RSJ Terms

Great Awakening

Religious movement that questioned the authority of Old Light preachers. Helped lay the foundation for the American Revolution by undermining traditional beliefs concerning authority.

Mercantilism

Economic theory that argues that a country should try to increase its wealth by exporting more goods than imported. To achieve this a country should obtain colonies.

Declaration of Independence

This document achieved two goals: one, it outlined the American understanding of natural rights. Two, it summarized the reasons the American colonies should proclaim freedom from Great Britain.

Constitution

Followed the failures of the Articles of Confederation. Outlined a system of government that balanced power between state and national powers.

Checks and Balances

Means by which the different powers of government could use power, but also exercise oversight over other branches of government

Federal Naturalization Law of 1790

Early law that outlined the process of becoming a citizen in the U.S. Set the standard that citizenship would be reserved for "white" people.

Bill of Rights

Part of the Constitution which outlines basic natural rights shared by all citizens.

Amendments

Outlined in Article V of the Constitution to be changed and stay current

Judicial Review

process by which the supreme Court can uphold or overturn state or national laws. Established by Marbury v. Madison.

Missouri Compromise

Early compromise over the balance of free and slave states. Also set the 36° 30' line above which slavery couldn't exist.

Trail of Tears

Even though some Cherokee assimilated to American culture, the U.S. government still ordered their removal to lands west of the Mississippi. This event proved that all Native peoples would have a difficult time coexisting with Americans.

Abolitionism

slavery was a moral wrong and therefore needed to end immediately. Their constant voice helped lead to a growing call to end slavery.

Fugitive Slave Law

This law was part of the Compromise of 1850 and strengthened previous fugitive laws. It made it much easier for slave owners to capture and return runaway slaves (or any black for that matter) to a state of slavery.

Dred Scott Decision

Supreme Court decision which upheld the right of Southerners to not only own slaves but take them anywhere they chose. Slaves were property, and therefore could be taken anywhere in the U.S.

Gettysburg Address

Speech given by Abraham Lincoln to try to give meaning to the deaths in the Civil War. He called for a new birth of freedom. This helped lead later to the 13th amendment.

Emancipation Proclamation

Part of Lincoln's Civil War strategy. This freed slaves in Confederate (Southern) territory but DID NOT free slaves in any state which was allied with the North (Union). It did set the precedent that slavery could be abolished.

Sea Island Experiments

Set forth by Field Order #15. Declared that land owned by white Southerners could be seized set and aside for freed blacks. This was put into action on islands off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina. Later, this order was rescinded.

Freedman's Bureau

Federal organization given the job of providing assistance (food, jobs, protection) to freed black (and needy whites) in the aftermath of the Civil War

Ku Klux Klan

Attacked African Americans and white Republicans in the South. Their aim was to keep these groups from the voting booths and thereby regain power for white Democrats.

Fourteenth Amendment

Attempt to provide equal civil rights for African Americans after the Civil War. It's early interpretation focused on business rights, and therefore didn't really help African Americans as it was intended.

U.S. vs Reese

Said that attempts to keep blacks from the voting booths (literacy test, polls taxes, grandfather clause) WERE legal because these methods didn't violate the 15th amendment

Sharecropping

Arose after the Civil War as a way to keep former slaves as agricultural workers. Workers worked the land, kept 1/2 of the crop and gave the rest to the owner of the land. They also borrowed money and supplies from the owner of land.

Compromise of 1877

agreement between the North and South that allowed Rutherford Hayes to ascend to the presidency. the most important part of the agreement was the decision the remove military troops from the south.

Jim Crow

series of laws whose purpose was to LEGALIZE the separation of the races. appeared after the Civil War as a way to retain white dominance.

"Birth of a Nation"

DW Griffith's film that solidified the stereotypes of African Americans as stupid, lazy, and lustful. shows the KKK as positive for the south and the nation.

Atlanta compromise

Booker T. Washington's speech (given to a white audience) which gave said that blacks should not expect social equality. What they should do is prove their worth, and then whites would treat them equally.

N.A.A.C.P.

Created in 1909, its purpose was to fight for civil rights for African Americans by challenging segregation and other civil rights abuses in the courts.

Social Darwinism

Many Americans in the industrial age (especially those in power) held this belief that taught "survival of the fittest for human beings." It was used to justify long hours, low pay, and bad conditions.

Lewis Hine

A photographer who tackled the child labor problem by taking thousands of photographs which showed the stark realities of children working. His efforts later led to the Keating-Owen Act.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

One of the United States' early labor unions. Labor unions were formed by workers as a way of demanding rights in the workplace. The more workers that joined the more powerful the unior. focused on basic issues facing workers- higher wages, safer working conditions, and shorter work days.

