device that allowed for the spread of information over long distances quickly. Information costs were lowered, and things were overall made more convenient and cheaper for everyone.
Declaration of the United Nations
January 1, 1942, signed by 26 nations that agreed not to make separate peace agreements with the enemy and to uphold the Atlantic Charter, evolved into another in 1945 that became the basis for the successor organization to the League of Nations.
Louisiana Purchase (1803)
Jefferson sent Monroe to Paris to purchase New Orleans; Monroe ended up spending $15 million, because he was able to get all of Louisiana, Jefferson conflicted about the purchase, since he didn't feel he had the authority to do so under the Constitution, but the deal was too good to pass up and provided more than enough land to fulfill his dream of an America populated with small farmers.
Revolution of 1800
Jefferson's election changed the direction of the government from Federalist to Democratic- Republican, so it was called a "revolution." It was also the first peaceful transition of power between presidents.
Raid on Harper's Ferry
John Brown led a raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, hoping to induce a slave rebellion. That never happened, and Brown was caught and hanged. John Brown later became a martyr of abolitionists.
Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
Johnson was impeached for the charge of High Crimes and Misdemeanors on February 24, 1868 of which one of the articles of impeachment was violating the Tenure of Office Act. He had removed Edwin M. Stanton, the Secretary of War, from office and replaced him with Adjutant General Lorenzo Thomas.
Yellow Journalism
Journalism that exploits, distorts, or exaggerates the news to create sensations and attract readers. It was used to villify Spanish general Valerio Weyler who put the Cubans in concentration camps. Made Americans very pro-war against Spain.
Rosenberg Case
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg in New York convicted of being Russian/Communist spies and executed. They were known for secretly selling out American nuclear technology to USSR, and therefore beginning an international Arms Race.
New York Draft Riots
July 1863 just after the Battle at Gettysburg. Mobs of Irish working-class men and women roamed the streets for four days until federal troops suppressed them. They loathed the idea of being drafted to fight a war on behalf of slaves who, once freed, would compete with them for jobs. Potential synthesis to Vietnam Draft protests?
1st Battle of Bull Run (Manassas)
July 21, 1861. Va. (outside of D.C.) People watched battle. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson: Confederate general, held his ground and stood in battle like a "stone wall." Union retreated. Confederate victory. Showed that both sides needed training and war would be long and bloody
Potsdam Conference
July 26, 1945 - Allied leaders Truman, Stalin and Churchill met in Germany to set up zones of control and to inform the Japanese that if they refused to surrender at once, they would face total destruction.
Great Society
LBJ's social welfare program. In 1965, Congress passed many of these measures, including Medicare, civil rights legislation, and federal aid to education.
Louisiana Territory
Land from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains purchased from France for 15 million dollars. It doubled the size of the US at the time, getting more land than the US wanted, and gave plenty of land for farmers to settle. MAYBE LED TO MANIFEST DESTINY
War of Jenkin's Ear
Land squabble between Britain and Spain over Georgia and trading rights. Battles took place in the Caribbean and on the Florida/Georgia border. The name comes from a British captain named Jenkins, whose ear was cut off by the Spanish.
Proprietors
Land was given to these people so that they could oversee them. Also oversaw New England towns in a Democratic government system.
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
Landmark Supreme Court Case, and probably the most important in the nation's history. It established Judicial Review (Allowing the court to determine constitutionality of laws), and they used it to overrule the Judiciary Act of 1789. After this, the Supreme Court would have gained significantly more power.
Battle of New Orleans, 1815
Last major battle of the War of 1812, but occurred after the signing of the Treaty of Ghent. General Andrew Jackson and his small American force crushed a large British army attacking New Orleans. With this victory, a newfound sense of American nationalism, pride, and confidence began to foster in the nation. This also led to Andrew Jackson skyrocketing in popularity.
Black Codes/Jim Crow Laws
Laws denying most legal rights to newly freed slaves; passed by southern states following the Civil War. In southern states, being African American was similar to being a slave again as they were continued to have been denied basic freedoms.
Chief Joseph
Leader of Nez Perce. Fled with his tribe to Canada instead of reservations. However, US troops came and fought and brought them back down to reservations.
Emilio Aguinaldo
Leader of the Filipino independence movement against Spain (1895-1898). He proclaimed the independence of the Philippines in 1899, but his movement was crushed and he was captured by the United States Army in 1901.
Mikail Gorbachev
Leader of the Soviet Union who passed the reforms of glasnost and perestroika; negotiated with Ronald Reagan to improve relations and decrease nuclear weapons; his reforms caused the Soviet Union to collapse.
Democratic-Republicans
Led by Thomas Jefferson, believed people should have political power, favored strong STATE governments, emphasized agriculture, strict interpretation of the Constitution, pro-French, opposed National Bank
Platt Amendment (1901)
Legislation that severely restricted Cuba's sovereignty and gave the US the right to intervene if Cuba got into trouble.
100th meridian
Line north to south from the Dakotas through west Texas. Lands west of this line were generally poor and marginal. Settlers rashly tried to farm here in the 1870's and met ruin. It marked the boundary between the frontier and civilized lands.
Sewing Machine
Made in 1846 by Elias Howe; made making clothing faster and cheaper. It gave unskilled laborers more jobs, and allowed for mass production of clothing.
Madison's bonus bill veto
Madison vetoed a bonus bill that would've allowed for more internal improvements.
Second Continental Congress (1775)
Managed the colonial war effort, and moved incrementally towards independence - finally adopting the *Declaration of Independence* in 1776.
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.
Space Race
Many scientists and military leaders believed that control of space would be very important. Consequently, the USA and USSR invested billions of dollars in developing satellites, space stations, rockets, etc. This investment led to great scientific advances, but also caused friction and insecurities.
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
March 1911 fire in New York factory that trapped young women workers inside locked exit doors; nearly 50 ended up jumping to their death; while 100 died inside the factory; led to the establishment of many factory reforms, including increasing safety precautions for workers.
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 proximity to the US). In return, Germany would give back Texas, NM, Arizona etc. to Mexico. This was later intercepted by the British who showed it to the Americans. This would be the last straw for America, and they would soon enter WWI.
U2 Spy Plane Incident
May 1, 1960, a U.S. spy plane was shot down over Soviet airspace; U.S. denied it was a spy plane, but the Soviets had the plane and the pilot, Gary Powers.
