11 Grade US History Final

Great Depression Terms

Speculation

Buying stocks with the hope prices would keep rising. Excessive speculation helped create the stock market crash of 1929.

Deregulation

The government placed few restrictions on banks and businesses during the 1920s. This allowed risky financial practices that contributed to the Depression.

Credit/Installment Purchasing

People bought goods by making small payments over time. When the economy collapsed, many could not repay their debts.

Bank Crisis

Thousands of banks failed after people rushed to withdraw their savings. Bank failures wiped out savings and reduced lending.

Era of Republicans (Roaring Twenties)

Republican presidents favored low taxes and limited government involvement in the economy. The decade saw economic growth but also growing financial weaknesses.

Hooverville

Shantytowns built by homeless Americans during the Depression. They were named after President Hoover, whom many blamed for the crisis.

Dust Bowl

Severe drought and poor farming practices created massive dust storms in the Great Plains. Many farmers lost their land and migrated west.

New Deal Terms

Reform, Relief, Recovery

The three goals of the New Deal. Relief helped people immediately, Recovery revived the economy, and Reform aimed to prevent future depressions.

Criticism of the New Deal

Some believed it gave the government too much power, while others thought it did not do enough to help the poor.

Expansion of Government Power

The New Deal greatly increased the federal government's role in the economy and citizens' lives.

FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation)

Insures bank deposits to protect people's savings. It restored confidence in banks after the Depression.

SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission)

Regulates the stock market and prevents fraud. It was created after the stock market crash.

Social Security

Provides retirement pensions and assistance to certain groups. It became one of the most lasting New Deal programs.

World War II Terms

Neutrality Acts

Laws designed to keep the United States out of foreign wars during the 1930s.

Appeasement

European policy of giving in to Hitler's demands to avoid war. It failed to stop German aggression.

Poland

Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939 triggered the start of World War II in Europe.

Pearl Harbor

Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base in Hawaii on December 7, 1941. It led the United States to enter World War II.

Day of Infamy

Phrase used by President Roosevelt to describe the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Lend-Lease Act

Allowed the U.S. to provide military aid to Allied nations before officially entering the war.

War at Home

Americans rationed goods, bought war bonds, and worked in factories to support the war effort.

Wartime Economic Boom

War production ended much of the unemployment caused by the Great Depression.

Japanese Internment (Executive Order 9066)

Forced relocation of Japanese Americans to internment camps. It is widely viewed as a violation of civil liberties.

Dr. Seuss Goes to War

Dr. Seuss created political cartoons supporting the war effort and criticizing fascism.

Opportunities for Minorities and Women

Labor shortages opened new jobs in factories and defense industries to groups often excluded before the war.

Double V Campaign

African Americans called for victory against fascism abroad and racism at home.

Executive Order 8802

Banned discrimination in defense industry jobs and federal employment.

Operation Torch

Allied invasion of North Africa in 1942.

Operation Avalanche

Allied invasion of mainland Italy in 1943.

Operation Overlord (D-Day)

Massive Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France in 1944.

Island Hopping Campaign

U.S. strategy of capturing key Pacific islands while bypassing heavily defended ones.

Manhattan Project

Secret U.S. program that developed the atomic bomb.

Little Boy

Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.

Fat Man

Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.

Early Cold War Terms

World Bank

International organization created after WWII to help rebuild economies and reduce poverty.

United Nations (UN)

International organization formed to promote peace and cooperation among nations.

FDR's Four Freedoms

Freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.

Nuremberg Trials

Trials of major Nazi leaders for war crimes after WWII.

Tokyo Trials

Trials of Japanese military and political leaders after WWII.

GI Bill of Rights

Provided education, housing loans, and benefits to returning veterans.

Iron Curtain

Term describing the division between Communist Eastern Europe and democratic Western Europe.

Truman Doctrine

U.S. policy of helping countries resist communism.

Containment Policy

Strategy aimed at preventing the spread of communism.

Marshall Plan

U.S. program that provided economic aid to rebuild Western Europe.

NATO

Military alliance between the United States, Canada, and Western European nations.

