APUSH Spring Final Study Guide

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering major social, political, and economic developments in U.S. History from the mid-$$19^{th}$$ century through World War II.

Homestead Act of $1862$

Legislation with the primary goal of encouraging settlement of western lands by small farmers.

Frederick Jackson Turner

Historian who argued that the frontier shaped American democracy and character.

Safety-valve theory

The suggestion that the availability of western land reduced urban unemployment.

Dawes Act

Policy based on the cultural assumption that private land ownership was superior, designed to assimilate Native Americans.

Ghost Dance

A Native American cultural movement viewed by U.S. officials as a potential threat to federal authority.

Chief Joseph

Nez Perce leader best remembered for surrendering after a long retreat to avoid violence.

Battle of Little Bighorn

Conflict resulting from treaty enforcement failures and the discovery of gold.

Deflation

The economic condition that most harmed western farmers in the late $19^{th}$ century by increasing real debt burdens.

Pacific Railroad Act

Legislation that contributed to westward expansion by connecting western farms to eastern markets.

Dawes Severalty Act

Act that sought to divide reservation land into individual plots.

Oklahoma Land Rush of $1889$

Event that demonstrated the intense demand for western land.

Sand Creek Massacre

An unprovoked attack on Native Americans.

Populist Party

Political group that argued the fruits of toil were stolen to build colossal fortunes and demanded the direct election of senators.

Munn v. Illinois

Supreme Court case that initially supported the Grangers' goal of regulating railroads.

Standard gauge

The adoption of a uniform railroad track width which resulted in greater efficiency in national transportation.

Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC)

The first federal agency to regulate corporations, though its early effectiveness was limited by laissez-faire principles.

Vertical integration

Andrew Carnegie's business strategy of controlling every stage of steel production.

Horizontal integration

John D. Rockefeller's business strategy relying on price undercutting and consolidation of competing companies.

Social Darwinism

The belief that the laws of nature apply to society and business, often used to justify economic inequality.

Gospel of Wealth

Andrew Carnegie's argument that the wealthy had a moral obligation to aid society through philanthropy.

Sherman Antitrust Act ($1890$)

Law intended to limit monopolistic practices but was frequently used to prosecute labor unions.

Yellow-dog contracts

Agreements designed to prevent workers from joining labor unions.

Knights of Labor

Labor organization that differed from the AFL by including both skilled and unskilled workers.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

Labor organization composed primarily of skilled workers focusing on "bread and butter" economic issues.

Credit Mobilier scandal

Corruption case that revealed railroad executives bribed government officials.

Tammany Hall

A political machine in cities that provided services to immigrants in exchange for votes.

Compromise of $1877$

Agreement that resulted in the withdrawal of federal troops from the South and marked the end of Reconstruction.

Plessy v. Ferguson ($1896$)

Supreme Court ruling that endorsed racial segregation.

Grandfather clause

A legal measure used to disfranchise African Americans while protecting poor white voters.

Chinese Exclusion Act ($1882$)

The first federal law to ban a specific ethnic group, reflecting nativist and racial anxieties.

Pendleton Act

Legislation passed after the assassination of James Garfield intended to reduce patronage.

New Immigrants

The group arriving after $1880$ from southern and eastern Europe who faced suspicion due to cultural and religious differences.

Settlement Houses

Community centers like Hull House founded by Jane Addams to address urban poverty and aid immigrants.

Social Gospel

A movement promoting Christian charity and reform that influenced the growth of settlement houses.

Booker T. Washington

Leader who promoted vocational training and gradual progress for African Americans.

W.E.B. Du Bois

Activist who demanded immediate civil and political rights and helped inspire the creation of the NAACP.

Muckrakers

Journalists like Ida Tarbell and Lincoln Steffens who exposed corruption in business and politics.

The Jungle

Novel by Upton Sinclair that led directly to the Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food and Drug Act.

Seventeenth Amendment

Constitutional amendment allowing for the direct election of senators.

Wisconsin Idea

Progressive reform under Robert La Follette emphasizing expert-led state government.

Square Deal

Theodore Roosevelt's policy aimed at balancing the interests of capital, labor, and consumers.

Alfred T. Mahan

Intellectual whose ideas influenced the goal of developing a modern, steel-powered navy.

Teller Amendment

Legislation intended to limit U.S. involvement in Cuba after the Spanish-American War.

Platt Amendment

Provision that limited Cuban sovereignty, differing from the earlier Teller Amendment.

Insular Cases

Supreme Court rulings establishing that constitutional rights did not automatically extend to U.S. territories.

Open Door Policy

U.S. policy seeking to guarantee equal trading rights in China.

Roosevelt Corollary

Expansion of the Monroe Doctrine asserting the U.S. could intervene in Latin America to protect economic interests.

Zimmermann Telegram

Note revealing a German attempt to ally with Mexico against the U.S., contributing to U.S. entry into WWI.

Schenck v. United States

Supreme Court decision establishing that speech creating a "clear and present danger" could be limited.

Treaty of Versailles

The WWI peace treaty that punished Germany with reparations and territorial losses.

Red Scare ($1919$-$1920$)

A response to the fear of communist revolution following the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia.

Immigration Act of $1924$

Legislation that targeted Southern and Eastern Europeans with restrictive quotas.

Welfare capitalism

Business strategy designed to prevent workers from unionizing by offering benefits.

Scopes Trial

Legal conflict that highlighted the tension between science and religious fundamentalism.

Harlem Renaissance

A cultural movement that celebrated African American artistic and intellectual achievements.

Teapot Dome Scandal

Corruption case illustrating the illegal relationships between government officials and business interests.

Rugged individualism

Herbert Hoover's belief in limited government intervention and individual self-reliance.

Three Rs

The core New Deal priorities: Relief, Recovery, and Reform.

FDIC

Agency created to address bank failures and restore depositor confidence.

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

New Deal program providing work-based relief for youth.

Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)

Policy that sought to increase farm prices by reducing agricultural production.

Court-packing plan

FDR's politically controversial attempt to change the Supreme Court to prevent it from striking down New Deal laws.

Good Neighbor Policy

FDR's foreign policy aimed at improving relations with Latin America by reversing the Roosevelt Corollary.

Neutrality Acts

Legislation in the $1930s$ aimed at preventing U.S. entanglement in foreign wars.

Nuremberg Laws ($1935$)

Laws that stripped Jews of their citizenship in Nazi Germany.

Executive Order $9066$

Presidential order that resulted in the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII.

Double V Campaign

Wartime initiative linking victory over fascism abroad with victory over discrimination at home.

Executive Order $8802$

Order that addressed discrimination in defense industries during WWII.