1929 to Present Flashcards
Sixteenth Amendment (1913)
allowed the government to collect taxes on income. As land sales began to decline, the government needed an additional source of revenue. The income tax amendment was passed and allowed Congress to levy taxes on the incomes of personal citizens and businesses.
Seventeenth Amendment (1913)
established the direct election of senators by the citizens of the state. Prior to the Seventeenth Amendment, state legislatures chose which senators would represent the state in Congress; the idea of this was the Senate would protect the interests of the states, while the House of Representatives would protect the interests of the people.
Eighteenth Amendment (1919)
prohibited the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcohol in the United States. (Repelled by the Twenty-First Amendment in 1933.)
Nineteenth Amendment (1920)
gave women the right to vote nationwide. Prior to the amendment, only men were federally guaranteed the right to vote in elections (some states had already given women the vote prior to the Nineteenth Amendment). This amendment is the result of the women’s suffrage movements of the 1800s and 1900s. The women’s suffrage movement was organized after the Seneca Falls Convention in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848 with notable individuals, including Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The convention is seen as the first organized step in the women’s suffrage movement
Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930
a tariff on over 20,000 imported goods. The goal of the Act was to protect American jobs, but countries negatively affected by it created retaliatory tariffs. This caused a sharp decrease in international trade.
Kick starting the great depression
Stock market crash of 1929
The day, known as Black Tuesday, is considered the beginning of the Great Depression. During the Great Depression, every economic indicator fell from tax revenue, business profits, exports and imports, etc. The height of the Great Depression came in 1933, which was marked by 25% unemployment.
The New Deal
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Historians remark that he focused on the “3 Rs”:
Relief for the unemployed/poor
Recovery of the economy
Reform of the financial system
Although many New Deal programs are no longer in existence, some did survive such as Social Security, Unemployment Benefits, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
When was the depression considered over?
While there was no single moment of economic recovery, most historians agree that the Great Depression ended by 1939.
When was WW2?
began in 1939 and ended in 1945,
When was WW1?
1914-1918
When was the Cold War?
The Cold War was solidified by 1947–48
the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act of 1956
Suburban growth was facilitated by President Eisenhower
This monumental infrastructure project provided improved connectivity and accessibility for Americans who wanted to raise their families in the suburbs while maintaining easy access to urban centers. Commercial enterprises in the U.S. also began to rely on interstate highways as their primary means of transportation
The Great Society
1960s also contained the Great Society, a series of domestic programs launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ).
Programs to improve the quality of life and remove poverty were passed, leading to an influx of spending on various social programs.
While some programs of the Great Society were eventually eliminated, others still exist, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Head Start
“trickle-down economics,”
the belief that liberalizing regulations for businesses will allow them to create and invest more, leading them to hire more people and eventually kickstart the economy. Promoted by Ronald Reagan
NATO
The quick action by the Soviet Union to turn the countries of Eastern Europe into satellites alarmed many Western nations. In response, the United States and its Western European allies agreed to meet to discuss a new alliance in 1948. The result was an agreement among 12 nations forming the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The agreement essentially stated that an attack against any one of the member nations would be considered an attack against all.
Permanently allying us with Europe
Bay of Pigs
President Dwight Eisenhower authorized the CIA to develop a plan to overthrow Castro. The CIA recruited and trained 1,400 Cuban exiles living in the United States, forming them into a paramilitary group. One of John F. Kennedy’s first actions as the next president was to approve the implementation of the plan, and the invasion began in April 1961
It failed, the men were left and many were arrested, Kennedy refused to support them further.
When was the civil rights movement and what sparked it?
1950-1960s
African Americans were treated as equals in WW2 in Europe and were angry to come home to segregation and racism.
Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956)
Tired of being forced to sit in the back of the city bus, Rosa Parks, who was an active member of the NAACP, sparked a protest when she refused to give up her seat for a white man.
After she was arrested, an activist minister named Martin Luther King, Jr. helped organize a boycott of the city buses. Because the bus riders were predominantly African American, the buses rode fairly empty for almost two years.