Warsaw Pact

Military alliance of the Soviet Union and its Eastern European allies.

Korean War

Conflict between Communist North Korea and South Korea, supported by the United States and UN.

Ivy Mike

First successful U.S. hydrogen bomb test in 1952.

MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction)

The idea that nuclear war would destroy both sides, discouraging direct conflict.

Brinksmanship

Practice of pushing conflicts to the edge of war to gain advantages.

HUAC

Congressional committee that investigated suspected communist activities.

Blacklist

Unofficial list preventing suspected communists from getting jobs, especially in entertainment.

Rosenberg Trial

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of spying for the Soviet Union and executed.

McCarthyism

Senator Joseph McCarthy's campaign accusing many Americans of communist ties with little evidence.

1950s & Civil Rights Terms

Truman's Fair Deal

Program proposing expanded social welfare, civil rights, and economic reforms.

Modern Republicanism

Eisenhower's approach that accepted some New Deal programs while promoting limited government growth.

Military-Industrial Complex

The close relationship between the military, government, and defense industries; Eisenhower warned it could become too powerful.

Age of Affluence

Period of economic prosperity and rising living standards in the 1950s.

Baby Boom

Large increase in birth rates after WWII.

Consumer Culture

Americans increasingly bought cars, appliances, and other goods.

Levittown and the Suburb

Mass-produced suburban housing that symbolized postwar suburban growth.

Car Culture & Interstate Highway System

Growth of automobile use and highways transformed travel, business, and suburban life.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Supreme Court case that legalized segregation through "separate but equal."

De Facto Segregation

Segregation caused by social and economic conditions rather than laws.

De Jure Segregation

Segregation required by law.

Executive Order 9981

Truman's order ending segregation in the U.S. military.

Brown v. Board of Education

Supreme Court case that declared school segregation unconstitutional.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Protest against bus segregation that launched Martin Luther King Jr. into national leadership.

Little Rock Nine

Nine African American students who integrated an Arkansas high school under federal protection.

James Meredith (Ole Miss)

First African American student admitted to the University of Mississippi despite violent opposition.

Greensboro Sit-ins

Student protests challenging segregated lunch counters.

SNCC

Student-led civil rights organization known for direct action and voter registration drives.

Freedom Rides

Activists rode interstate buses to challenge segregation.

Birmingham Campaign

Civil rights protests that exposed violent segregationist responses and gained national attention.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Civil rights leader who promoted nonviolent protest and equality.

Malcolm X

Civil rights leader who emphasized Black pride, self-defense, and empowerment.

March on Washington

1963 civil rights rally where MLK delivered the "I Have a Dream" speech.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Protected African Americans' right to vote by eliminating discriminatory practices.

Black Power

Movement emphasizing racial pride, self-determination, and political power.

Watts Riots

1965 uprising in Los Angeles fueled by racial tensions, after a black man was arrested for “being drunk while driving”, and economic inequality.

Nation of Islam

Black nationalist religious movement that influenced leaders like Malcolm X.

Black Panther Party

Organization advocating Black self-defense and community programs.

Affirmative Action

Policies designed to increase opportunities for historically disadvantaged groups.

New Frontier

Kennedy's program promoting economic growth, civil rights, and space exploration.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

Failed U.S.-backed attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro in Cuba.

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 confrontation over Soviet missiles in Cuba that nearly led to nuclear war.

Berlin Wall

Barrier built by East Germany to prevent people from fleeing to West Berlin.

Peace Corps

Program sending American volunteers abroad to assist developing countries.

War on Poverty

Johnson's effort to reduce poverty through federal programs.

Great Society

LBJ's program focused on civil rights, education, healthcare, and poverty reduction.

Counterculture

Youth movement that rejected traditional values and challenged authority.

Free Speech Movement

Student movement demanding greater political expression on college campuses.

Hippies

Counterculture group promoting peace, personal freedom, and alternative lifestyles.

Generation Gap

Differences in beliefs and values between younger and older generations.

French Indochina War

Conflict in which Vietnam fought to gain independence from France.