American History Final Exam Study Guide

Which groups were targeted during the Red Scare?

Immigrants from southern and Eastern Europe, and people with radical ideas (communist), labor union leaders, socialists, and anarchists.

Why was there concern about the American judicial system after the Sacco and Vanzetti verdict?

Most people believed they were innocent and were wrongly killed.

Many historians consider Teapot Dome the biggest scandal of President Harding’s tenure of office. Why was it a big deal?

It was a big deal because all of the US’ oil reserves were sold illegally and made the public lose confidence in the government.

How does the Scopes Trial represent a clash between religion and science?

Some people thought that the creation of man should only be taught by the Bible because the Bible is 100% true. Others thought that the creation of man should be taught through science since it is what likely happened.

What did the flapper represent besides a change in clothing style?

The new age for women, they were taking on more roles, some being super dangerous or daring.

How did the Harlem Renaissance cause white Americans to look at black Americans in a new way?

It gave a new public voice to African American culture. Altering the way many white Americans viewed African American culture and even the way African Americans viewed themselves. The Harlem renaissance was positive because white Americans finally realized that African Americans could be more than farmers.

What were the major causes of the Great Depression?

Domestic policies, tax cuts,war debt, tariffs on foreign goods, and weak banking policies.

What was installment buying? How is that different from buying on margin?

Installment buying is when you put payments down over time until you have paid off what you bought. Buying on margin is when you borrow money from a bank to get what you want/need and then repay them over time.

Once elected, to which industry did FDR direct his immediate attention? Why?

The Depression, specifically the banks. This is because the banks played a major role in the depression and this ensured people could get money back into their accounts.

How did Social Security change the lives of everyday Americans?

It is a plan where employers and employees contribute to a retirement plan over the course of a working person's career. Upon retirement, the retiree draws a monthly pension that is based on a % of his/her work-life earnings.

What did the Wagner Act do?

Called the “Magna Carta” of labor. Led to an almost 5x increase in union membership.

What guidelines were established by the Fair Labor Standards Act?

Minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and youth employment standards.

What was the highest rate of unemployment during the Depression?

25%

How did Eleanor Roosevelt use her position as First Lady to influence change?How did Eleanor Roosevelt use her position as First Lady to influence change?

FDR wanted to add six justices to the Court (to limit the power of the conservative judges-one for each justice over the age of 70), he was accused of trying to “pack the court” and the Senate rejected the bill. Ultimately four justices retired because of age and they were replaced with liberal appointees. During his presidency, FDR would ultimately nominate  8 justices to the court more than any other president.

What are the characteristics of a totalitarian regime?

A form of government in which the government is supreme and individuals have few rights. The leader or party controls the economic, social, and cultural lives of its people.

How did the League of Nations react to German, Italian, and Japanese aggression during the 1930s?

They tried to stop the Germans but didn't have the U.S. 's power and had no standing army.

What is appeasement?

A policy of giving in to the demands of a hostile power to avoid conflict and maintain peace.

What was the goal of the Neutrality Acts of the 1930s?

To keep the U.S. out of future wars.

So we would remain isolationists.

What’s the difference between lend-lease and cash-and-carry?

In “cash-and-carry”, we sold war materials to our allies as long as they travelled to get them paid with cash. In the lend-lease act it offered to sell or loan war materials that would be either returned or paid for once the war was over.

Why did the United States try to limit the goals of the Japanese? How did the United States try to limit Japanese expansion?

The U.S. tried to limit the Japanese because over 90% of our imports of tin and rubber came from SE Asia (where they took over). We tried to limit there expansion by freezing all Japanese assets in U.S. banks, as well as stopping the sale of oil, iron, steel, gas, and rubber-which they needed for equipment.

Try to limit them by putting a band on certain goods.

Which countries received permanent seats on the UN Security Council?

Britain, China, United States, France, and Russia.

Why did President Truman decide to use the atomic bomb?

He decided to use the bomb in hopes that it would end the war faster than a land invasion and so it would save American soldiers' lives. 

Lots of people will die

Japan would not surrender because they were told that everyone is subhuman. ( only way to get them to surrender)

Showing Russia our new technology.

Which two cities were destroyed by atomic bombs?

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

What was the Cold War?

The Cold War was a period of rivalry between the U.S. and Russia from the end of WWII to the fall of the Soviet Union (Russia) which involved conflicts in diplomacy, economics, global influence, and other issues rather than an all-out nuclear war.

What was the goal of the Truman Doctrine?

The goal was to protect Turkey and Greece from communist takeovers.

What was the purpose of the Marshall Plan?

Stronger countries would be more resistant to communist influence. So we had to make stronger countries.

Rebuild war torn Europe.

What was the purpose of NATO?

To defend Western Europe.

If one member was attacked, the others would defend.

What was the final outcome of the Korean Conflict?

A divided Korea, with the Korean peninsula remaining separated at the 38th parallel and a demilitarized zone (DMZ) established, and no formal peace treaty was ever signed.

What was mutually-assured destruction (MAD)?

MAD-neither side would want to use the nukes because it would lead them to destroy one another in the end.

Who was Alger Hiss?

A government official accused of spying for the Soviets.

Worked in the state department.

Who were the Rosenbergs?

A married couple convicted of spying for the Soviet Union.

What was Senator Joe McCarthy looking for in the 1950s?

Communist spies in our own government.

What impact did Sputnik have on the U.S.?

It promoted science and technology education in schools.It promoted science and technology education in schools.

