US History STAAR EOC Study Guide (2024)

American Expeditionary Force

(AEF) soldiers well trained by John J. Pershing, led major counterattack on western front.

Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA) - Government agency created to protect the environment, Earth Day.

House Un-American Activities Committee

(HUAC) - Looked into individuals believed to be with the Communist movement.

Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965

(HUD) - Aimed to provide poor with affordable housing.

National Park Service

(Organic Act) - Roosevelt, conserve land.

OPEC

(Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries), passed an embargo on U.S., caused price spike on gasoline.

Shirley Chisholm

1st African American woman to serve in Congress.

Atomic Bomb

A new strategic weapon developed at Los Alamos, New Mexico; Japan surrendered after bomb dropped on Hiroshima on Nagasaki, resulted in arms race with Soviets.

Alfred Thayer Mahan

Advocated for overseas expansions by growing the U.S. Navy.

Vernon Baker

African American veteran of WWII, received Medal of Honor.

Tonkin Resolution

Allowed president to take military action without declaration of war from Congress.

19th Amendment

Allowed women's suffrage, right to vote.

Anti-War Movement

As more troops were sent to Vietnam and the media reported setbacks (credibility gap), people protested by mass demonstrations, violence at some rallies.

Declaration of Independence

Belief in consent of the governed, other nations recognized the US as a country, inspired other to question their governments.

Chicano Mural Movement

Built Hispanic cultural pride.

Gilded Age

Businesses became wealthy, and some corrupt government officials supported business first policies.

Immigrants

Came to American for better economic conditions, farm fertile soil, jobs in factories; citizens wanted assimilation.

Dust Bowl

Caused by drought and poor farming practices.

Black Panthers

Civil Rights group that used armed resistance to protest and to defend themselves, Huey Newton was leader.

Populist Party Platform

Coinage of silver, graduated income tax, and regulation of railroad shipping charges.

War Powers Resolution

Congress limited the military power of the executive branch, result of actions during the Vietnam War.

Social Security Act

Created a government benefits program to help elderly/disabled/retired; increased governments responsibility.

Causes of Spanish-American War

Cuban Revolution and sinking of U.S.S. Maine.

Great Depression

Demand for goods declined -> businesses failed -> unemployment grew -> economic depression -> homeless.

Alexis de Tocqueville

Democracy in America: liberty, egalitarianism, individualism, populism, and laissez-faire.

Prohibition

Desire to decrease crime and health problems, resulted in increased crime & speakeasies, women supported.

Justification for War

Economic and political interdependence of nations, stop spread of totalitarian governments.

Mass-manufacturing

Efficient production made products affordable, like the automobile and other household items.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Ended poll taxes and literacy tests as a requirement to vote; resulted in increased voting by minorities.

Jane Addams

Established settlement house movement to help assimilate immigrants.

Palmer Raids

Fear of Communist infiltration in U.S. led to arrest and deportation of suspected communists.

New Deal

Federal government took on a new role by playing a larger role in helping the welfare of Americans, protecting economy, help provide jobs and mortgage loans.

Hawaii

Forced annexation by the U.S., supported by S.B. Dole.

Labor Unions

Fought for better pay and working conditions.

1st Amendment

Freedom of religion, press, speech, assembly, and petition.

Reasons for expansionism

Gain in access to natural resources and overseas markets, expansion in trade.

Puerto Rico

Gained by U.S. after the Spanish-American War.

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

Germans attacked U.S. merchant ships, resulted in U.S. declaring war on Germany.

Zimmermann Telegram

Germany tried to ally with Mexico, resulted in U.S withdrawing position in neutrality.

Equal Employment Opprotunity

Government agencies could no longer discriminate in their employment practices.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

Government guaranteed bank deposits, protects people's savings.

Political Corruption

Government officials took bribes, bosses and political machines promised infrastructure for votes.

GI Bill

Government paid for education of military veterans.

Pure Food and Drug Act

Government policies protecting consumers, resulted from Muckrakers like Upton Sinclair.

Little Rock, Arkansas

Governor Orval Faubus challenged the power of the federal government to desegregate schools.

Urbanization

Growth in industry resulted in people moving to cities to work in factories causing sanitation problems.

Effects of Spanish-American War

Helped establish American as a world imperial power.

W.E.B. DuBois

Helped found NAACP, a civil rights group that fought for the legal rights of African Americans.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Important leader of the civil rights movement, believed in civil disobedience instead of violence.

Overspeculation

In stock market led to Great Depression.

State Reforms

Initiative, referendum, recall; increased participation in democracy, made elected officials accountable.

