US History Honors Mid Term Study Guide

gilded age

1870s - 1890s; time period looked good on the outside, despite the corrupt politics & growing gap between the rich & poor

big business

term used to describe the corporations and monopolies since the industrial revolution of the late 1800s

robber barons

refers to the industrialists or big business owners who gained huge profits by paying their employees extremely low wages; drove their competitors out of business by selling their products cheaper than it cost to produce it

horizontal integration

system of consolidating many firms in the same business

vertical integration

practice where a single entity controls the entire process of a product, from the raw materials to distribution

reasons for immigration from europe

escaping religious, racial and political persecution or seeking relief from a lack of economic opportunity or famine still pushed many immigrants out of their homelands

the journey to america

traveled in steerage, took over a week, dark, crowded spaces, weren't allowed on deck, diseases spread quickly

treatment at ellis island

eye and disease exams, often quick entry, detained for 1-2 weeks

treatment at angel island

thorough exams, racism (asian immigrants), detained for 1-2 months

old immigrants

immigrants who had come to the US before the 1880s from britain, germany, ireland, and scandenavia, or northern europe

new immigrants

immigrants who had come to the US after the 1880s from southern and eastern europe

assimilation

the social process of absorbing one cultural group into harmony with another, often the dominant cultural group

nativism

the policy of protecting the interests of native-born or established inhabitants against those of immigrants

americanization

process of acquiring or causing a person to acquire american traits and characteristics

social darwinism

the belief that only the fittest survive in human political and economic struggle

chinese exclusion act

1882 law that denied any additional chinese laborers to enter the country while allowing students and merchants to immigrate

gentleman's agreement

an informal agreement between the united states and japan whereby the us would not impose restriction on japanese immigration or students, and japan would not allow further immigration to the us

progressive era

time at the turn of the 20th century in which groups sought to reform america economically, socially, and politically

progressive presidents

roosevelt, taft, wilson

theodore roosevelt

26th president, known for: conservationism, trust-busting, safe food regulations, panama canal, negotiation of peace in russo-japanese war

william howard taft

27th president of the U.S.; he angered progressives by moving cautiously toward reforms and by supporting the payne-aldrich tariff; he lost roosevelt's support and was defeated for a second term

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)

muckrackers

journalists who wrote about corruption in business and politics in order to bring about reform

triangle shirtwaist factory fire

march 1911 fire in new york factory that trapped young women workers inside locked exit doors; nearly 50 ended up jumping to their death; while 100 died inside the factory; led to the establishment of many factory reforms, including increasing safety precautions for workers

timeline from seneca falls to the 19th amendment

1848 - seneca falls convention
1913 - woman suffrage parade
1916 - jeannette rankin became the first woman elected to congress
1920 - the 19th amendment was ratified

naacp

interracial organization founded in 1909 to abolish segregation and discrimination and to achieve political and civil rights for african americans

black voting restrictions

disfranchisement, poll taxes, grandfather clause, literacy tests

jim crow laws

laws designed to enforce segregation of blacks from whites

plessy v ferguson

a 1896 supreme court decision which legalized state ordered segregation so long as the facilities for blacks and whites were equal

susan b anthony

social reformer who campaigned for womens rights, the temperance, and was an abolitionist, helped form the national woman suffrage association

elizabeth cady stanton

a prominent advocate of women's rights, stanton organized the 1848 seneca falls convention with lucretia mott

carrie chapman catt

president of NAWSA, who led the campaign for woman suffrage during wilson's administration

sojourner truth

former slave who became an abolitionist and women's rights activist

web dubois

co-founded the NAACP to help secure legal equality for minority citizens

ida b wells

african american journalist who published statistics about lynching, urged african americans to protest by refusing to ride streetcars or shop in white owned stores

motives for imperialism

social darwinism, manifest destiny, racism (superior- white mans burden), new markets, more resources

attitudes towards imperialism

positive - expanded trade; heightened world dominance
against - isolationist policies, immoral

imperialism areas of interest

global dominance, raw materials

presidential foreign policies on imperialism

roosevelt - expands us involvement overseas
taft - advances us economic interest abroad
wilson - champions democracy around the globe

uss maine

ship that explodes off the coast of cuba in havana harbor and helps contribute to the start of the spanish-american war

rough riders

volunteer soldiers led by theodore roosevelt during the spanish american war

treaty of paris

1898 treaty that ended the spanish american war provided that cuba be free from spain

roosevelt corollary

roosevelt's 1904 extension of the monroe doctrine, stating that the united states has the right to protect its economic interests in south and central america by using military force

wilson's advisors attitudes towards ww1

maintaining access to allied markets takes precedence over everything else

americans attitudes towards ww1

strict and impartial neutrality

immigrants attitudes towards ww1

fought in the war on the side of the us; led to greater acceptance of immigrants in american society

ww1 propaganda

promoted war bonds, etc, got people excited and involved in the war

turning points of neutrality ww1

favorability of neutrality began to decline after germany's sinking of the lusitania

lusitania

british passenger ship holding americans that sunk off the coast of Ireland in 1915 by german u-boats killing 1,198 people

zimmerman note

1917 - germany sent this to mexico instructing an ambassador to convince mexico to go to war with the us; it was intercepted and caused the us to mobilize against germany, which had proven it was hostile

russian revolution

prompted by labor unrest, personal liberties, and elected representatives, this political revolution occurred in 1917 when czar nicholas II was murdered and vladimir lenin sought control to implement his ideas of socialism

