U.S. History Review: Gilded Age to WWII

Flashcards covering key U.S. history topics from the Gilded Age through the New Deal and World War II, based on lecture transcripts.

Which act signed by President Arthur in $1883$ established a merit-based system for electing officials using exams?

Pendleton Civil Service Act of $1883$

Why did President Cleveland refuse to support the annexation of Hawaii during his presidency?

He believed it violated the core principles of the United States

What was the purpose of the National Reclamation Act?

It funded dams and irrigation projects

Which groups were banned from entering the United States under the Immigration Act of $1882$?

Criminals, "lunatics", or "idiots"

Who organized the first American Railway Union (ARU) and founded the International Workers of the World (IWW) in $1905$?

Eugene Debs

What event involved workers striking for an $8$ hour work day that resulted in the police killing $2$ people?

Haymarket Affair

Against which company did workers participate in a deadly gun battle during the Homestead Strike?

Carnegie Steel Company

What was the primary goal of the Interstate Commerce Act?

To have the government control railroad prices to ensure they were equal across the country

Why did the Sherman Antitrust Act initially fail after it was passed?

Businesses ignored the law

Which act expanded the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to regulate railroad prices?

Hepburn Act

What is the function of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?

To prevent unfair business practices and promote consumer protection

According to Alfred Thayer Mahan, what was necessary for the United States to become a great power?

Improving the United States Navy

What was the significance of the Insular cases in the early $1900s$?

They limited constitutional rights in U.S. territories, ruling that the $14\text{th}$ amendment did not apply to them

In the context of the Food Administration during WWI, what were "meatless Monday" and "porkless Thursday"?

Promoted fasts intended to save food for soldiers fighting in the war

Who were the Rough Riders?

A group used during imperialism in Cuba that entered fighting without waiting for specific instructions, lead by Theodore Roosevelt

What was the De Lome Letter?

A private note from the Spanish PM criticizing President McKinley as weak, which increased anti-Spanish feelings in the U.S. when published

What was the outcome of the Treaty of Paris regarding Spanish territories?

Cuba became independent under U.S. control, Puerto Rico and Guam became U.S. territories, and the U.S. paid $20$ million for other territories

Which amendment stated that the U.S. would not annex Cuba but would secure its independence?

Teller Amendment

Which leader headed the Filipino Independence Movement against both Spain and the United States?

Emilio Aguinaldo

What was the purpose of the U.S. intervention in Honduras?

To protect American business interests, specifically the United Fruit Company, by helping a pro-American leader into power during a coup

Which document ended WWI and forced Germany to accept full responsibility and pay reparations?

Treaty of Versailles

How did the National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA) differ from the National Women's Party (NWP) regarding WWI?

NAWSA was more peaceful and believed voting would end the war, while the NWP did not support the war and held protests outside the White House

What was the role of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)?

To regulate the stock market, ensure it represented success accurately, and prevent insider trading

Which New Deal program provided manual labor jobs to people during the winter of $1933$-$34$?

Civil Works Administration (CWA)

Who was the critic of the New Deal who proposed the "Share Our Wealth" program for economic security?

Huey Long

What was the purpose of the Stimson Doctrine?

To target Japan by stating that conquering a place does not make one the ruler of that area

What did the Nye Committee investigate?

Claims that WWI was fought solely for the profit of banks and businesses

What were the "Four Freedoms" mentioned in FDR's speech?

Freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear

What is the difference between a "Robber-baron" and a "Captain of Industry"?

A Robber-baron gains money through unethical practices and monopolies, while a Captain of Industry uses ethical practices that positively impact the economy

How did Boss Tweed benefit from the Tammany Hall political machine?

Through graft, such as telling taxpayers he needed $250,000$ for a project but taking $13$ million

What was the "Big Stick" Diplomacy associated with Theodore Roosevelt?

A foreign policy where he would arrive at countries with his biggest ships to ensure he got what he wanted

What did the Open Door Policy proposed by John Hay aim to achieve in China?

To allow every nation free trade with China

Which $1920s$ movement included figures like Langston Hughes, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington?

Harlem Renaissance

What was the significance of the Sacco & Vanzetti Case?

Two Italian immigrants were sentenced to death for a robbery they did not commit based on biased witness accounts

What were the Palmer Raids during the Red Scare?

The hunting down and jailing of suspected communists by Gen. A. Palmer without evidence after bombs were mailed to government leaders

Which New Deal agency hired men aged $18$-$25$ for natural resource projects like building parks and fighting forest fires?

Civil Conservation Corps (CCC)

What was the Wagner Act (National Labor Relations Act)?

A law that gave workers the right to unionize and created a board to protect that right

What did the Atlantic Charter create between Great Britain and the U.S.?

A truce and agreement not to enter the war for land, to share supplies, and served as a precursor to the United Nations

What was the "Gentlemen's Agreement" in the context of immigration?

An agreement that stopped the immigration of Japanese laborers while allowing tourism from Japan

What was the ruling in the Plessy v. Ferguson case?

The Supreme Court ruled segregation was legal as long as facilities were "separate but equal"

What was the Zimmerman Note?

An intercepted telegram from Germany to Mexico asking Mexico to declare war on the U.S. to distract them from WWI

What did the $19\text{th}$ Amendment accomplish?

It allowed women to vote

What was the "Cash and Carry" policy?

A law requiring countries to pay cash and use their own ships to pick up U.S. supplies during WWII, effectively limiting it to Britain

On what date was Pearl Harbor bombed, leading to the U.S. entry into WWII?

December $7$, $1941$

What refers to the practice of purchasing stocks with credit, which contributed to the stock market crash?

Buying on Margin

What was the Social Security Administration (SSA) created to provide?

Retirement pensions, unemployment insurance, and aid for children needing full-time care