Declaration of Independence
Unalienable rights - rights that cannot be taken away; belief in consent of the governed; other nations recognized U.S. as a country; inspired others to question their governments.
2 Principles of the Constitution
Limits the power of the federal government by separation of powers and checks and balances.
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These flashcards cover important vocabulary and concepts from U.S. history, including major events, legislative acts, and cultural movements.
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Declaration of Independence
Unalienable rights - rights that cannot be taken away; belief in consent of the governed; other nations recognized U.S. as a country; inspired others to question their governments.
2 Principles of the Constitution
Limits the power of the federal government by separation of powers and checks and balances.
1st Amendment
Freedom of religion, assembly, petition, press, speech.
5th Amendment
People accused of crimes must be read their rights (Miranda v. Arizona); eminent domain.
Alexis de Tocqueville
Wrote 'Democracy in America': liberty, egalitarianism, individualism, populism, and laissez-faire.
E Pluribus Unum
'Out of many, one'; colonies were different yet came together to form one country.
Civic responsibilities
Voting in elections, serving on a jury, staying informed on government issues.
Gilded Age
Period where America grew in wealth; businesses became wealthy; corrupt government officials supported business-first policies.
Electricity
Made manufacturing more efficient; light bulb led to more hours of work, increasing production.
Railroads
Provided farmers access to distant markets and allowed Americans to settle the West; Bessemer steel provided stronger and cheaper materials to build.
Monopolies
Total control of an industry by one company; laws were passed to stop and protect consumer prices.
Andrew Carnegie
Philanthropist; improved society by donating to education and the arts.
Labor unions
Fought for better pay, improved working conditions, and the end of child labor; resulted in increased federal involvement.
Urbanization
Rapid industrialization led people to move to cities for employment; caused sanitation problems; taller buildings built due to cheaper steel.
Political corruption
Government officials took bribes; political machines promised infrastructure and jobs in exchange for votes.
Immigrants
Moved to U.S. for better economic opportunities; some worked in factories, others farmed; forced to assimilate.
Nativists
Wanted restrictions on immigration; encouraged assimilation; viewed immigrants as competition for jobs.
Chinese Exclusion Act
Passed to prevent immigrants from taking jobs from settlers out West.
Homestead Act
Resulted in farmers settling the Great Plains.
Dawes Act
Intended to assimilate Native Americans into American culture; divided tribal land into farm plots.
Progressive Era
Americans passed laws to improve society.
Populist Party Platform
Coined silver to increase money in circulation, graduated income tax, regulated railroad shipping charges.
Upton Sinclair
Wrote 'The Jungle'; resulted in government regulation of food products.
Jane Addams
Started the settlement house movement to help assimilate immigrants.
W. E. B. DuBois
Founded NAACP, a civil rights group that fought for the legal rights of African Americans.
State reforms
Initiative, referendum, recall; increased participation in democracy; made elected officials accountable.
Pure Food and Drug Act
(FDA) Government policies protecting consumers; resulted from Muckrakers, like Upton Sinclair.
National Park Service
Created by Roosevelt to conserve land.
19th Amendment
Allowed women's suffrage, giving women the right to vote.
Prohibition
Supported by women; established by the 18th Amendment, prohibiting the sale and consumption of alcohol; aimed to decrease crime and health problems, but resulted in increased crime and speakeasies.
Causes of Spanish-American War
Cuban Revolution, sinking of USS Maine.
Effects of Spanish-American War
Established America as a world power.
Reasons for expansionism
To gain access to natural resources and overseas markets; expansion of trade.
Alfred Thayer Mahan
Advocated for overseas expansion by growing naval power.
Hawaii
Forced annexation by the U.S.; supported by S.B. Dole; along with Guam, provided a military presence in the Pacific.
Puerto Rico
Territory gained after the Spanish-American War.
Panama Canal
U.S. saw a need for its creation during the Spanish-American War; obtained land through Roosevelt's 'Big Stick' policy; allowed more efficient travel for the navy and businesses.
Big Stick Policy
Roosevelt Corollary to Monroe Doctrine; U.S. would defend the Western Hemisphere from European intervention.
Causes of WWI
Rise of militarism, assassination of Franz Ferdinand, sinking of the Lusitania.
Trench warfare
Fighting in trenches with machine guns; led to stalemate; tanks and poison gas used to attempt to break the stalemate.
Zimmermann Telegram
Germany attempted to ally with Mexico; resulted in U.S. abandoning neutrality.
Unrestricted submarine warfare
Germans attacked U.S. merchant ships; led to U.S. declaring war on Germany.
American Expeditionary Force (AEF)
Led by John F. Pershing; trained soldiers for a major counterattack on the Western Front.
Espionage Act
Limited Americans' freedom of speech.
Wilson's Fourteen Points
Proposed to prevent further conflicts; included the League of Nations, freedom of the seas, and Poland as an independent nation.
Roaring '20s
Period of economic prosperity for many Americans.
Teapot Dome Scandal
Bribery scandal during Harding's term; reduced public confidence in the federal government.
Mass-manufacturing
Efficient production processes made goods affordable, notably automobiles and household items; pioneered by Henry Ford.
Flappers
Women in the Roaring '20s who challenged traditional roles and social norms, characterized by unique fashion.