How did the GI Bill impact returning veterans and their families?

It helped with their anxiety of finding a job after the war was over. It provided a year of unemployment payments to veterans who were unable to find work. Those who attended college after the war received financial aid. The act also entitled veterans to government loans for building homes and starting businesses, which fueled an upsurge in home construction.

Why did Americans migrate to the Sun Belt in the 1950s?

A warm and sunny environment, a booming industrial economy, and rapidly growing cities, the explosive growth of aerospace and electronics industries.

Air conditioning probably fueled this migration.

What was the biggest medical advancement of the 1950s?

The polio vaccine.

What were the effects of the Federal Highway Act?

Helped grow hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, trucking, construction, automobiles, oil, and farmers.

How did the suburbs change in the 1950s?

They grew-More than 40 million Americans moved to the suburbs between 1940-1960.

What happened to Emmett Till?

Emmett Till was a 14 year old boy who whistled at the wife of a store owner in Mississippi. He was ultimately kidnapped, beaten, shot, and then they put weights on his body and put him in the river.

Review the Myths and the Truths of Rosa Parks’ Story (embedded within The Start of the Civil Rights Movement Slides)

Myth: Rosa Parks was a poor, tired seamstress.

Truth:Rosa Parks was the Executive Secretary for the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP- this was her full time job. Her work as a seamstress was to earn extra money to supplement her income.

Myth: Rosa Parks sat in the front of the bus.

Truth: Rosa Parks sat in the front row of the colored section.

Myth: Rosa Parks arrest is usually portrayed as a random incident which sparked a spontaneous revolt.

Truth: Rosa Parks had several run-ins with bus drivers and police over the segregated seats. This was not a one-time thing. Civil rights leaders had been waiting for someone who could stand up to public scrutiny.

How does the Little Rock Nine event connect to Brown v. BOE?

The state disobeyed the federal decision to desecrate public schools.

What was the outcome of the events at Central High School?

The Central High School became an integrated school.

What was the goal and outcome of the Bay of Pigs invasion?

The goal was to overthrow Castro and the outcome was that is was a great victory for Castro, the Soviet leader Khrushchev decided that Kennedy was a weak president, and it set the stage for the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

What caused the Cuban Missile Crisis?

The Soviet Union secretly deploying nuclear missiles in Cuba.

What was the outcome of the Cuban Missile Crisis?

A resolution where the soviets removed their missiles from Cuba, and the United States, in a secret agreement, also removed its missiles from Turkey.

What was SEATO? How did it get the U.S. involved in Vietnam?

SEATO got the US more involved by it being an organization that the US was a part of and if a country in Southeast Asia was threatened by communism they would help. This is similar to NATO. As it being a organization that helps Southeast Asia to prevent it from falling to communism.

Why was the Tonkin Gulf Resolution significant?

The Tonkin gulf resolution is significant because it authorized president LBJ to use military force in South east Asia without formal declaration of war.

What caused students to protest at Kent State in 1970?

The U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam war including the invasion of Cambodia, and escalating tensions on campus.

What was Vietnamization? Did it work?

Vietnamization was reducing a number of American troops and increasing the role of ARVN. This did not work because ARVN was not well supported by the South Vietnam government and it was incapable of defending its territory against the VC.

What was the end result of the Vietnam Conflict?

One unified communist Vietnam under communism.

1.5 million Vietnamese were killed (this includes North & South, civilians and soldiers). 

The country was in ruins. 2.7 million Americans fought in Vietnam 

(1). 58,000 Americans had been killed 

(2). 300,000 Americans were wounded (many permanently disabled) 

(3). Over 2,000 Americans were unaccounted for -MIA 

$150 billion was spent by the United States – unlike Korea where we maintained containment, this did not happen in Vietnam

What were the Freedom Riders protesting?

They were challenging interstate segregation on interstate buses while traveling.

What was the goal of Freedom Summer?

To register the thousands of unregistered voters in Mississippi.

Draw a connection between the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Brown vs BOE ended segregation in schools. Act of 1964 ended it everywhere else.

Why was the Voting Rights Act of 1965 necessary?

Because 95 years after the ratification of the 15 amendment African American were still not given there full voting rights.

What was detente?

Easing or relaxing of international tensions.

Which communist nations did Richard Nixon visit while serving as President?

He visited Romania in 1969.

He visited China in February of 1972.

He visited Russia in May of 1972.

What was realpolitik?

Foreign policy should focus more on practical goals rather than on moral or ideological preferences.

What was the Watergate Scandal? (use cartoon history packet)

Watergate led to president Nixon's resignation. He was part of a cover up of a break in at the democratic party headquarters. He was brought on charges of abusive power, contempt of congress, and obstruction of justice. He resigned rather than let this go to court.

Why was the Camp David Accord a big deal?

After 30 years of existence, one of Israel's arab neighbors (Egypt) made peace and recognized Israel's right to exist

Earned Jimmy Carter  a reputation as a peacemaker and he would be called oj to advise on Middle East negotiations after he left the presidency.

What happened in Iran in the late 1970s that led to a break in its diplomatic relationship with the United States?

By the end of the Iranian Revolution , the religious conservatives gained control of the government. they created a caliphate-a government ruled by a very strict view of islam. It was ani-western and wanted to spread Radical Islam. More than 50 Americans were held hostage for 444 days! After more than a 40 year alliance, the two countries broke diplomatic relations and this hasn't been restored.