Final Exam Study Guide: The American Yawp

Flashcards covering key vocabulary from the Gilded Age to the Early 21st Century, based on lecture notes.

Industrial Capitalism

The rapid growth of industries and concentration of economic power in the hands of a few individuals or companies.

Monopolies

Exclusive control of a commodity or service in a particular market, or control that makes possible the manipulation of prices.

Labor Unions

An organized association of workers, often in a trade or profession, formed to protect and further their rights and interests.

Urbanization

The process by which towns and cities grow and become more densely populated.

Nativism

The policy of protecting the interests of native-born or established inhabitants against those of immigrants.

Political Machines

A political organization in which an authoritative boss or small group commands the support of a corps of supporters and businesses (usually campaign workers), who receive rewards for their efforts.

Populism

A political movement representing ordinary people, especially farmers, who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established interest groups.

Yellow Journalism

Sensational or biased reporting that is often false or crude.

Roosevelt Corollary

A doctrine that favors intervention, especially by the U.S., in the domestic affairs of other countries.

Open Door Policy

A policy that requested multiple powers to assure that all nations would have equal access to Chinese ports for trade.

Muckrakers

Investigative journalists who exposed corruption and social problems.

Women's Suffrage

The right of women to vote in elections.

Square Deal

President Theodore Roosevelt's domestic program formed upon three basic ideas: conservation of natural resources, control of corporations, and consumer protection

Conservation

The principle of maintaining and preserving natural resources.

Militarism

Glorification of military strength.

Nationalism

Loyalty and devotion to a nation.

Great Migration

The movement of African Americans from the rural South into the urban Northeast, Midwest, and West that occurred between 1914 and 1970.

Espionage & Sedition Acts

Provided penalties for obstructing the recruitment of soldiers or for encouraging disloyalty.

Wilson's 14 Points

President Woodrow Wilson's plan for world peace following World War I.

League of Nations

An international organization established after World War I to promote peace and cooperation among nations.

Traditionalism vs. Modernism

Conflict between new, modern ideas and traditional values.

Harlem Renaissance

A flowering of African American artistic creativity during the 1920s, centered in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City.

Consumer Culture

A society in which mass production and consumption of goods are central to economic and social life.

Immigration Restrictions (Quota Acts)

Limitations on the number of immigrants allowed into the United States from specific countries.

Great Depression

A series of worker-related occurrences that took place in the United States between 1929 and 1939, which began after the stock market crash of 1929.

Reconstruction Finance Corporation

An independent agency of the U.S. government, established in 1932 to provide financial support to state and local governments and to make loans to banks, railroads, mortgage associations, and other businesses.

Dust Bowl

Severely reduce crop growth in the dry areas of the United States.

Three R's

President Franklin D. Roosevelt's programs to combat the Great Depression, focusing on relief, recovery, and reform.

Social Security Act

A law enacted in 1935 to create a system of transfer payments in which younger, working people support older, retired people.

WPA

An agency that provided jobs and income to the unemployed during the Great Depression in the United States

CCC

Put hundreds of thousands of young men to work on environmental conservation projects

Court-Packing Controversy

President Franklin D. Roosevelt tried to increase the size of the Supreme Court and bring in several new justices who would change the balance of opinion on the Court.

Fascism

A political system headed by a dictator that calls for extreme nationalism and racism and no tolerance of opposition

Pearl Harbor

United States Naval base that was bombed by Japan.

Japanese Internment

The forcible relocation and incarceration in concentration camps in the western interior of the country of about 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry, most of whom lived on the Pacific Coast.

Containment Policy

Government policy to prevent the spread of communism.

Truman Doctrine

President Truman's policy of providing economic and military aid to any country threatened by communism or totalitarian ideology.

Marshall Plan

A plan that the US came up with to revive war-torn economies of Europe. This plan offered $13 billion in aid to western and Southern Europe.

NATO

An international organization created in 1949 by the North Atlantic Treaty for purposes of collective security.

Red Scare

The fear of the spread of communism in the United States during the 1950s.

McCarthyism

A campaign or practice that endorses the use of unfair allegations and investigations.

Space Race

Competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to develop superior space technology.

Arms Race

Competition between the U.S. and Soviet Union to build up their respective armed forces and weapons.

Suburbanization

The growth of areas on the fringes of cities.

GI Bill

A law passed in 1944 that provided educational and other benefits for people who had served in the armed forces in World War II.

Baby Boom

A temporary marked increase in the birth rate, especially the one following World War II.

Consumerism

The act of purchasing goods.

Civil Rights Movement

A movement in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring their right to vote.

Eisenhower's Interstate Highway System

A system of limited-access expressways with no stoplights, grade separations, and access only at interchanges.

Conformity

Agreement or compliance.

Counterculture

A movement that rejected mainstream American values.

Great Society

President Johnson's domestic program that focused on poverty relief, education, and healthcare.

Medicare/Medicaid

U.S. government program that provides health insurance to elderly and disabled people

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Legislated equal rights for all Americans and outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Inflation

A sustained increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy

Stagflation

High inflation, combined with high unemployment and slow economic growth.

Environmental Movement

A social and political movement that seeks to protect the quality of the environment through legislation.

EPA

An agency of the U.S. federal government which was created to protect human health and the environment.

Roe v. Wade

A United States Supreme Court decision that protects a pregnant woman's liberty to choose whether or not to have an abortion.

Conservatism

A political philosophy supporting traditional values and limited government intervention.

Reaganomics

The economic policies promoted by U.S. President Ronald Reagan during the 1980s.

Deregulation

The removal of regulations or restrictions, especially in a particular industry.

Persian Gulf War

A series of U.S.-led military operations in 1990 and 1991 to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation.

9/11 Attacks

A series of events involving the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

War on Terror

A campaign starting in 2001, the United States, supported by NATO and other allies, against al-Qaeda and other militant groups.