Great Migration
Limited economic opportunities and discrimination in the South led to African Americans migrating north for jobs.
Harlem Renaissance
Cultural movement highlighting African American artists, gospel music, and jazz; influenced the civil rights movement.
Overspeculation
When a stock's market value exceeds its intrinsic value; limited government regulation contributed to the Great Depression.
Great Depression
Decline in demand for goods due to business failures, high unemployment, and resulting homelessness.
Dust Bowl
Environmental disaster caused by drought and poor farming practices.
New Deal
Federal government initiative to enhance welfare and protect the economy; aimed at providing jobs and relief.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
Government-backed insurance for bank deposits to protect citizens' savings.
Social Security Act
Established government benefits for the elderly, disabled, and retired, increasing government responsibilities.
Unconstitutional programs
Supreme Court invalidated some New Deal programs under the 10th Amendment, citing infringement on states' rights.
Roosevelt's court packing plan
Proposal to increase the number of Supreme Court justices; met with public disapproval for increasing presidential power.
22nd Amendment
Limited a president to two terms; passed in response to FDR serving four terms
Pearl Harbor
Japanese retaliation for a trade embargo; resulted in U.S. entering WWII.
Justification for war
Economic and political interdependence of nations; stop spread of totalitarian governments.
Victory gardens
Support war effort by increasing food supply.
Women during WWII
Took on new roles to support war effort; joined nurse cadets and worked in factories to keep up production.
Japanese American internment camps
Violated liberties of Japanese American citizens provided in the 14th Amendment.
Tuskegee Airmen
African American military pilots; overcame discrimination to serve; encouraged integration of armed forces.
Navajo Code Talkers
Transmitted secret military information.
Vernon Baker
African American veteran of WWII; received Medal of Honor.
The Holocaust
Nazi attempt at the genocide of Jewish people; caused many Jews to migrate to America.
Atomic bomb
A new strategic weapon developed at Los Alamos, New Mexico; used to quickly end WWII; Japan surrendered after bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki; resulted in arms race with Soviets.
Berlin Airlift
U.S. flew planes over the Soviet blockade of Berlin to get supplies to West Berlin without military conflict.
Marshall Plan
U.S. provided financial assistance to Western European countries to rebuild after WWII.
Korean War
U.N. and U.S. sent troops to Korea to contain the spread of communism after North Korea invaded South Korea.
Arms race
U.S. and Soviets promoted science and technology as both attempted to develop nuclear arsenals.
Sputnik
U.S.S.R. satellite; caused U.S. to invest money in space, science, technology, and weapons programs.
House Un-American Activities Committee
(HUAC) Looked into individuals in Hollywood who were suspected of being communists.
McCarthyism
Red Scare movement led by Senator Joseph McCarthy; arrested people suspected of being communists.
Suburbs
Created after WWII; result of baby boom and increased demand for housing.
G.I. Bill
Servicemen's Readjustment Act; government paid for education of military veterans to assist their return to civilian life.
Economic prosperity post-WWII
Resulted in consumer spending; expanded the middle class.
Vaccines
Limited the spread of infectious diseases; Jonas Salk created to stop polio.
Brown v. Board of Education
Required desegregation of schools; NAACP's Thurgood Marshall helped argue case; overturned legal segregation created by Plessy v. Ferguson.
Rosa Parks
Fought segregation through civil disobedience; bus sit-in led to year-long bus boycotts and inspired others.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Important leader of the civil rights movement; believed in civil disobedience instead of violence.
Black Panthers
Civil rights group that used armed resistance to protest and to defend themselves; founded by Huey Newton.
Little Rock, Arkansas
Governor Orval Faubus challenged the power of the federal government to desegregate schools; President Eisenhower sent troops to enforce ruling.
March on Washington
Non-violent protest aimed to improve political rights and economic opportunities for minorities; resulted in new legislation.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Ended segregation and required equal treatment of minorities in the workplace.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Government agencies could no longer discriminate in their employment practices.
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Ended poll taxes and literacy tests set up by Jim Crow laws; supported 15th Amendment - African American men could vote; resulted in increased voting by minorities
Cuban Missile Crisis
Kennedy ordered a naval blockade of Cuba to prevent shipment of Soviet nuclear missiles.
Medicare Act of 1965
Provided health care for people 65 and older.
Housing and Urban Development Act
(HUD) Part of the Great Society; aimed to provide the poor with affordable housing and alleviate poverty.
Chicano Workers Movement
Led by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta; fought to improve working conditions for migrant workers.
Chicano Mural Movement
Built Hispanic cultural pride.
Countercultural Movement
Youth had distinct fashion and culture; often used rock and roll (Woodstock) to protest government policies.
Vietnam War
Belief in 'domino theory' led to U.S. intervention; hoped to stop the spread of communism (containment).
Tonkin Resolution
Allowed a president to take military action without a declaration of war from Congress.
26th Amendment
Decreased voting age to 18; citizens believed if old enough to be drafted into war, then should have right to vote.
Anti-war movement
As more troops were sent to Vietnam and the media reported setbacks, the U.S. was viewed as the aggressor; people protested at mass demonstrations; violence erupted at Kent State.