Key Terms of Progressive Era and Great Depression

Progressive Reforms

A series of social, political, and economic reforms in the late 19th and early 20th centuries aimed at addressing issues like child labor, women's suffrage, and corrupt politics.

Laissez-faire Capitalism

An economic system where the government minimizes interference, allowing businesses to operate freely according to market forces.

Woodrow Wilson

28th President of the United States, known for leading the nation through World War I and advocating for the League of Nations and progressive domestic policies.

US Neutrality

A policy during the early years of World War I where the U.S. avoided direct involvement in foreign conflicts.

14 Points Speech

Woodrow Wilson's post-WWI plan aimed at ensuring peace, including self-determination for nations and the creation of the League of Nations.

Treaty of Versailles

The 1919 peace treaty that ended WWI, imposing harsh reparations on Germany and establishing new national boundaries.

League of Nations

An international organization created after WWI to promote peace and cooperation, though the U.S. never joined.

Red Scare

A period of intense fear of communism and radical leftist ideas in the U.S., especially after the Russian Revolution.

Harlem Renaissance

A cultural movement during the 1920s where African American art, music, and literature flourished, centered in Harlem, New York.

Great Depression

A severe global economic downturn in the 1930s, marked by mass unemployment, poverty, and financial instability.

FDR (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

32nd President of the United States, who led the country during the Great Depression and WWII, introducing the New Deal.

New Deal

A series of programs and reforms initiated by FDR to provide relief, recovery, and reform during the Great Depression.

Great Migration

The mass movement of African Americans from the rural South to northern cities between 1916 and 1970 for better opportunities.

Theodore Roosevelt

26th President of the United States, known for his progressive policies, trust-busting, and conservation efforts.

Social Gospel

A religious movement that emphasized using Christian ethics to address social issues such as poverty and inequality.

Jane Addams

A social reformer and founder of Hull House, who worked to improve the lives of immigrants and urban poor.

Muckrakers

Journalists and writers in the early 20th century who exposed corruption and societal issues, spurring public demand for reform.

Bull Moose Party

A progressive political party formed by Theodore Roosevelt in 1912 after splitting from the Republican Party.

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

A 1906 novel that exposed unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking industry, leading to public outcry and food safety reforms.

Federal Reserve Act

A 1913 law that created the Federal Reserve System, establishing a central bank to regulate the U.S. economy.

Alice Paul

A suffragist leader who fought for women's voting rights and played a key role in the passage of the 19th Amendment.

19th Amendment

The 1920 constitutional amendment that granted women the right to vote in the United States.

Dollar Diplomacy

A U.S. foreign policy under President Taft that encouraged using economic investment rather than military force to influence other countries.

New Morality

A cultural shift in the 1920s that emphasized personal freedom, modernity, and changing social norms, especially in gender roles.

Scopes "Monkey Trial"

A 1925 court case in Tennessee that debated the teaching of evolution in schools, highlighting tensions between science and religion.

Herbert Hoover

31st President of the United States, often blamed for failing to adequately address the Great Depression.

Buying on the Margin

A practice in the 1920s where investors purchased stocks by paying a fraction of the price upfront, contributing to the stock market crash.

Bonus Army

A group of WWI veterans who protested in Washington, D.C., in 1932, demanding early payment of bonuses promised for their service.