US and UK History, Culture, and Politics Flashcards

Declaration of Independence

A document signed on $\text{July 4, 1776}$ declaring that all men are created equal and have basic human rights given by God.

American Revolutionary War

A conflict between $\text{1775}$ and $\text{1783}$ also known as the War of Independence, marking the beginning of US nationhood.

Industrial Revolution (US)

Started in the early $\text{1800s}$ after beginning in Britain; it shifted focus to cities as places for factories and workers.

Sam Slater

A key figure who opened the first American industrial mill in $\text{1790}$ based on the British model to turn cotton thread into yarn.

Westward Expansion

The movement of settlers into the American West fueled by the Louisiana Purchase and the Gold Rush.

Louisiana Purchase

An $\text{1803}$ land deal where the United States purchased New France from France for $\$15\,million$.

Size of Louisiana Purchase

$827,000\,square\,miles$ of land located west of the Mississippi River.

California Gold Rush

An event in the late $\text{1840s}$ caused by gold discovery at Sutter's Mill in Coloma.

James W. Marshall

The individual who discovered a gold nugget at Sutter's Mill in $\text{1848}$, sparking the Gold Rush.

San Francisco Miner Population

Grew from less than $\text{1,000}$ to several hundred thousand during the Gold Rush.

Value of Extracted Gold

Total gold extracted during the California Gold Rush was worth $\$2\,billion$.

American Civil War

A conflict from $\text{1861}$ to $\text{1865}$ between the North and South under Abraham Lincoln caused by enslavement controversy.

Confederate States

The slave-holding states, such as Mississippi and Texas, that sought dissolution from the Union during the Civil War.

Emancipation Proclamation

Issued on $\text{January 1, 1863}$ by Lincoln, changing the legal status of more than $\text{3.5\,million}$ enslaved African Americans to free.

World War I (US Involvement)

The US declared war on Germany on $\text{April 6, 1917}$, two and a half years after the war started.

Woodrow Wilson's Goal

The president's aim was to "end all wars" and bring democracy to the world.

WWI US Deaths

$110,000$ deaths, of which $45,000$ were caused by Spanish influenza.

First Transcontinental Railroad

Also known as the Pacific Railroad, it was a $\text{1,912-mile}$ continuous railroad constructed between $\text{1863}$ and $\text{1869}$.

Completion Date of Transcontinental Railroad

The railroad opened on $\text{May 10, 1869}$ after connecting the East with the Pacific coast.

Nineteenth Amendment

A $\text{1920}$ amendment to the US Constitution stating that men and women shall have equal rights and women have the right to vote.

Great Depression

The longest and deepest depression of the $\text{20th}$ century, spanning from $\text{1929}$ to $\text{1939}$, triggered by the stock market crash.

New Deal

Initiated by Roosevelt between $\text{1933}$ and $\text{1936}$ to restore the economy through public work projects and financial reforms.

US Entry into WWII

The US entered the war on $\text{December 7, 1941}$ after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour, Hawaii.

WWII Service Statistics

More than $\text{16\,million}$ Americans served in the Armed Forces; more than $\text{400,000}$ were killed in action.

Cold War

A period of geopolitical tension roughly from $\text{1946}$ to $\text{1991}$ between the Soviet Union and the United States.

Civil Rights Movement (General)

A struggle from $\text{1954}$ to $\text{1968}$ aiming to enforce constitutional rights for African Americans.

1957 Civil Rights Act

Enacted under Eisenhower, it outlawed discrimination based on race, sex, color, or religion.

attacks of September 11

Coordinated terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda on $\text{Tuesday, September 11, 2001}$ against the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

9/11 Casualty and Damage Figures

$2,996$ people died, over $6,000$ were injured, and $\$10\,billion$ in infrastructure damage occurred.

Jamestown 1619

The year the first enslaved Africans were brought to Jamestown, after which slavery spread quickly.

Quakers

A group of white settlers who opposed slavery and engaged in early abolitionist efforts.

Fugitive Slave Act (1793)

A law passed during the $\text{19th}$ century (actually enacted in $\text{1793}$) regarding the return of enslaved people who escaped.

William Lloyd Garrison

Published 'The Liberator' beginning in $\text{1831}$, serving as a key anti-slavery voice.

Underground Railroad

An escape network for enslaved people that existed from the $\text{1780s}$.

Jim Crow Laws

Laws that enforced racial segregation in the South after the Reconstruction era.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

A Supreme Court case that upheld the "separate but equal" doctrine for segregation laws.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

A landmark verdict ruling that school segregation was unconstitutional and "separate but equal" was inherently unequal.

Rosa Parks (1955)

Arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, sparking a major boycott.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Led by Martin Luther King Jr., this protest lasted over a year and crippled the bus company.

Browder v. Gayle (1956)

The legal case that declared bus segregation unconstitutional.

March on Washington (1963)

An event where $250,000$ people gathered for civil rights and voting equality.

"I Have a Dream"

MLK's famous speech calling for racial harmony, equality, and nonviolence.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

A landmark law banning discrimination based on race, religion, sex, or national origin in public spaces and workplaces.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Eliminated literacy tests and enforced federal oversight of voter registration.

MLK Assassination

Occurred in $\text{1968}$ in Memphis while Supporting a workers' strike; James Earl Ray pleaded guilty.

Bakke Case (1978)

A Supreme Court ruling that racial quotas were unconstitutional but allowing race as a factor in admissions.

Barack Obama

The first African American US President, elected in $\text{2008}$ and re-elected in $\text{2012}$.

