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Civil War

A conflict between The Confederacy and The Union over slavery expansion, lasting 4 years and ending in a Union victory outlawing slavery.

Lincoln

Union Commander in Chief during the Civil War, prioritized preserving the Union over ending slavery.

Emancipation Proclamation

Declared by Lincoln, freed slaves in rebellious states and allowed them to enlist in the Union Army.

Reconstruction

Post-Civil War period integrating former slaves into American society.

Sharecropping

System where tenants use land in exchange for a share of the crop.

KKK

Founded in 1868 to maintain white supremacy and defeat the Republican Party.

Gilded Age

Period of wealth disparity and industrial growth from the 1870s to late 1890s.

Urbanization

Concentration of population and economic activity in urban areas.

Roosevelt

26th President, initiated Panama Canal construction and established national parks.

Social Security Act

Program providing income to retired workers after age 65.

WWI

Global conflict involving Allies and Central Powers, redefining American citizenship.

Zimmerman Note

German telegram proposing alliance with Mexico against the US during WWI.

WWII

War between Axis and Allies, involving the US after Pearl Harbor bombing.

Manhattan Project

Secret project developing the first atomic bomb during WWII.

Civil Rights Movement

A social movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 to abolish legalized racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement in the country.

Malcolm X

An African-American revolutionary, Muslim minister, and human rights activist who advocated for black power, black self-defense, and black economic autonomy.

Martin Luther King

A social activist and Baptist minister who advocated for non-violent protests for equality and human rights for African Americans and victims of injustice.

Rosa Parks

A civil rights activist known as the ‘mother of the civil rights movement’ for her refusal to give up her seat on a public bus, sparking the Montgomery bus boycott.

Brown v Board

A US Supreme Court ruling declaring racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, a milestone in the civil rights movement.

Emmitt Till

A 14-year-old African American lynched in Mississippi, whose murder catalyzed activism and resistance in the civil rights movement.

Cold War

Political rivalry between the US and USSR post-WW2, leading to proxy conflicts and ideological divides between Capitalism and Communism.

Domino theory

Belief that the spread of communism in one nation would lead to others falling, influencing US involvement in conflicts like the Korean War.

Eisenhower

34th US President focused on the Cold War, building nuclear weapons stockpiles, and deterring military threats.

Cuban Missile Crisis

Discovery of Soviet missiles in Cuba, resolved peacefully by JFK through a naval blockade and missile removal agreements.

Lyndon B

36th US President who signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, introducing Medicare and Medicaid.

Vietnam War

Conflict between North and South Vietnam, fueled by the Cold War, with the US supporting South Vietnam against communism.

Watergate

Political scandal during Nixon's presidency, leading to his resignation and discovery of abuses of power.

Stagflation

Economic condition of slow growth, high unemployment, and rising prices, addressed by Ford through monetary policies.

Iran Hostage Crisis

444-day period when American citizens were held hostage in Iran, resolved through diplomatic efforts by Carter.

Reagan

40th US President who played a role in ending the Cold War, signing treaties to reduce nuclear weapons and combat drug abuse.

Reaganomics

Economic theory advocating tax cuts to stimulate economic growth, including supply-side economics and trickle-down theory.

Berlin Wall

Divisive wall built in 1961 by East Germany, torn down in 1989, symbolizing the end of the Cold War.