Haymarket Square Riot
May 4, 1886 *Large rally in Haymarket Square in Chicago shortly after striking began at McCormick Harvesting Machine Co. *Police were attempting to disperse the crowd then a bomb exploded *Eleven were killed and over 100 were injured *Eight anarchists were put on trial and four were executed *Incident was used to discredit the Knights of Labor
McCormick Reaper
Mechanized the harvest of grains, such as wheat, allowing farmers to cultivate larger plots; 1831; fueled the large-scale establishment of commercial agriculture in the Midwest.
Hartford Convention
Meeting of Federalists near the end of the War of 1812 in which the party listed it's complaints against the ruling Republican Party. These actions were largely viewed as traitorous to the country and lost the Federalists much influence. They argued for a 2/3 vote in Congress for declaring wars and placing embargos. Nullification and secession ideas before 1815 were most prominent in New England.
Liberal Protestants
Members of a branch of Protestantism that flourished from 1875 to 1925 and encouraged followers to use the Bible as a moral compass rather than to believe that the Bible represented scientific or historical truth. Many Liberal Protestants became active in the "social gospel" and other reform movements of the era.
Hippies
Members of the youthful counterculture that dominated many college campuses in the 1960s; rather than promoting a political agenda, they challenged conventional sexual standards, rejected traditional economic values, and encouraged the use of drugs. They also heavily opposed the Vietnam War.
War Resisters League
Members worked in the civil rights movement and organized protests against nuclear weapons testing and civil defense drills. In the 1960s, WRL was the first pacifist organization to call for an end to the Vietnam War.
MAIN causes of WWI
Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism.
Operation Desert Storm
Military operations that started on January 16, 1991, with a bombing campaign, followed by a ground invasion of February 23 and 24, 1991. The ground war lasted 100 hours and resulted in a spectacularly one-sided military victory for the Coalition. After refusing to chase down Saddam Hussein, HW Bush lost a lot of popularity, so he wasn't re-elected.
Economic Bill of Rights
Mindful that public-opinion polls showed a large majority of Americans favoring a guarantee of employment for those who could not find work, the president in 1944 called for an "Economic Bill of Rights." The original Bill of Rights restricted the power of government in the name of liberty. FDR proposed to expand its power in order to secure full employment, an adequate income, medical care, education, and a decent home for all Americans.
New Lights
Ministers who took part in the revivalist, emotive religious tradition pioneered by George Whitefield during the Great Awakening.
God, Glory, and Gold
Motives for European exploration in the New World: Spread Christianity, attain more power, and become wealthy.
City Beautiful Movement
Movement in environmental design that drew directly from the beaux arts school. Architects from this movement strove to impart order on hectic, industrial centers by creating urban spaces that conveyed a sense of morality and civic pride, which many feared was absent from the frenzied new industrial world.
First Great Migration (1910-1930)
Movement of 6 million blacks from rural south following the civil war due to failing southern agricultural crops, industrialized agriculture (loss of work) and Jim Crow. Slowed during depression era.
Space Shuttle Challenger
NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service; exploded after takeoff; killed all onboard; used to compete with Soviet Union.
Squanto
Native American who helped the English colonists in Massachusetts develop agricultural techniques and served as an interpreter between the colonists and the Wampanoag.
Neal Dow
Nineteenth century temperance activist, dubbed the "Father of Prohibition" for his sponsorship of the Maine Law of 1851, which prohibited the manufacture and sale of alcohol in the state. Other states would later implement their own Dry Laws.
Southern Strategy
Nixon's attempt to attract the support of Southern conservative Democrats who were unhappy with federal desegregation policies and liberal Supreme Court. This worked wonders, and for the rest of US history, the South would vote primarily Republican. At the same time however, the Black vote was now mostly in the hands of Democrats.
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.
Nixon's running mate for the presidential campaign of 1960; had served for seven years as the US representative to the UN.
Trade Expansion Act (1962)
October, 1962 - The Act gave the President the power to reduce tariffs in order to promote trade. Kennedy could lower some tariffs by as much as 50%, and, in some cases, he could eliminate them.
Massacre of buffalo
Once abundant, most of the buffalo were killed in the Great Plains as a result of railroading. Buffalo were not only ecologically, they were hurt culturally as they were part of Native American culture. Native Americans also valued them for their pelts.
Stagflation
Persistent high inflation combined with high unemployment and stagnant demand in a country's economy. It was a major issue that affected the 1970s.
Vitalization of Oil
Oil was originally used to fuel lanterns, but thanks to the invention of the lightbulb, it was no longer necessary. However, it was re-vitalized thanks to the invention of the automobile because it needed to burn oil for it to go. And so, John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil became (as the name implies) the standard for the world as it began to control 95% of the oil reserves on earth.
Collapse of the Soviet Union
On December 26, 1991, Russia officially broke off from the USSR. A couple days later, Kazakhstan, the last Soviet Republic, also fell to Democracy, and the Soviet Union was no more. This was all due to Gorbachev's reforms, and Reagan's desire to make peace with the USSR. This collapse officially marked the end of the Cold War.
Assassination of JFK
On November 22, 1963, Kennedy arrived in Dallas with his wife, Jacqueline. As the president and the First Lady rode through the streets in an open car, several shots rang out. Kennedy slumped against his wife. The car sped to a hospital, but the president was dead. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson took the oath of office as president. Johnson appointed Earl Warren, chief justice of the United States, to head a commission to investigate the Kennedy shooting. After months of study, the Warren Commission issued its report. Oswald had acted on his own. Many people believed the assassination was a conspiracy, or secret plot. LBJ used this event as a way for him to become president.
Black Tuesday (October 29, 1929)
On this day the stock market boom had fell out, as millions of panicky investors ordered their brokers to sell, when there were practically no buyers to be found. After that stock prices continued to go down until they finally hit bottom. This was the start of the Great Depression
Connecticut River Valley
One of the few fertile areas in New England. It attracted a lot of settlers who attempted to colonize the area including the English and the Dutch. Later the site of New Haven Colony.
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
Ordered states to provide lawyers for those unable to afford them in criminal proceedings. Warren Court's judicial activism in criminal rights.
New England Emigrant Aid Company
Organization created to facilitate the migration of free laborers to Kansas in order to prevent the establishment of slavery in the territory.
Pan-American Union
Organization established in 1889 between the United States and Latin American nations to share information. First major regional/global alliance between countries in US history, synthesis to UN.