war industries board

agency established during WWI to increase efficiency & discourage waste in war-related industries

homefront during ww1

the us saw a systematic mobilization of the country's entire population and economy to produce the soldiers, food supplies, ammunitions and money necessary to win the war

women during ww1

became nurses for soldiers at the front, took over men's jobs at home; this caused them to feel empowered because they proved that women could be equal to men

african americans during ww1

fought in segregated units; also worked in factories and unloaded ships

espionage act

1917 law that set heavy fines and long prison terms for antiwar activities

sedition act

made it a crime to write, print, utter, or publish criticism of the president or government

schenck v united states

a 1919 decision upholding the conviction of a socialist who had urged young men to resist the draft during world war I; justice holmes declared that government can limit speech if the speech provokes a "clear and present danger" of substantive evils

war & peace

this epic novel draws from letters, journals, and other historical reports and examines the napoleonic invasion of russia in 1812 through the eyes of five aristocratic russian families

ww1 armistice

november 11, 1918 at 11 am (11/11 at 11); ended fighting in ww1

fourteen points

woodrow wilson's post ww1 plan, most of which was rejected by european leaders following the war

treaty of versailles ww1

peace treaty ending WW1 which stripped germany of its economic and military power, bitterness over the treaty eventually helped strengthen the nazi party

opponents of the treaty of versailles

irreconcilables & reservationists

warren harding

29th president of the US; republican; "return to normalcy" (life as it had been before ww1-peace, isolation); presidency was marred by scandal

the ohio gang

a group of poker-playing men that were friends of harding; harding appointed them to offices and they used their power to gain money for themselves; they were involved in scandals that ruined harding's reputation even though he wasn't involved

the american plan

term that some us employers in the 1920s used to describe their policy of refusing to negotiate with unions; demonstrated laissez-faire economics

calvin coolidge

became president when harding died of pneumonia; he was known for practicing a rigid economy in money and words; he was a true republican and industrialist; believed in the government supporting big business

postwar trends

- american public was exhausted
- america deeply divided due to debate over league of nations
- economy was in a difficult state of adjustment
- returning soldiers were unemployed and took jobs from women and minorities

1920s limits on immigration

the immigration act of 1924 limited the number of immigrants allowed entry into the us through a national origins quota

1920s labor

1. employers and organizations wanted to do away with unions
2. compared unionizing and socialism as examples of the sinister influence of foreigners on american life
3. during the 1920's, organized labor lost more than 2 million members

kkk

ku klux klan - against blacks, jews, catholics; used terror to control them

henry ford

united states manufacturer of automobiles who pioneered mass production (1863-1947)

flappers

carefree young women with short, "bobbed" hair, heavy makeup, and short skirts; the flapper symbolized the new "liberated" woman of the 1920s

the changing family

couples were having fewer kids since they did not need as many; they lived in small apartments in the city instead of on big farmland; a result of much urban growth

popularization of pastimes

watching tv, listening to radio, sports such as baseball and football

18th amendment

prohibition of alcohol

21st amendment

repealed prohibition

prohibition

the period from 1920 to 1933 when the sale of alcoholic beverages was prohibited in the us by a constitutional amendment

harlem renaissance

a period in the 1920s when african-american achievements in art and music and literature flourished

bessie smith

empress of the blues

louis armstrong

leading african american jazz musician during the harlem renaissance; he was a talented trumpeter whose style influenced many later musicians

duke ellington

jazz pianist and composer

langston hughes

a leading poet of the harlem renaissance; he wrote "the negro speaks of rivers" and "my people"

jacob lawrence

regionalist painter that learned his art in harlem during the 1920s and used simple flat colorful shapes to tell stories of hopelessness

causes of the great depression

credit buying, overproduction, less consumer spending, falling stocks

stock market crash of 1929

plunge in stock market prices that marked the beginning of the great depression

margin buying

paying part of the cost and borrowing the rest from brokers

effects of the depression

unemployment, no money, homelessness, soup kitchens, closed banks and businesses

bank failures

caused by people rushing to withdraw money from banks after the stock market crash

dust bowl

region of the great plains that experienced a drought in 1930 lasting for a decade, leaving many farmers without work or substantial wages

okies

the farmers, who in the great depression, were forced to move, many moved to oklahoma

hawley-smoot tariff act

established the highest protective tariff in us history; raised taxes on imports and worsened the depression

bonus army

ww1 veterans who marched on washington demanding their $1,000 bonus pay before the 1945 due date

patman bill

authorized the government to pay a bonus to WWI veterans who had not been compensated adequately for their wartime service; was not approved

bonus march

event when nearly 17,000 veterans marched on washington in 1932, to demand the military bonuses that they had been promised; this group was eventually driven from their camp city by the us army; increased the public perception that the hoover administration cared little about the poor

rugged individualism

herbert hoover's belief that people must be self-reliant and not depend upon the federal government for assistance

election of 1932

hoover vs. fdr; two competing ideologies - laissez-faire vs. government intervention; fdr wins

new deal

a series of reforms enacted by the franklin roosevelt administration between 1933 and 1942 with the goal of ending the great depression

fdr's 100 days

maybe the most ambitious start to any presidential term; in just these few months fdr greatly changed the government's role in the economy

bank holiday

closed all banks until governor examiners could investigate their financial condition; only sound/solvent banks were allowed to reopen