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Declaration of Independence

Emphasized consent of the governed and citizens' unalienable rights; stated American colonies were no longer under British control; inspired others to question their governments.

Principles of the Constitution

Limit the power of the federal government through separation of powers and checks and balances.

Bill of Rights

Lists freedoms (religion, assembly, the press, speech) and rights (due process, trial by jury) guaranteed to all U.S. citizens.

Laissez-faire

A policy in which the government has a limited role in the economy; one of five democratic values as observed by Tocqueville.

Populism

Americans of various backgrounds can participate in government, not just the elite; one of five democratic values as observed by Tocqueville.

Pluribus Unum

'Out of many, one'; symbolizes the unity of the thirteen original colonies that joined together to form a single nation.

Civic responsibilities

U.S. citizens participate in government by voting in elections, serving on juries, and staying informed on current events.

Gilded Age

Growth of U.S. industries leading to wealthy businesses and corrupt government officials supporting business-first policies.

Bessemer steel process

Method for manufacturing stronger, cheaper steel used for railroads and bridges; led to construction of taller buildings.

Electricity

Made manufacturing more efficient; electric lighting led to longer workdays and more production.

Transcontinental Railroad

Provided farmers and ranchers with access to distant markets; contributed to the settlement of the West.

Monopoly

Total control of an industry by one company; restricted by laws passed to protect competitors and regulate consumer prices.

Labor unions

Members fought for better pay, safer working conditions, and end of child labor; actions resulted in increased federal involvement.

Urbanization

Rapid growth of cities caused by migration for industrial jobs; caused sanitation problems.

Political machines

Controlled political parties; traded jobs/community improvements for votes; justified corruption by helping poor/immigrants.

Immigrants

Moved to U.S. for better economic opportunities; some worked in factories, others farmed; forced to assimilate into U.S. culture.

Nativists

Viewed immigrants as competition for jobs; wanted restrictions placed on immigration; encouraged assimilation.

Chinese Exclusion Act

Passed to prevent immigrants from taking Americans' jobs out West.

Homestead Act

Resulted in rapid settlement of the Great Plains.

Assimilation

American Indians were forced to adopt U.S. culture through boarding schools, land ownership, and farming.

Progressive Era

A period focused on social improvements.

Populist Party

Supported working-class citizens; a third party which influences and draws votes away from the major political parties.

Jane Addams

Fought for women's suffrage and started the Settlement House movement to help assimilate immigrants.

Jim Crow Laws

Passed to limit rights gained by African Americans in the 13th (freedom), 14th (citizenship), and 15th (male suffrage) Amendments.

W.E.B. Du Bois

Founded the NAACP, a civil rights group fighting for the legal rights of African Americans.

State reforms

Initiative, referendum, recall; increased citizen participation in democracy and held elected officials accountable.

Upton Sinclair

Wrote The Jungle, resulting in government regulation of food products.

Pure Food and Drug Act

Passed to protect consumer health and safety; resulted from the efforts of muckrakers, like Upton Sinclair.

National Park Service

Created to conserve natural resources and maintain designated areas for public enjoyment.

Improved working conditions

Child Labor Act passed and the Department of Labor created to ensure laborers' safety and well-being.

Eighteenth Amendment

Prohibited sale of alcohol; supported by women to reduce crime and health problems; resulted in speakeasies and crime.

Nineteenth Amendment

Increased women's political power by granting them suffrage; result of suffrage movement protests.

Effects of Spanish-American War

Established the U.S. as a world power, gained access to new markets, and acquired territories (Guam, Philippines, Puerto Rico).

Hawaii

Annexation forced by the U.S. under S.B. Dole; provided military presence in the Pacific and access to resources.

Big Stick policy

The threat of U.S. intervention in Western Hemisphere affairs; part of Roosevelt's Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.

Panama Canal

Land obtained through Roosevelt's Big Stick policy; decreased travel time and made trading more efficient.

World War I

Initiated by the assassination of Franz Ferdinand; U.S. was neutral initially but later joined Allies.

Trench warfare

Caused by machine guns; resulted in stalemate periods; tanks and poison gas were used to break stalemates.

U.S. enters WWI

Result of Germany's aggressive actions against the U.S. (Zimmermann Telegram, sinking Lusitania, unrestricted submarine warfare).

World War I Homefront

Citizens encouraged to buy bonds to finance the war; women and African Americans worked in war industries.

American Expeditionary Forces (AEF)

Soldiers drafted through the Selective Service Act and led by General John J. Pershing; counterattacked on the western front.

Espionage and Sedition Acts

Made it a crime to interfere with the war effort and limited freedom of speech; upheld by the Supreme Court.

Wilson's Fourteen Points

Ideas to prevent future global conflicts; included the League of Nations and freedom of the seas.

Treaty of Versailles

Intended to weaken Germany after World War I; created the League of Nations; rejected by the U.S.