Lyceums
Organizations that conducted discussions and established libraries and public schools.
Star Spangled Banner
Originally wrote as a poem by Francis Scott Key during the Battle of Fort McHenry, it later served as America's National Anthem, and was a provider of nationalism for the country.
Old Lights
Orthodox clergymen who rejected the emotionalism of the Great Awakening in favor of a more rational spirituality.
First Red Scare (1919-1920)
Outbreak of anti-Communist hysteria that included the arrest without warrants of thousands of suspected radicals, most of whom (mostly Russian immigrants) were deported.
New Right
Outspoken conservative movement of the 1980s that emphasized such "social issues" as opposition to abortion, the Equal Rights Amendment, pornography, homosexuality, and affirmative action.
Panic of 1893 Causes
Over speculation Stock-market crash, Overproduction. Synthesis to the Great Depression?
Gilded Age
Overlaps with Reconstruction, it was a period that lasted from 1865-1900. Corporations dominated politics in this era as the wealth gap between the upper and lower class began to form. Also, a new middle class began to form. The government and most of the presidents also tended to be weak and sometimes corrupt.
Fourth Party System "System of '96" 1896-1928
Parties: Democrats and Republicans Competition: Republicans dominate, except for Wilson years (1912-1920) Coalitions: Republicans- dominate in North and West; Democrats- South and urban areas. Issues: Progressive, "good government" reforms, economic regulation. - Primaries over conventions; requirements for appointments; ballot reforms. Mobilization: de-mobilization as primaries, civil service reforms, ballot reforms occur.
Characteristics of the Middle Colonies
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Delaware were seen as the breadbasket of the colonies, primarily exporting grain. Soil was more fertile here, but not as much as the south, and it had some degree of industry. These colonies were also characterized by their easily navigable rivers, allowing goods to be transported easily, and their large river ports such as in New York and Philadelphia. In terms of religion, they were extremely liberal and open to everyone.
Where did most colonial immigrants flee to?
Pennsylvania. Fled due to war, religious persecution, or economic oppression. As more immigrants intermingled, they gave rise to modern American culture and diversity.
Antebellum Era
Period of American history that stretched from 1815-1865.
Southern Society
Planters at the top, then farmers, and finally slaves at the bottom. There was very few big cities in the south, therefore there wasn't an urban professional class such as lawyers. Planters filled the societal gap.
"One China Policy" (Taiwan)
Policy that the US was forced to adopt after negotiating with the People's Republic of China. It forced the US to recognize the PRC as the legitimate Chinese government.
Whitewater Scandal
Political controversy that began with the real estate dealings of Bill and Hillary Clinton and their associates, in the Whitewater Development Corporation, a failed business venture. It was claimed that Clinton, while governor of AK, pressured an advisor to provide an illegal $300,000 loan.
Greenback Labor Party
Political party devoted to improving the lives of laborers and raising inflation, reaching its high point in 1878 when it polled over a million votes and elected fourteen members of Congress.
Burned-Over District
Popular name for Western New York, a region particularly swept up in the religious fervor of the Second Great Awakening.
First Barbary War (1801-1805)
President Thomas Jefferson's refusal to pay tribute to protect American ships from the Barbary pirates off the Mediterranean coast of Africa sparked an undeclared naval war with North African nations that lasted from 1801 to 1805. Another example of Jefferson's duality: He wanted to reduce defense spending, yet got embroiled in a war with pirates.
John Marshall
Probably the most important Supreme Court Chief Justice in American history, and is considered the father of the Supreme Court. He oversaw many important cases that shaped the judicial system we have today.
Civil Rights Act of 1875
Prohibited discrimination against blacks in public place, such as inns, amusement parks, and on public transportation. Declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
Crittenden Amendments
Proposed in an attempt to appease the South, the failed Constitutional amendments would have given federal protection for slavery in all territories south of 36°30' where slavery was supported by popular sovereignty. It was the very last attempt at a compromise for slavery.
Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA)
Religious organization that provided services to the poor while promoting activities in dance, athletics, and the spreading of Christian values.
Walter Rauschenbusch and Washington Gladden
Protestant clergymen who sought to apply the lessons of Christianity to the slums and factories.
Sons and Daughters of Liberty
Protestors that opposed the various acts and taxes the British imposed on the colonists. Started to gain traction after the Stamp Act. Led by Samuel Adams.
Esch-Cummins Transportation Act
Provided for the return of railroads to private control, widened powers of the Interstate Commerce Commission.
Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC)
Provided government loans to homeowners who faced foreclosure because they couldn't meet their loan payments.
National Youth Administration (NYA)
Provided job training for unemployed young people and part-time jobs for needy students.
Farm Credit Administration (FCA)
Provided low-interest farm loans and mortgages to prevent foreclosures on the property of indebted farmers. New Deal.
Civil Works Administration (CWA)
Provided temporary jobs to men and women during the winter.
Luis Munoz Rivera
Puerto Rican Politician who pressured the Spanish govt. to grant Puerto Rico independence. America then took over the island.
Education in the Colonies
Puritan New England stressed education more. Needed Bible reading. education flourished in New England. Elementary schools in middle and south. Most emphasis placed on religion. 1750- trend towards live languages and modern subjects. Meanwhile the South had a worse education system due to the loose connections.
Pilgrims
Puritan Separatists who broke completely with the Church of England and sailed to the New World aboard the Mayflower, founding Plymouth Colony on Cape Cod in 1620.
William Penn
Quaker that received a charter from King Charles II in 1681 for land in the New World. This land would be Pennsylvania.
Elizabeth I
Queen of England who oversaw an English Renaissance. Also began England's foray into colonialism in the Americas.
Victoria Woodhull
Radical feminist propagandist whose eloquent attacks on conventional social morality shocked many Americans in the 1870s.
McKinley Tariff of 1890
Raised tariffs to the highest peacetime level they had ever been. Big business favored these tariffs because they protected U.S. businesses from foreign competition. Without foreign competition, US corporations would grow in immense power and influence nationally and globally.
Helsinki Accords (1975)
Ratified the European territorial boundaries established after World War II. Established "Helsinki watch committees" to monitor human rights in the 35 nations that signed the Helsinki Accords. Marked the high point of Cold War detente.
What pushed England to pursue colonialism?
