terms 27-35

Big Sister Policy

A U.S. foreign policy to rally Latin American nations under American leadership and open markets to American goods.

McKinley Tariff

A high tariff that raised import taxes to protect American industries, but hurt farmers.

Rough Riders

A volunteer cavalry unit led by Theodore Roosevelt during the Spanish-American War, famous for their charge at San Juan Hill.

Teller Amendment

A promise that the U.S. wouldn’t annex Cuba after helping them win independence from Spain.

Anti-Imperialist League

A group opposing American expansion, arguing it violated the nation’s founding principles of self-government.

Foraker Act

Law that established a civilian government in Puerto Rico, but didn’t give Puerto Ricans full citizenship.

Insular Cases

Supreme Court rulings stating that constitutional rights didn’t automatically apply to territories like Puerto Rico and the Philippines.

Platt Amendment

Allowed the U.S. to intervene in Cuba’s affairs and control its foreign treaties, limiting Cuban sovereignty.

Open Door Note

A U.S. proposal to keep China open for trade with all nations equally, preventing colonial domination.

Boxer Rebellion

An anti-foreigner uprising in China, which the U.S. and other nations helped suppress.

Roosevelt Corollary

An addition to the Monroe Doctrine declaring the U.S. could intervene in Latin America to maintain stability.

James G. Blaine

A U.S. Secretary of State who promoted closer ties with Latin America through economic and political agreements.

Progressivism

A reform movement aiming to address social issues like corruption, labor rights, and inequality.

Social Gospel

A religious movement that emphasized helping the poor and promoting social justice as part of Christian duty.

Muckrakers

Investigative journalists who exposed corruption, unfair practices, and social issues.

Initiative

A political process allowing citizens to propose and vote on laws directly.

Referendum

A process where voters can approve or reject laws passed by legislatures.

Australian Ballot

A secret ballot that reduced voter intimidation and corruption.

Muller v. Oregon

A court case that upheld laws limiting women’s work hours to protect their health.

Elkins Act

Law that ended railroad rebates to powerful customers, promoting fair pricing.

Meat Inspection Act

Required federal inspection of meat processing plants to ensure food safety.

Pure Food and Drug Act

Banned mislabeling and unsafe ingredients in food and medicine.

Dollar Diplomacy

A foreign policy encouraging U.S. investment in other nations to boost American influence.

New Nationalism

Theodore Roosevelt’s platform promoting a strong federal government to regulate businesses and support social reforms.

Ida Tarbell

A muckraker who exposed the corrupt business practices of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company.

Robert La Follette

A Progressive governor and senator who pushed for political and social reforms like direct primaries and tax reform.

Gifford Pinchot

A conservationist and head of the U.S. Forest Service who promoted sustainable use of natural resources.

John Muir

A naturalist and advocate for preserving wilderness areas, helping establish national parks like Yosemite.

Underwood Tariff

A law that lowered tariffs and introduced a graduated income tax.

Federal Reserve Act

Established the Federal Reserve system to regulate banks and manage the money supply.

Federal Trade Commission Act

Created the FTC to prevent unfair business practices and promote competition.

Clayton Anti-Trust Act

Strengthened antitrust laws to break up monopolies and protect labor unions from prosecution.

Jones Act

Promised eventual independence to the Philippines after stable government was established.

Lusitania

A British passenger ship sunk by a German submarine, killing Americans and pushing the U.S. closer to WWI.

Zimmerman Note

A secret German telegram proposing an alliance with Mexico against the U.S., fueling support for war.

Fourteen Points

Woodrow Wilson’s peace plan for WWI, promoting self-determination, free trade, and the League of Nations.

Espionage Act

A law that punished anti-war activities and spying during WWI.

Schenck v. United States

Supreme Court ruling that limited free speech if it posed a clear and present danger.

Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)

A radical labor union that sought to unite all workers for major social change.

Nineteenth Amendment

Granted women the right to vote.

Great Migration

The mass movement of African Americans from the rural South to northern cities for jobs and better treatment.

League of Nations

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

Treaty of Versailles

The treaty that ended WWI, punishing Germany harshly and creating tensions leading to WWII.

Eugene V. Debs

A socialist leader and labor activist who was jailed for speaking against WWI.

William Haywood

A prominent IWW leader advocating for industrial unionism and workers' rights.

Bolshevik Revolution

The 1917 communist revolution in Russia that led to the Soviet Union.

Red Scare

A wave of fear about communism spreading in the U.S. after WWI.

American System

A strategy promoting protective tariffs, a national bank, and infrastructure improvements to grow the economy.

Immigration Act of 1924

A law severely limiting immigration from southern and eastern Europe.

Eighteenth Amendment

Established Prohibition, banning alcohol sales and production.

