US History and Political Institutions Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering key historical events, terms, and constitutional amendments in American history and government.

Small government

A political philosophy which advocates for reducing government spending on social programs and government intervention in the economy.

Christian Right (or religious right)

Groups composed of Christian political organizations characterized by fervent support for socially conservative policies such as pro-life and anti-same-sex marriage.

American Dream

A cultural concept presenting the U.S. as a land where anyone can achieve success and upward mobility through hard work, determination, and talent regardless of background.

American Civil War

A four-year war ($1861$-$-65$) fought between the United States and $11$ Southern states that seceded from the Union to preserve slavery.

Radical Reconstruction

The period following the Civil War ($1867$-$-1877$) involving measures like the $14$th and $15$th Amendments to provide equal citizenship rights to former slaves.

Cult of domesticity

A $19$th century ideology designed to limit middle-class American women's sphere of influence to the home and the family.

Pink-collar job

Occupations traditionally dominated by women, specifically in the service, clerical, and administrative sectors such as nursing and teaching.

No taxation without representation

A slogan representing the colonists' refusal to pay taxes levied by the British Parliament because they had no elected representatives there.

Checks and Balances

A system that prevents any single branch of government from becoming dictatorial by allowing each branch to monitor the others.

Legislative Branch (Congress)

The branch that votes on laws, can override a presidential veto, and confirms Supreme Court justices.

Executive Branch (The President)

The branch that enforces laws, can veto bills sent by Congress, and nominates federal judges.

Judicial Branch (The Supreme Court)

The branch that interprets laws and can declare laws or presidential actions unconstitutional through Judicial Review.

City upon a Hill

A concept from John Winthrop in $1630$ stating the Puritan community must be a model of Christian virtue for the rest of the world.

The Frontier (Frederick Jackson Turner)

An $1893$ thesis evaluating the $1890$ census, arguing that moving westward shaped the unique American identity, democracy, and individualism.

The Declaration of Independence ($1776$)

A document drafted mostly by Thomas Jefferson stating all humans have natural rights (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness) that the government must protect.

The Constitution ($1787$)

The document that created the federal system in the United States.

The Bill of Rights ($1791$)

The first $10$ amendments to the Constitution, added to protect individual liberties from a strong central government.

10th Amendment

An amendment addressing Anti-Federalist concerns by giving all powers not listed for the federal government back to the States.

The Alcatraz Proclamation ($1969$)

A satirical text written by Native American activists ("Indians of All Tribes") comparing Alcatraz to reservations to protest historical dispossession.

Brown v. Board of Education ($1954$)

A landmark Supreme Court decision that ruled "separate but equal" facilities are inherently unequal, banning segregation in public schools.

I have a Dream (Martin Luther King Jr., $1963$)

A speech delivered during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom calling for an end to racism and equal civil and economic rights.

Statement of Purpose (NOW - $1966$)

The founding document of the National Organization for Women which protested against the "cult of domesticity" and fought for workplace equality.

Protestant work ethic

The foundational value system of the Puritan colony established by John Winthrop in $1630$.

Manifest Destiny

The $19$th-century belief that the U.S. had a God-given mission to expand across the continent.

13th Amendment

The amendment that officially abolished slavery in $1865$.

14th Amendment

The amendment passed in $1868$ that granted citizenship and equal rights to Afro-Americans.

15th Amendment

The amendment passed in $1870$ that granted Afro-American men the right to vote.

Civil Rights Act ($1964$)

A law that prohibits segregation in all public places.

Voting Rights Act ($1965$)

A law that protects the right to vote for Afro-Americans, particularly in the South.

Federalism

A system where power is shared between the national government and state governments.

Democratic Party

A political party that believes in "big government" and spending money on social programs.

Republican Party

A political party that advocates for a "small government" with fewer taxes and less economic intervention.