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What was the Missouri Compromise (1820)?

It maintained balance by admitting 1 free state for every 1 slave state, establishing a line where states above were free and those below were slave.

What was the Compromise of 1850?

It admitted California as a free state and included a strong Fugitive Slave Act requiring the return of escaped enslaved people to the South.

What did the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) introduce?

It established popular sovereignty, allowing people to vote on the issue of slavery, which led to violence known as 'Bleeding Kansas'.

What was the significance of the Dred Scott Decision (1857)?

It ruled that Black people were not citizens and that Congress could not ban slavery in the territories.

What triggered the Civil War (1861–1865)?

The election of Abraham Lincoln caused fears in the South about slavery limits, leading to secession.

What were the key outcomes of the Civil War?

The Union won, leading to the end of slavery with the 13th Amendment.

What did the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments accomplish?

13th: ended slavery; 14th: granted citizenship; 15th: provided voting rights for Black men.

What was the Freedmen’s Bureau?

It assisted formerly enslaved people with jobs, housing, and education post-Civil War.

What was a major consequence of the end of Reconstruction (1877)?

The reestablishment of control by Southern states, leading to Jim Crow laws and segregation.

Who were some significant figures of the Gilded Age?

Andrew Carnegie (steel), John D. Rockefeller (oil), and J.P. Morgan (banking).

What societal issues arose during the Gilded Age?

Problems included monopolies, poor working conditions, and the exploitation of immigrant labor.

Who were the muckrakers and what did they expose?

Journalists like Ida Tarbell, Upton Sinclair, and Jacob Riis exposed monopolies, unsafe food practices, and living conditions in slums.

What were key reforms of the Progressive Era?

Trust busting led by Teddy Roosevelt, food safety laws, and constitutional amendments for direct senator election (17th) and women’s suffrage (19th).

What sparked the Spanish-American War?

The USS Maine explosion fueled by yellow journalism led to the US declaring war on Spain.

What was the outcome of World War I for the US?

The US entered late, contributing to an Allied victory, but did not join the League of Nations, weakening it.

What characterized the Great Depression (1929)?

It was marked by the stock market crash, bank failures, and a significant increase in unemployment.

What were the main goals of FDR's New Deal?

To provide relief, recovery, and reform through programs such as the CCC, Social Security, and SEC.

What was a key event that led the US to enter WWII?

The attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan.

What were the main opposing forces in the Cold War?

The US (capitalism) vs the USSR (communism).

What landmark ruling did Brown v. Board of Education achieve?

It ended school segregation.

What events defined modern U.S. history post-1970s?

Watergate scandal, Reagan era, fall of the Berlin Wall, USSR collapse, and globalization.

What prompted the War on Terror beginning in 2001?

The 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon.