Key Concepts from U.S. History Lecture on World War II and the Aftermath

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms and concepts related to U.S. history during World War II and its aftermath.

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

A federal agency established to oversee resource development in the Tennessee Valley, creating jobs and bringing electricity through hydroelectric power.

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

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

Public Works Administration (PWA)

Established in 1933 to fund large-scale public works projects to stimulate the economy and reduce unemployment during the Great Depression.

Dust Bowl

A series of severe dust storms during the 1930s due to drought and poor agricultural practices, devastating crops and leading to migration.

Social Security Act

Legislation that established a system of old-age benefits and unemployment insurance in the United States.

Isolationism

A foreign policy stance where the U.S. avoided involvement in international conflicts and focused on domestic issues after World War I.

Lend-Lease Act

A law passed in 1941 that allowed the U.S. to provide military aid to foreign nations during World War II, circumventing previous neutrality.

Cash and Carry

A provision of the Neutrality Act of 1939 allowing Allied nations to purchase arms from the U.S. if they paid in cash and transported the goods themselves.

Arsenal of Democracy

A term used by President Roosevelt to describe the U.S. role in supplying military resources to Allies during World War II without sending troops.

The Four Freedoms

FDR's vision for a world founded on freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.

Bracero Program

A labor agreement between the U.S. and Mexico that brought Mexican laborers to the U.S. for agricultural work during World War II.

Zoot Suit Riots

Racial conflicts in 1943 where sailors attacked Mexican American youths, highlighting issues of discrimination and civil rights.

Pearl Harbor

A surprise military strike by the Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941.

D-Day

The Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, which marked the turning point in the fight against Nazi Germany.

Holocaust

The systematic genocide of six million Jews and millions of others by Nazi Germany during World War II.

Japanese American Internment

The forced relocation and internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, justified by wartime fears.

Manhattan Project

A top-secret project of the U.S. government during World War II to develop atomic bombs, leading to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Yalta Conference

A meeting in February 1945 between leaders of the U.S., UK, and USSR to discuss post-war reorganization of Europe.

McCarthyism

A period of intense anti-communism in the U.S. during the early 1950s characterized by accusations of communist infiltration.

GI Bill

Legislation providing benefits to World War II veterans, including low-interest home loans and funding for education.