WW2

ABC-1 agreement

A military agreement between the United States and Britain to prioritize Germany as the main enemy in World War II.

Executive Order No. 9066

Order issued in 1942 allowing the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

War Production Board (WPB)

Agency that oversaw the production of war supplies during World War II.

Office of Price Administration (OPA)

Agency established during WWII to control prices and inflation.

National War Labor Board (NWLB)

Agency that resolved labor disputes during World War II to prevent strikes.

Smith-Connally Anti-Strike Act

Legislation aimed at preventing labor strikes that would interfere with war production.

WACs (Women’s Army Corps)

Women’s unit of the Army that allowed women to serve in non-combat roles during WWII.

WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service)

Women's branch of the U.S. Navy during World War II.

SPARs (U.S. Coast Guard Women’s Reserve)

Women's reserve unit of the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II.

Bracero program

Labor agreement between the U.S. and Mexico that allowed temporary laborers to work in agriculture.

Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC)

Established to prevent employment discrimination based on race during World War II.

Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)

Civil rights organization founded to address racial injustice in America.

Code talkers

Native American soldiers who used their languages as codes during World War II.

Midway, Battle of

Decisive naval battle in the Pacific in 1942 that turned the tide against Japan.

D-Day

The Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, during World War II.

Bulge, Battle of the

Last major German offensive on the Western Front during World War II in late 1944.

V-E (Victory in Europe) Day

May 8, 1945, the day the Allies officially accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany.

Potsdam conference

Meeting of Allied leaders in July 1945 to discuss post-war order and protocols.

Manhattan Project

U.S. project during World War II to develop the atomic bomb.

V-J (Victory Over Japan) Day

August 15, 1945, the day Japan surrendered, marking the end of World War II.

A. Philip Randolph

Civil rights leader who organized the 1941 march on Washington for jobs and freedom.

Douglas MacArthur

U.S. General who commanded Allied forces in the Pacific during World War II.

Chester W. Nimitz

Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet during World War II.

Dwight D. “Ike” Eisenhower

Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe during WWII.

Harry S. Truman

U.S. President who succeeded Franklin D. Roosevelt and made the decision to use atomic bombs.

Albert Einstein

Theoretical physicist who fled Europe and helped inform the U.S. about nuclear research.

London Economic Conference

1921 meeting of world leaders aimed at addressing global economic instability.

Good Neighbor policy

Franklin D. Roosevelt's foreign policy aimed at strengthening relations with Latin America.

Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act

Legislation that reduced tariffs and fostered trade between the U.S. and other nations.

Rome-Berlin Axis

Alliance formed between Italy and Germany before World War II.

Johnson Debt Default Act

1934 act that prohibited the U.S. from forgiving debts owed by nations defaulting on WWI loans.

Neutrality Acts of 1935, 1936, and 1937

Legislation aimed at keeping the U.S. out of foreign conflicts.

Abraham Lincoln Brigade

Group of American volunteers who fought against fascism in the Spanish Civil War.

Quarantine Speech

FDR's speech in 1937 advocating for the isolation of aggressive nations.

Appeasement

Policy of granting concessions to potential aggressors to maintain peace.

Hitler-Stalin pact

1939 non-aggression treaty between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

Neutrality Act of 1939

Legislation that allowed the sale of arms to belligerent nations on a 'cash-and-carry' basis.

Kristallnacht

Night of Broken Glass; a violent pogrom against Jews in Nazi Germany on November 9-10, 1938.

War Refugee Board

U.S. agency established to help rescue victims of the Holocaust.

America First Committee

Isolationist group that opposed American intervention in WWII.

Lend-Lease Bill

Program that allowed the U.S. to supply Allied nations with aid during World War II.

Atlantic Charter

Joint declaration by the U.S. and Britain outlining goals for the post-war world.

Pearl Harbor

U.S. naval base attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, leading America into WWII.

Benito Mussolini

Italian dictator who founded the Fascist Party and allied with Hitler during WWII.

Adolf Hitler

Leader of Nazi Germany responsible for the Holocaust and instigator of World War II.

Francisco Franco

Spanish military leader who established a fascist dictatorship after the Spanish Civil War.

Cordell Hull

U.S. Secretary of State under FDR who promoted trade agreements.

Wendell L. Willkie

Republican candidate for president against FDR in 1940.

Brain Trust

Group of academic advisors who helped FDR develop his New Deal policies.

