APUSH Unit 7: Period 7 (1890-1945)

The Great Depression

The deepest and longest-lasting economic downturn in the history of the Western industrialized world. In the United States, this began soon after the stock market crash of October 1929, which sent Wall Street into a panic and wiped out millions of investors.

Progressive Era

A period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States, from the 1890s to 1920s.

Prohibition

A nationwide constitutional ban with the 18th Amendment on the production, importation, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages that remained in place from 1920 to 1933.

Women's suffrage

The women's right to vote, granted by the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1920).

preservationists

Those who attempt to maintain in their present condition areas of the Earth that are so far untouched by humans.

conservationists

Those who advocate for the sustainable use and management of natural resources including wildlife, water, air, and earth deposits, both -- renewable and non-renewable.

Welfare State

A system whereby the government undertakes to protect the health and well-being of its citizens, especially those in financial or social need, by means of grants, pensions, and other benefits. The foundations for the modern welfare state in the US were laid by the New Deal programs of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Liberalism

A viewpoint or ideology associated with free political institutions and religious toleration, as well as support for a strong role of government in regulating capitalism and constructing the welfare state.

mass media

Diversified mediatechnologies that are intended to reach a large audience by mass communication.

The Great Migration

The movement of 6 million African-Americans out of the rural Southern United States to the urban Northeast, Midwest, and West that occurred between 1910 and 1970.

imperialism

A policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.

isolationism

A category of foreign policies institutionalized by leaders who asserted that their nations' best interests were best served by keeping the affairs of other countries at a distance.

U.S. tried to follow this advice of President Washington.

Spanish-American War

A conflict fought between Spain and the United States in 1898. Hostilities began in the aftermath of sinking of the USS Maine in Havana harbor leading to American intervention in the Cuban War of Independence.

Treaty of Versailles

One of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. Signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

League of Nations

An intergovernmental peace-keeping organization founded on 10 January 1920 as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It lacked an armed force to enforce policy and was not joined by the United States.

fascism

An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization.

totalitarianism

A political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible.

Axis Powers

Germany, Italy, and Japan, which were allied before and during World War II.

Allied Powers

U.S., Britain, France, which were allied before and during World War II.

Nazi Concentration Camp

A guarded compound for the detention or imprisonment of aliens, members of ethnic minorities, political opponents. Primarily Jewish Europeans during WWII.

Holocaust

A genocide in which Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany and its collaborators killed about six million Jews and members from other fringe social groups during World War II.

Internment of Japanese Americans

Forced relocation and incarceration in camps in the interior of the U.S. of between 110,000 and 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry who had lived on the Pacific coast.

Pacific "Island Hopping"

A military strategy employed by the Allies in the Pacific War against Japan and the Axis powers during World War II. The idea was to bypass heavily fortified Japanese positions and instead concentrate the limited Allied resources on strategically important islands that were not well defended but capable of supporting the drive to the main islands of Japan.

atomic bomb

A "fission" bomb dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima at the end of World War II.

americanization

The process of assimilating American character, manners, ideals, and culture.

sphere of influence

The territory of weaker states where a powerful state exercises the dominant control.

partition

In politics, the act of dividing a weaker territory or government among several more powerful states.

banana republic

A disparaging term for the small nations of Central America, with particular reference to their political instability and poor, single-crop economies.

progressive

In politics, one who believes in continuing progress, improvement, or reform.

direct primary

In politics, the nomination of a party's candidates for office through a special election of that party's voters.

initiative

In politics, the procedure whereby voters can, through petition, present proposed legislation directly to the electorate.

referendum

The submission of a law, proposed or already in effect, to a direct vote of the electorate.

recall

In politics, a procedure for removing an official from office through popular election or other means.

self-determination

In politics, the right of a people (usually based on ethnicity) to shape its own national identity and form a government, without outside coercion of influence.

graduated income tax

A tax on income in which the taxation rates are progressively higher for those whit higher income.

enclave

A small territory surrounded by foreign or hostile territory. Enclaves were common among newly-arrived immigrant groups (e.g. "Chinatown" in San Francisco).

Northern Securities Co. v. U. S. (1904)

Re-established the authority of the federal government to fight monopolies under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

Muller v. Oregon (1908)

First case to use the "Brandeis brief"; recognized a 10-hour work day for women laundry workers on the grounds of health and community concerns.

