AMSCO AP US History Chapter 24 Flashcards

Tennessee Valley Authority TVA

New Deal agency that built dams, provided cheap electricity, and created jobs in the poor Tennessee Valley. It mattered because it proved government planning could modernize entire regions.

Bonus Army

WWI veterans who marched on DC in 1932 demanding early bonus payments. Hoover ordered the army to remove them, which made him look heartless during the depression.

HawleySmoot Tariff

Tariff that raised import taxes to the highest level in US history. Other nations retaliated, killing global trade and worsening the depression.

National Industrial Recovery Act NIRA

Tried to stabilize industry by setting codes for wages, prices, and hours while protecting union rights. It mattered as an early major attempt at economic planning before being ruled unconstitutional.

NRA Codes

Rules created under NIRA that set industry standards to stop wage cuts and overproduction. Important because it showed government directly organizing the economy.

Schechter v US

Supreme Court ruling that struck down the NRA. This mattered because it blocked FDR’s early recovery efforts and pushed him to create new strategies.

GlassSteagall Act

Separated commercial and investment banking to stop risky practices that caused bank failures. It restored public trust and created safer banking.

FDIC

Guaranteed bank deposits so people wouldn’t lose their savings if banks failed. It mattered because it ended destructive bank runs.

Gold Standard Restriction

Ended domestic gold redemption and limited gold use to international trade. This gave the government more control over the money supply.

Securities and Exchange Commission SEC

Regulated the stock market, required audits, and limited speculation. It prevented the reckless trading that led to the 1929 crash.

Agricultural Adjustment Administration AAA

Paid farmers to reduce production to raise prices. It helped farmers short term but was ruled unconstitutional and later replaced.

Dust Bowl

Severe drought and bad farming practices turned the Great Plains into a region of dust storms. It forced mass migration and showed environmental damage from poor farming.

Okies

Farm families from states like Oklahoma who fled to California for work. Their migration showed the desperation caused by the Dust Bowl.

Grapes of Wrath

Steinbeck’s novel describing Dust Bowl suffering. It mattered by documenting real human impacts of the depression.

Civilian Conservation Corps CCC

Employed young men on outdoor conservation projects and sent money to their families. It helped unemployment while improving national parks and forests.

Wagner Act

Guaranteed workers the right to join unions and bargain collectively. It strengthened labor power and permanently changed workplace rights.

National Labor Relations Board NLRB

Agency that enforced the Wagner Act. It mattered for protecting workers from unfair business practices.

Works Progress Administration WPA

The largest New Deal work program that built roads, bridges, airports, and public buildings and also funded artists. It mattered for reducing unemployment and boosting morale.

Eleanor Roosevelt

The most active First Lady who traveled widely and pushed FDR to support minorities and the poor. She brought a humanitarian focus to the New Deal.

Social Security Act

Created a federal program providing pensions for retirees, unemployment aid, and disability support. It mattered because it became the foundation of America’s social safety net.

Court Packing Plan

FDR’s failed attempt to add justices to the Supreme Court so his New Deal laws would survive. It backfired politically but pressured the Court to ease up on blocking reforms.

Roosevelt Recession 1937

A new economic slump caused by reduced government spending and new Social Security taxes. It showed the economy still depended on federal support.

Keynesian Economics

Theory that the government should use deficit spending to boost demand during recessions. It justified New Deal spending and shaped modern economic policy.

AFL

A large labor union of skilled white male workers organized by trade. Its narrow membership pushed unskilled and minority workers to form their own unions.

CIO

Union group formed to organize all workers in mass production industries regardless of skill or race. It expanded labor power and challenged the AFL.

John L Lewis

Leader of the United Mine Workers and head of the CIO. He pushed for stronger industrial unions and expanded worker rights.

Huey Long

Louisiana senator who proposed “Share Our Wealth,” guaranteeing families a basic income funded by taxing the rich. He threatened FDR politically until his assassination.

Share Our Wealth

Huey Long’s plan promising every family $5