US History Final

Imperialism

A policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force. Countries competed and fought over colonies

Reasons for Imperialism

desire for military strength, thirst for new markets, belief in cultural superiority

Treaty of Paris 1898

(1898) treaty that ended the Spanish American war. Provided that Cuba be free from Spain.

Theodore Roosevelt

26th president, known for: conservationism, trust-busting, Hepburn Act, safe food regulations, "Square Deal," Panama Canal, Great White Fleet, Nobel Peace Prize for negotiation of peace in Russo-Japanese War

Rough Riders

volunteer soldiers led by Theodore Roosevelt during the Spanish American War

Yellow Journalism

journalism that is based upon sensationalism and crude exaggeration. Inspired Americans to want to wage war against Spain for the Spanish treatment of Cuba

Spanish-American War

In 1898, a conflict between the United States and Spain, in which the U.S. supported the Cubans' fight for independence

Big Stick Diplomacy

The policy held by Teddy Roosevelt in foreign affairs. The "big stick" symbolizes his power and readiness to use military force if necessary. It is a way of intimidating countries without actually harming them.

Panama Canal

Ship canal cut across the isthmus of Panama by United States, it opened in 1915.

Open Door Policy

Statement of U.S. foreign policy toward China. Issued by U.S. secretary of state John Hay (1899), the statement reaffirmed the principle that all countries should have equal access to any Chinese port open to trade.

Buffalo Soldiers

Nickname for African-American soldiers who fought in the wars against Native Americans living on the Great Plains during the 1870s

Emilio Aguinaldo

Leader of the Filipino independence movement against Spain (1895-1898). He proclaimed the independence of the Philippines in 1899, but his movement was crushed and he was captured by the United States Army in 1901.

U.S.S. Maine

Ship that explodes off the coast of Cuba in Havana harbor and helps contribute to the start of the Spanish-American War

Annexation of Hawaii

U.S. wanted Hawaii for business and so Hawaiian sugar could be sold in the U.S. duty free, Queen Liliuokalani opposed so Sanford B. Dole overthrew her in 1893, William McKinley convinced Congress to annex Hawaii in 1898

Annexation of the Philippines

when the U.S took over the Philippines as a result of victory in the Spanish American War, provided U.S with a superb naval base in the Pacific and a way to station for trade with China

Commodore Matthew Perry

the commodore of the u.s. navy who compelled the opening of Japan to the west

Militarism

A policy of glorifying military power and keeping a standing army always prepared for war

Alliances

agreements between nations to aid and protect one another

Nationalism

A strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country

Triple Alliance

Alliance among Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy at the end of the 19th century; part of European alliance system and balance of power prior to World War I.

Triple Entente

An alliance between Great Britain, France and Russia in the years before WWI.

Central Powers (WWI)

Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire

Allied Powers (WWI)

Britain, France, Russia, Italy and the United States

Gavrilo Princip

member of the black hand; shot Austrian Archduke Ferdinand and wife June 28, 1914- set off WWI

Woodrow Wilson

President of the United States (1913-1921) and the president during WWI

Propaganda

information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.

Sussex Pledge

German pledge to warn neutral ships and passenger vessels before attacking

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

Germany's Policy of sinking ships with their U-boats, enemy or neutral, that carry war material

Trench Warfare

a type of combat in which opposing troops fight from trenches facing each other.

Zimmerman Telegram

A telegram Germany Sent to Mexico to convince Mexico to attack the U.S. Helped incite the Americans to join WWI

Selective Service Act

Law passed by Congress in 1917 that required all men from ages 21 to 30 to register for the military draft

Vladimir Lenin

Russian founder of the Bolsheviks and leader of the Russian Revolution and first head of the USSR (1870-1924).

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Archduke of Austria Hungary assassinated by a Serbian in 1914. His murder was one of the causes of WW I.

Bolsheviks

A party of revolutionary Marxists, led by Vladimir Lenin, who seized power in Russia in 1917. After taking power, Russia dropped out of WWI

Lusitania

A British passenger ship that was sunk by a German U-Boat on May 7, 1915. 128 Americans died. The sinking greatly turned American opinion against the Germans, helping the move towards entering the war.

WWI Weaponry

machine guns, improved artillery capabilities, chemical warfare (poison gas), tanks, planes all led to horrendous casualties

Daylight Savings Time

Created during WWI to save electricity by moving clocks ahead one hour for the summer.

Espoinage Act of 1917

A law prohibiting interference with the draft and other acts of national "disloyalty."