Religious differences: The Protestant Reformation had made England a Protestant nation, while Spain remained Catholic. Glory: England's victory over Spain in the war made them confident, ensuring an easy opportunity to pursue colonialism.
Union League
Reconstruction-Era African American organization that worked to educate Southern blacks about civic life, built black schools and churches, and represented African American interests before government and employers. It also campaigned on behalf of Republican candidates and recruited local militias to protect blacks from white intimidation.
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.
First Great Awakening
Religious revival in the colonies in 1730s and 1740s; George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards preached a message of atonement for sins by admitting them to God. The movement attempted to combat the growing secularism and rationalism of mid-eighteenth century America. Religious splits in the colonies became deeper. Came as a result of all the liberalism happening in the colonies.
Vietnam Syndrome
Reluctance to use military force abroad because of the psychological trauma caused by different aspects of the Vietnam War.
Billion Dollar Congress
Republican congress of 1890. passed record # of significant laws that helped shape later policies and asserted authority of federal govt., gave pensions to Civil War veterans, increased government silver purchases, and passed McKinley Tariff Act of 1890.
Hoovervilles
Shanty towns that the unemployed built in the cities during the early years of the Depression; the name given to them shows that the people blamed Hoover directly for the Depression.
Dred Scott Decision (1857)
Ruled that no person descended from an American slave could ever be a U.S. citizen and that slavery could not legally be excluded from U.S. territories. It also declared the Missouri Compromise as Unconstitutional. *Historical Significance:* Strengthened Northern slavery opposition; divided the Democratic Party while strengthening the Republican Party; encouraged secessionist elements among Southern supporters of slavery to make bolder demands.
Election of 1876
Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden went against each other in this tight election. In it, the candidates got a tied vote, so they had to have the Supreme Court vote on it. Hayes won by just won vote, however its costs were outlined in the Compromise of 1877.
Port Huron Statement (1962)
SDS leader Tom Hayden manifesto that rejected the establishment and what he claimed was a system of power rooted in possession, privilege, racism, or circumstance.
Persian Gulf War (1991)
Saddam Hussein's Iraq invaded Kuwait over oil dispute on the border against US wishes (Saddam had formerly been US ally). US invaded Iraq to liberate Kuwait; Iraq set Kuwait's oil fields on fire so the Americans couldn't gain the oil; this conflict caused the US to set military bases in Saudi Arabia; also called Operation: Desert Storm. The US ended up pushing the Iraqis out of Kuwait, but they didn't chase down Saddam back to Iraq.
Charley Townshend
Second British Prime minister involved with the lead-up to the revolution. Imposed the Townshend Acts on various goods.
SALT II
Second Strategic Arms Limitations Talks. A second treaty was signed on June 18, 1977 to cut back the weaponry of the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. because it was getting too competitive. Set limits on the numbers of weapons produced. Not passed by the Senate as retaliation for U.S.S.R.'s invasion of Afghanistan, and later superseded by the START treaty.
Alaska Purchase
Secretary of State William Seward bought Alaska from Russia for $7.2 Million ("Seward's Folly")
Philander C. Knox
Secretary of State under Taft who proposed that bankers buy the Manchurian railroads and give them to China. His idea was rejected by Japan and Russia, and showered Taft with ridicule.
Andrew Mellon
Secretary of Treasury under President Harding, Coolidge and Hoover, who instituted a Republican policy of reduced government spending, lower taxes to the wealthy and higher tariffs. Invented an idea of Trickle-Down economics.
Elihu Root
Secretary of War under Roosevelt and McKinley, he reorganized and modernized the U.S. Army after seeing flaws in it during the Spanish-American War. Later served as ambassador for the U.S. and won the 1912 Nobel Peace Prize.
Horace Mann
Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education; "Father of the public school system"; a prominent proponent of public school reform, & set the standard for public schools throughout the nation; lengthened academic year; pro training & higher salaries to teachers
Bosnia and Kosovo (1990-1999)
Serbian dictator Solobodan Milosevic carried out a series of armed conflicts to suppress independence movements in the former Yugoslav provinces of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo; hundreds of thousands of members of ethnic and religious minorities were killed in a process that was labeled "ethnic cleansing" independent Yugoslavian provinces. Human rights violations led President Clinton military action.
Freedman's Bureau, 1865
Set up to help freedmen and white refugees after Civil War. Provided food, clothing, medical care, and education. First to establish schools for blacks to learn to read as thousands of teachers from the north came south to help. Lasted from 1865-72. Attacked by KKK and other southerners as "carpetbaggers" Encouraged former plantation owners to rebuild their plantations, urged freed Blacks to gain employment, kept an eye on contracts between labor and management, etc
Salem Witch Trials
Several accusations of witchcraft led to sensational trials in Salem, Massachusetts at which Cotton Mather presided as the chief judge. 18 people were hanged as witches. Afterwards, most of the people involved admitted that the trials and executions had been a terrible mistake. Exemplified the widening New England social structure, and fear of damaging Puritan heritage.
Anglo-American Convention
Signed by Britain and the United States, the pact allowed New England fishermen access to Newfoundland fisheries, established the northern border of Louisiana territory and provided for the joint occupation of the Oregon Country for ten years.
Gold Standard Act of 1900
Signed by McKinley. It stated that all paper money would be backed only by gold. This meant that the government had to hold gold in reserve in case people decided they wanted to trade in their money. Eliminated silver coins, but allowed paper Silver Certificates issued under the Bland-Allison Act to continue to circulate.
Payne-Aldrich Tariff
Signed by Taft in March of 1909 in contrast to campaign promises. Was supposed to lower tariff rates but Senator Nelson N. Aldrich of Rhode Island put revisions that raised tariffs. This split the Repulican party into progressives (lower tariff) and conservatives (high tariff).
Treaty of New Echota
Signed by only 500 Cherokee Indians who were bribed saying that all 17,000 Cherokee's must leave within 2 years to go to land in Louisiana Territory. If not they would be forced to leave by the United States Army on the Trail of Tears.
Battle of Antietam/Sharpsburg (1862)
Single bloodiest day of the American Civil War, and American history; Union victory that turned back a Confederate invasion of the North. *Historical Significance:* Allowed Lincoln to issue the *Emancipation Proclamation* proclaiming the freedom of slaves in the ten states then in rebellion and shifting the war objectives of the North.
Antebellum Utopian Communities
Small Communities, usually in the middle of nowhere, that practiced new Second Great Awakening ideas.
