U.S. History: Reconstruction to World War II

13th Amendment

Abolished slavery (1865)

14th Amendment

Granted citizenship and equal protection under the law (1868)

15th Amendment

Prohibited denying voting rights based on race (1870)

16th Amendment

Allowed federal income tax (1913)

17th Amendment

Direct election of U.S. Senators (1913)

18th Amendment

Prohibition of alcohol (1919)

19th Amendment

Women's suffrage (1920)

20th Amendment

Changed inauguration dates (1933)

21st Amendment

Repealed Prohibition (1933)

Freedmen's Bureau

Helped former slaves with education, jobs, and housing.

Compromise of 1877

Ended Reconstruction; federal troops withdrawn from South.

Wounded Knee Massacre

U.S. troops killed Lakota Sioux; ended Indian resistance (1890).

Exodusters

Freed African Americans who migrated to Kansas post-Civil War.

Dawes Act

Divided tribal land among individuals to promote assimilation.

Homestead Act

Provided land to settlers willing to farm it (1862).

Bimetallism

Monetary system using gold and silver; supported by farmers.

Bonanza Farms

Large, corporate-run farms using mechanization.

Trusts

Large business monopolies.

Andrew Carnegie

Steel industry titan; vertical integration.

Vertical Integration

Controlling all production stages.

John D. Rockefeller

Oil tycoon; used horizontal integration.

Angel Island

Immigration station on the West Coast (mainly Asian immigrants).

Chinese Exclusion Act

Banned Chinese labor immigration (1882).

Americanization Movement

Efforts to assimilate immigrants into American culture.

Tenements

Overcrowded apartment buildings for immigrants.

Graft

Corruption in politics, often through bribery.

Jim Crow Laws

Enforced racial segregation in the South.

Plessy v. Ferguson

Legalized 'separate but equal' segregation (1896).

Progressive Movement

Aimed to correct social and political issues.

Muckrakers

Journalists exposing corruption.

Initiative

Process allowing citizens to propose laws.

The Jungle

Upton Sinclair's exposé on the meatpacking industry.

Pure Food and Drug Act

Ensured food and medicine safety (1906).

Teddy Roosevelt

Progressive president; trust-buster.

Prohibitionists

Advocated for banning alcohol.

Suffragists

Fought for women's voting rights.

Bull Moose Party

Roosevelt's Progressive Party (1912).

U.S. Imperialism

Expansion of influence through territories (e.g., Philippines, Guam).

Russo-Japanese War

Mediated by Roosevelt, showcasing U.S. influence.

Platt Amendment

Gave U.S. control over Cuban affairs.

De Lôme Letter

Criticized President McKinley; fueled Spanish-American War.

Treaty of Paris (1898)

Ended Spanish-American War; U.S. gained territories.

Panama Canal

U.S.-built canal for trade and military movement.

American Isolationism

Avoiding entanglement in European affairs.

Franz Ferdinand

His assassination sparked WWI.

Alliance System

Countries pledged mutual defense.

USS Lusitania

Sunk by Germans; pushed U.S. toward war.

Zimmerman Telegram

German proposal to Mexico; helped lead to U.S. entry.

Selective Service Act

Instituted draft during WWI.

Convoy System

A system designated to protect Allied cargo ships from U-Boats

League of Nations

International peacekeeping body (U.S. did not join).

Treaty of Versailles

Ended WWI; blamed Germany.

Espionage & Sedition Acts

Limited antiwar speech.

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

German policy sinking any enemy ship.

Just War Theory

Philosophical rules about morally justified war.

Speakeasies

Illegal bars during Prohibition.

Flappers

Young women challenging social norms.

Harlem Renaissance

Flourishing of African-American culture.

Bootlegging

Illegal production/distribution of alcohol.

Dust Bowl

Ecological disaster in the Great Plains. (1930-1936)

Bonus Army

WWI vets demanding early bonuses.

Great Depression

Economic crisis starting in 1929.

Hoovervilles

Shantytowns for the homeless.

Bank Holiday

Closed banks to restore confidence.

Emergency Banking Act

Reopened stable banks.

Fireside Chats

FDR's radio talks to reassure Americans.

Court Packing

FDR's failed plan to add justices.

New Deal

Programs to address Depression effects.

Social Security

Aid for elderly and unemployed.

Unemployment

Soared during Depression; addressed by New Deal.

Lend-Lease Act

U.S. aid to Allies before entering war.

Pearl Harbor

Japanese attack that brought U.S. into WWII.

D-Day Invasion

Allied landing in Normandy, France (1944).

Battle of Midway

Turning point in Pacific War at Midway Atoll

Manhattan Project

Secret U.S. atomic bomb project.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Cities destroyed by atomic bombs (1945).

Executive Order 9066

Internment of Japanese Americans.

Nuremberg Trials

Prosecution of Nazi war criminals.