Schenck v. U. S. (1919)

Unanimously upheld the Espionage Act of 1917 which declared that people who interfered with the war effort were subject to imprisonment; declared that the 1st Amendment right to freedom of speech was not absolute; free speech could be limited if its exercise presented a "clear and present danger."

Korematsu v. U. S. (1941)

The court upheld the constitutionality of detention camps for Japanese-Americans during World War 2.

Open Door Policy

The policy that China should be open to trade with all of the major powers, and that all, including the United States, should have equal right to trade there. This was the official American position toward China as announced by Secretary of State John Hay in 1899.

socialism

An economic and governmental system based on public ownership of the means of production and exchange.

Eugene Debs

Prominent socialist leader (and five time presidential candidate) who founded the American Railroad Union and led the 1894 Pullman Strike

Roosevelt Corollary

Roosevelt's 1904 extension of the Monroe Doctrine, stating that the United States has the right to protect its economic interests in South And Central America by using military force.

Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)

Founded in 1905, this radical union, also known as the Wobblies aimed to unite the American working class into one union to promote labor's interests. It worked to organize unskilled and foreign-born laborers, advocated social revolution, and led several major strikes. Stressed solidarity.

Pure Food and Drug Act

Forbade the manufacture or sale of mislabeled or adulterated food or drugs, it gave the government broad powers to ensure the safety and efficacy of drugs in order to abolish the "patent" drug trade. Still in existence as the FDA.

Teddy Roosevelt

Twenty-sixth president of the United States; he focused his efforts on trust busting, environment conservation, and strong foreign policy.

Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

March 1911 fire in New York factory that trapped young women workers inside locked exit doors; nearly 50 ended up jumping to their death; while 100 died inside the factory; led to the establishment of many factory reforms, including increasing safety precautions for workers

segregation

Separation of people based on racial, ethnic, or other differences. Common in the South after the Civil War through the 1960s.

Harlem Renaissance

Black literary and artistic movement centered in Harlem that lasted from the 1920s into the early 1930s that both celebrated and lamented black life in America; Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston were two famous writers of this movement.

Fourteen Points

The war aims outlined by President Wilson in 1918, which he believed would promote lasting peace; called for self-determination, freedom of the seas, free trade, end to secret agreements, reduction of arms and a league of nations.

Red Scare

A social/political movement designed to prevent a socialist/communist/radical movement in this country by finding "radicals," incarcerating them, deporting them, and subverting their activities. Periods of it occurred after both World Wars in the United States. The Palmer Raids were conducted to deport suspected Communists. It ended by 1920. It would resurface again after WWII

Sedition Act

A law passed by Congress in 1918 (during World War I) to make it illegal to say anything disloyal, profane, or abusive about the government or the war effort in WWI. Seen as a military necessity by some for effectively fighting in WWI.

Emergency Quota Act

A government legislation that limited the number of immigrants from Europe which was set at 3% of the nationality currently in the U.S. It greatly limited the number of immigrants who could move to the U.S. And it reflected the isolationist and anti-foreign feeling in America as well as the departure from traditional American ideals.

Scopes Trial

Also known as the Scopes Monkey Trial;

1925 court case argued by Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan in which the issue of teaching evolution in public schools was debated. Highlighted the growing divide between rural (more conservative) and urban (more liberal) interests in the United States.

Sacco and Vanzetti Trial

Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were Italian immigrants charged with murdering a guard and robbing a shoe factory in Braintree, Massachusetts. The trial lasted from 1920-1927. Convicted on circumstantial evidence; many believed they had been framed for the crime because of their anarchist and pro-union activities.

Kellog-Briand Pact

Idealistic agreement signed in 1928 in which nations agreed not to pose the threat of war against one another.

Herbert Hoover

Republican president at the outset of the Great Depression. As a Republican, he believed that the federal government should not interfere in economic problems; the severity of the Great Depression forced his hand to provide some federal assistance to those in need, but he mostly left these efforts to the states.

Smoot-Hawley Tariff

One of Herbert Hoover's earliest efforts to protect the nation's farmers following the onset of the Great Depression. Tariff raised rates to an all-time high.

Platt Amendment

This amendment to the new Cuban constitution authorized U.S. intervention in Cuba to protect its interests. Cuba pledged not to make treatis with other countries that might compromise its independence, and it granted naval bases to the United States, most notable being Guantanamo Bay.