Jane Addams and Hull House
Social reformer who worked to improve the lives of the working class. In 1889 she founded Hull House in Chicago, the first private social welfare agency in the U.S., to assist the poor, combat juvenile delinquency and help immigrants learn to speak English.
New York Consumer's League
Sought to make the public aware of degrading labor conditions.
George C. Wallace
Southern populist and segregationist, as governor of Alabama, he famously defended his state's policies of racial segregation. He ran for president several times as a Democrat, but achieved his greatest influence when he ran as a third-party candidate in 1968, winning five states.
De Lome Letter
Spanish Ambassador's letter that was illegally removed from the U.S. Mail and published by American newspapers. It criticized President McKinley in insulting terms. Used by war hawks as a pretext for war in 1898.
Open Door Policy
Statement of U.S. foreign policy toward China. Issued by U.S. secretary of state John Hay (1899), the statement reaffirmed the principle that all countries should have equal access to any Chinese port open to trade.
Civil War Border States
States on the border of confederate states and the United States who some people wanted to go against slavery and some people wanted slavery. Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri. Lincoln used questionable methods of trying to coerce these states into remaining in the Union.
Elkins Act (1903)
Strengthened the *Interstate Commerce Act* by imposing heavy fines on railroads offering rebates and on the shippers accepting them.
United Mine Workers Strike
Strike in PA that TR realized would make people run out of coal resulting in a loss of heat. So, he threatened to send troops to work the mines unless the owners agreed to negotiate. This is called collective bargaining. The strike ended peacefully though.
Jingoists
Superpatriotic supporters of the expansion and use of military power. Jingoists such as Theodore Roosevelt longed for a war in which they could demonstrate America's strength and prove their own masculinity.
Lecompton Constitution
Supported the existence of slavery in the proposed state and protected rights of slaveholders. It was rejected by Kansas, making Kansas an eventual free state.
Bakke v. University of California
Supreme Court case dealing with affirmative action that ruled that affirmative action programs in principle are constitutional, but a strict quota system for college admissions wasn't.
Miranda v. Arizona
Supreme Court held that criminal suspects must be informed of their right to consult with an attorney and of their right against self-incrimination prior to questioning by police. "You have the right to remain silent".
New Sweden
Sweden's attempt at colonialism, settled on the Delaware River around modern-day Delaware. However, it was settled upon Dutch claims of the area.
Collapse of the Berlin Wall
Symbolic end of the Cold War - divide between East and West Berlin - protesters threatened to take apart and military didn't stop them - 1989.
Triangular Trade
System of trade that connected the Atlantic economy. Africa would export slaves to the West Indies, the West Indies would export cash crops and slaves to the Americas, and the Americas would export raw materials to Europe, where the manufactured European goods would be sent back to Africa.
Ballinger-Pinchot Affair
Taft cabinet members who had fought over conservation efforts and how much effort and money should be put into conserving national resources.
Richard Ballinger
Taft's Secretary of the Interior, allowed a private group of business people to obtain several million acres of Alaskan public lands.
Skyscrapers
Tall building with many floors supported by a lightweight steel frame. Partially thanks to Carnegie's steelmaking process, American cities made these buildings quickly, which allowed for a lot of space in a small area.
Al Smith & Robert Wagner
Tammany Hall representatives that investigated the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. They managed to allow Tammany Hall to work with other Progressives so that new safety laws would be passed quickly.
Tariff of 1828 (Tariff of Abominations)
Tariff passed by Congress that imposed very high duties on imports ( 62% tariff on 92% of imported goods). Southerners protested because it increased the cost of the manufactured good they bought. It was said to have been passed not to raise money but to protect the interests of Northern manufacturers at the expense of Southern farmers. This damaged the southern region directly, and so it protested.
Corps of Discovery
Team of adventurers, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, sent by Thomas Jefferson to explore Louisiana Territory and find a water route to the Pacific. Louis and Clark brought back detailed accounts of the West's flora, fauna, and native populations, and their voyage demonstrated the viability of overland travel to the West.
Transportation Revolution
Term referring to a series of nineteenth-century transportation innovations—turnpikes, steamboats, canals, and railroads—that linked local and regional markets, creating a national economy.
American Plan
Term that some U.S. employers in the 1920s used to describe their policy of refusing to negotiate with unions. Demonstrated laissez-faire economics.
The rise of popular Democracy (1820s)
Thanks to Universal White Manhood Suffrage, more people were now allowed to vote. Political parties brought people of similar beliefs together (even though Washington didn't want political parties), and political machines also knitted people together economically.
Beginnings of Westward Expansion: The Era of Good Feelings
Thanks to cheap land as a result of the Land Act of 1820, a first great movement out west began. The pushback of Native Americans made land more available to farmers, and new steamboats helped navigate America's waterways easily.
John Quincy Adams (1825-1829)
The 6th president of the US. Despite the federalist party virtually disappearing, he loved big government. His policies favored industrious elites, but went against the ideas of southern farmers.
Tuskeegee Institute
The Alabama school started by Booker T. Washington in 1881 to provide education for freed slaves so they could get better jobs and make more money (salaries).
Trail of Tears
The Cherokee Indians were forced to leave their lands. They traveled from North Carolina and Georgia through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas-more than 800 miles (1,287 km)-to the Indian Territory. 4,000-8,000 Cherokees died of cold, disease, and lack of food during the 116-day journey.
Rough Riders
The First United States Volunteer Calvary, a mixure of Ivy League athletes and western frontiermen, volunteered to fight in the Spanish-American War. Enlisted by Theodore Roosevelt, they won many battles in Florida and enlisted in the invasion army of Cuba.
49th Parallel
The Oregon Treaty of 1846 established an U.S./Canadian (British) border along this parallel. The boundary along the 49th parallel extended from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. It was a nice compromise between 54, 40 and the British's demands for the border at the Columbia River.
Star Wars (SDI)
The Reagan administration at first made little progress toward arms control in other areas. The president did propose the most ambitious (and potentially most expensive) new military program in many years: the Strategic Defense Initiative. Reagan claimed that SDI, through the use of lasers and satellites, could provide an effective shield against incoming missiles and thus make nuclear war obsolete.
Berlin Wall (1961)
The Soviet Union, under Nikita Khrushchev, erected a wall between East and West Berlin to keep people from fleeing from the East, afterwards Kennedy asked for an increase in defense funds to counter Soviet aggression.