Sedition Act of 1918

made it illegal for americans to speak disloyaly about the US government, constitution, or flag

Sabotage Act of 1918

penalized anyone who damaged or destroyed war supplies,

Treaty of Versailles

treaty imposed to Germany by the Allied Powers forcing Germany to pay millions of dollars in reparations, disarm completely, give up overseas colonies, and give up some territory in Europe

Wilson's 14 Points

14-point plan proposed by Woodrow Wilson for world peace

League of Nations

International organization founded in 1919 to promote world peace and cooperation

U-Boats

German submarines used in WWI

victory gardens

backyard vegetable gardens created for Americans to grow their own crops to help the war effort

Food Administration

government agency led by Herbert Hoover encouraging farmers to raise more food and the public to eat less

War Industries Board

agency established in WWI that helped factories produce war-related products

Fuel Administration

managed use of coal and oil

Committee on Public Information

government organization that produced propaganda to build support for the war

General John J. Pershing

General of the American Expeditionary Force in WWI

trickle-down theory

decreased income taxes for the wealthy would promote business and therefore the whole economy. created by Andrew Mellon

consumerism

the protection or promotion of the interests of consumers.

anarchy

the absence of government

communism

economic and political system in which factors of production are collectively owned and directed by the state; theoretically classless society in which everyone works for the common good

capitalism

an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.

Red Scare

fear that communists were working to destroy the American way of life

suffrage

the right to vote

18th amendment

Prohibited the manufacture, sale, and distribution of alcoholic beverages

Prohibition

A law forbidding the sale of alcoholic beverages

21st Amendment

Amendment which ended the Prohibition of alcohol in the US, repealing the 18th amendment

19th Amendment

Gave women the right to vote

Al Capone

United States gangster who terrorized Chicago during Prohibition until arrested for tax evasion

Great Depression

the economic crisis beginning with the stock market crash in 1929 and continuing through the 1930s

Hooverviles

a name for shanty towns built in the Great Depression, were called this because people thought Hoover was to blame for the Depression

Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act

legislation passed in 1930 that established very high tariffs. Its objective was to reduce imports and stimulate the domestic economy, but it resulted only in retaliatory tariffs by other nations

Black Tuesday

October 29, 1929; date of the worst stock-market crash in American history and beginning of the Great Depression.

Black Thursday

October 24, 1929; stock market crashes and almost 13 million shares are sold that day alone

Franklin D. Roosevelt

President of the US during Great Depression and World War II

Fireside Chats

informal talks given by FDR over the radio; sat by White House fireplace; gained the confidence of the people

Hundred Days

the special session of Congress that Roosevelt called to launch his New Deal programs. The special session lasted about three months: 100 days.

Warm Springs, GA

place where FDR spent a lot of time in to ease the pain of polio

FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation)

an agency developed by the federal government to regulate banking and and investment activivties

CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps)

hired unemployed young single men to work preserving the nation's natural resources

TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority)

gave jobs rebuilding the Tennessee Valley; brought flood relief and hydroelectric power to the area

AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Act)

asked farmers to reduce production and destroy surpluses

New Deal

The name of President Roosevelt's program for getting the United States out of the depression

Adolf Hitler

Fascist dictator of Nazi Germany during WWII, believed it was Germany's right to expand and invade other countries, started the Holocaust, and overthrew the German government

Joseph Stalin

Russian leader who succeeded Lenin as head of the Communist Party and created a totalitarian state by purging all opposition

Benito Mussolini

Fascist dictator of Italy during WWII who outlawed civil liberties and built up Italy's military

Hidoki Tojo

General of Japan during WWII who believed that invading other countries would give Japan more natural resources and land

Axis Powers - WWII

Germany, Italy, and Japan

Allied Powers (WWII)

Great Britain, France, Soviet Union, United States

appeasement

Accepting demands in order to avoid conflict

Pearl Harbor

Japan's attack on a Hawaiian military based on December 7th, 1941. Brought the U.S. into WWII

Munich Conference

1938 conference at which European leaders attempted to appease Hitler by turning over the Sudetenland to him in exchange for promise that Germany would not expand Germany's territory any further.

Invasion of Poland

Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, causing Great Britain and France to declare war on Germany, starting WWII

Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact

1939 agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union. The two nations agreed not to attack one another and to split the country of Poland between them.

Invasion of the USSR

Hitler turned on Stalin to seize the Soviet supplies to defeat Britain. Soviets ordered a scorch-earth policy to make it harder for Germans to supply their troops and keep advancing

Blitzkrieg

"Lighting war", typed of fast-moving warfare used by German forces against Poland in 1939

Maginot Line

Line of defense built by France to protect against German invasion. Stretched from Belgium to Switzerland.

Dunkirk

port in France from which 300,000 Allied troops were evacuated when their retreat by land was cut off by the German advance in 1940

Winston Churchill

A noted British statesman who led Britain throughout most of World War II and along with Roosevelt planned many allied campaigns

Selective Training and Service Act

1940 law requiring all males aged 21 to 36 to register for military service

Battle of Britain

An aerial battle fought in World War II in 1940 between the German Luftwaffe (air force), which carried out extensive bombing in Britain, and the British Royal Air Force, which offered successful resistance.

Women in WWII

took on new roles in the workforce, such as flying airplanes and doing jobs men would usually do because the men were off at war