US History review

George Washington

Led the Continental Army in the American Revolution and became the first U.S. president.

Thomas Jefferson

Wrote the Declaration of Independence and completed the Louisiana Purchase.

James Madison

Known as the Father of the Constitution for his role in its creation.

Alexander Hamilton

Created the national bank and supported a strong federal government.

Articles of Confederation

First U.S. government that created a weak central government with no power to tax.

Constitutional Convention

1787 meeting where the U.S. Constitution was written.

Federalism

System where power is shared between national and state governments.

Checks and Balances

System where each branch can limit the power of the others.

Separation of Powers

Dividing government into legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

Great Compromise

Created a bicameral Congress with equal Senate representation and population-based House.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Counted enslaved people as 3/5 for representation.

Bill of Rights

First 10 amendments protecting individual freedoms.

John Marshall

Strengthened federal power through Supreme Court rulings.

Andrew Jackson

Expanded democracy for white men and enforced Indian Removal.

James Monroe

Issued the Monroe Doctrine warning Europe to stay out of the Americas.

Marbury v. Madison

Established judicial review (Supreme Court can strike down laws).

McCulloch v. Maryland

Confirmed federal law is stronger than state law.

Gibbons v. Ogden

Gave federal government control over interstate commerce.

Louisiana Purchase

Doubled U.S. land size in 1803.

Monroe Doctrine

Warned Europe not to colonize or interfere in the Western Hemisphere.

Manifest Destiny

Belief the U.S. was destined to expand westward.

Indian Removal Act

Forced Native Americans off their land.

Trail of Tears

Forced relocation of Native Americans causing thousands of deaths.

Nullification

Idea that states can reject federal laws.

States’ Rights

Belief that states should have more power than federal government.

Abraham Lincoln

Led the Union during the Civil War and issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

Frederick Douglass

Fought against slavery and advocated equal rights.

Harriet Tubman

Helped enslaved people escape to freedom.

Missouri Compromise

Kept balance between free and slave states.

Compromise of 1850

Attempted to reduce sectional tensions over slavery.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Allowed popular sovereignty to decide slavery.

Sectionalism

Loyalty to region over nation.

Popular Sovereignty

People vote on whether slavery is allowed.

Emancipation Proclamation

Freed enslaved people in Confederate states.

Civil War

War between North and South over slavery and federal power.

13th Amendment

Abolished slavery.

14th Amendment

Granted citizenship and equal protection.

15th Amendment

Gave Black men voting rights.

Reconstruction

Period of rebuilding the South after the Civil War.

Black Codes

Laws restricting rights of African Americans.

Compromise of 1877

Ended Reconstruction and removed federal troops from South.

Andrew Carnegie

Built the steel industry and promoted the Gospel of Wealth.

John D. Rockefeller

Controlled Standard Oil and created a monopoly.

J.P. Morgan

Controlled industries through banking and corporate mergers.

Ida Tarbell

Exposed corruption of Standard Oil.

Laissez-faire

Government should not interfere in business.

Monopoly

One company controls an entire industry.

Trust

Group of companies controlled by one organization.

Sherman Antitrust Act

Law designed to break up monopolies.

Gospel of Wealth

Idea that wealthy should use money to help society.

Labor Union

Organization that fights for workers’ rights.

Collective Bargaining

Workers negotiate as a group with employers.

Theodore Roosevelt

Expanded government regulation of businesses (Square Deal).

Upton Sinclair

Exposed meatpacking conditions in The Jungle.

Susan B. Anthony

Led movement for women’s voting rights.

Muckraker

Journalist exposing corruption.

Square Deal

Roosevelt’s plan for fairness for workers and businesses.

Pure Food and Drug Act

Regulated food and medicine safety.

Meat Inspection Act

Improved meatpacking safety.

16th Amendment

Created federal income tax.

17th Amendment

Direct election of senators.

18th Amendment

Prohibition of alcohol.

19th Amendment

Gave women the right to vote.

Woodrow Wilson

Led the U.S. through WWI and proposed the Fourteen Points.

Militarism

Building up armed forces.

Alliances

Agreements between countries for support.

Imperialism

Expanding control over other territories.

Nationalism

Strong pride in one’s country.

Lusitania

Ship sunk by Germany that angered Americans.

Zimmerman Telegram

Germany asked Mexico to attack the U.S.

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

Germany sank ships without warning.

League of Nations

Organization created to prevent future wars.

Fourteen Points

Wilson’s plan for peace after WWI.

Assembly Line

Production method that made goods faster and cheaper.

Henry Ford

Made cars affordable using assembly lines.

Harlem Renaissance

Cultural movement celebrating Black art and music.

Prohibition

Banned alcohol nationwide.

Speakeasy

Illegal bar during Prohibition.

Quota System

Limited immigration numbers.

Red Scare

Fear of communism.

Flappers

Women who challenged traditional roles.

Consumerism

Buying large amounts of goods.

Herbert Hoover

Believed in limited government response.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Created the New Deal programs.

Stock Market Crash (1929)

Start of the Great Depression.

Speculation

Risky investing.

Buying on Margin

Borrowing money to buy stocks.

Bank Failure

Banks closing due to lack of money.

Hoovervilles

Homeless settlements during Depression.

New Deal

FDR’s programs to fight the Great Depression.

Relief, Recovery, Reform

Goals of the New Deal.

CCC

Jobs for young men in conservation.

WPA

Public works job program.

Social Security Act

Retirement and unemployment support system.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Leader in the Civil Rights Movement advocating for non-violent protest against racial discrimination.

Rosa Parks

Civil Rights activist known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott by refusing to give up her bus seat.

Brown v. Board of Education

Landmark Supreme Court case that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional, leading to desegregation.

Roe v. Wade

Supreme Court case that established a woman's legal right to have an abortion under the right to privacy.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Landmark legislation that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Legislation that aimed to eliminate racial discrimination in voting, protecting the voting rights of African Americans.