Tet Offensive (1968)
The Tet Offensive was one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War, launched on January 30, 1968 by forces of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army against the forces of South Vietnam, the United States, and their allies. It failed militarily, but had an enormous psychological impact on the US, showing that the war was far from over, and proving that the government was lying about the war. This was the turning point of the Vietnam War, as antiwar sentiment skyrocketed.
Iraq War (2003)
The US invaded Iraq (2003) on the basis that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction (which wasn't true) and wanted to do a regime change. There were massive antiwar demonstrations everywhere, even before the war started. The Iraq War would last until 2011.
Killing of Osama Bin Laden
The US suspected that he was living in Pakistan as that was an area where the Taliban was largely in control. He was suspected of living in a highly fortified compound for at least five years. Navy SEALs killed bin Laden in a compound only 75 miles from the capital and 4 miles from the Pakistan military academy.
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Union was defeated again with the Confederacy being led by Robert E. Lee. General Thomas Stonewall Jackson was accidentally wounded here by one of his own men. This showed Robert E. Lee's superior strength in strategy.
Effects of Vietnam War
The Vietnam war, until Afghanistan, would be the longest war in US history. Many veterans were wreaked with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, causing divorce, unemployment, and suicide rates to go up. Also, as more of the atrocities of the war were revealed, a credibility gap began to develop, leaving some to place mistrust in the government. Significant changes to wartime policy, such as the War Powers Act, were also passed. After Vietnam, the US as a whole would isolate themselves again to recover.
Smuggling
The act of illegally importing or exporting goods. Rich Americans did this to bypass the weakly enforced Navigation Laws.
Dawes Severalty Act
The act passed with the intent to assimilate Native Americans into mainstream of American life by dissolving tribes as legal entities and eliminating tribal ownership of land.
Social Darwinism
The application of ideas about evolution and "survival of the fittest" to human societies - particularly as a justification for imperialism and the rise of monopolies.
Mechanization of agriculture
The development of engine-driven machines, like the combine, which helped to dramatically increase the productivity of land in the 1870s and 1880s. This process contributed to the consolidation of agricultural business that drove many family farms out of existence. Now, the arid lands passed the 100th meridian could now be farmed.
Darwinism
The doctrine that natural selection has been the prime cause of evolution of higher forms. It led to less people believing in religion, so there was a massive struggle between them.
Birmingham bombings 1963
The explosion at the African-American church, which killed four girls, marked a turning point in the U.S. 1960s Civil Rights Movement and contributed to support for message of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Now almost the entire country wanted desegregation due to the shocking horror that was shown. Even President Kennedy was shocked.
Department of Transportation (DOT)
The federal agency responsible for shaping and administering policies and programs to protect and enhance the safety, adequacy and efficiency of the transportation system. Established during Great Society.
Reaganomics
The federal economic polices of the Reagan administration, elected in 1981. These policies combined a monetarist fiscal policy, supply-side tax cuts, and domestic budget cutting. Their goal was to reduce the size of the federal government and stimulate economic growth. The middle class lost a lot however, and it only encouraged the growth of the upper class.
Warren E. Burger
The fifteenth Chief Justice of the United States who served from 1969 to 1986 and who led the Court in an increasingly conservative direction.
First Ku Klux Klan
The first Klan flourished in the late 1860's then died out in the early 1870's. It sought to overthrow the republican government by using violence against African Americans. Its violence garnered attention leading to its suppression in 1870-1872.
Boston Massacre
The first bloodshed of the American Revolution (1770), as British guards at the Boston Customs House opened fire on a crowd killing five Americans. John Adams defended some of the soldiers tried thanks to due process.
Treaty of Wanghia
The first diplomatic agreement between China and America in history, signed on July 3, 1844. Since America signed as a nation interested in trade instead of colonization, it was rewarded with extraordinary amount of trading power.
House of Burgesses, 1619
The first elected lawmaking body in North America, established by the Virginia Company to allow representative government in Virginia.
Jamestown
The first permanent English settlement in North America, founded in 1607 in Virginia.
Declaration of Independence (1776)
The fundamental document establishing the US as an independent nation, adopted on July 4, 1776. It declared the 13 colonies independent from Britain, offered reasons for the separation laid out the principles for which the Revolution was fought. Quite possibly one of the most important documents in the history of mankind. Written by Thomas Jefferson, and was heavily influenced by enlightenment ides.
Secret Bombing of Cambodia
The goal of the United States was to destroy the strongholds of National Liberation Front (NLF) and North Vietnamese forces in Cambodia. Only a few highly placed U.S. officials, including General Creighton Abrams (commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam), Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird, and Henry Kissinger (Nixon's national security adviser), knew of the campaign. Upon being leaked to the public, citizens were outraged that the war had in fact expanded in secret.
Hearts and Minds
The idea that if the Americans were to win the respect of the Vietnamese civilians, they would garner a lot of support for the anti-communist regime. However, Americans weren't encouraged to follow in this mindset, as they uprooted entire villages looking for guns, tunnel entrances, and the Vietcong.
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, social customs that restricted women to caring for the house. Families became closer-knit as a result, and families became an emotional refuge from the bustling cities.
Gibson Girl
The idealized American girl of the 1890s as pictured by a magazine image that showed that woman could make it big and did have buying power, created by Charles Dana Gibson.
Fireside Chats
The informal radio conversations Roosevelt had with the people to keep spirits up. It was a means of communicating with the people on how he would take on the depression. It managed to connect the people further, and made FDR more popular. Also showed the importance of the radio.
Promentary Point Railroad Spike
The last railroad spike was hammered in here to connect the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads together in 1867, creating the first transcontinental railroad.
Market Revolution
The major change in the US economy produced by people's beginning to buy and sell goods rather than make them for themselves. Some Americans like John Jacob Astor soon became extremely rich. However, a distinct divide between the rich and the poor also began to develop, and cities were beginning to seem like areas for the latter.
National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA)
The major organization for suffrage for women, it was founded in 1890 by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Supported the Wilson administration during World War Iand split with the more radical National Woman's Party, who in 1917 began to picket the White House because Wilson had not forcefully stated that women should get the vote
Military Industrial Complex
The military industry complex refers to companies that support the war industry. This way the government didn't make weapons, they just bought them. The companies could be a threat because they promote war. When Eisenhower left office, he proclaimed that he wanted to limit this.
