Untitled Flashcards Set

Big Stick Diplomacy

The diplomatic policy of negotiating peacefully while having a strong military to back up those negotiations.

Alfred T. Mahan

A naval officer and historian who wrote 'The Influence of Sea Power Upon History', arguing that strong navies lead to strong nations.

Anti-Imperialist League

A group formed in 1898 to oppose U.S. territorial expansion, arguing it was against American values of democracy and self-determination.

Dollar Diplomacy

President Taft’s policy of using economic investment to control Latin America and Asia instead of military force.

Great White Fleet

A fleet of 16 battleships sent by Teddy Roosevelt around the world (1907-1909) to showcase U.S. naval power.

Insular Cases

A series of Supreme Court cases that determined U.S. territories do not have the same constitutional rights as U.S. citizens.

Jingoism

Extreme nationalism that often leads to aggressive foreign policy.

Submarine Warfare

Germany’s military strategy using U-boats to sink ships without warning during WWI.

Zimmermann Telegram

A secret message from Germany to Mexico in 1917, promising U.S. territory if Mexico attacked the U.S.

Espionage Act

A law making it illegal to speak out against the U.S. war effort during WWI.

Schenck v. U.S.

A Supreme Court case establishing that free speech can be limited if it poses a 'clear and present danger'.

Fourteen Points

Wilson’s plan for post-WWI peace including the League of Nations and principles like free trade.

Harlem Renaissance

A cultural movement in the 1920s centered in Harlem, NYC, showcasing Black art, music, and literature.

Scopes Trial

A 1925 court case over the teaching of evolution in schools, highlighting the conflict between science and religion.

Prohibition

The period during which the 18th Amendment banned alcohol in the U.S. (1919-1933), leading to organized crime.

Stock Market Crash (1929)

A significant downturn in the stock market that contributed to the Great Depression, marked by Black Tuesday.

Great Depression

A severe worldwide economic downturn that lasted from 1929 until the late 1930s, leading to high unemployment.

Lend-Lease Act

A U.S. policy allowing the supply of arms and materials to allies before formally entering WWII.

Pearl Harbor

The U.S. naval base attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, leading to U.S. entry into World War II.

Korematsu v. United States

A 1944 Supreme Court case that upheld the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII.

D-Day

The Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, which marked a turning point in WWII.

Hiroshima & Nagasaki

Japanese cities on which the U.S. dropped atomic bombs in August 1945, leading to Japan's surrender in WWII.

Monroe Doctrine

A U.S. policy established in 1823 opposing European colonialism in the Americas.

Manifest Destiny

The belief that American expansion across the continent was both justified and inevitable.

Spanish-American War

A conflict in 1898 between the U.S. and Spain, resulting in U.S. territorial gains in the Caribbean and Pacific.

Platt Amendment

An amendment to the Cuban constitution allowing U.S. intervention in Cuban affairs.

New Deal

A series of programs and policies enacted by Franklin D. Roosevelt in response to the Great Depression.

Cold War

The geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States from the late 1940s to 1991.

Civil Rights Movement

A social movement in the 1950s and 1960s aimed at ending racial discrimination and gaining equal rights.

Watergate Scandal

A major political scandal involving a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters and subsequent cover-up.

Iran-Contra Affair

A political scandal in the 1980s involving illegal arms sales to Iran to fund Contra rebels in Nicaragua.

NAFTA

The North American Free Trade Agreement, enacted in 1994, eliminating trade barriers between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.