P7 Key Concepts Flashcards
Study
American exceptionalism
The idea that the US was destined to foster democracy and civilization throughout the entire world.
Insular Cases
Marked Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines as colonies and denied the colonized American citizenship.
Platt Amendment
Proviso Cuba had to accept into it’s constitution. Forbade it from making treaties with any country other than American; gave America the right to interfere with Cuban affairs.
Open door policy
The idea that everyone should be able to do business in China; increased American influence in Asia.
Root-Takahira Treaty
Recognized Japan’s authority over Manchuria and confirmed the principles of free oceanic commerce.
Roosevelt Colorally
Flipped the Monroe Doctrine, asserted that the USA was the only country that could imperialize Latin America.
Smoot-Hawley Tariff
Enacted during the Great Depression, raised the tariffs placed on foreign products. Led to reactionary tariffs and slowed global trade; made the Great Depression worse and longer. Hoover
Bonus Army
Group of 15,000 U.S. veterans that protested outside the White House. Demanded action against the Great Depression
Glass-Stengall Act
Closed down banks until they confirmed that they had enough cash reserved. Helped America recover from Great Depression and lowered financial panic. FDR
Yellow Journalism
Intentionally exaggerated headlines to attract an audience. Most prevalent during the Cuban Revolt.
“Remember the Maine”
Chant that formed after the U.S.S Maine exploded. Pushed the U.S.A. into waging war against Spain.
Teller Amendment
U.S. promises Cubans freedom if they helped them fight against Spain.
Spheres of Influence
Following the Opium War of 1839, European nations carved China up into Spheres of Influence.
Progressives
Usually middle-class and white; group of people looking for social and political reform. Involved in: Women’s suffrage, Temperance, Jim Crow segregation, political machines, big businesses, and labor unions.
Muckrakers
Journalists that exposed corruption and pressure politicians into making changes. Focused on political corruption, social injustice, and economic inequality.
Lincoln Steffens
Exposed political corruption in his book ‘The Shame of the Cities’ (1904).
David Phillips
Exposed corrupt Senators in his book ‘The Treason of the Senate’ (1906); led to the conviction of two Senators in 1906.
Upton Sinclair
Exposed the meatpacking industry with his book ‘The Jungle’. Led to Roosevelt passing the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act in 1906
Jacob Riis
Photojournalist that exposed the poor living conditions of tenement housing with his ‘How the Other Half Lives’ collection. Led to the passing of the New York State Tenement House Act.
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911)
Killed 146 women and girls, led to the improvement and enforcement of fire safety.
Rome-Berlin Axis
Military and political alliance between Nazi Germany and Italy.
Fascism
Anti-democratic, dictatorship based political movement. Gained traction in Nazi Germany due to Treaty of Versailles and the Great Depression.
Revenue Act
Raised personal income tax and allowed the government to borrow money from the wealthy. Also allowed the government to create war bonds.
The Manhattan Project
Run by FDR; created the atomic bomb. Top-secret; only known to FDR and the people working on the project.
Lend-Lease Act
Allowed FDR to lend money and supplies to Allied Powers; marked the unofficial entrance of the USA into WW2.
Executive Order 8802
Prohibited race-based discrimination in employment. Also created the FEPC.
Executive Order 9066
Called for the relocation of Japanese-Americans into camps during WW2.
Sherman Antitrust Act (1890)
Broke up monopolies and took actions against trusts.
16th Amendment
Established a progressive federal income tax (The percentage of taxes you pay increases as your income increases).
17th Amendment
Allowed for the direct election of Senators by the people rather than through representatives.
18th Amendment
Forbade the manufacturing, transportation, and sale of alcohol.
19th Amendment
Granted women’s suffrage and was passed largely in recognition of women’s critical role during WW1.
Immigration Restriction League
Sought to ban “inferior” races from immigrating into America and tried to enforce eugenics.
Immigration Act of 1903
Excluded anarchists, polygamists, epileptics, beggars, and human traffickers from entering America.
Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1907
Limited Japanese immigration in return for better treatment of current Japanese-American immigrants.
Antiquities Act (1906)
Created 150 national forests and 5 national parks, including the Grand Canyon.
Allied Powers
Britain, France, Russia, and eventually the USA during WW1.
Central Powers
Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy during WW1.
Zimmerman Telegram
German attempt at getting Mexico to invade America, intercepted by Britain. Pushed America to join WW1.
American Expeditionary Forces (AEF)
American forces sent to Europe during WW1. By June 1918, 250,000 AEF troops landed in France every month.
Treaty of Versailles
Ended WW1. Punished Germany with high reparations, limited army, and land loss for their actions in WW1.
Fourteen Points
Wilson’s plan for post-war peace, included self-determination of nations and the creation of the League of Nations.
League of Nations
Basically the original N.A.T.O. Was created to prevent Germany from starting another war; eventually shown to be useless.
War Guilt Clause
Britain and France’s justification for the severe punishment they imposed on Germany.
Article X
Stated that the USA had to join a war if Britain or France got involved in one. Led the Senate to reject the USA joining the League of Nations.
total war
When a nation puts all efforts towards the war they are in, such as production efforts and rationing of food and clothing. Includes: a draft, daylights savings, price controls, and rationing of goods.
Committee on Public Information
Organization that created propaganda posters and wrote speeches at social events to promote and support the war effort.
Espionage Act, Sedition Act
Made it illegal to spy, oppose the war, or interfere/avoid with the draft.
Schneck v. United States
Upheld the Espionage Act; case was over the writing of anti-draft pamplets.
Debs v. United States
Upheld the Sedition Act; case was over the delivery of an anti-war and anti-draft speech.
Red Scare
Fear over Communist spies infiltrating the American government.
Palmer Raids
The arrest of socialists and communist without trial.
Immigration Act of 1917
Imposed taxes and literacy tests to prevent immigrants from coming to America.
Emergency Quota of 1921
Limited immigration to 3% of any given nationality (Ex: only 3% of immigrants could be German)
National Origins Act of 1924
Limited the Emergency Quota to 2% of any given nationality.
Great Migration
During and after WWI, 6 million African Americans moved to the North and West to escape racial discrimination and violence.
Chicago Race Riots
Riots between gangs of black and white Chicagoan; left many homeless.
Tulsa Massacre
Attack on the Tulsa neighborhood by white mobs; led to the destruction of black neighborhoods and left many dead.
assembly line
A strategy to mass produce goods, each employee had one job in production; highly effective.
Frederick Taylor’s Scientific Management
Increased production by making the assembly line more time efficient, even if it was just by a few seconds.
consumer culture
The culture of American citizens buying products they don’t need to survive.
flappers
Women that wore shorter skirts, drank alcohol, bobbed their hair, and danced to jazz; rejected traditional constraints of femininity.
Harlem Renaissance
Black artistic movement in Harlem, New York City.