North Carolina
The most Democratic of all the colonies; North Carolinians valued their independence.
Ten Nights in a Barroom and What I Saw There
The most popular anti-alcohol tract of the mid-1800s was T.S. Arthur's melodramatic novel describing how a once happy village was ruined by Sam Slade's tavern. This novel was the second leading seller of the 1850s, second only to Uncle Tom's Cabin. It convinced many to hop on board the Temperance Movement
Rise of Conservatism
The movement away from the liberalism of the 50s and 60s; its distinguishing characteristics were the rise of evangelical Christianity, the promotion of "traditional values" and the appearance of neo-conservatives who blamed the demoralization of the nation on the movements of the 60s.
American Medical Association (AMA)
The national professional membership organization for physicians that distributes scientific information to its members and the public, informs members of legislation related to health and medicine, and represents the medical profession's interests in national legislative matters; maintains and publishes the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding system. Formed during the early Cold War.
Nation Magazine
The oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States, and the most widely read weekly journal of progressive political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded in July, 1865 and is based in New York. Alice Waters wrote Slow Food Nation in this magazine.
18th Amendment
The only amendment to ever be repealed, this outlawed the sale and manufacturing of alcohol. It also implemented prohibition to America. Instead of making alcohol more looked-down-upon, it instead increased its usage throughout the 1920s. It's part of the reason why the 1920s were so full of life, culture, prosperity, and adventure.
Bible Belt
The region of the American South, extending roughly from North Carolina west to Oklahoma and Texas, where Protestant Fundamentalism and belief in literal interpretation of the Bible were traditionally strongest.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The treaty that ended the Mexican-American War in 1848. It moved the borders of the US to the Pacific, increasing the United States land by 1/3, and finally fulfilling Manifest Destiny. All new lands gained from Mexico, most prominently California and Texas, were called the Mexican Cession. However, the question of how slavery would work in these new territories still remained as a looming shadow.
Georgia Colony
The very last of the 13 American colonies founded. Founded as a haven for debtors, and as a buffer between English America and Spanish Florida.
1970s Society
The youth culture of this era rejected much of the traditions passed down by their parents. Birth control was also improved, and abortion legislation was passed. People also began to organize themselves into communities based on marriage status (divorced, single, married), and people overall had a greater degree of freedom.
debtor farmers
These failed in a rebellion, setting off conservative fears and demands for a stronger government to control anarchy.
Transcontinental Railroads
These were built across North America in the 1860s, linking the railway network of the Eastern United States with California on the Pacific coast; made communication and trade throughout the country easier; opened west to miners and open range ranching; Irish and Chinese workers played role in construction; led to the near extinction of buffalo.
Drone Strikes
This is a controversial secret military policy to bomb suspected terrorists (including US citizens). Opposed by civil liberties interest groups as a violation of due process.
Foraker Act
This act established Puerto Rico as an unorganized U.S. territory. Puerto Ricans were not given U.S. citizenship, but the U.S. president appointed the island's governor and governing council.
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. It was the final nail in the coffin for segregation, and a crowning victory of the Civil Rights Movement.
Hepburn Railroad Regulation Act of 1906
This act strengthened the rate-making authority of the Interstate Commerce Commission. - The Hepburn Act gave the ICC the power to set reasonable railroad rates, and broadened its jurisdiction. It also made ICC rulings binding pending court appeals.
Election of 2000
This election was a contest between Republican candidate George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and son of former president George H. W. Bush, and Democratic candidate Al Gore, then-Vice President. Bill Clinton, the incumbent President, was vacating the position after serving the maximum two terms allowed by the Twenty-second Amendment. Bush narrowly won the November 7 election, with 271 electoral votes to Gore's 266 (with one elector abstaining in the official tally). The election was noteworthy for a controversy over the awarding of Florida's 25 electoral votes, the subsequent recount process in that state, and the unusual event of the winning candidate having received fewer popular votes than the runner-up.
Gadsden Purchase (1853)
U.S. acquisition of land south of the Gila River from Mexico for $10 million; the land was needed for a possible transcontinental railroad line through the southern United States. A railroad in the area was more coveted as a result.
USS Maine Explosion
U.S. battleship sent to Cuba, it exploded killing 200+ Americans. U.S. thought it was Spain attacking them. This was used as excuse to start war with Spain.
Liberty Gardens
U.S. citizens grew gardens so more food could be sent to American soldiers. Part of the total war economy.
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.
National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry
This organization better known as the Grange, was organized in 1867 by Oliver H. Kelley; its objective was to enhance the lives of isolated farmers through social, educational, and fraternal activities; the Grangers gradually raised their goals from individual self-improvement of the farmer' collective plight.
Women's Christian Temperance Union
This organization was dedicated to the idea of the 18th Amendment - the Amendment that banned the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcohol.
Characteristics of New England colonies
This region was deeply religious, and was founded on a strict following of the bible. Church and State were somewhat intertwined, and religious leaders held a lot of power. Farming was difficult in this region, so trade was important for its economy. It primarily exported lumber and fish. The lack of farming would result in no need for a form of hard labor, so there were very few slaves, and therefore, little diversity. Colonists of this region are known for their strict work ethic.
Credit Mobilier Scandal
This scandal occurred in the 1870s when a railroad construction company's stockholders used funds that were supposed to be used to build the Union Pacific Railroad for railroad construction for their own personal use. To avoid being convicted, stockholders even used stock to bribe congressional members and Grant's VP.
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. Nobel Peace Prize (1964).
Fordney-McCumber Tariff Law
This tariff rose the rates on imported goods in the hopes that domestic manufacturing would prosper. This prevented foreign trade, which hampered the economy since Europe could not pay its debts if it could not trade.
Treaty of Paris (1783)
This treaty ended the Revolutionary War, recognized the independence of the American colonies, and granted the colonies the territory from the southern border of Canada to the northern border of Florida, and from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River.
Dick Cheney
This vice president under George W. Bush is regarded as one of the most powerful vice presidents in U.S. history. He oversaw the War on Terror and the 2nd Persian Gulf War. He used his Halliburton mercenaries in Iraq to quash rebellions during the Iraq War, which garnered less support for the US.
Effects of the airplane
Trans-continental trips were now more possible than ever, as these machines were able to carry people far and fast. They also became a new method of fighting in wars. Further damaged the railroad industry, as they could also carry mail.
