DCUSH Final Exam Study Guide: Key Topics and Events

Obama's campaign

First major campaign to use internet/social media; mobilized young voters.

Hurricane Katrina

2005 disaster; major criticism of federal and state response.

Sonia Sotomayor

First Latina U.S. Supreme Court Justice (appointed by Obama).

Black Lives Matter

Movement founded in 2013 after Trayvon Martin case to address police violence.

2000 Election

Bush vs. Gore; controversy over Florida votes; Supreme Court decided election.

Bush and Iraq War

Claimed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and ties to terrorism.

Contract with America

Republican plan in 1994 promoting conservative policies.

Operation Desert Storm

U.S.-led war to liberate Kuwait from Iraq (1991).

End of Cold War

Collapse of Soviet Union (1991), economic struggles, arms race exhaustion.

Principles of Conservatism

Small government, low taxes, strong national defense.

Nixon, Reagan, Bush Conservatism

Emphasized law and order (Nixon), tax cuts (Reagan), and strong military (Bush).

1965 Immigration Law Changes

Ended quotas; allowed more immigrants from Asia, Africa, Latin America.

Carter's Economy

High inflation, energy crisis, 'stagflation' (stagnant growth + inflation).

Watergate Scandal

Nixon campaign workers broke into DNC offices; Nixon's cover-up led to resignation.

Camp David Accords

Peace agreement between Egypt and Israel brokered by Carter.

Nixon's 1968 Win

Promised 'law and order' and peace in Vietnam.

New Federalism

Nixon's plan to give more power back to states.

Vietnamization

Gradual U.S. troop withdrawal; turning war over to South Vietnam.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Gave LBJ authority to escalate Vietnam War without Congress declaring war.

1973 Oil Embargo

OPEC limited oil to U.S.; caused energy crisis.

Miranda v. Arizona

Required police to inform suspects of rights ('Miranda rights').

Détente

Nixon's policy of easing Cold War tensions with USSR and China.

War Powers Act (1973)

Limits president's power to send troops without Congressional approval.

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 standoff; USSR placed missiles in Cuba; U.S. blockaded.

Vietnam War Confidence

Lost due to long conflict, high casualties, media coverage.

Freedom Summer

1964 effort to register African American voters in Mississippi.

Brown v. Board of Education

1954; ended legal segregation in schools.

Black Power Movement

Advocated racial pride, self-sufficiency, sometimes militancy.

Black Panther Party

Founded 1966; demanded civil rights, community programs, self-defense.

Truman Doctrine

U.S. policy to support nations resisting communism.

Women in WW2

Took industrial jobs ('Rosie the Riveter').

Containment

Policy to stop the spread of communism.

1950s Conformity

Suburbanization, traditional family values, consumer culture.

Marshall Plan

U.S. aid to rebuild Europe after WWII; $13 billion to 16 countries.

Bracero Program

Brought Mexican laborers to work in U.S. agriculture and railroads during WW2.

Use of Atomic Bomb

Ended WW2 quickly; avoided costly U.S. invasion of Japan.

Rationing

Limited consumption to support war effort.

"Arsenal of Democracy"

U.S. commitment to supply Allies with war materials.

Long Telegram

Outlined Soviet threat; advocated for containment.

Navajo Code Talkers

Used Native language to create unbreakable military codes.

Island Hopping

U.S. military strategy to capture strategic Pacific islands.

Sputnik

1957; first satellite launched by USSR; triggered U.S. space race.

Eisenhower's Federal Highway System

Connected cities; boosted economy, national defense.

Arms Race

U.S. and USSR competition for nuclear supremacy.

Dust Bowl

Severe drought and dust storms in the 1930s.

Effects of Dust Bowl

Mass migration, especially to California.

Harlem Renaissance

Flourishing of African American culture in the 1920s.

Red Scare

Fear of communism; government actions like Palmer Raids.

FDR and Supreme Court

Tried to "pack" Court to pass New Deal programs.

Impact on Minorities

Harder economic conditions, discrimination worsened.

Civilian Conservation Corps

Hired young men for environmental projects.

Works Progress Administration

Created jobs in public work projects.

Tennessee Valley Authority

Built dams and power plants.

FDIC

Ensured bank deposits' to restore trust.

SEC

Regulated stock market.

SSA

Provided pension for elderly (social security).

Opposition to League of Nations

Feared loss of U.S. sovereignty.

Henry Cabot Lodge

U.S. Senator that led opposition to Treaty of Versailles.

Schenck v. U.S.

Violated Espionage and seditions act (1st amendment); limited free speech during wartime ("clear and present danger" test).

Social Darwinism

Belief that stronger nations had the right to dominate weaker ones.

Roosevelt Corollary

U.S. claimed the right to intervene in Latin America.

Big Stick Policy

Roosevelt's idea: negotiate peacefully but back it with military power.

Alfred T. Mahan

Argued for a strong navy to achieve world power.

Farmers/Populists/Grange

Wanted government regulation of railroads, more rights for farmers.

Settlement of the West

Homestead Act, railroads, and land opportunities.

Dawes Act

Tried to assimilate Native Americans; broke up tribal lands.

Broken Treaties

U.S. repeatedly violated agreements with Native tribes.

Progressive Era Reformers

Fought for social justice, labor rights, anti-corruption.

Railroads

Connected the country; boosted commerce; hurt Native Americans.

Gilded Age

Time of extreme wealth and corruption.

Political Machines

Like Tammany Hall, helped immigrants in exchange for votes; often corrupt.

Immigration (late 19th century)

New immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe.