US History Semster 1 Final Flashcards
13th Amendment
abolished slavery
14th Amendment
Declares that all persons born in the U.S. are citizens and are guaranteed equal protection of the laws
15th Amendment (1870)
U.S. cannot prevent a person from voting because of race, color, or creed
Jim Crow Laws
Limited rights of blacks. Literacy tests, grandfather clauses and poll taxes limited black voting rights
Freedman’s Bureau, 1865
Acted as a welfare agency to help the poor and war veterans. Largest accomplishment was in education. Helped establish about 3000 schools for freed blacks
Reconstruction
the period after the Civil War in the United States when the southern states were reorganized and reintegrated into the Union
Social Darwinism
The application of ideas about evolution and “survival of the fittest” to human societies - particularly as a justification for their imperialist expansion and racial ideals
Jacob Riis
Early 1900’s muckraker who exposed social and political evils in the U.S. with his novel “How The Other Half Lives”; exposed the poor conditions of the poor tenements in NYC and Hell’s Kitchen
Nativism
A policy of favoring native-born individuals over foreign-born ones
Traingle Shirtwaist Fire
crowded conditions, lack of workplace safety laws, negligent owners, and an ill-prepared fire department combined. led to deaths of young women working in the factory.
Laissez-faire
Policy that government should interfere as little as possible in the nation’s economy.
labor union
An organization of workers that tries to improve working conditions, wages, and benefits for its members
Theodore Roosevelt
26th president, known for: conservationism, trust-busting, Hepburn Act, safe food regulations, “Square Deal,” Panama Canal, Great White Fleet, Nobel Peace Prize for negotiation of peace in Russo-Japanese War
Captains of Industry or Robber Barons
Leaders of large, efficient corporations
Often gained wealth through questionable business means
Monopolies by these large companies led to demands by small businessmen and laborers for government regulation
Haymarket Riot
100,000 workers rioted in Chicago. After the police fired into the crowd, the workers met and rallied in Haymarket Square to protest police brutality. A bomb exploded, killing or injuring many of the police. The Chicago workers and the man who set the bomb were immigrants, so the incident promoted anti-immigrant feelings.
Sinclair/The Jungle
book exposed dangerous and unhealthy conditions of the meat packing industry
Immigration in the US 1860-1900
14,000,000 immigrants; traveled by steamship; 14-day trip; Eastern Europeans, Catholic Italians and Irish
Woodrow Wilson
28th president of the United States, known for World War I leadership, created Federal Reserve, Federal Trade Commission, Clayton Antitrust Act, progressive income tax, lower tariffs, women’s suffrage (reluctantly), Treaty of Versailles, sought 14 points post-war plan, League of Nations (but failed to win U.S. ratification), won Nobel Peace Prize
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.
Victory Gardens
Backyard gardens; Americans were encouraged to grow their own vegetables to support the war effort
Franz Ferdinand, Archduke
Heir to the Austrian throne whose assassination by a Serbian nationalist on June 28, 1914, was the spark that ignited World War I.
Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points
a statement of principles for peace that was to be used for peace negotiations in order to end World War I.
- End secret treaties
- open seas for trading
- reduce militarism
- respect for determination
- creations of a League of Nations
Black Hand
Serbian nationalist/terrorist group responsible for the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand which resulted in the start of World War I.
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.
Women’s Suffrage
Fighting for the the right of women to vote. Led to the 19th amendment
19th Amendment (1920)
Gave women the right to vote
Zimmerman Telegram
A telegram Germany Sent to Mexico to convince Mexico to attack the U.S.
Sinking of the Lusitania
Cruise ship that was sunk by German submarines and helped bring the US closer to involvement in WWI
Treaty of Versailles
the treaty imposed on Germany by the Allied powers in 1920 after the end of World War I which demanded exorbitant reparations, loss of territories, and reduction of military from the Germans
Trench Warfare
Fighting with trenches, mines, and barbed wire. Horrible living conditions, great slaughter, no gains, stalemate, used in WWI.
Mustard Gas
a new invention in WWI - a yellow colored gas that was fired at the enemy - it caused blindness, damage to the lungs and death
Progressivism goals
protect social welfare, encourage productiveness, uphold moral values and generate economic reform
Progressivism
Sought to address the problems caused by rapid industrialization, urbanizations, immigrations, and political corruption. More government involvement and policies
Industrialization and Urbanization
people move to a city for jobs; as factories get started, they attract workers.
as workers move to a city, factories want to build there because of the workers.
Hull House-Jane Addams
settlement house founded in chicago 1889 by jane addams to provide social and educational opportunities for immigrant workers in surrounding neighborhoods.
M.A.I.N.
Causes of WWI: Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism
Triple Entente
A military alliance between Great Britain, France, and Russia in the years preceding World War I.
Triple Alliance
An alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy in the years before WWI.
Temperance Movement/Prohibition
Sought to prohibit alcohol consumption in the U.S. Began in 1830’s.
1919- U.S. constitution was amended to prohibit alcohol at the national level (18th amendment)
It was never fully enforced, and battles between law enforcement agents (Eliot Ness), and organized crime characterized this era. Leaders of organized crime made millions selling alcohol (Al Capone). After 14 years of unsuccessful attempts to enforce the law, it was finally repealed in 1933 with the 21st amendment.
Harlem Renaissance
A period in the 1920s when African-American achievements in art and music and literature flourished
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.