Indian Reorganization Act

Government legislation that allowed the Indians a form of self-government and thus willingly shrank the authority of the U.S. government. It provided the Indians direct ownership of their land, credit, a constitution, and a charter in which Indians could manage their own affairs.

Zoot Suit Riots

A series of riots in 1944 during World War II that broke out in Los Angeles, California, between Anglo American sailors and Marines stationed in the city, and Latino youths, who were recognizable by the zoot suits they favored.

Yalta Conference

FDR, Churchill and Stalin met at Yalta. Russia agreed to declare war on Japan after the surrender of Germany and in return FDR and Churchill promised the USSR concession in Manchuria and the territories that it had lost in the Russo-Japanese War.

William Jennings Bryan

United States lawyer and politician who advocated free silver and prosecuted John Scopes (1925) for teaching evolution in a Tennessee high school (1860-1925).

Woodrow Wilson

(1856-1924) President of the United States (1913-1921) and the leading figure at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. He was unable to persuade the U.S. Congress to ratify the Treaty of Versailles or join the League of Nations.

United Nations

An international organization formed after WWII to promote international peace, security, and cooperation.

communism

A political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.

Bolshevik Revolution

The overthrow of Russia's Provisional Government in the fall of 1917 by Lenin and his Bolshevik forces, made possible by the government's continuing defeat in the war, its failure to bring political reform, and a further decline in the conditions of everyday life.

Muckrakers

used in the Progressive Era to characterize reform-minded American journalists who attacked established institutions and leaders as corrupt. They typically had large audiences in some popular magazines

Populist Party

This was also known as the People's party or the Farmers' party. It was a political group that gained much support from farmers who turned to them to fight political unfairness. They used a progressive platform. James B. Weaver ran as their presidential candidate in 1892. They had an impressive voter turnout.

Social Darwinism

The belief that only the fittest survive in human political and economic struggle. A belief held by many that stated that the rich were rich and the poor were poor due to natural selection in society. This was the basis of many people who promoted a laissez-faire style of economy.

Yellow Journalism

journalism that exploits, distorts, or exaggerates the news to create sensations and attract readers; popularized in the late nineteenth century by Jospeh Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst

Sinking of the Maine

In 1898, the U.S. battleship Maine exploded and sank in Havana Harbor; 260 Americans died. Although it was later concluded that it was an internal explosion caused by a fire in the coal bunker, the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine provided an excuse for those eager for war with Spain. Congress passed the Teller Amendment, which promised that America would not annex the precious islands. It also began the Spanish-American War with Spain, spinning of the famous quote "Remember the Maine, To hell with Spain!"

Panama Canal

The United States built it to have a quicker passage to the Pacific from the Atlantic and vice versa. It cost $400,000,000 to build. Columbians would not let Americans build the canal, but then with the assistance of the United States a Panamanian Revolution occurred. The new ruling people allowed the United States to build the canal.

Dollar Diplomacy

President William Howard Taft's foreign policy. Taft sought to address international problems by extending American investment overseas, believing that such activity would both benefit the US economy and promote stability abroad.

American Expeditionary Force (AEF)

About 2 million Americans went to France as members of this under General John J. Pershing. Included the regular army, the National Guard, and the new larger force of volunteers and draftees and they served as individuals

War Industries Board

Agency established during WWI to increase efficiency & discourage waste in war-related industries.

Committee on Public Information (CPI)

It was headed by George Creel. The purpose of this committee was to mobilize people's minds for war, both in America and abroad. Tried to get the entire U.S. public to support U.S. involvement in WWI. Creel's organization, employed some 150,000 workers at home and oversees. He proved that words were indeed weapons.

Fourteen Points

The war aims outlined by President Wilson in 1918, which he believed would promote lasting peace; called for self-determination, freedom of the seas, free trade, end to secret agreements, reduction of arms and a league of nations.

League of Nations

A world organization established in 1920 to promote international cooperation and peace. It was first proposed in 1918 by President Woodrow Wilson, although the United States never joined the League. Essentially powerless, it was officially dissolved in 1946.

Teapot Dome Scandal

Exposed after Warren G. Harding's death in office in 1923, the scandal involved Harding's Secretary of the Interior, Albert B Fall, who had secretly leased government oil reserved to two businessmen in exchange for a $400,000 payment. It raised awareness and came to represent government corruption to the public

National Origins Act of 1924

Restricted immigration from any one nation to 2% of the number of people already in the US of that national origin in 1890. This act severely restricted immigration from southern and eastern Europe, and excluded Asians entirely. It was a manifestation of the rampant nativism.

