U.S. History D.E. Final Vocabulary

homestead act of 1862

homestead act of 1862

gave 160 acres of federal land to applicants who occupied and improved the property; Republicans hoped this bill would build up the interior west (inhabited by Native Americans at the time but was “empty” to government maps)

assimilation

a method where Native Americans were forced to learn the ways of white people through education, Christianity, and loss of land (many were revoked and exiled with the Dakota Sioux situation in Minnesota)

dawes act

Senator Dawes saw reservations as ugly relics of the past and through division of tribal lands he hoped to force Natives into individual land holdings, partitioning reservations into homesteads (like those white farmers)

• was a huge disaster and native people lost 66% of individually allotted lands between the 1880s and 1930s

transcontinental railroad

Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads that made journeys across the U.S. happen in less than a week

• more job opportunities and money and trade and tourism brought growth west of the Mississippi

• helped conquer the west and made America an industrial power

monopoly

a company that buys its competitors or drives its competitors out of business

• Rockefeller bout out his competitors with the Standard Oil Turst and controlled most of the oil tycoon

robber barons

rich through ruthless business practices and the negative connotation of business tycoons

• examples included Carnegie and Rockefeller

laissez-faire capitalism

government “let alone” business and the economy; belief that the free market would naturally produce the best and most efficient solutions to economic and social problems

social darwinism

the sociological theory that applies Darwin’s theory of natural selection to wealth and class. Those who believed in this theory believed that the wealthy and successful people achieved great things because they had a biological advantage

Ellis Island

Lewis Hine took his first photographing assignment at this place and took photos after immigration quotas were implemented

• Between 1892 and 1954 more than 12 million immigrants passed through this island in order to start a new life in the U.S. They came to escape religious persecution, political oppression, and poverty in their home countries

sherman anti-trust act

authorized the government to institute proceedings against trusts in order to dissolve them

Chinese exclusion act (1882)

• specifically barred Chinese laborers from entering the U.S.

• Congress renewed the law and tightened its provisions and it was not repealed until 1943

• created legal foundations for unreasonable exclusionary policies of the 1920s

• made Chinese immigrants America’s first illegal immigrants

political machine

• the boss that controlled jobs business licenses and influenced the court system

• captains and ward bosses who helped new immigrants with jobs, housing, and naturalization in exchange for votes

political bosses

workers within the political machines and could relate to the immigrants because many were 1st or 2nd generation immigrants who could speak their language and understood the challenges new immigrants face (especially with a lack of education)

nativism

the prejudice against the rising amount of immigrants (the “new generation”)

• native-born whites argued that this new wave of immigrants, unlike earlier generations, were unworthy of American liberty, dangerous to American order, and incapable of assimilation

urbanization

increasing factory businesses created many job opportunities and people began to flock into urban areas for these jobs — immigrants and minorities helped increase this

populism

the farmers’ movement demanded reforms to lift the burden of debt from farmers and other workers to increase the “voice” of the people in their government

• influential for the progressive movement primarily led by urban middle class reformers

exodusters

African Americans who traveled to the plains in search of freedom (a large group left the south in 1879 in order to escape poverty and white violence)

• departed together carrying only what they had on their backs and faith in God

Angel Island

where many Asian immigrants came into through the U.S. (CA)

NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)

a political organization (that still exists today); it aimed to help African Americans win physical freedom from ignorance, plus political freedom from being denied the right to vote and social freedom from racial prejudice/insult

settlement house movement

included 13 buildings and a number of programs that offered social and economic support to the impoverished people living in Chicago (eventually became known as the Hull House) — founded by Jane Addams

progressives

American reformers who believed that social justice could be achieved with new ideas and honest, efficient government — many of their ideas led to long-lasting reforms that still impact society today

• included journalists, educators, social workers, members of the clergy, politicians

• they rejected social darwinism and were concerned about poverty, greed, violence, class warfare and racism

meat inspection act

makes it illegal to adulterated or misbranded meat and meat products being sold as food, and ensures that meat and meat products are slaughtered and processed under strictly regulated sanitary conditions

muckrakers

socially conscious journalists and other writers that dramatized the need for reform in their works and they uncovered a wide range of problems affecting American society in the early 1900s

pure food and drug act

prohibited the sale of misbranded or adulterated food and drugs in interstate commerce and laid a foundation for the nation’s first consumer protection agency

open door policy

protection of equal privileges for all countries trading with China and for the support of Chinese territorial and administrative integrity

big stick diplomacy

believed in a strong global military presence so other nations would think twice about fighting the U.S. and it would maintain peace if the U.S. displayed its power to the world

