American History Lecture Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering major events and concepts in U.S. History from Imperialism through the Post-War era and the early $$21$$st century.

Imperialism

A policy where stronger nations extend political, economic, or military control over weaker areas.

Alfred Thayer Mahan

Advised the US to strengthen the navy in order to become a world power.

Seward’s Folly

The purchase of Alaska in $1867$ that was initially considered a bad purchase.

Hawaii

The territory annexed by the US after removing its Queen from power.

Spanish American War

A conflict in $1898$ triggered by Spanish cruelty, yellow journalism, the DeLome Letter, and the explosion of the U.S.S. Maine.

Yellow Journalism

A practice where newspapers exaggerated stories to increase support for war.

DeLome Letter

A letter that insulted President William McKinley, contributing to the Spanish American War.

Platt Amendment

A provision that allowed US control over Cuba following the Spanish American War.

Rough Riders

The group led by Theodore Roosevelt during the Spanish-American War.

Roosevelt Corollary

The claim by the U.S. of the right to intervene in Latin American countries.

Open Door Policy

A policy allowing equal trade access in China for all nations.

MAIN

An acronym for the four causes of WWI: Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

His assassination was the spark that started WWI.

Lusitania

A British passenger ship destroyed by German U-boats with $128$ Americans aboard.

Zimmermann Telegram

A telegram from Germany to Mexico promising land if Mexico allied against the U.S.

Trench warfare

A new kind of warfare fought during WWI.

Stalemate

A situation in WWI where neither side gained an advantage for several months.

Fourteen Points

Woodrow Wilson’s peace plan proposed after WWI.

Treaty of Versailles

The treaty ending WWI that blamed Germany and forced them to pay reparations.

Assembly line

A production method used by Henry Ford to speed the production of automobiles and make them cheaper.

Scopes Trial

A legal case concerning the teaching of evolution in schools.

Charles Lindbergh

An American aviator who made the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in the $20$'s.

Red Scare

Widespread fear that Communists would take over the US, leading to suspicions of foreigners and immigrant quotas.

Teapot Dome Scandal

A scandal where government officials took bribes involving oil reserves.

Flappers

Young women in the $1920$'s seeking greater freedom and independence.

$18$th Amendment

The amendment that established the Prohibition of alcohol.

$19$th Amendment

The amendment that granted women the right to vote.

Great Migration

The movement of African Americans from the South to Northern cities.

Harlem Renaissance

An African American cultural and artistic movement centered in Harlem.

New Deal

A series of programs implemented by Franklin D. Roosevelt for relief, recovery, and reform during the Great Depression.

Hoovervilles

Shantytowns built by homeless people during the Great Depression.

Dust Bowl

Severe dust storms caused by drought and poor farming that led many to relocate to California.

FDIC

A New Deal program that insured bank deposits.

SSA

Social Security for elderly and retired people.

Court-packing

Roosevelt's attempt to place judges on the Supreme Court who would approve of his New Deal plans.

Appeasement

Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s policy towards Hitler and Germany before WWII.

Battle of Midway

The turning point of the war in the Pacific during WWII.

Island Hopping

The Allied naval strategy used in the Pacific theater of WWII.

The Holocaust

The mass murder of $6$ million Jews and others in Nazi Concentration Camps.

D-Day

The Allied invasion of Normandy, France, on June $6$, $1944$.

GI Bill

A law that helped veterans pay for college, homes, and businesses.

Great Society

LBJ’s reform programs aimed at improving education, healthcare, and reducing poverty.

Watergate

A political scandal that resulted in the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Containment

The U.S. policy designed to stop the spread of communism.

Truman Doctrine

U.S. aid provided to countries resisting communism.

Marshall Plan

U.S. financial aid intended to help rebuild Europe after WWII.

McCarthyism

The practice of accusing people of communism without proof, associated with Joseph McCarthy.

Domino Theory

The belief that if one country became communist, nearby countries would follow.

Brown vs Board of Education

A landmark Supreme Court case that ended school segregation.

Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta

Individuals responsible for gaining rights for Mexican American laborers through strikes and boycotts.

War on Terror

The response by George W. Bush to the attacks on $9/11/01$, leading to the invasion of Afghanistan.