Acts in U.S. History Flashcards
Act proposed by Cecilius Calvert (Lord Baltimore) to allow for toleration of both protestants and catholics in Maryland. 1649
act of toleration
act loosening the requirements for church membership in puritan Massachusetts. the act was passed in response to a drop in church attendance amongst second generation puritans. 1662
halfway covenant
act passed by british parliament restricting colonial settlement to land east of the Appalachian mountains. the act was passed in response to clashes with Indians (notably Pontiac’s war) as colonists moved west into land acquired from france after the French and indian war. 1763
proclamation of 1763
direct tax placed on the American colonies by british parliament. he act required colonists to purchase stamps for a variety of printed material. the uproar over the act led to the stamp act congress, one of the first organized protests of british taxation policy 1765
stamp act
series of revenue-producing taxes placed on the American colonies by Britain in an attempt to pay for continued occupation of the colonies by british troops. the act taxed items like lead, paint, glass, paper, and tea. 1767
townshend acts
series of four acts designed to punish the city of boston for the damage caused by the boston tea party. the british refer to the acts as the “coercive acts”. 1774
intolerable acts
while not intended as such, many American colonists considered this to be one of the intolerable acts. the act est. Catholicism as the official religion of Quebec, and expanded Quebec to include territory that today makes up ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota 1774
Quebec act
passed by the article of confederation congress, this act est. an orderly method for surveying and selling western land of the early u.s. notably, the act divided the land into 6 square mile “townships” that were further subdivided into homesteads. 1785
land ordinance
also passed by the articles of confederation congress, this act est. the method by which new territory could join the union as states 1787
northwest ordinance
a series of acts sponsored by the federalists imposing severe restrictions on alients out of fear of treason. the acts were an attempt to limit the power of Jefferson’s democratic-republican party. 1798
alien and sedition acts
essentially forbade us maritime trade with foreign nations. this was signed by Jefferson in order to maintain American neutrality during Napoleonic wars. the embargo was opposed by new England federalists. 1807
embargo act
repealed the embargo act w/ regards to all nations exept france and Britain. 1809
non-intercourse act
also known as the compromise of 1820, it admitted Missouri as a slave state and maine as a free state, thus preserving sectional balance. it also set the southern border of Missouri (36 degrees 30’) as the future border between slave and free states. this provision was ruled unconstitutional by the dred scott decision of 1857. 1820
Missouri compromise
also known as the “tariff of abominations”, opposition to this act led to the nullification crisis, the resignation of john c. Calhoun as VP, and the writing of the south Carolina exposition and protest. 1828
tariff of 1828
Andrew Jackson’s forcible removal of the five civilized tribes from the south (particularly the Cherokee from Georgia). most of the Indians were removed via the trail of tears. the act was a direct response to the 1828 case of Cherokee nation v. Georgia and was later challenged with the 1832 case of Worcester v. Georgia. 1830
indian removal act
series of 5 laws intended to compromise on the issue of slavery in the lands acquired after the Mexican war. California was admitted as a free state, the slave trade was ended in the district of Columbia, and the north agreed to a stricter fugitive slave law. 1850
compromise of 1850
provided for the admission of Kansas and Nebraska with or w/o slavery; essentially repealed the Missouri compromise. 1854
Kansas-Nebraska act
provided for the distribution of western lands to u.s. citizens. homesteaders were given 160 acres of free land in exchange for a pledge to “improve” the land w/in five years. 1862
homestead act
radical reconstruction plan passed by congressional republicans but later vetoed by Lincoln. the plan called for 50% of citizens of reconstructed states to take an ironclad oath swearing that they never supported the confederacy. this was a challenge to Lincoln’s more lenient 10% plan. 1864
wade-davis bill
prohibited the president from removing officials properly appointed by the senate. Andrew Jackson violated this by firing secretary of war Edwin Stanton leading to his impeachment. 1868
tenure of office act
required the treasury to monthly, limited purchases of silver for coinage. congress was required to purchase between 2-4 million worth of silver. the act was later replaced by the 1890 Sherman silver purchase act. 1878
bland-Allison act
a reversal of the 1868 Burlingame treaty, this act prohibited the immigration from china. 1882
Chinese exclusion act
provided for the objective appointment of civil service positions on the basis of merit. the Pendleton act was sparked by the assassination of james Garfield by disappointed office seeker Charles guiteau. 1883
