Social Changes (U.S.History)

Malcolm X

civil rights leader and member of the Nation of Islam; assassinated in 1965

Gloria Steinem

a prominent women's rights activist and writer in the 1960s and 1970s; recognized the interconnectedness of various civil rights struggles and worked alongside other activists, including those in the African American civil rights and LGBTQ+ movements

Deng Xiaoping

Leader of the People's Republic of China from 1978-1992

Gilded Age

A term coined by Mark Twain describing 19th century America meaning that it looked good on the surface but was filled with conflict and trouble.

Trickle-Down Economics

Economic theory, believed that focusing on the supply-side and loosening regulations for businesses would allow them to create and invest more, leading them to hire more people and eventually kickstart the economy

Little Rock 9

In 1957, the first black students to enter a public school after de-segregation was ruled the law of the land in Brown v. Topeka Board of Education

Chinese Exclusion Act

Federal legislation passed by Congress in 1882 that banned immigration of any Chinese national to the United States

Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) / Star Wars

Ronald Reagan's attempted anti-missile system that could stop missiles coming from space

Department of Homeland Security

A cabinet-level federal department created in 2002 to streamline the communication of the various federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

The New Deal

A series of policies, public work projects, and financial reforms passed by Franklin D. Roosevelt between 1933 and 1936 in an attempt to stimulate the economy

Father Coughlin

Catholic priest who promoted anti-Semitic and pro-fascist viewpoints via his popular radio program

Browder V. Gayle

ruled that segregation of public buses is unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment

Andrew Carnegie

known as a captain of industry or robber baron; the founder of Carnagie Steel (later U.S. Steel Corporation); made a fortune during the Gilded Age partially due to monopolistic practices and a lack of labor regulations

William Jennings Bryan

populist politician who was the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party in 1896, 1900, and 1908

Ronald Reagan

Elected in 1981, giving a strong boost to the conservative movement

Labor Movement

Began because of a need to protect workers.

Declaration of Rights and Sentiments

Created at the Seneca Falls Convention, detailed social injustices toward women and resolutions to fight for, including the right to vote.

Industrial Revolution

period of rapid growth in using machines for manufacturing and production; began in Great Britain in the mid-1700's

Immigration Act of 1917

Forced literacy tests on immigrants, created new categories of inadmissible persons, and barred immigration from the Asia-Pacific zone.

NAACP

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

Labor Day

A federal holiday passed by Congress in 1894 to celebrate the labor movement and American workers.

Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ)

As a Senator in Texas in the 1950s, he spearheaded the NASA Space program in Houston,Texas. He later became President of the United States after the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963. Architect of the Great Society programs to combat poverty.

Wagner Act

Guaranteed the basic rights of workers to organize into unions, engage in collective bargaining, and strike if necessary; also known as the National Labor Relations Act of 1935.

State-Owned Enterprises

businesses backed and controlled by the Chinese government that exported cheap goods

Al-Qaeda

the terrorist group responsible for funding and orchestrating of the attacks on September 11

John D. Rockefeller

known as a captain of industry or robber baron; the founder of Standard Oil; made a fortune during the Gilded Age partially due to monopolistic practices and a lack of labor regulations

Fair Labor Standards Act

(1938) placed legal limits on hazardous and harmful labor conditions in workplaces

Laissez-Faire

Adam Smith's theory that the government should not interfere in the economy; translates to "let the people do as they choose."

Xenophobia

The intense and irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries.

Knights of Labor

First major labor organization; organized both skilled and unskilled workers; wanted to form a cooperative society in which the laborers owned the industries in which they worked.

The Jungle

Novel by Upton Sinclair; exposed horrors of meatpacking industry; prompted federal regulation of food.

Second Industrial Revolution

the unprecedented increase in economic productivity during the late 1800s. Included large leaps forward in technology with expansion of use of electricity, petroleum, and steel.

Lorraine Hansberry

writer of famous Broadway play A Raisin in the Sun which addressed issues of racial discrimination, housing segregation, and the aspirations of a working-class African American family, bringing these issues into the intellectual discourse of the 1960s.