Isolationism

Post-World War I U.S. policy supported by Henry Cabot Lodge; led to U.S. refusal of League of Nations membership.

Roaring 20s

Economic prosperity characterized by the Teapot Dome Scandal and mass manufacturing.

Flappers

Women who challenged traditional roles during the Roaring 20s with bold lifestyles and unique fashion.

Great Migration

Movement of African Americans to northern states for economic opportunities and freedom from Jim Crow laws.

Harlem Renaissance

Celebrated African American culture; popularized gospel and jazz music, influencing the Civil Rights movement.

Great Depression

A period of economic loss characterized by overspeculation, wealth loss, business failures, and homelessness.

Dust Bowl

Ruined farmland and buried homes due to poor farming practices, overproduction, and drought.

New Deal

Roosevelt's agenda to provide economic relief, recovery, and reform during the Great Depression; some argued it gave too much power to the federal government.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

Government agency that guarantees bank deposits and protects people's savings.

Social Security Administration

Federal program assisting the elderly, disabled, and retired; increased government involvement in citizens' lives.

Tenth Amendment

Cited by the Supreme Court to overturn some New Deal policies in favor of states' reserved powers.

Roosevelt's court-packing plan

Proposed due to overturning of some New Deal plans; rejected for increasing presidential power.

Twenty-Second Amendment

Limits presidents to serve two terms; passed in reaction to Franklin D. Roosevelt serving four terms.

Pearl Harbor

U.S. naval base bombed by Japan, leading to U.S. entry into WWII.

World War II Homefront

Citizens were encouraged to purchase bonds, plant victory gardens, and comply with government rationing.

Women during WWII

Took on new roles, supporting the war effort in nontraditional jobs in agriculture, industry, and the military.

Japanese American Internment camps

Resulted from Executive Order 9066; violated citizens' rights to equal protection and due process.

Tuskegee Airmen

African American fighter pilots who overcame discrimination and encouraged armed forces' integration.

Navajo Code Talkers

Used their native language for secret military communications for the Allies during WWII.

Vernon Baker

African American WWII veteran awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for bravery.

The Holocaust

Systematic genocide of European Jews; caused many to migrate to America; survivors liberated by Allies.

Atomic bomb

Developed in Los Alamos, dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, resulting in Japan's surrender and starting an arms race with the USSR.

Cold War

Struggle against communism,

Berlin Airlift

Response to Soviet blockade of West Berlin; U.S. and Great Britain supplied West Berlin citizens.

Marshall Plan

U.S. aid to Western Europe for rebuilding after WWII.

Containment

U.S. policy to stop communism spread; reason for participation in the Korean War.

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

Investigated suspected communists in Hollywood.

McCarthyism

Red Scare led by Senator Joseph McCarthy, accusing some officials as communists.

Sputnik I

Soviet satellite causing U.S. to increase funding for math/science and space exploration.

Aerospace industry

Led to technologies improving quality of life.

G.I. Bill

Servicemen's readjustment act providing veterans tuition reimbursement and low-interest loans.

Economic prosperity after WWII

Increased employment opportunities and consumer spending; expanded middle class.

Suburbs

Expanded post-WWII due to booming economy and increased housing demand.

Vaccines

Developed to limit infectious diseases; Jonas Salk helped eliminate polio.

Civil Rights Movement

Fight for equality and desegregation in America.

Brown v. Board of Education

Enforced school desegregation; NAACP's Thurgood Marshall argued the case.

Rosa Parks

Arrested for civil disobedience; inspired bus segregation boycott.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Key civil rights leader advocating for equality through nonviolent protest.

Black Panthers

Militant group fighting racial inequality; founded by Huey P. Newton.

Little Rock Crisis

Governor Faubus challenged federal desegregation; President Eisenhower enforced desegregation.

March on Washington

Nonviolent protest leading to civil rights legislation for minorities.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Ended racial segregation in public places.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Established to prohibit employer discrimination.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Ended literacy tests; increased African American voter participation.

Cesar Chavez

Advocated for Mexican Americans' civil rights and created the United Farm Workers.

Women's movement

Inspired by The Feminine Mystique; challenged traditional roles; Title IX passed.

Chicano movement

Advocated for Mexican Americans' civil rights; founded United Farm Workers.

Domino theory

Led to U.S. entry into Vietnam to prevent communism spread.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Increased executive power for military action without congressional approval.

Twenty-Sixth Amendment

Lowered voting age to eighteen; linked military service to voting rights.

Anti-war movement

Reacted to Vietnam War, included protests and unrest.

War Powers Resolution

Balanced power between legislative and executive branches; limited military action.

Environmental reforms

In response to Silent Spring; included EPA and Endangered Species Act.

Watergate scandal

Nixon's cover-up attempt leading to loss of public trust.

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

Imposed oil embargo causing energy crisis.

Alternative energy sources

Encouraged development to reduce oil reliance.