Pendleton act
created the interstate commerce commission and forced all railway charges to be fair and reasonable. the act’s passage was a response to protests from farmer’s groups like the grange. 1887
interstate commerce act
authorized the federal government to dissolve a trust. te act was weak, and was even used to restrict the power of labor unions. it was strengthened by the clayton antitrust act of 1914. 1890
Sherman antitrust act
replaced the bland-Allison act; required the treasury to purchase 4.5 million ounces of silver at market value per month. 1890
Sherman silver purchase act
est. the gov of the newly acquired territory of Puerto rico. the insular cases declared that citizenship was not automatically bestowed upon people in newly acquired territories, and it wasn’t until the 1917 jones act that purto Ricans gained us citizenship. 1900
foraker act
forbade the manufacture, sale, or transportation of “adulterated” or mislabeled foods or drugs in interstate commerce. this was a direct response to upton Sinclair’s the jungle. 1906
pure food and drug act
aimed to eliminate the dangerous and unsanitary conditions in meat-packing industry. this was a direct response to upton Sinclair’s the jungle. 1906
meat inspection act
strengthened the Sherman anitrust act, was more specific as to what actions constituted a “trust”. Samuel gompers called the act the “magna carta of organized labor” because it removed the restrictions on labor unions put into place by the Sherman antitrust act. 1914
clayton antitrust act
provided severe penalties for persons found guilty of aiding the enemy or refusal to serve in the us military. Charles schenck’s biolation of this law was the subject of the 1919 case of schenck v. us. 1917
espionage act
provided for the enforcement of the 18th amendment (prohibition). 1919
Volstead act
provided for the payment of adjusted compensation (bonus) to all veterans of WW1. it was payment of this bonus that the bonus army was after when they marched on Washington in 1931. 1924
adjusted compensation act
sharp increase of tariff rates on more than 20,000 imported goods. president hoover thought that this would alleviate the pains of the great depression, but most economists blame the Hawley-smoot tariff with sinking the us deeper into the depression. 1930
Hawley-smoot tariff
an attempt by Herbert hoover to address the problems of the great depression by giving billions of dollars in loans to banks and businesses. the act was criticized because it did not give direct relief to the poor. 1932
reconstruction finance corporation
also known as the “anti-injunction act”, it barred federal courts from issuing injunctions to halt labor disputes. the act also outlawed the “yellow-dog contract”. 1932
Norris-LaGuardia act
created the national recovery administration (NRA) and the public works administration (PWA). the NIRA was later ruled unconstitutional in the 1935 case of schecter poultry v. us. 1933
national industrial recovery act
created the federal emergency relief administration (FERA) to aid the states through grants. 1933
federal emergency relief act
est. the agricultural adjustment administration (AAA) which paid farmers subsides to farm less land and therefore drive crop prices up. 1933
agricultural adjustment act
created the federal deposit insurance corp (FDIC) for guaranteering individual bank deposits. 1933
glass-steagall act
also known as the national labor relations act, created the national labor relations board (NLRB). 1935
wagner act
enabled any country whose defense is deemed necessary to the nation to acquire arms and other war supplies from the us. this arrangement to help the uk during the battle of Britain followed the earlier “cash and carry” and “destroyers for bases” programs. 1941
lend-lease act
passed over Truman’s veto, this act heavily restricted the actions of unions including banning the “closed show” and forbidding union contributions to political campaigns. allowed the federal gov to apply for injunctions to stop strikes. 1947
taft-hartley act
combined all military departments into a single department, defense. james forrestal was the first secretary of defense. 1947
national security act
among other provisions, it outlawed discrimination in employment on the basis of race religion, or sex. it created the equal employment opportunity commission (EEOC) to investigate the claims of discrimination. 1964
civil rights act
eliminated literacy and other tests as requirements for voting. 1965
voting rights act
(OSHA) mandated that employers provide employment “free from recognized hazards to employees” 1970
occupational safety and health act
set a 60 day limit on the presidential commitment of troops to hostilities abroad w/o congressional approval. passed over Nixon’s veto, the act is considered by many to be a reaction to LBJ’s actions w/ the gulf of Tonkin resolution. 1973
war powers act
required congress to balance the budget. 1985
Gramm-Rudman-Hollings act
regulates compaign financing. specifically, it targets “soft money” contributions and “issue ads” not financed by a specific candidate. 2002
McCain-Feingold act