New Deal

FDR's series of programs and reforms aimed at recovering from the Great Depression.

Hundred Days

The first hundred days of FDR’s presidency during which many New Deal programs were enacted.

Glass-Steagall Banking Reform Act

Legislation enacted to separate commercial banking from investment banking.

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

New Deal program that provided jobs for young men in environmental conservation.

National Recovery Administration (NRA)

New Deal agency that aimed to stimulate industry by regulating wages and prices.

Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA)

New Deal program that paid farmers to reduce crop production.

Dust Bowl

Severe drought in the 1930s that damaged agriculture in the central U.S.

Indian Reorganization Act of 1934

Legislation aimed at restoring some rights to Native Americans.

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

New Deal agency that built dams and power plants in the Tennessee Valley.

Social Security Act

Legislation that established a system of old-age benefits and unemployment insurance.

Wagner Act

Labor law that protected workers' rights to unionize and bargain collectively.

Fair Labor Standards Act

Legislation that established minimum wage and maximum hours for workers.

Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO)

Labor organization founded to organize workers in mass production industries.

Court-packing plan

FDR's controversial proposal to expand the Supreme Court to include more justices.

Keynesianism

Economic theory advocating for government spending to stimulate the economy.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

32nd President of the United States who implemented the New Deal.

Eleanor Roosevelt

First Lady and civil rights activist known for her work on behalf of human rights.

Harry L. Hopkins

Key advisor to FDR and administrator of many New Deal relief programs.

Father Charles Coughlin

Catholic priest and political commentator known for his populist rhetoric.

Francis E. Townsend

Advocate for old-age pensions who influenced New Deal policies.

Huey P. (“Kingfish”) Long

Louisiana senator known for his radical populist policies during the Great Depression.

John Steinbeck

Author known for his novels about the struggles of the working class, notably 'The Grapes of Wrath.'

Frances Perkins

First female U.S. cabinet member, she served as Secretary of Labor under FDR.

Mary McLeod Bethune

Civil rights leader and educator, founder of the National Council of Negro Women.

Robert F. Wagner

Senator known for supporting labor rights and the Wagner Act.

Scientific Management

Management theory aimed at improving economic efficiency by analyzing workflows.

Fordism

System of mass production attributed to Henry Ford, emphasizing standardized products.

United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA)

African American organization founded by Marcus Garvey that promoted economic independence.

Bolshevik Revolution

1917 uprising in Russia leading to the overthrow of the provisional government.

Red scare

Period of intense fear of communism in the U.S. during the early 20th century.

Criminal syndicalism laws

State laws aimed at limiting radical activities and suppressing labor unions.

American plan

Campaign by business leaders to promote a non-union workplace in the 1920s.

Immigration Act of 1924

Law that established quotas limiting immigration, particularly from southern and eastern Europe.

Indian Citizenship Act of 1924

Legislation granting U.S. citizenship to Native Americans.

Eighteenth Amendment

Constitutional amendment prohibiting the manufacture and sale of alcohol.

Volstead Act

Law enacted to enforce the Eighteenth Amendment, setting the legal definition of intoxicating liquor.

Racketeers

Individuals engaged in illegal business dealings, often associated with organized crime.

Bible Belt

Region in the southern U.S. known for its strong evangelical Christian culture.

Scopes Trial

1925 court case challenging the teaching of evolution in public schools.

Fundamentalism

Religious movement emphasizing strict adherence to sacred texts.

Modernism

Cultural movement embracing change, new ideas, and new forms of expression in art and literature.

‘Lost Generation’

Group of American writers in the 1920s disillusioned by the aftermath of World War I.

Harlem Renaissance

Cultural movement centered in Harlem during the 1920s celebrating African American culture.

Bureau of the Budget

Agency responsible for managing the federal budget in the U.S.

Adkins v. Children’s Hospital

Supreme Court case that invalidated minimum wage laws for women.

Nine-Power Treaty

International agreement affirming China's territorial integrity post-WWI.

Kellogg-Briand Pact

1928 agreement signed by multiple nations condemning war as a means of conflict resolution.

Fordney-McCumber Tariff Law

1922 tariff that raised import duties on many consumer goods.

Teapot Dome scandal

Major political scandal involving the secret leasing of federal oil reserves to private companies.

McNary-Haugen Bill

Proposed legislation to support struggling farmers by raising domestic prices.

Dawes Plan

Plan to help Germany pay reparations after WWI by restructuring its debt.