Even with this economic loss, it took the state Supreme Court to intervene and declare the segregation of buses unconstitutional. This protest made Dr. Martin Luther King a national hero for civil rights.
Little Rock 9 (1957):
In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that school segregation and the doctrine of “separate but equal” were unconstitutional. However, when nine African American students attempted to enroll at Little Rock High School in Arkansas, they were barred from entering.
President Dwight Eisenhower sent the National Guard to force the state of Arkansas to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling and admit the students.
Freedom Rides (1961):
The Freedom Rides involved integrated groups of activists riding buses through the segregated South to challenge discriminatory practices and segregation on buses and in bus terminals.
James Farmer, co-founder of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and a close associate of Martin Luther King Jr., organized the first Freedom Ride in May 1961.
Well-known civil rights activist and future U.S. Congressman John Lewis was among the roughly 400 Freedom Riders, many of whom, despite their commitment to nonviolence, faced beatings, mob violence, and arrests during their demonstrations of civil disobedience.
University of Alabama (June 1963):
Alabama Governor George Wallace attempted to block the enrollment of two African American students at the University of Alabama in defiance of federal desegregation orders, which led to a confrontation with federal marshals and the National Guard.
The students’ successful enrollment highlighted the federal government’s commitment to desegregation, while Wallace’s resistance aligned with the values he had outlined in his inaugural address, where he said, “…segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.”
March on Washington (August 1963):
To encourage the passage of the Civil Rights Act in Congress, Martin Luther King organized the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. More than 200,000 people from across the country gathered to listen to speeches from King and others. King’s most famous “I Have a Dream” speech was delivered here.
Civil Rights Act (1964):
This is one of the movement’s most significant outcomes. This bill outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin. It was passed to combat racial segregation and discrimination in public accommodations, employment, and schooling.
Selma to Montgomery March (1965):
To support efforts to register African American voters in Alabama, King led a 54-mile march from Selma to Montgomery (across Alabama). The marchers were met with violent attacks from observers, police, and even interference from the governor. President Lyndon B. Johnson spoke out against the violence and in support of the march, drawing national attention.
Later, in 1965, the Voting Rights Act was passed by Congress, which outlived discriminatory practices in voting, such as poll taxes and literacy tests previously given to African Americans to prevent access to the ballot box.
Plessy v. Ferguson
1896,
that facilities could constitutionally be separate as long as they were equal. This ruling cleared the way for institutionalized segregation in every aspect of public life, particularly in the South.
Brown v. Board of Education
Attorney Thurgood Marshall and his team presented evidence of the inherent inequality of segregation, regardless of the perceived quality of the facilities. In a 9-0 decision, the court agreed with the lower courts’ ruling, stating that separation based on race was inherently unequal. Although it only applied to schools, the Brown decision cleared the way for the dismantling of legal segregation throughout American public life.
Fidel Castro
Communist leader of Cuba
Pearl Harbor
Site of a surprise attack on the port of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii by the Japanese Navy. After, the United States had no choice but to enter the war.
Thurgood Marshall
a lawyer and later a Supreme Court Justice who was known for his groundbreaking legal work and advocacy for racial equality in the United States; he successfully argued the case in Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Separate but Equal
the idea set in Plessy v Ferguson that public services could be separated by race but still provide equal services; ruled unconstitutional by Brown v. Board of Education
World War II (WWII)
Fought from 1939-1945 between the Axis powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) and Allied powers (France, Great Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union).
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Women’s rights advocate; created the Seneca Falls Convention and the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments with Lucretia Mott.
Great Depression
A unprecedented period of worldwide economic downturn. Began in Oct. 1929 with the United States stock market crash. World War II was integral in pulling many countries out of the depression by increasing factory production
Selma To Montgomery March
A 54-mile march led by Martin Luther King, Jr to support the Civil Rights Act and gained national attention when President Lyndon B. Johnson spoke out in support of the march