Jazz Age

F Scott Fitzgerald named this period after WWI and before the Great Depression. Young people were exhibiting looser social morals when it came to sexuality. They experimented with new forms of recreation, including to listening to jazz music and dancing new dances such as the Charleston. This created much shock and consternation among traditionalists.

flapper

carefree young women with short, "bobbed" hair, heavy makeup, and short skirts. Symbolized the new "liberated" woman of the 1920s. Many people saw the bold, boyish look and shocking behavior as a sign of changing morals. Though hardly typical of American women, the image reinforced the idea that women now had more freedom.

The Lost Generation

It describes a small but prominent group of post-World War I writers, poets, and intellectuals during the 1920s. These artists, including Ernest Hemingway, F Scott Fitzgerald, and Ezra Pound, grew disillusioned with America's postwar culture, finding it overly materialistic and spiritually void. Many of them moved to Europe. Their writings often expressed their disgust with America's materialism and superficiality.

Hoovervilles (Shantytowns)

Were shanty towns which sprung up during the Great Depression. Because Hoover and the government were unable to provide relief. They were nicknamed in spite of President Herbert Hoover, as well as hoover blankets (newspapers used as blankets by the homeless) and hoover flags (pockets turned inside out). Many Democrats came up with these terms to blame the Republican Hoover for the Depression.

Dust Bowl

One of the main proponents of the starvation were farmers losing their farms due to the top soil being blown up into the air in what were called Black Blizzards near the cities, all of these constituted this era: It was a key cause of the depression, and Black Blizzards was a term used by city folks.

Hawley-Smoot Tariff (1930)

In response to the Great Depression, it was and still is the highest protective tariff ever. It was meant to protect American farmers and manufacturers from foreign competition by reducing the flow of goods into the U.S. However, the tariff prevented other countries from buying American goods, so it never actually helped the economy during the Great Depression.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

is a United States government corporation created by the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933. It provides deposit insurance, which guarantees the safety of deposits in member banks.

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

It was Relief that provided work for young men 18-25 years old in food control, planting, flood work, etc.

National Industry Recovery Act

1933 New Deal legislation that created the WPA, which created jobs to put people back to work right away. It also created the National Recovery Administration (NRA), who worked in conjunction with industry to bolster the industrial sector and create more long-lasting jobs.

Tennessee Valley Authority

Relief, Recover, and Reform. one of the most important acts that built a hydro-electric dam for a needed area.

Works Progress Administration (WPA)

This later was referred to as the Works Project Administration. It was created in 1935 as a part of FDR's Second New Deal. It generated more than eight million new government-financed jobs in a variety of fields. Many for the jobs involved the construction of public works projects. Funding was also available for writers, photographers, and other artists. This was the largest employer in the country until it was disbanded in 1943.

The Wagner Act

(officially called the National Labor Relations Act) was signed into law by FDR; it protects the rights of workers to organize. It created a government-appointed national Labor Relations Board to arbitrate labor disputes. The Board also ensures that unions are democratically run; in turn, employers must allow workers to form unions if they so choose.

Social Security Act

A 1935 law passed during the Great Depression that was intended to provide a minimal level of sustenance to older Americans and thus save them from poverty. It set up federal-state system of unemployment insurance and care for dependent mothers and children, the handicapped, and public health.

The New Deal

A series of reforms enacted by the Franklin Roosevelt administration between 1933 and 1942 with the goal of ending the Great Depression.

Bataan Death March

After the Japanese landed in the Philippines in May 1942, nearly 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners were forced to endure a 60-mile forced march; during the ordeal, 10,000 prisoners died or were killed.

Manhattan Project

Code name given to the development of the US atomic bomb during World War II. Work on the bomb was carried out in great secrecy by a team including US physicists Enrico Fermi, Albert Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer. The first test took place on July 16, 1945, near Alamogordo, New Mexico, and the next month the US Air Force dropped bombs on Japan.

Rosie the Riveter

A propaganda character designed to increase production of female workers in the factories. It became a rallying symbol for women to do their part.

Double V Campaign

African-Americans demanded to gain victory over racial discrimination at home as well as over the Axis abroad .Popularized by American Black Leaders during WW2 emphasizing the need for double victory: over Germany and Japan and also over racial prejudice in the US. Many blacks who fought in WW2 were disappointed that they returned to America and it still has racial tension