Lowell Female Labor Reform Association

Main goals were to establish a ten-hour workday and influence the state legislature of Massachusetts to investigate working conditions in factories.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

ensured access to voting for African-Americans, desegregated schools, ensured equal access to public housing, and outlawed discrimination in employment

Bayard Rustin

a close advisor to Martin Luther King Jr.; played a crucial role in organizing some of the most iconic civil rights events, including the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963

Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act

Tariffs passed in 1930 on over 20,000 imported goods with the intention of protecting American jobs, but resulted in decreased international trade

Progressivism

A political movement in the early 1900s focusing on social change or an increase in the power of the US federal government

Nation of Islam

a black nationalist and religious movement that argued for separation between races

Thurgood Marshall

a lawyer and later a Supreme Court Justice who was known for his groundbreaking legal work and advocacy for racial equality in the United States; he successfully argued the case in Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Modern Democratic Party

a party in support of a stronger/larger federal government

Market Economy

An economic system where decisions about production, consumption and investment are guided by the price of goods and services, which are determined by the laws of supply and demand.

War On Terror

U.S. response to the attacks on 9/11. Iraq, Iran, and North Korea were labeled the “Axis of Evil.”

Pentagon

headquarters of the U.S. Dept. of Defense

Osama Bin Laden

leader of al-Qaeda responsible for orchestrating the attacks on September 11

John Lewis

Civil rights activist and long-time politician, Lewis served in the US House of Representatives from 1987 until his death in 2020. He was a prolific activist during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

National Park system

President Theodore Roosevelt doubled the size of the National Park system. He also passed legislation allowing himself and future presidents to declare sites and structures as historical landmarks that would then be owned and protected by the federal government.

Captains of Industry

Men who had profited off of the industries most needed during the war and during the Second Industrial Revolution. (steel, oil, and the railroad)

Panic of 1893

global economic depression that impacted America's economy and politics significantly

Seneca Falls Convention

Held in New York in 1848, this convention is seen as the first organized step in the women’s suffrage movement

Fort Laramie Treaty

(1851) a treaty defining territorial boundaries and establishing a framework for peaceful coexistence between the US and a group of Plains Indians that was violated by the US government many times during the period of westward expansion and Manifest Destiny

Baby Boomers

The generation born following WWII (1940s). This population bubble has had a significant impact on American culture, economy, and politics as the baby boomers have aged. Their concerns became the primary concerns of the nation.

Abby Kelley Foster

Feminist, abolitionist, and speaker. Worked with abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison and was a spokesperson for the Anti-Slavery society and the women's rights movement.

Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890

a compromise in the free silver movement that depleted US gold reserves

16th Amendment

Allows the government to collect taxes on income

American Federation of Labor

Founded by several unions of skilled workers in 1886 who came together to negotiate wages, hours, and working conditions.

American Indian Movement

(AIM) a civil rights movement founded in the late 1960s to improve the quality of life and expand civil rights for Native Americans, including increasing recognition of treaties by the U.S. government, with the ultimate goal being sovereignty for tribes

Rosa Parks

Famous activist for African American rights who refused to give up her seat while riding a bus, which instigated the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

Regulated business practices.

Women's Rights Movement

Focused on women's right to vote, own property, retain their earnings, and participate in labor organizations.

Labor Unions

organized associations of workers formed to collectively negotiate with employers for better wages, benefits, and working conditions, as well as to advocate for the rights and interests of their members

Cesar Chavez

leading advocate for the rights of farm workers; co-founder of the United Farm Workers union in the 1960s; advocate for Mexican-American civil rights.

Black Power Movement

a general term for Black activism that leaned into Black pride, self-reliance, and economic empowerment, differing from the broader Civil Rights Movement, which focused on integration and equal rights

Great Depression

an unprecedented period of worldwide economic downturn that began in Oct. 1929 with the United States stock market crash and ended due to a combination of the New Deal and World War II

Populism

a political viewpoint that focuses on empowering ordinary working people and challenging financial and political elites

Prohibition

nationwide ban on the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages from 1920 to 1933

Black Panther Party

activist party from 1966 to 1982; fully named the Black Panther Party for Self Defence, the Panthers espoused Black nationalism, armed self-defense for Black Americans, and socialism, engaging in community organizing efforts to improve the lives of those in their communities, often appearing in public heavily armed.