Ku Klux Klan in the 1920’s
it was a white supremacy, nativist, reactionary group that was against foreigners, Catholics, Jews, and blacks. They had 5 million members by 1924 and dominated the political scene in the south.
Roaring Twenties
the decade of the 1920’s which got this nickname because of the times prosperity and excitement
-consumerism
-Jazz music, cultural clashes, political fear, rising fear of communism
Communism
a political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.
Democracy
A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them
Stock Market Crash of 1929
Plunge in stock market prices that marked the beginning of the Great Depression
Great Depression
Millions of Americans became unemployed, lost their live savings, and lost their homes. Resulted in FDR’s New Deals.
Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR)
Franklin D Roosevelt took office as president of the United States. He started his presidency off with the First Hundred Days, which was the beginning of the New Deal. During this period, FDR and congress passed hundreds of bills that promoted social welfare and initiated programs coined alphabet soup programs.
Herbet Hoover
President elected in 1928 with political experience, people liked him for his ideas about prosparities in the roaring 20s. He was blamed for the Great Depression because he was a “hands-off” president, he was only elected for one term.
Rugged Individualism
Herbert Hoover’s belief that people must be self-reliant and not depend upon the federal government for assistance during the great depression
New Deal Programs
FDR’s plan to help the US during the great depression. Included programs such as the; CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps), NRA (National Recovery Act), WPA (Works Progress Administration), PWA (Public Works Administration), AAA (Agriculture Adjustment Act), SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission), TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) , and FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation).
New Deal SEC
Securities and Exchange Commission
Prevented Fraud
Financial disclosure
Public trust in banks again
New Deal (TVA)
Tennessee Valley Authority
Built dams to provide cheap electric power to seven southern states
Built schools and medical centers
Social Security Act
(FDR) 1935, guaranteed retirement payments, for the elderly, 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
Charlie Chaplin
A “silent comedian,” this movie star continued to lengthen the silent film style and offer an alternative to the sound film with his trademark tattered suit, derby hat, and cane, playing the “little tramp” who made audiences laugh with his silent jokes.
Isolationism
A policy of non-participation in international economic and political relations
Sacco and Vanzetti
In 1920 these two men were convicted of murder and robbery. They were found guilty and died in the electric chair unfairly due to their radical political beliefs and immigrant background
Red Scare (1919-1920)
A brief wave of fear over the possible influence of Socialists/Bolsheviks in American life.
Booker T. Washington
Gradual change, Blacks should earn their rights, Economic gains rather than legal gains
W.E.B. DuBois
Immediate change, Blacks should be given rights, Founded NAACP for the advancement of colored people
Axis Powers
Germany, Italy, Japan
Allied Powers
Alliance of Great Britain, Soviet Union, United States, and France during World War II.
Korematsu v. US
1944 Supreme Court case where the Supreme Court upheld the order providing for the relocation of Japanese Americans because it was a matter of national security. It was not until 1988 that Congress formally apologized and agreed to pay $20,000 2 each survivor
Pearl Harbor
December 7, 1941 - Surprise attack by the Japanese on the main U.S. Pacific Fleet harbored in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii destroyed 18 U.S. ships and 200 aircraft. American losses were 3000, Japanese losses less than 100. In response, the U.S. declared war on Japan and Germany, entering World War II.
“A day that will live in infamy”
Pearl Harbor, quote by FDR
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.
Holocaust
A methodical plan orchestrated by Hitler to ensure German supremacy. It called for the elimination of Jews, non-conformists, homosexuals, non-Aryans, and mentally and physically disabled.
Final Solution
Hitler’s program of systematically killing the entire Jewish people
Death of FDR
after returning from the Yalta conference, FDR experienced increasingly poor health until he died on April 12, 1945
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Two Japanese cities on which the U.S. dropped the atomic bombs to end World War II.
Manhattan Project
A secret U.S. project for the construction of the atomic bomb.
Pyramid of Hate
Prejudiced Attitudes, Acts of Prejudice, Discrimination, Violence, Genocide
sweatshop
A shop or factory where workers work long hours at low wages under unhealthy conditions
Trust Buster
Nickname for Teddy Roosevelt because of his actions against monopolies including the breaking up of Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company.
Monopoly
Complete control of a product or business by one person or group
Propaganda
information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.
Randolph Hearst
Was one of those who believed in yellow journalism. He was one of the newspaper writers who flourished during this time. He helped increase newspapers in the United States.
Joseph Pulitzer
He used yellow journalism in competition with Hearst to sell more newspapers. He also achieved the goal of becoming a leading national figure of the Democratic Party.
Dust Bowl
A drought in the 1930s that turned the Great Planes very dry.
FDR three R’s
Relief, Recovery, Reform
Carpetbaggers
A northerner who went to the South immediately after the Civil War; especially one who tried to gain political advantage and/or financial advantages from the disorganized situation in southern states
Muckrakers
Journalists who attempted to find corruption or wrongdoing in industries and expose it to the public
CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps)
relief that provided work for young men 18-25 years old in food control, planting, flood work, etc.
World War Two
A war fought between 1939-1945 between Axis/Allied powers.
Concentration Camps
prison camps used under the rule of Hitler in Nazi Germany. Conditions were inhuman, and prisoners, mostly Jewish people, were generally starved or worked to death, or killed immediately.
Aushwitz
largest Nazi death camp
Shantytowns (Hoovervilles)
Great depression- Unplanned slum development on the margins of cities, dominated by crude dwellings and shelters made mostly of scrap wood, iron, and even pieces of cardboard.