Pullman Strike

Conflict between workers and employers in Pullman, IL. Workers wanted their wages to not be cut too. The U.S. government sent in troops to restore order. Showed that during the age of industrialism the government would side with business in labor disputes.

Exodusters

Term given to African Americans who fled the South and settled in the West- Specifically Kansas. They did so to escape the racism of the post Civil War South. They claimed land under the terms of the Homestead Act.

Reservations

Land which the federal government set aside for Native Americans. One of the ways the government sought to "solve" the Indian problem. Rarely did they actually solve the problem. did not resemble normal Native life or culture, nor did they reflect U.S. society.

Dawes Act

1877 law that divided Native American land into private family plots. Similar to the Homestead Act, except that the government often sold off the best reservation land to whites.Government's attempt to assimilate Native Americans into American life.

Massacre at Wounded Knee

1890 shooting by the U.S. army troops of a group of unarmed Sioux who were off reservation to do the Ghost Dance. Indians realized the Ghost Dance didn't work, and basically gave up hope.

Bonanza Farms

LARGE farms that appeared as smaller homesteaders failed on the Plains. These large farms were run like cooperations. Showed that the great industrialists weren't the only ones to create monopolites.

Buffalo Bill

Created Wild West shows that soldified stereotypes of whites and Natives in the West

Ethnic Communities

The existence of these allow immigrants to have an easier time getting used to life in the United States. They can slowly adjust to the U.S. because etnic communities have similar foods, languages and cultural traditions to their home country.

Gentlemen's Agreement

Similar to the Chinese Exclusion Act, this, however, affected Japanese. It disallowed UNSKILLED Japanese workers from emigrating to the U.S. In exchange Japanese students in the U.S. wouldn't segregated in school.

Angel Island

West Coast of Ellis ISland (in San Francisco Bay). The difference is that many immigrants were detained here until it was determined they were either legal immigrants or deported.

Settlement House

Community center in an ethnic community meant to provide basic necessities for immigrant populations.

Yellow Journalism

Exaggerated or false newspaper coverage meant to increase newspaper circulation.

Plessey vs. Ferguson

Court case which legalized segregation by creating the principle of separate but equal. As long as separate facilities were equal they could be legally separate.

Filipino War

1899-1903 undeclared conflict where the U.S. tried to keep the newly acquired Phillipine Islands from becoming independent. The U.S. justified this by saying the Filipinos were inferior.

Roosevelt Corollary

Extension of Monroe Doctrine that said the U.S had the right to intervene in the affairs of unstable Western Hemisphere nations. Our intervention would stablize them and protect them from foreign influence.

Panama Canal

allowed United States to have better access to colonies in both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, easier trade around the world and helped make the U.S. a dominant world economic power.

Anti-Imperialist League

A group of well-to-do professionals who disagreed with the U.S. expansionism in the late 19th century and America's involvement in the Philippines.

Coal Strike of 1902

United Mine Workers called a strike to protest low wages. Teddy Roosevelt acted as a neutral third party between the Union and the owners. 1st example of federal government supporting labor.

John Muir

Early preservationist who called for American land to be preserved as national parks.

Alice Paul

she revitalized the woman's suffrage movement by focusing more on direct action. Organized parades and hunger strikes designed to demand the right to vote.

Buchanan vs. Warley

Outlawed segregation in residential areas. One of the early successes of the N.A.A.C.P

Committee on Public Information

Organized propaganda during WWI. Meant to persuade Americans to support war bond, food controls, and hatred against Germany. Get them committed to the war effort

League of Nations

International organization, formed after World War I, which aimed to promote security and peace for all members. Place for the countries to discuss their problems before engaging in war

Daylight Savings time

Created during WWI to save electricity.

Palmer Raids

During this, the Attorney General rounded up several hundred suspected communists. Done to ease the fears of Americans during the "red scare" of the 1920s.

National Origins Act

Created to limit immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe. These were the areas "feebleminded" people came from, so we didn't want immigrants from these areas.

American Civil Liberties Union

Created in the 1920s. Uses the courts to protect many of the freedoms listed in the Bill of Rights. Initially created to protect freedom of speech.

Flapper

Described a young woman in te 1920's who danced, drank, smoke and wore (at the times) provocative clothing.

Rosewood

This town served as a vivid reminder of what happened when a black man was accused of raping a white woman. The entire town was destroyed by an enraged mob.

Lost Generation

Group of writers who focused on a post-WWI society that had lost its moral compassion and instead focused on materialistic gain.

Harlem Renaissance

Term used to describe the "cultural awakening" of African Americans in the arts-literature, art, and music

Scopes Monkey Trial

Court case in Tennessee that focused on the issue of teaching evolution in our school.

Marcus Garvey

African American leader from 1910 to 1926 who urged African Americans to return to their "motherland" of Africa; provided early inspiration for "black pride" movements.