The September 11 Attacks (9/11)

A series of four coordinated attacks by al-Qaeda on the United States. Caused the destruction of the World Trade Towers and damage to the Pentagon.

Jane Addams

Created settlement houses in Chicago to serve poor urban immigrant communities.

National Interstate and Defense Highways Act of 1956

established the Interstate Highway System, a massive network of highways throughout the United States

21st Amendment

Repealed the Eighteenth Amendment in 1933 by ending prohibition (Remember with: you need to be 21 to Drink)

Progressive Era

The rapid economic expansion of the Second Industrial Revolution also led to an increase in the difference between the haves and the have-nots, as well as the growth of oligopolies and monopolies

Dust Bowl

A series of extreme droughts and dust storms in the late 1930s. Drove many agricultural migrants from Oklahoma and Texas to California in search of work.

USA Patriot Act

A law passed in 2001 by Congress designed to strengthen security controls in order to prevent future acts of terrorism.

Lucretia Mott

Women's rights advocate; created the Seneca Falls Convention and the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments with Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

Selma To Montgomery March

A 54-mile march led by Martin Luther King, Jr to support the Civil Rights Act and gained national attention when President Lyndon B. Johnson spoke out in support of the march

Montgomery Bus Boycott

1955-1957, Montgomery NAACP staged a two year protest of public buses to fight against segregation until the Supreme Court ruled segregation of city busses unconstitutional

19th Amendment

Ratified in 1920, it gave women the right to vote (known as women's suffrage).

Roe v. Wade

Supreme Court case legalizing abortion nationwide in 1973; overturned by the ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization in 2022, allowing states to issue total abortion bans

Railway Labor Act

A federal law passed in 1926 which didn't allow railroad or airline industries to strike, but allowed bargaining, arbitration, and mediation.

Theodore Roosevelt / Teddy Roosevelt

26th President of the United States; known for his leadership in the Progressive Movement

Pullman Strike

A nationwide railroad strike organized in 1894 by workers of the Pullman company to protest their treatment.

Betty Friedan

feminist and author of The Feminine Mystique

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Women's rights advocate; created the Seneca Falls Convention and the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments with Lucretia Mott.

Urbanization

The process of a society becoming more urban, with growing populations in dense city centers and a move away from rural living

Huey Long

Louisiana populist politician who served as governor and US senator

Modern Republican Party

a party in support of a weaker/smaller federal government

Great Society

A series of domestic programs launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ).

Taft-Hartley Act

Restricted many powers and activities of labor unions; also called the Labor Management Relations Act of 1947.

18th Amendment

Ratified in 1917 and established the prohibition of alcohol. (Remember with: you can't drink at 18) Was repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933

Women's Suffrage

The right of women to vote in political elections.

W.E.B. DuBois

American sociologist, historian, author, and activist. He wrote The Souls of Black Folk and many other novels and essays that were pivotal to the Movement. He was also one of the founders of the NAACP.

Booker T. Washington

Political advisor to several US presidents, Washington was a key figure in African-American civil rights. As an educator, orator, and author, he became a figurehead of the Black elite in America, advocating for social betterment of Black Americans through education.

National Labor Union

Created in 1866, its goal was to improve working conditions through legislative reform instead of through negotiations between workers and employers.

Special Economic Zones

export-oriented industrial bases established in southern China

17th Amendment

Allows the direct election of senators by the citizens of the state

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

Became a national hero for civil rights in the Montgomery Bus Boycott; a reverend with a PhD in systematic theology, his activism employed philosophical ideas of racial equity within society that resonated with many Americans

Pendleton Civil Service Act

Created the Civil Service Commission in 1883 to regulate and limit the use of patronage.

George W. Bush

43rd president of the United States; a Republican, in office during the September 11th Attacks; entered the U.S. into controversial conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan

Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR)

32nd U.S. President serving from 1933-1945. Known for his New Deal to try to fix the Great Depression and leading the US during World War II. Only President to serve more than 2 terms.