Black Lives Matter Origin

Coined by Alicia Garza in $\text{2013}$ after George Zimmerman's acquittal for killing Trayvon Martin.

Black Lives Matter Founders

Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi.

Colin Kaepernick

An athlete who kneeled during the national anthem in $\text{2016}$ to protest police brutality.

George Floyd

A $\text{46-year-old}$ Black man who died in Minneapolis on $\text{May 25, 2020}$ after Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck.

James Truslow Adams

The historian who defined the American Dream in $\text{1931}$ as being about equal opportunities and reaching full potential.

1950s American Dream Influences

The G.I. Bill (homes/education), TV shows like I Love Lucy (suburban life), and Civil Rights (equality).

US Presidential Requirements

Must be a natural-born citizen, at least $\text{35\,years}$ old, and a resident for $\text{14\,years}$.

US Voter Requirements

Must have US Citizenship (no green card holders), be at least $\text{18\,years}$ old, and meet state residency requirements.

Primary Election

A private ballot voting process to choose the best candidate to represent a party.

Caucus

Public meetings where party members discuss and vote to support a candidate.

Super Tuesday

A day when many states vote to choose presidential nominees and select convention delegates.

National Convention

A giant $\text{four-day}$ event where delegates formally cast votes to name the party's nominee.

Electoral College Total

Consists of $538$ total electors (Senators + House members + $\text{3}$ for D.C.).

Electoral Majority to Win

A candidate needs a majority of $270$ electoral votes to win the presidency.

US Election Day

The first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

12th Amendment (1804)

Established the process of voting for President and Vice President separately.

Legislative Branch

Known as Congress, it consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate and is responsible for making laws.

House of Representatives

Consists of $435$ elected members divided among $\text{50}$ states based on population.

Speaker of the House

The leader of the House of Representatives and third in line to the presidency.

US Senate

Comprised of $100$ Senators (representing $\text{2}$ for each state) with $\text{6-year}$ terms.

Executive Branch

Carries out laws; led by the President who is also the Commander-in-Chief.

US President's Cabinet

Advisors to the president, including the Vice President and heads of executive departments.

Judicial Branch

Evaluates laws, interprets their meaning, and decides if they violate the Constitution.

Supreme Court Composition

Contains $\text{9}$ members nominated by the president; $\text{6}$ must be present to handle a case.

Columbine High School (1999)

A school shooting where $\text{2}$ students killed $\text{13}$ and injured $\text{24}$.

Aurora Movie Theatre (2012)

A mass shooting during 'The Dark Knight Rises' that killed $\text{12}$ and injured $\text{70}$.

Sandy Hook Elementary (2012)

A shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, that killed $\text{27}$ and injured $\text{2}$.

Orlando Nightclub (2016)

A shooting at an LGBTQ+ club that killed $\text{50}$ and injured over $\text{53}$.

Las Vegas Music Festival (2017)

A mass shooting from a hotel that killed $\text{58}$ and injured hundreds.

Bill of Rights

The first $\text{10}$ Amendments to the Constitution, ratified in $\text{1791}$, protecting individual freedoms.

The Second Amendment

Guarantees the right to keep and bear arms; central to gun violence controversies.

Globalisation 1.0

Period from $\text{1492}$ to $\text{1800}$ where the world reduced from large to medium size, characterized by countries globalizing.

Globalisation 2.0

Period from $\text{1800}$ to $\text{2000}$ where the world reduced from medium to small, driven by multinational companies.

Globalisation 3.0

Period from $\text{2000}$ to now where the world is small to tiny, driven by individuals and technology.

Thomas L. Friedmann

The author who defined the three phases of globalization.

Monsanto

A famous corporation involved in the laboratory production of American cotton seeds.

Genetically Modified Cotton Percentage

Over $90\%$ of American cotton is genetically modified at present.

Rana Plaza Collapse

A massive factory collapse in Bangladesh on $\text{April 24, 2013}$, resulting in over $\text{1,000}$ deaths.

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

A set of $17$ goals established to address global challenges by the year $\text{2030}$.

Hamlet

A Shakespearean play about a Danish prince plotting revenge against his uncle who stole the throne.

Macbeth

A Scottish general who murders the king to seize the crown, spurred by a witch's prophecy.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

A play involving four young lovers and a troop of amateur actors in an enchanted forest.

Romeo and Juliet

A tragedy about teenagers from feuding families who fall in love and commit suicide in a shared tomb.

Othello

A play where a Moorish general is manipulated by lago into believing his wife was unfaithful.

King Lear

A tragedy about an aging monarch who foolishly divides his kingdom among his flattering daughters.

Much Ado about Nothing

A comedy where Beatrice and Benedict are tricked into falling in love while a villain's slander threatens a wedding.

Shakespeare's Birth

Born in $\text{1564}$ in London, England (baptized April 26 in Stratford-upon-Avon).

Globe Theatre

A theatre founded by Shakespeare's company where only male actors were allowed to perform.

The Renaissance

A period from the $\text{14th}$ to $\text{17th}$ century noted for great learning, art, and inventions like the printing press.

The Elizabethan Age

The reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603) marked by prosperity and religious conflict.

Elizabethan Settlement (1559)

Introduced by Elizabeth I; England remained officially Protestant while retaining some Catholic rituals.

Spanish Armada

Defeated by England in $\text{1588}$, marking the start of Britain's rise as a naval power.

Stratford-upon-Avon

Shakespeare's birthplace and hometown in Warwickshire, England.