Buck v. Bell

Supreme Court case that said the sterilization of the mentally disabled was constitutional " Three generations of imbeciles is enough" was the logic the court used in declaring sterilization legal.

Hoovervilles

Shantytowns of the homeless during the Great Depression

Bonus Army

Group of World War I veterans and their families who in 1932 protested in Washington D.C., to receive their pensions early.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Major activist, especially during the Depression, who advocated for equal treatment for African Americans, women, and the poor.

Repatriation

Forced deportation during the Great Depression of hundreds of Mexicans, many of whom were American citizens.

Wagner Act

Gave workers the right to selective bargaining and the right to create unions without the interference of employers.

Southern Tenant Farmers Union

Organizations made up of white and black sharecroppers who fought for fair treatment after the Agricultural Adjustment Administration paid owners of land to cut production.

WPA

Gave the unemployed work in building contruction and arts programs

Demagogue

A leader who manipulates people through such means as half-truths and score tactics

Executive Order 8802

Declared there would be no discrimination in government employment due to race, color, creed, or national origin. One of the first civil rights agencies was created to enforce this.

Manhattan Project

The American program to build an atomic bomb, created in response to the fear that the Nazis were creating one.

"Rosie the Riveter"

A symbol used during World War II to encourage and celebrate women in the work force.

Tuskegee Airmen

The first all black air force division created during World War II. Originally kept out of the war, they eventually fought with distinction over the skies of Europe.

Henry Kaiser

Industrialists who revolutionized shipping production techniques during WWII. Also created a health insurance group for his workers.

Zoot Suit Riots

Uprisings that erupted in Los Angeles. California during World War II, between sailors and soldiers stationed in the city and Hispanic youths.

West Virginia State Board or Education v. Barnette

Stated that the First Amendment protected a person's right to not recite the Pledge of Allegieance or salute the American flag.

Korematsu vs. U.S.

Upheld the internment of Japanese- American during World War II. Internment had been authorized by Executive Order 9066.

Brinkmanship

Using the threat of nuclear war as a negotiating tool with other countries"If you don't do______, then we will use nuclear weapons."

Interstate Highway Act

Created during the Eisenhower Administration; in part this was done to ensure that weapons could quickly and easily be transported around the US.

Executive Order 9981

Created by Harry S Truman; this established equality of treatment and opportunity in the Armed Services for people of all races, religions, or national origins.

HUAC

Congressional committee that began investigating the influence of Communism in the United States. They were especially famous for investigating Communist influence in Hollywood. Later helped lead to the rise of the era of McCarthy.

Port Chicago

An explosion occurred here as military men were loading navy ships with weapons. Those killed were mostly African American. They refused to go back to work; highlights unequal conditions for black and white, and also that blacks were increasingly standing up for their rights and safety.

The Affluent Society

Book by John Kenneth Galbraith. He wrote about the tremendous gap in wealth created by post-WWII America. This book later led to Lyndon Johnson's "War on Poverty"

"I Love Lucy"

Showed that television would be a popular medium. Incredibly popular show that also showed women in new roles.

GI Bill

Law passed in 1944 that was meant to help soldiers returning from WWII. Provided for paid college. This would also help the US readjust to a peacetime economy.

Beat Generation

Group highlighted by writers and artists who stressed spontaneity and spirituality instead of apathy and conformity.

Doll Test

An experiment that definitively proved that "separate but equal" created an inferiority complex in African American children. The results of this experiment were shown to the Supreme Court and were key in their ruling Brown v. Board of Education

Great Society

President Lyndon Johnson's proposals to aid public education, provide medical care for the elderly, and eliminate poverty. His great Society was his "war on poverty".

Cuban Missile Crisis

Near-disaster in October 1962 that arose between the United States and the Soviet Union over a Soviet attempt to put nuclear weapons 90 miles off the coast of Florida.

Peace Corps

Federal program established to send volunteers to help developing nations around the world. Another attempt to contain communism.

Alliance for Progress

President Kennedy's proposal for financial aid to Latin American nations to help meet the basic needs of their people. Intended to stop communism from spreading to these areas. Basically, this was the Marshall Plan for South America.

SCLC

Civil Rights organization formed in 1957 by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and other leaders. Focused on non-violent action to achieve its goal of ending discrimination.

SNCC

Student civil rights organization founded in 1960. Used sit-ins as a protest method.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Prohibited discrimination in public facilities, in government, and in employment, thereby invalidating the Jim Crow laws in the southern U.S.

Freedom Summer

This occurred in 1964; leaders of the major civil rights groups organized this voter registration drive in Mississippi.

Loving v. Virginia

Declared that any race-based marriage restrictions were unconstitutional

Malcolm X

Civil rights leader during 1950s and 1960s; spoke for using all means of resistance, including self defence; assassinated in 1965.