APUSH Progressive Era & 1920s Vocabulary Guide

These flashcards cover key vocabulary, historical figures, legislation, and cultural movements from the APUSH Progressive Era and the 1920s.

Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act

An 1883 law created after the assassination of James A. Garfield that ended the spoils system by requiring civil service exams and merit-based hiring for federal jobs.

James A. Garfield

U.S. President assassinated in 1881 by an individual angry over not receiving a government job, leading to civil service reform.

Sherman Antitrust Act

An 1890 law that was the first federal attempt to regulate big business by making monopolies and trusts illegal if they restrained trade.

Theodore Roosevelt

A Progressive president known as the "Trust Buster" who served from 1901 to 1909, known for regulating big business, land conservation, and expanding presidential power.

Big Stick Diplomacy

Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policy summarized by the phrase "Speak softly and carry a big stick," emphasizing strong military influence.

Square Deal

Theodore Roosevelt’s Progressive reform program focused on the "3 C's": Control of corporations, Consumer protection, and Conservation of natural resources.

Pure Food and Drug Act

A 1906 law passed during the Progressive Era under the Square Deal to protect consumers by regulating the food and medicine industries.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

A civil rights organization founded in 1909 by individuals including W. E. B. Du Bois to fight segregation and protect African American voting rights through legal challenges.

Federal Reserve Act

A 1913 law signed by Woodrow Wilson that created "the Fed," a central banking system designed to stabilize the economy by controlling interest rates and money supply.

Zimmermann Telegram

A 1917 secret message from Germany to Mexico suggesting an alliance against the U.S. in exchange for land, serving as a major cause for U.S. entry into WWI.

Teller Amendment

An 1898 declaration stating that the U.S. would not annex Cuba after the war with Spain, intended to reassure Cubans of their eventual independence.

Platt Amendment

A 1901 provision that limited Cuban independence by allowing U.S. intervention and giving the U.S. control over the Guantanamo Bay naval base.

Roosevelt Corollary

A 1904 extension of the Monroe Doctrine stating that the U.S. could intervene in Latin American countries to maintain order and protect its interests.

Open Door Policy

A policy proposed by Secretary of State John Hay in 1899 asserting that all nations should have equal trading rights in China.

Sedition Act of 1918

A WWI-era law that limited free speech by making it illegal to criticize the government, military, or the war effort.

Schenck v. United States

A 1919 Supreme Court case ruling that free speech can be limited if it presents a "clear and present danger," such as falsely shouting fire in a crowded theater.

Great Migration

The movement of millions of African Americans from the South to Northern and Western cities between 1910 and 1970 to escape segregation and find industrial jobs.

Fourteen Points

Woodrow Wilson's 1918 idealistic peace plan for the post-WWI world, which included the creation of the League of Nations.

League of Nations

An international organization created in 1919 to prevent future wars, which the U.S. Senate refused to join out of fear of foreign entanglements.

Alice Paul

A radical women's suffrage activist who used protests and hunger strikes to help secure the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920.

Red Scare

A period of fear (1919-1920) regarding the spread of communism following the Russian Revolution, leading to the Palmer Raids and civil liberty restrictions.

Dollar Diplomacy

A form of economic imperialism practiced by William Howard Taft (1909-1913) that used American investments to influence foreign nations.

Prohibition

The era from 1920 to 1933, established by the 18th Amendment and repealed by the 21st, when the sale of alcohol was banned, leading to a rise in organized crime.

Scopes Trial

A 1925 legal case involving teacher John Scopes, which highlighted the 1920s conflict between modernism and religious fundamentalism over the teaching of evolution.

Immigration Act of 1924 (National Origins Act)

A law reflecting the rise of nativism that set quotas favoring Northern Europeans while restricting Southern and Eastern Europeans and Asians.

Harlem Renaissance

An explosion of African American art, music, and literature in 1920s Harlem, NYC, featuring figures like Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston.

Flapper

A symbol of modern 1920s culture representing women who adopted short hair and dresses, smoked/drank in public, and sought greater independence.