US History STAAR Guide - Part 2

Expansionism

refers to the doctrine of a state expanding its territorial
base (or economic influence) usually, though not necessarily, by means
of military aggression.

Alaska (1867)

Purchased from Russia in 1867. Alaska was
known as "Seward's Folly" and was initially considered a bad
purchase.

Hawaii (1898)

Queen Liliuokalani was removed from power
and Hawaii was annexed by the United States in 1898. Sanford B.
Dole serves as President, Territorial Governor, and a US District
Judge after the monarchy ends.

Causes of the Spanish-American War

Spanish Cruelty

Spain's military abused power and mistreated Cubans

Causes of the Spanish-American War

Yellow Journalism

News that exaggerates the truth in order to get a reaction

Causes of the Spanish-American War

De Lome Letter

Letter intercepted from a Spanish ambassador criticizing
President McKinley of the United States

Causes of the Spanish-American War

U.S.S. Maine

U.S. warship blown up in Havana Harbor off the coast of Cuba.
The Spanish were blamed and war was declared.

Results of the Spanish-American War

- Spain loses most of its empire
- The Platt Amendment allows the U.S. to control Cuba
- The U.S. acquired the territories of the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico
- The U.S. increases its strength as a world power

Open Door Policy

Ensured that the U.S. could trade with China

Rough Riders

Volunteer cavalry unit led by
Teddy Roosevelt that gained fame at the battle
of San Juan Hill.

Roosevelt Corollary

Teddy Roosevelt declared
that the U.S. would act as an international
police power in Latin America.

Panama Canal

Man-made waterway that
connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific
Ocean. Roosevelt was President when
construction began in 1904.

Militarism

Nations built large armies to help them secure their
empires.

Alliances

European nations signed secret treaties with each other
that created a system of alliances.

Imperialism

Competition between European countries to create
empires.

Nationalism

Strong feelings of pride for one's country.

1914

World War I begins in Europe

1917

The United States enters WWI on the Allied side

1918

The Allies win WWI when Germany surrenders

Archuduke Franz Ferdinand

Archduke of Austria Hungary
Assassinated by a Serbian in 1914. His murder was one of the
Causes of World War I.

Woodrow Wilson

President of the United States during
World War I. Wilson wanted to fight the war "to make the
world safe for Democracy."

Gen. John Pershing

The commander of the American
Expeditionary Forces during World War I. Under his
leadership, American forces helped end the stalemate and led
the Allies to Victory.

Henry Cabot Lodge

U.S. Senator who opposed the League
of Nations.

Allied Powers

Great Britain, France, the United States, Russia, Serbia

Central Powers

Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria

Reason for U.S. Involvement in WWI

Close Ties with the Allies

Americans and British spoke the same
language. We shared the notion of democracy. Many Americans
traced their ancestry to Great Britain.

Reason for U.S. Involvement in WWI

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

German policy of sinking any
ships in the water, including merchant and passenger ships.

Reason for U.S. Involvement in WWI

Lusitania

British passenger ship that was destroyed by
a German submarine. 128 Americans were killed.

Reason for U.S. Involvement in WWI

Zimmerman Note

Telegram sent by Germany,
proposing that Mexico ally itself with Germany if the United States entered the war. In return, Mexico would
receive land that it had lost to the United States.

Trench Warfare

Opposing sides attack from ditches
instead of an open battlefield.

New weapons introduced during the war

machine guns,
poison gas, tanks, and airplane warfare or "dog fighting."

Stalemate

A situation where neither side can gain an
advantage in combat.

Battle of Argonne Forest

final allied offensive of WWI

Wilson's Fourteen Points

Woodrow Wilson's proposal for peace after
WWI. Wilson called for freedom of the seas, ending secret treaties,
a League of Nations and other peaceful measures.

League of Nations

International organization formed after WWI to
help solve disputes between countries. The United States did not
join due to fears of being pulled into another international war.

Treaty of Versailles

The treaty that ended WWI. It blamed Germany
for WWI and handed down harsh punishment. The treatment of
Germany in the treaty helped lead to the rise of Adolf Hitler and
WWII.

Alvin York

Medal of Honor recipient for leading an
attack against a German machine gun nest in WWI.

Henry Ford

Automobile manufacturer who created the Model
T and began to mass-produce the automobile. Ford used the
assembly line to speed up production and satisfy demand. The
assembly line lowered the prices to make the automobile more
affordable for an average American.

William Jennings Bryan

The prosecutor in the Scopes Trial.
He supported creationism in school. He is also famous for the
"Cross of Gold" speech that argued against using the gold standard
to back money.

Clarence Darrow

Defended John Scopes during the
Scopes Trial he argued that evolution should be taught in
schools.

Charles Lindbergh

American pilot who made the first
non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

Glenn Curtiss

Pioneer aviator and leading American
manufacturer of aircraft by the time of the United States'
entry into World War I.

Marcus Garvey

Charismatic black leader who organized
the first important American black nationalist movement
(1919-26), based in New York City's Harlem.

Red Scare

The fear that Communists were going to take
over the United States in the 1920's. This fueled people's
suspicions of foreigners and led to immigrant quotas.

Teapot Dome Scandal

The prime example of corruption
during Warren G. Harding's Presidency.

Economic Issues: Causes of Prosperity during the 1920's

- Government policies that reduced govt. interference in business
- The growth and use of the automobile industry
- Efficient production techniques such as the assembly line
- Mass consumerism from the American public
- Overconfidence of American consumers led to the widespread
use of credit.

Women's Issues in the 1920's

- Flappers embraced urban attitudes and fashions.
- Women began to demand more freedom and assert their
independence.
- A double standard between men and women still existed.

Prohibition

Reform movement that banned the sale and
consumption of alcohol. It also increased organized crime.

18th Amendment

Prohibition is enacted and alcohol is
illegal.

21st Amendment

The 18th Amendment is repealed and
Prohibition ends.

The Scopes Trial

The famous "Monkey Trial" that pitted
creationism agains Darwin's theory of evolution. The trial
represented the clash between science and fundamentalist
religion.

Social Darwinism

theory of societies applying the theory of Darwinian
evolution to sociology and politics.

Eugenics

applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates
the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population, usually referring to human populations.

Nativism

favors the interests of certain established inhabitants of an
area or nation as compared to claims of newcomers or immigrants.

The Jazz Age

Term coined by F. Scott Fitzgerald to describe the 1920's.

Jazz

A popular form of music. Famous jazz composers include Louis
Armstrong and Duke Ellington.

The Great Migration

The mass migration of African-Americans to
Northern cities from 1910-1930.

The Harlem Renaissance

Period of African-American cultural
creativity in music, art, and literature during the 1920's, centered in
Harlem. Ex: poet Langston Hughes.

American Indian Citizenship Act 1924

granted citizenship to
America's indigenous people.

Causes of the Great Depression

- Decline in agricultural prices
- Unequal distribution of income.
- Overproduction of consumer goods.
- Consumer overconfidence & buying goods on credit.
- Buying stocks on margin for quick profit
- Bank failures

1929

The Stock Market Crash

Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)

President when the Great Depression began. Hoover is criticized for allowing the Depression to deepen. He was defeated when voters looked
to the federal government for help.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)

Defeated Hoover
in 1932. Implemented the New Deal to help with the Great
Depression. Gave fireside chats on the radio to communicate
with the American public.

Eleanor Roosevelt

First Lady and supporter of FDR's New Deal and WWII policies. Also, championed civil rights
for women and minorities.

Unemployment

Unemployment rose as high as 25% during the
Great Depression.

"Hoovervilles"

Shantytowns on the outskirts of the cities of
homeless and unemployed people.

Bread lines and soup kitchens

Methods by which the needy could obtain free or low-priced food.

Dust Bowl

Term used to describe the area of the Great Plains where heavy droughts had dried up the farmland. This forced
many residents of the Great Plains to relocate.

John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath

Famous
novel that describes the hardships of the Great
Depression. In the novel, a family from Oklahoma moves to California to escape the Dust Bowl.

Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam)

Dam built
on the Colorado River to help stimulate
business and provide jobs.

The New Deal

Roosevelt's program to fight the Great Depression.

Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)

Law that attempted to
raise crop prices by lowering production.

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

Public works program
that gave jobs to young men. The workers planted trees,
fought forest fires and built public parks.

Works Progress Administration (WPA)

Created jobs by hiring
writers and artists.

FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation)

Provided
insurance for people's bank accounts.

SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission)

Govt. agency
that regulates the stock market.

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

Program that built dams in the Tennessee Valley area in order to control flooding and
provide electric power.

Social Security Act

The most important act of the New Deal. Social Security provided unemployment insurance, aid to the disabled, old age pensions, and insurance for families.

1939

Adolf Hitler invades Poland. WWII begins.

1941

Japan attacks Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii. As a result, the
U.S. enters the war.

1945

Germany is defeated to end the war in Europe. The atomic bomb
is dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the war in the Pacific.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

President of the United States during
WWII.

Declared war on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Harry Truman

President of the United States during
WWII. Made the decision to use the atomic bomb on Japan.

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower

U.S. general in Europe during
World War II. He was in charge of the Invasion of Normandy (D-Day).

Gen. Douglas MacArthur

U.S. general in charge of the Allied forces in the Pacific Ocean.

Gen. Omar Bradley

U.S. general who led the U.S. 1st Army
during the Invasion of Normandy (D-Day).

Gen. George Marshall

Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army during World War II. He oversaw all military operations in the
War in Europe. After the war, he was responsible for the Marshall Plan.

Adm. Chester Nimitz

Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet during World War II.

Gen. George S. Patton

U.S. Army officer who was an outstanding practitioner of mobile tank warfare in the
European and Mediterranean theatres during World War
II.

Allied Powers - WWII

Great Britain, France, Soviet Union, and the US

Axis Powers - WWII

Germany, Italy, Japan

Causes of World War II

- Harsh treatment of Germany after World War I.
- The rise of dictators and totalitarianism in Europe.
- Germany's invasion of Poland.

Pearl Harbor

On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the United States
naval base at Pearl Harbor, as a result, the U.S. enters the war.

Battle of Midway

The turning point in the war in the Pacific. This
pivotal battle dealt a severe blow to the Japanese navy.

Island-Hopping

Allied naval strategy to reach Japan by taking one island at a time.

The Atomic Bomb

Powerful weapon dropped on the Japanese cities of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Harry Truman made the decision to drop
the bomb in an effort to reduce American casualties. As a result,
WWII ends.

Bataan Death March

The forcible transfer, by the Imperial Japanese
Army, of 76,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war after the three-month Battle of Bataan in the Philippines during World War II, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of prisoners.

The Flying Tigers

The 1st American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Chinese Air Force in 1941-1942, famously nicknamed the Flying
Tigers, was composed of pilots from the United States Army, Navy,
and Marine Corps.

Navajo Code Talkers

Young Navajo men who transmitted secret
communications on the battlefields of WWII. They drew upon their
proud warrior tradition to brave the dense jungles of Guadalcanal
and the exposed beachheads of Iwo Jima. Their unbreakable code
played a pivotal role in saving countless lives and hastening the
war's end.

The Holocaust

The mass murder of 6 million Jews and others in Nazi concentration camps.