Volstead Act

Enforced Prohibition, though it was widely ignored and led to organized crime.

Fundamentalism

A religious movement that emphasized a literal interpretation of the Bible, opposing modern scientific ideas.

Scientific Management

A system to improve efficiency by studying workflows, pioneered by Frederick Taylor.

Fordism

A manufacturing system combining assembly lines and high wages, revolutionizing mass production.

United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA)

Marcus Garvey’s movement promoting Black pride, self-reliance, and returning to Africa.

Modernism

A cultural movement embracing new ideas in art, science, and social norms.

Harlem Renaissance

A flourishing of Black art, music, and culture centered in Harlem, New York.

A. Mitchell Palmer

Attorney General who led controversial raids against suspected communists and radicals.

Sacco and Vanzetti

Two Italian anarchists controversially convicted and executed for murder, symbolizing prejudice against immigrants.

Margaret Sanger

A pioneer in birth control advocacy, helping lead to the creation of Planned Parenthood.

Langston Hughes

A leading poet and writer of the Harlem Renaissance, celebrating Black culture and life.

Adkins v. Children’s Hospital

A Supreme Court case that overturned minimum wage laws for women, arguing they had equal rights after the 19th Amendment.

Nine-Power Treaty

A 1922 agreement among major world powers to respect China’s sovereignty and keep an open-door trade policy.

Kellogg-Briand Pact

A treaty that outlawed war as a means of resolving disputes, though it lacked enforcement.

Teapot Dome Scandal

A major corruption scandal where government officials illegally leased oil reserves for bribes.

Dawes Plan

A U.S. plan to help Germany repay its WWI debts by restructuring its loans.

Hawley-Smoot Tariff

A high tariff that worsened the Great Depression by reducing international trade.

Black Tuesday

The stock market crash of 1929 that triggered the Great Depression.

Hoovervilles

Shantytowns built by homeless people during the Great Depression, named after President Hoover’s failed policies.

Reconstruction Finance Corporation

A government agency that provided loans to banks and businesses to combat the Great Depression.

Bonus Army

WWI veterans who marched on Washington to demand early bonuses but were violently removed by the government.

Alfred Smith

A Catholic, anti-Prohibition presidential candidate in 1928 who lost due to religious and cultural tensions.

Brain Trust

A group of advisors who helped Franklin D. Roosevelt shape the New Deal policies.

New Deal

A series of government programs aimed at economic recovery during the Great Depression.

Hundred Days

The first months of FDR’s presidency, marked by a flurry of legislation to combat the Depression.

Glass-Steagall Banking Reform Act

Separated commercial and investment banking to prevent risky financial speculation.

Dust Bowl

A severe drought and farming crisis in the Great Plains that led to mass migrations.

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

A government program that built dams and provided electricity in the South.

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

A work relief program that employed young men in environmental conservation projects.

Social Security Act

Established a retirement pension system and unemployment insurance.

Wagner Act

Strengthened labor rights by protecting unions and collective bargaining.

Court-Packing Plan

FDR’s failed attempt to add more justices to the Supreme Court to pass his policies.

Keynesianism

An economic theory that supports government spending to stimulate demand during recessions.

Harry Hopkins

A key New Deal advisor who led major relief programs like the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

Father Charles Coughlin

A radio priest who criticized the New Deal for not going far enough in helping the poor.

Francis E. Townsend

A doctor who proposed a plan to give elderly citizens monthly pensions, influencing Social Security.

Huey Long

A populist politician who promoted the 'Share Our Wealth' program before his assassination.

Frances Perkins

The first female Cabinet member, serving as Secretary of Labor and shaping Social Security.

London Economic Conference

A 1933 international meeting to address global economic problems, which the U.S. refused to join.

Good Neighbor Policy

FDR’s policy of non-intervention and improved relations with Latin America.

Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act

Allowed the president to negotiate lower tariffs to boost trade.

Neutrality Acts of 1935, 1936, 1937

Laws that aimed to keep the U.S. out of foreign wars by banning arms sales to warring nations.

Appeasement

The policy of giving concessions to aggressive countries like Nazi Germany to avoid war.

Hitler-Stalin Pact

A non-aggression agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union, leading to WWII.

Neutrality Act of 1939

Allowed the U.S. to sell weapons to Allied nations on a 'cash-and-carry' basis.

Lend-Lease Bill

A program that sent U.S. weapons and supplies to Allied nations before officially joining WWII.

Atlantic Charter

A joint declaration by FDR and Churchill outlining post-WWII goals like self-determination and global peace.

Executive Order No. 9066

Authorized the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII.

War Productions Board

Managed industrial production to support the war effort.

Smith-Connally Anti-Strike Act

Gave the government power to take over industries if labor strikes threatened war production.