• “speak softly and carry a big stick”

Teddy Roosevelt’s square deal

• antitrust laws which limited the size of corporations and protected the rights of workers and consumers

• Roosevelt describes this deal as not only advocating for fair play but also being able to change the rules of the game to provide equal opportunities and reward good service

16th amendment

federal income tax

17th amendment

direct election of U.S. senators

18th amendment

prohibition of liquor

19th amendment

women’s suffrage

triangle shirtwaist fire

a tragedy that occurred on March 25, 1911 when 150 female employees died in the Triangle Shirtwaist it factory fire, which included women jumping to their death when the elevator stopped running, the fire escape collapsed and the exit doors were locked

• after this incident NY government established a factory investigating commission and passed 36 new laws between 1911 and 1916 to reform the labor code

moral diplomacy

reflected Wilson’s belief that democracy was essential to a national stability and prosperity and pursued a policy where the U.S. promoted democracy to guarantee a world free of revolution and war

dollar diplomacy

developed as a name for the Taft administration belief that if American business could increase its trade and profits with Latin America then that region would arise out of social disorder and poverty

• sought to replace European loans with ones from American banks

• the goal was to give European nations fewer reasons to intervene in Latin America

Roosevelt corollary

the U.S. would intervention as a last resort to ensure that other nations in the Western Hemisphere fulfilled their obligations to international creditors and did not violate the rights of the U.S or invite “foreign aggression”

Treaty of Versailles

Germany is blamed (with article 231 the war guilt clause) and the British prime minister wants to make Germany pay; Wilson returns from the conference embraced by the people but not gaining much politically

treaty of Paris (1898)

signed in 1898, officially ended the Spanish-American war; Guam and Puerto Rico were ceded to the U.S. and we purchased the Philippines for $20 million; Cuba also established independence

Zimmerman note

a 1917 intercepted dispatch in which German foreign secretary Zimmerman urged Mexico to join the Central Powers and promised that of the U.S. entered the war, Germany would help Mexico recover Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona

• the telegram outraged the American public and helped precipitate the move toward U.S. entry in the war on the Allied side (when the news was published in the papers)

league of nations

the predecessor of the United Nations and ironically the U.S. does not join this organization created to promote world peace

Wilson’s 14 points

Wilson’s ideas to “make the world safe for democracy” and response to the “war to end all wars”

• idealistic approach to international politics

• most points were not recognized because European nations were concerned with punishing Germany

• FDR and Churchill will later be influenced by these ideas

Lusitania

a U-boat hit this British ship off the coast of Ireland, killing 1198 people including 128 Americans

yellow journalism

• one of the causes of the Spanish-American war

• seized the news out of Cuba

  • William Randolph Hearst was one of the journalists

  • covered the atrocities of the Spanish which surged nationalism, especially among those who believed that Americans were becoming weak because of industrialization

social security

passed by Congress in 1935 and created a pension system for retirees, established an unemployment insurance for victims of work-related accidents, provided aid for mothers, children, blind, and disabled, funded by taxes

• flaws: did not apply to domestic workers (mostly African Americans)

• widows received less than widowers

consumerism

a consumer revolution, as new, affordable goods became available to the public; electric appliances like washing machines, vacuum cleaners, and irons made housekeeping easier and it also contributed to the radio and refrigerator sales; advertising was also more effective capitalizing on America’s fears

USS Maine

February 1898 and explosion aboard caused the ship to sink in the Havana harbor and 260 seamen were lost; McKinley assumed the explosion was accidental but naval board of inquiry blamed a mine underwater (later it was found that the cause was faulty ship design)

normalcy

Harding’s approach to the presidency included reducing taxes and government regulation; strayed away from progressive ideas; helped to cause the economic growth and prosperity of the 1920s

teapot dome scandal

• secretary of the interior Albert Fall assigned oil reserves to the interior department, even though they were for the navy; he then leased the properties for oilmen to make money; eventually this was exposed and the reserves were returned and Fall was sentenced to 1 year in prison