Dienbienphu (1954)
Viet Mihn forces led by Vo Nguyen Giap encircled the French fortress there and launched attacks. Eisenhower transferred bombers and air force mechanics to help the French. Dienbienphu fell after a 55-day siege on May 7, 1954. It was the Vietnamese equivalent to Yorktown.
Effects of WWII on the home front
WWII signaled the end of the Great Depression, as the war helped millions of Americans get jobs again. In addition to the elimination of an income tax, and a wage increase, the later 1950s would be an age of economic prosperity. Women and African Americans also contributed significantly in the war, with many women taking on some of the jobs men had. When both weren't compensated after the war, many began to advocate for their rights.
Texas Revolution
War between Texas settlers and Mexico from 1835-1836 resulting in the formation of the Republic of Texas. American settlers (mostly protestant) traveled to Mexican-held Texas and revolted.
Battle of Yorktown (1781)
Was a decisive victory by a combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington and French forces led by General Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by General Lord Cornwallis. It proved to be the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War, as the surrender of Cornwallis's army prompted the British government to eventually negotiate an end to the conflict.
Jay Treaty
Was made up by John Jay. It said that Britain was to pay for Americans ships that were seized in 1793. It said that Americans had to pay British merchants debts owed from before the revolution and Britain had agreed to remove their troops from the Ohio Valley
John Wilkes Booth
Was an American stage actor who, as part of a conspiracy plot, assassinated Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1865.
Lancaster "turnpike" (1790s)
Was probably the best road in the U.S. Built in the 1790's by a private company, the road linked Philadelphia and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Because the road was set on a ed of gravel, water drained off quickly. For a smooth ride, the road was topped with flat stones.
John Hay
Was the Secretary of State in 1899; dispatched the Open Door Notes to keep the countries that had spheres of influence in China from taking over China and closing the doors on trade between China and the U.S. Called the Span.-Am. War, "A splendid little war".
Fur trapping and trading
Westward pioneers still continued this practice that existed since the days of New France. They would collect animal pelts and trade them with the Indian tribes of the area. The pioneers also began to appreciate the natural beauty of America as they traveled.
Gingrich Revolution
What people called the 1994 Midterms, Gingrich as Speaker, and the passing of the Contract with America. But, as Clinton threatened to veto these laws, Republicans forced governmental shutdowns - the public did not like.
Lowell Mill Girls
Women worked in mills; although paid half the amount as men, these women were able to attain economic independence.
Wilson's 14 Points
Woodrow Wilson's plan for post-war peace: no secret treaties; freedom of the seas; removal of economic barriers; reduction of arms; adjust colonial claims.
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1853 that highly influenced the North's view on the American Deep South and slavery. A novel promoting abolition. Intensified sectional conflict. The novel galvanized most northerners to fight against slavery. It also described the awful conditions slaves had to live through while working.
Republic of Texas, 1836
Written under duress while Santa Anna was on his way. It was a copy of the US constitution, basically. Allowed slavery. Texas didn't want to be annexed into US because they wanted slavery.
Malinche
Young Native American woman who served as Hernan Cortes' translator while he was in the Aztec Empire. "They had to play the most high stakes game of whisper down the lane" -Some youtuber
factory girls
Young women employed in the growing factories of the early nineteenth century, they labored long hours in difficult conditions, living in socially new conditions away from farms and families.
Alfred Thayer Mahan
a United States Navy officer, geostrategist, and educator. His ideas on the importance of sea power influenced navies around the world, and helped prompt naval buildups before World War I. Several ships were named USS Mahan, including the lead vessel of a class of destroyers. His research into naval History led to his most important work, The Influence of Seapower Upon History,1660-1783, published in 1890.
Clipper ships and the Pony Express had in common
a brief existence AND speedy service
Europeanization
a process by which a non-European subject gradually adopts the cultural norms of European countries. Colonial America feared becoming "too European".
Downwinders
individuals and communities who are exposed to radioactive contamination or nuclear fallout from atmospheric or underground nuclear weapons testing, and nuclear accidents. some people suffer from this as a result of involvement in uranium mining and nuclear experimentation.
Ida Wells-Barnett
an African American journalist and newspaper editor. An early leader in the civil rights movement, she documented the extent of lynching in the United States. She was also active in the women's rights movement and the women's suffrage movement. helped found the NAACP.
George F. Kennan
an American advisor, diplomat, political scientist, and historian, best known as "the father of containment" and as a key figure in the emergence of the Cold War. He later wrote standard histories of the relations between Russia and the Western powers.
Declaration of Sentiments
declared that all "people are created equal"; used the Declaration of Independence to argue for women's rights
Old Immigrants
immigrants who had come to the US before the 1880s from Britain, Germany, Ireland, and Scandinavia, or Northern Europe.
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.
AIDS crisis
in the Reagan years, first appeared in the US in 1981. the source of the virus was from Africa. Acquired immune deficiency syndrome. no known cure. most vulnerable groups: drug addicts & homosexuals. by 1993: 102, 780 deaths in US. new social and cultural developments from early 80s.
Debs v. United States
in this Supreme Court case, the court upheld that Eugene Debs' anti-war speech was a violation of Espionage Act of 1917, which prohibited insubordination of the US military.
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
Free Speech Movement
led by Mario Savio it protested on behalf of students rights. It spread to colleges throughout the country discussing unpopular faculty tenure decisions, dress codes, dormitory regulations, and appearances by Johnson administration officials.
Bureau of Corporations
part of the Department of Labor created in 1903. The Bureau was given authority to investigate corporations and issue reports of their activities.
Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)
passed by Federalists, signed by President Adams;; increased waiting period for an immigrant to become a citizen from 5 to 14 years, empowered president to arrest and deport dangerous aliens, & made it illegal to publish defamatory statements about the federal government or its officials. Already went against the Bill of Rights. This led John Adams to become fairly unpopular.
John Calvin/Calvinism
published Institutes of the Christian religion. Expressed ideas about God, salvation, and human nature. He believed that God has known since the beginning of time who will be saved this doctrine is called "Pre-destination"...his teachings became called "Calvinism"
Encomienda System
system in Spanish America that gave settlers the right to tax local Indians or to demand their labor in exchange for protecting them, teaching them skills, and converting to Christianity.
Great Depression
the economic crisis beginning with the stock market crash in 1929 and continuing through the 1930s.