Pearl Harbor

Japanese retaliation for embargo, resulted in U.S. entering WWII.

Vaccines

Jonas Salk developed vaccine to stop polio; vaccination programs were developed to limited the spread of infectious diseases.

Cuban Missile Crisis

Kennedy ordered a naval blockade of Cuba to prevent shipment of Soviet nuclear missiles.

Dawes Act

Law intended to assimilate Native Americans into American culture.

Wilson's Fourteen Points

League of Nations (rejected by U.S. Congress), freedom of the seas, Poland as an independent nation.

Chicano Workers Movement

Led by Cesar Chavez, worked to improve working conditions for migrant workers.

Espionage Act

Limited Americans' freedom of speech.

Great Migration

Limited economic opportunity for American Americans in the South resulted in northern migration for economic opportunity.

22nd Amendment

Limited president to only serve two terms, passed in response to FDR serving four terms.

Principles of the Constitution

Limits the power of the federal government by separation of powers and checks and balances.

Electricity

Made manufacturing more efficient; light bulb led to more hours of work = more production.

Watergate

Nixon attempted to cover up information, led to growing cynicism and loss of trust towards the government.

March on Washington

Nonviolent protest aimed to improve political rights and economics opportunities or minorities.

Chinese Exclusion Act

Passed because people in the west did not want to compete with immigrants for jobs.

5th Amendment

People accused of crimes must be read their rights. (Miranda v. Arizona); eminent domain.

Irish Immigrants

Persecuted because they were Catholic.

Andrew Carnegie

Philanthropy to improve society through donations to education and the arts.

Harlem Renaissance

Popularity of African American artists, gospel music, jazz, influenced civil rights movement.

Railroads

Provided farmers access to distant markets, allowed Americans to settle the west.

Medicare Act of 1965

Provided health care for people 65+.

McCarthyism

Red Scare movement led by Senator Joseph McCarthy that arrested people suspected of being communists.

Brown v. Board of Education

Required desegregation of schools, NAACP's Thurgood Marshall helped argue case.

Civil Rights Act of 1965

Required equal treatment of minorities in the workplace.

Roosevelt's Court Packing Plan

Response to rejection of some New Deal programs, many disliked because it increased power of president.

Suburbs

Resulted from prosperity after WWII, baby boom, and increased demand for housing.

Economic Prosperity

Resulted in consumer spending, growth of middle class, led to interstate highway system.

Homestead Act

Resulted in the settling of the frontier by farmers.

Causes of WWI

Rise of militarism, assassination of Franz Ferdinand.

Trench Warfare

Soldiers fought from trenches with machine guns resulting in a stalemate, tanks and poison gas were used to try and break stalemate.

Victory Gardens

Support war effort by increasing food supply.

Unconstitutional Programs

Supreme Court used 10th Amendment to overturn some New Deal programs.

The Holocaust

The Nazi attempt at the genocide of Jewish people, caused many Jews to migrate to America.

Flappers

Women during the Roaring 20's that challenged traditional and social norms of females, unique fashion.

Upton Sinclair

Wrote "The Jungle", resulting in the government regulating the safety of food products; FDA.

Countercultural Movement

Youth had district fashion and culture, often used rock and roll (Woodstock) to protest government policies.

Women

Took on new roles to support the war effort, joined nurse cadets, and worked in factories to keep up production.

Monopolies

Total control of a product by one company, laws passed against monopolies to protect consumer prices.

Navajo Code Talkers

Transmitted secret military information.

Korean War

U.N. and U.S. troops sent to Korea, to stop spread of communism, after North Korea invaded the South.

Arms Race

U.S. and Soviets promote science and technology as both attempt to develop nuclear arsenals.

Berlin Airlift

U.S. flew planes over the Soviet blockade of Berlin to get supplies to West Berlin without military conflict.

Vietnam War

U.S. got involved to try and prevent communism from spreading (containment) in Asia.

Camp David Accords

U.S. helped (ally) Israel negotiate peace treaty with Egypt.

Marshall Plan

U.S. provided financial assistance to Western European countries to rebuild after WWII.

Panama Canal

U.S. saw need for canal during Spanish-American War, obtained land by Roosevelt's "Big Stick" policy, more efficient travel time for navy and businesses.

Sputnik

U.S.S.R. satellite, caused U.S. to invest money in space, science, technology, and weapons programs.

Japanese American internment camps

Violated liberties of Japanese American citizens provided in the 14th Amendment.

Civic Responsibilities

Voting in elections, serving on a jury.

Nativists

Wanted restrictions on immigration, assimilation.