• Harding never saw this, but he became stressed, and died of heart attack

  • scandals emerged after his death, the public’s opinion of him changed; American people’s trust in the government was gone, but Coolidge will start to fix that

red scare

a wave of widespread fear of suspected communists and radicals thought to be plotting revolution within the U.S.; bombs were being mailed to important authorities added to the scare; suspected anarchists exploded bombs in cities; height of this crisis ended by 1920

isolationism

policy of staying out of international politics (particularly European affairs) as to not get involved in WW situations (lasted until WW2)

prohibition

anti-German prejudice was prominent because many breweries were owned by German Americans, citizens decided that drinking beer was unpatriotic; congress starts to limit access to barely and other grains causing the consumption of alcohol to decline; seen as a victory for health, morals, and Christian values

• secret clubs and booming vice towns started to arise as a result of this

black tuesday

the complete collapse of the stock market; over 16 million shares were sold and billions of dollars were lost; the Dow Jones average dropped from 381 to 198.7 which was a major turning point for the American economy

hoovervilles

homeless people were grouped together in these shantytowns of tents and shacks; Central Park had one of the largest of these

harlem renaissance

black population in NY in the decade after 1910; Harlem was a symbol of liberty and the Promised Land to black people

• talented African Americans created new art forms and asserted ties to Africa

• jazz was also a product of this era

trickle-down theory

Hoover believed that if the government lent money to bankers they would lend it to businesses, the companies would hire workers resulting in production and consumption increase; money poured into the top of the economic pyramid and tricked down to the base

national industry recovery act

developed codes of fair competition to govern industries; established minimum wages and minimum prices for goods; goal is to increase the wages of workers so they can buy more goods and raise prices so companies can make a profit

• established the National Recovery Administration

emergency banking relief act

gave the president broad powers (including the power to declare a four-day bank “holiday”) and banks all over the country were ordered to close which gave them time to get their accounts in order before they reopened for business

works progress administration

built and improved a good part of the nation’s highways, dredged rivers and harbors, and promoted soil and water conservation; created programs for displayed artists; employed more than 8 million people and built lots of public facilities (San Antonio River Walk and the Appalachian trail)

FDR new deal

series of programs meant to help get the U.S. out of the Depression (he did not have this deal planned out going into the presidency)

Relief- to help the people cope with the depression

Recovery- to help end the depression

Reform- to prevent future economic problems

AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Act)

sought to end overproduction and raise crop prices; provided financial aid in order to pay farmers to produce less; farm prices began to rise; some farmers (because of food increase) were left unemployed, especially tenant farmers

Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

a very corrupt, terrorist organization that targeted African Americans, Jews, Catholics, and immigrants; they also opposed labor unions and radicals and boycotted businesses

dust bowl

population growth and shifts and new farming methods tipped the ecological balance of the region leaving less grass on the plains; topsoil, over-farming, and grazing, drought conditions and high winds resulted in giant dust storms

court-packing scheme

FDR called for six new justices to the nine member court and stated that the number of justices was not specified in the constitutions; he was trying to increase federal power and upset the balance of the branches

organized crime

a result of prohibition laws in order to get alcohol and take part in other illegal activities

civilian conservation corp (CCC)

provided jobs for more than 2 million young men, replanted forests, built trials, dug irrigation ditches, and fought forest fires

WW2 appeasment

pleasing a country in hopes that peace could be maintained (much of western Europe tried to appease Hitler when he started taking over other countries)

Nuremberg trials

(1945-1946) a series of military trials that involved the prosecution of members in the political, military, judicial, and economic leadership of Nazi Germany who planned, carried out, or participated in Holocaust crimes

lend-lease act

authorized the president to lend, lease, or dispose of arms and equipment to Britain or any other country whose defense was considered vital to the security of the U.S. (they would later give the same plan to aid Russia)

Korematsu v. U.S.

the court allowed the removal of Japanese Americans from the West Coast on the basis of “military necessity” but avoided ruling on the constitutionality of the incarceration program

• in 1988 Congress issued a public apology and awarded $20,000 to each Japanese American who has once been in the camps

tuskegee airmen

a group of African American military pilots and airmen who fought in WW2; formed the 332nd fighter group and the 477th bombardment group of the U.S. army air forces

cold war

not an actual “hot war” but just tensions between the Soviet Union and U.S.

