US History: Key Concepts from Reconstruction to Imperialism

Natural Rights

Privilege or rights that all people are born with that the government cannot take away (life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness).

Social Contract

Agreement for members of society to give up some rights for the benefit of the entire society.

Primary Source

Immediate, first-hand accounts of a topic, from people who had a direct connection with it.

Examples of Primary Sources

Texts of laws and other original documents, newspaper reports, speeches, diaries, letters, interviews, original research, datasets, photographs, video, or audio.

Secondary Source

Describes, discusses, interprets, comments upon, analyzes, evaluates, summarizes, and processes primary sources.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Resolved the western claims of the Original states and created a process for territories to eventually gain statehood.

Prohibition of Slavery

Prohibited slavery north of the Ohio River between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River.

Articles of Confederation

Original 'Rule Book' of the United States that gave most powers to the individual States.

Weak Federal Government

Created by the Articles of Confederation.

US Constitution

Addressed the lack of centralized authority within the federal government.

Executive Power

Shall be vested in a president of the United States of America.

Regulation of Commerce

The Congress shall have power to regulate commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States.

Outstanding Revolutionary War Debt

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises throughout the United States.

Federalist

Supported the approval of the Constitution and wanted a strong Federal Government.

Anti-Federalist

Wanted to ensure the rights of individuals and States were protected.

Bill of Rights

The first 10 Amendments to the Constitution that guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual.

5th Amendment

Includes rights such as due process of law (rights of the accused).

8th Amendment

Includes rights such as the protection from excessive bail.

Impact of New Technology

Enabled communication over longer distances, increased mobility, spread popular culture, and allowed longer business hours.

Labor Unions

Addressed low pay, long hours, and unsafe working conditions.

Credible Source

Determined by author's qualifications, accuracy of information, consistency of the source, and first-hand accounts.

Immigration Patterns (1900-1949)

Most immigrants to the United States came from European countries.

Immigration Patterns (1950-1999)

Most immigrants to the United States came from Latin America.

Push Factors of European Immigration

Overpopulation, religious persecution, war.

Pull Factors of European Immigration

Job opportunities, land ownership, freedom.

Women's Suffrage

Thanks to the 19th amendment, women were able to participate in the political process.

Prohibition

The 18th Amendment outlawed the consumption and distribution of alcohol.

Great Migration

Millions of African Americans will leave the segregation of the South and move to the North for better economic and social opportunities.

Great Migration Statistics

From 1910-1930 1.6 million migrants left the South and moved to Northern Cities.

Racial Tensions Post-WWI

Increased competition for jobs and housing in large U.S cities led to racial tensions.

Nativists

Wanted to drastically decrease the number of immigrants coming to America, especially from Eastern and Southern Europe.

Fear of Immigrants

Primarily caused by competition for cheap labor.

End of Reconstruction

The removal of Federal Troops from the South was part of the Compromise of 1877.

Jim Crow Laws

A collection of state and local statutes that legalized racial segregation.

Black Codes

Strict laws detailing when, where and how freed slaves could work, and for how much compensation.

Plessy v. Ferguson

Supreme Court Decision in 1898 that legalized the concept of Separate but Equal.

Progressivism

A Reform Movement that emerged as a response to political corruption, the practices of big business, and problems associated with poverty.

Imperialism

When a stronger nation takes over a weaker nation using economic, political, or military means.

Causes of American Imperialism

Businesses need raw materials for factories, new markets for surplus goods, and seek strategic military locations.

Effects of American Imperialism

US builds a strong navy, gains lands in the Pacific and Caribbean, develops Open Door policy with China, and builds the Panama Canal.

Positives of Imperialism

Expanding is good for the U.S. and the world.

Negatives of Imperialism

Violates America's founding ideals of other people's right to liberty.

American Isolationism

US Policy after WWI, signed treaties with other nations including the 4 Power Treaty, 5 Power Treaty, and Kellogg Briand Pact.

Purpose of the Kellogg-Briand Pact

An agreement among most nations to try and settle international disputes by peaceful means rather than war.

Henry Ford

Created the Assembly Line, made the car affordable and available for most Americans.

Population Shift in the 1900s

At the start of the 1900's most people lived in Rural America, but by the 1930's more Americans lived in cities.

Traditionalists vs Modernists

Traditionalists viewed modernist trends as immoral, while modernists mocked traditionalist values as old-fashioned.

Goals of Communism

Follow the teachings of Karl Marx, look forward to a revolution by the working class, and call for public ownership of the means of production.

Capitalism

The private ownership of factories and other means of production.