U.S. History Comprehensive Vocabulary Review

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes covering major figures, policies, and events in U.S. History from the late 19th century to the early 21st century.

Imperialism

A policy where stronger nations extend political, economic, or military control over weaker areas.

Alfred Thayer Mahan

Advised the US to strengthen the navy in order to become a world power.

Seward’s Folly

The purchase of Alaska in 1867, which was initially considered a bad purchase.

Hawaii

A territory annexed by the US after removing its Queen from power.

Spanish American War

A war occurring in 1898 that resulted in Spain losing its empire and the US acquiring Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

Yellow Journalism

A style of reporting where newspapers exaggerated stories to increase support for war.

DeLome Letter

A letter that insulted President William McKinley.

U.S.S. Maine

A U.S. battleship that exploded in Havana Harbor.

Platt Amendment

An amendment that allowed US control of Cuba following the Spanish American War.

Rough Riders

A group led by Theodore Roosevelt during the Spanish-American War.

Roosevelt Corollary

The U.S. claim of the right to intervene in Latin American countries.

Panama Canal

A canal built to shorten travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Open Door Policy

A policy allowing equal trade access in China for all nations.

MAIN

The acronym for the causes of WWI: Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism.

Zimmermann Telegram

A communication where Germany promised Mexico land if it allied against the U.S. during WWI.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

His assassination served as the spark that started WWI.

Allied Powers (WWI)

The alliance of Britain, France, Russia, Italy, and later the U.S.

Central Powers (WWI)

The alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria.

Lusitania

A British passenger ship destroyed by German U-boats with 128 Americans aboard.

Trench warfare

A new kind of warfare fought in WWI characterized by opposing armies in long, deep ditches.

Stalemate

A situation in warfare where neither side gained an advantage.

Fourteen Points

The name of Woodrow Wilson’s peace plan.

League of Nations

An organization suggested by Wilson that the US Congress chose not to join.

Treaty of Versailles

The treaty that ended WWI, blamed Germany for the war, and forced them to pay reparations.

Assembly line

Used by Henry Ford to speed up the production of automobiles.

Scopes Trial

A trial regarding the teaching of evolution in schools featuring William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow.

Charles Lindbergh

The aviator who made the first nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

Red Scare

The fear that communists would take over the US.

Sacco and Vanzetti

Italian immigrants accused of murder during the Red Scare.

Teapot Dome Scandal

A scandal where government officials took bribes involving oil reserves.

Flappers

Young women in the 1920s seeking greater freedom and independence.

18th Amendment

The amendment that established the Prohibition of alcohol.

19th Amendment

The amendment that granted women the right to vote.

Great Migration

The movement of African Americans from the South to Northern cities.

Harlem Renaissance

An African American cultural and artistic movement centered in Harlem.

Great Depression

An economic era starting in 1929 caused by stock market speculation, bank failures, and overproduction.

Hoovervilles

Shantytowns built by homeless people named after President Herbert Hoover.

New Deal

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s program for relief, recovery, and reform during the Great Depression.

Fireside chats

Radio speeches by FDR to comfort and inform the American public.

Dust Bowl

Severe dust storms caused by drought and poor farming, leading migrants to relocate to California.

FDIC

An agency created to insure bank deposits.

SEC

An agency that regulates the stock market.

SSA

Provided Social Security for elderly and retired people.

Court-packing

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s attempt to add judges to the Supreme Court to support New Deal programs.

Appeasement

The policy of giving in to Hitler’s demands, associated with Neville Chamberlain.

Douglas MacArthur

US General who led forces in the Pacific during WWII and later in the Korean War.

Axis Powers

The WWII alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Allied Powers (WWII)

The WWII alliance of the United States, Britain, Soviet Union, and France.

Island Hopping

The Allied naval strategy used in the Pacific during WWII.

Battle of Midway

Known as the turning point of the war in the Pacific.

Holocaust

The mass murder of 6 million Jews and others by the Nazis.

D-Day

The Allied invasion of Normandy, France on June 6, 1944.

Rationing

The practice at home during WWII where Americans limited use of goods and supplies.

Rosie the Riveter

A symbol for women who filled jobs left behind by soldiers during WWII.

GI Bill

A law that helped veterans pay for college, homes, and businesses.

Baby Boom

The period of increased birth rates between 1946 and 1964.

Interstate Highway Act

A law passed during Eisenhower's presidency that created the national highway system.

Peace Corps

A volunteer program established by JFK to help developing countries.

Great Society

Lyndon B. Johnson’s reform programs focused on education, healthcare, and poverty.

Medicare

Government healthcare provided for elderly people.

Medicaid

Government healthcare provided for low-income people.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

A law that banned discrimination based on race, gender, religion, or national origin.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

A law that protected voting rights and banned unfair voting restrictions.

24th Amendment

The amendment that ended poll taxes.

26th Amendment

The amendment that lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.

Watergate

A political scandal involving a break-in that ultimately caused Richard Nixon’s resignation.

Containment

The US policy designed to stop the spread of communism.

Truman Doctrine

The policy of US aid to countries resisting communism.

Marshall Plan

US financial aid used to rebuild Europe after WWII.

NATO

A military alliance formed against Soviet aggression.

McCarthyism

The practice of accusing people of being communists without providing proof, associated with Joseph McCarthy.

Sputnik

The first satellite launched by the Soviet Union.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 1962 conflict over Soviet missiles in Cuba that nearly caused nuclear war.

Domino Theory

The belief that nearby countries would become communist if one country fell to communism.

Hawks and Doves

Terms for people who either supported (Hawks) or opposed (Doves) the Vietnam War.

Brown v. Board of Education

The Supreme Court case that ended school segregation.

Little Rock Nine

The first Black students to integrate Little Rock Central High School.

Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta

Leaders who helped gain rights for Mexican American laborers through strikes and boycotts.

Persian Gulf War

A conflict where a US-led coalition forced Iraq out of Kuwait.

9/11/01

The date of terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

War on Terror

The response by George W. Bush to the 9/11 attacks, including the invasion of Afghanistan.

Iran-Contra affair

A scandal involving the secret sale of weapons to Iran and illegal funding of rebels in Nicaragua.