double v campaign

African Americans emphasized the need to fight for victory against fascism abroad and victory against discrimination at home

United Nations

founded as a successor to the League of Nations where the U.S. is more involved and there is an international army dedicated to preserving global peace

containment

policy adopted to stop the spread of communism

marshall plan

included funding and materials to help rebuild Germany and Japan in order to prevent the spread of communism

berlin wall

created by Krushchev to separate east and west Berlin; Churchill comments that there is an iron curtain in Europe to divide democracy; came down during the H.W. Bush years

cuban missile crisis

October 1962 - Kennedy announced that the U.S. would implement a “quarantine on all offensive military equipment” en route to Cuba in order to stop the Soviet-built bases in Cuba from launching ballistic missiles

• The Soviets eventually turned back on October 25th and after a week of negotiations between Kennedy and Khrushchev they dismantled the missile bases; Kennedy also ordered the U.S. missiles to be removed from Turkey

• best management in foreign affairs for Kennedy

bay of pigs invasion

Kennedy wanted to overthrow Castro by invading Cuba with 1,400 American men in the army with the intention of rallying up Cuban citizens against the government; Kennedy’s plan was to send air support but last minute he changed his mind and cut off the air support making the invasion fail

• originally Eisenhower’s idea

vietnamization

Nixon’s idea of the gradual decrease of U.S. troops and presence in Vietnam

GI Bill

bill gave educational support, unemployment benefits, and loan guarantees to veterans who fought in WW2 (created by FDR who hoped for continual economic prosperity with the ability to avoid economic turmoil once the war ended)

levittowns

the first mass produced suburb homes after WW2

baby boom

generation born between 1946-1964 and are collecting social security

domino theory

theory that if one country falls to communism surrounding countries will too

My Lai massacre

In 1968 an American platoon massacred unarmed South Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai hamlet, most of the victims were old men, women, and children (led by Lt. William Calley); made the American public convinced that the Vietnam war was brutal and senseless

• Americans learned of this massacre in 1969

Brown V. Board of Education

overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine created by Plessy v. Ferguson

little rock nine

escorted by U.S. army and national guard to force the idea of integration in school systems

civil disobedience/nonviolence

a form of protesting where no African American would harm but they would take the pain from those who discriminated against them

civil rights act (1964)

verified the 14th amendment which stated citizenship to all born in the U.S.

black panthers

a group whose message to African Americans was to stop being victims to the issues and fight against them in more radical forms

de facto segregation

segregation by choice or circumstance (it is harder to fight in court because it is an unwritten custom or tradition)

de jure segregation

segregation by the law or the legalized segregation of races (easier to fight in court)

counterculture movement

created by hippies who were identified with clothing like ragged blue jeans or army fatigues, tie-dyed t-shirts, beats, and long unkempt hair; turned to folk music for inspiration in order to represent their argument (rebellious group of young adults who went against parents wishes)

• caused somewhat of a generational divide

massive retaliation

build up of supply of nuclear weapons to prevent another war by threat of nuclear war

Montgomery bus boycott

non-violent protest about segregation on the bus and eventually after 381 days they started to integrate the bus systems

Star Wars (SDI)

where land and space-based lasers would destroy any missiles aimed at the U.S. before they could reach their targets

Camp Davis accords

an accord between Egypt and Israel that was setup by the U.S. Egypt would get their Sinai peninsula back in exchange Egypt would have to recognize Israel as a nation with borders

reaganomics

sought to solve the problem of stagflation by cutting government spending on social welfare programs, lowering taxes with “supply-side economics” (theory of cutting taxes giving people incentives to work, save and invest), and deregulating corporations

space race

a technological race which was part of the Cold War between the U.S. and U.S.S.R to see which country will have the most advancements and explorations to space

pentagon papers

Dept. of Defense worker Daniel Ellsberg leaked a series of documents to the NY times; the documents revealed that many government officials during the Johnson administration privately questioned the war while publicly defending and supporting the initiative; also explained how various presidential administrations tried to convince Congress, the press, and the American public that the situation in Vietnam was better than it really was

• sparked a lack of trust in the U.S. government by American people

space shuttle program

first launch by NASA in 1981 of a space shuttle

executive order 8802

prohibited discrimination towards employees in government/defense agencies