USH Semester 2 Final SG

Energy Crisis

oil ran low = gas lines, high prices, angry people.

Three Mile Island

nuclear plant almost melted down.

Love Canal

toxic waste made people sick = environmental disaster.

SALT II

second nuke deal with Soviets. Signed but never passed.

Camp David Accords

Carter got Egypt + Israel to be friends

1980 Olympics Boycott

U.S. skipped the Olympics because the USSR invaded Afghanistan.

Iranian Hostage Crisis –

Iran held 52 Americans hostage for over a year. Carter couldn’t get them out.

New Right

conservatives who wanted “family values,” less government, more religion in public life.

The Great Communicator

Reagan’s nickname ’cause he was charming and good at speeches.

Reaganomics / Supply Side Economics

cut taxes for the rich + businesses, hoping money would “trickle down.”

Deregulation

Reagan removed rules on businesses to help them grow.

SCOTUS appointments

he picked conservative judges to shift the court right.

Immigration

he gave amnesty to millions of undocumented immigrants (surprise twist!).

Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars)

laser weapons in space to shoot down enemy nukes (sounded cool, didn’t work).

Reagan Doctrine

help ANY group fighting communism. Even shady ones.

Grenada

U.S. invaded to stop a communist takeover.

Lebanon

sent troops; a bombing killed 241 Marines.

Iran-Contra

sold weapons to Iran (secretly) and used the money to help rebels in Nicaragua = totally illegal.

INF Treaty

signed with Gorbachev to reduce nukes.

New World Order

U.S. becomes the world’s #1 superpower after Cold War ends.

Persian Gulf War

U.S. led a war to push Saddam out of Kuwait. Quick W.

Contract with America

Republican plan to shrink gov’t and get tough on crime.

Reforming welfare

made welfare stricter and time-limited.

Brady Bill

background checks for gun buyers.

NAFTA

free trade deal with Mexico and Canada.

Don’t Ask Don’t Tell

LGBTQ+ could serve in military but had to hide it.

SCOTUS appointments

he picked more moderate/liberal justices.

Bush v. Gore

2000 election was so close it went to the Supreme Court. Bush won.

Pacifist

someone who’s like “violence? ew, no thanks.”

Neutrality Acts

U.S. laws to stay OUT of foreign wars (isolationist era).

Roosevelt

FDR’s like, “We gotta help, but we gotta be sneaky about it."

Cash and Carry

we sell weapons to Allies IF they pay cash and pick them up themselves. No delivery!

Lend-Lease

now we’re just straight

"Arsenal for Democracy"

FDR calls the U.S. the supplier of freedom—we make the war goods so others can fight.

Atlantic Charter

war world: no more Nazi nonsense. U.S. + Britain’s vision for post

Embargo (Japan)

U.S. cuts off oil & supplies to Japan = they’re BIG mad = Pearl Harbor incoming.

OWI (Office of War Information)

created the propaganda & hyped up support for war.

Executive Order 9066

the actual law that allowed internment.

A. Philip Randolph

fought against racism in military jobs → helped push civil rights.

Bracero Program

brought in Mexican workers to help on U.S. farms during labor shortages.

War Refugee Board

helped save Jewish people from the Holocaust. (Not enough, but something.)

Operation Torch

invasion of North Africa to fight Axis there.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

U.S. general in charge of Allied forces in Europe.

Erwin Rommel

Nazi Germany’s best tank dude (a.k.a. the Desert Fox).

El Alamein

huge Allied win in Egypt against Rommel.

Stalingrad

USSR beats Germany = turning point in Europe!

Blitzkrieg

“lightning war” tactic: fast, destructive attacks by Germany.

Wolf pack

German U-boats hunting in groups to destroy Allied ships.

442nd

Japanese-American unit that was the most decorated in U.S. military history

Italian Campaign

Allies fought through Italy, which slowed but weakened the Axis.

D-Day

June 6, 1944, Allied invasion of Nazi

Battle of the Bulge

last major Nazi attack. Allies win, but it’s BRUTAL.

George S. Patton

fearless U.S. tank general. Loud. Intense. Effective.

Battle of Midway

HUGE U.S. win. We stop Japan’s advance for good.

Douglas MacArthur

U.S. Pacific general. Promised to return to the Philippines. (And did.)

Bataan Death March

American & Filipino POWs forced to march, many died = horrifying.

James Doolittle

led surprise bombing raid on Tokyo = moral boost

Chester Nimitz

U.S. Navy admiral; key to winning the Pacific battles.

Code Talkers

Navajo Native Americans who used their language to send unbreakable codes.

Kamikaze

Japanese pilots on suicide missions to crash into Allied ships.

Battle of Iwo Jima

bloody win for the U.S.; iconic flag raising happened here 🇺🇸

Battle of Okinawa

final battle before invading Japan; tons of casualties.

George C. Marshall

helped organize U.S. military strategy; later planned Europe's recovery.

Yalta Conference

Big Three decide how to handle post-war Europe (spoiler: tension with USSR starts here).

Potsdam Conference

final warning to Japan: surrender or face “utter destruction.”

V-E Day

“Victory in Europe” – May 8, 1945. Germany surrenders!

Enola Gay

plane that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

V-J Day

“Victory over Japan” – Sept. 2, 1945 = WWII officially over!