AP U.S. History Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from AP U.S. History periods 1-9.

Maize

The main crop cultivated by American Indians.

Christopher Columbus

An Italian explorer who stumbled upon the New World after convincing the Spanish monarchs that he could sail across the Atlantic to India

God, Gold, Glory

Early European explorers were motived by a desire to spread Christianity, enrich themselves and their monarch, and gain glory for discovering new lands.

Encomienda System

A forced labor system developed by the Spanish that required American Indians

Mercantilism

An economic system where countries tried to increase their wealth through government control of all aspects of trade

Encomienda system

A forced labor system developed by the Spanish that required American Indians to live on plantations and convert to Christianity

Cash crops

Crops that could be gown in large quantities, harvested, and sold for a profit

First Great Awakening

A religious movement that promoted emotional, evangelical Protestantism, often through “fire and brimstone” sermons and camp meetings

French and Indian War

A conflict between the French and the English over control of the Ohio River Valley

Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the United States; established a very weak federal government

U.S. Constitution

The foundation of the U.S. federal government

Federalist Papers

A series of paper written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison that advocated for a strong federal government

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments of the U.S. Constitution that guarantee different civil liberties

Judicial Review

The ability of the Supreme Court to determine whether a law is constitutional

Second Great Awakening

A series of religious revivals in the early 1800s that focused on personal religious experience

American System

A plan proposed by Henry Clay that was intended to strengthen the economy of the U.S. through a combination of tariffs, national banks, and infrastructure

Louisiana Territory

A large portion of land that was purchased from France by the U.S. Federal government in 1803 for $15 million

Nativist

A native born person or group that opposes immigrants

Manifest Destiny

The belief that Americans were destined to spread the United States from coast to coast

Abraham Lincoln

The 16th president of the United States who was determined to preserve the Union at all costs; his election set in motion the Civil War

Reconstruction

The period after the Civil War during which Northern political leaders imposed strict regulations and governance on the South so that the South could rejoin the Union

Second Industrial Revolution

A movement toward manufacturing, especially in the North, that transformed the United States from an agricultural economy to an urban economy

Robber Barons

A term applied to business leaders who were considered corrupt in some way

Union

A collective bargaining unit that helped urban dwellers and factory workers improve their working conditions, pay, and retirement

Reservations

An area of land, often with very poor agriculturally, where Native Americans were required to live

The Gilded Age

A term that describes how many aspects of this life appeared beautiful, but were flawed after closer inspection

Progressive

A term applied to people who tried to implement social programs and increase government spending to address social inequalities

Great Depression

A period of economic decline that severely affected U.S. society and politics

New Deal

A wide ranging government approach that addressed the Great Depression through combination of government funded infrastructure projects, social programs, and relief aid

Harlem Renaissance

An African American artistic movement in the 1920s that created art based on the lived experience of being African American in the United States

Cold War

A period of diplomatic tension between the United States and the Soviet Union that pitted capitalism against communism

Marshall Plan

An expansive plan to provide economic and social aid to Western Europe in order to prevent the spread of communism

Senator Joseph McCarthy

A senator from Wisconsin who led the campaign to uncover communists and suspected communists in the United States

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

An African American civil rights leader who advocated for greater racial equality using nonviolent methods

Civil Rights Act of 1964

A wide ranging piece of legislation that ended segregation and banned employment discrimination

Great Society

A program developed under President Lyndon Johnson that significantly expanded federally sponsored social programs

Ronald Reagan

The Reagan administration reduced government spending, extended tax cuts, and cut many welfare and social spending programs.

Terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001

A coordinated series of terrorist attacks that remain the deadliest terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. These attacks led to wide ranging changes in almost all aspects of American life.

Hernan Cortes

Spanish explorer who led an expedition that resulted in the desecration of the Aztec empire.

Anti-imperialism

The term applied to the belief that countries should have the right of self-determination.

Communism

A political theory 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.

Totalitarianism

A political system in which the state holds total authority over the society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life wherever possible.

Progressivism

Support for or advocacy of improvement of society by reform.

Populism

A political approach that strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups.

Suffrage

The right to vote in political elections.

Prohibition

The legal act of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol.

The New Deal

A series of programs and projects undertaken by President Franklin D. Roosevelt between 1933 and 1939 with the goal of restoring prosperity to Americans during the Great Depression.

The Fair Deal

An ambitious set of proposals put forward by U.S. President Harry S. Truman to Congress in 1949; a campaign to improve the lot of ordinary people.

The Square Deal

President Theodore Roosevelt's domestic program formed upon three basic ideas: conservation of natural resources, control of corporations, and consumer protection.

Civil Rights Movement

A struggle for social justice that took place mainly during the 1950s and 1960s for blacks to gain equal rights under the law in the United States.

Feminism

The advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes.

Environmentalism

Concern about and action aimed at protecting the environment.

Consumerism

The protection or promotion of the interests of consumers.

Urbanization

The process of making an area more urban.

Gentrification

The process of renovating and improving a house or district so that it conforms to middle-class taste.

Suburbanization

The growth of areas on the fringes of cities.

Globalization

The process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale.

Multiculturalism

The presence of, or support for the presence of, several distinct cultural or ethnic groups within a society.

Affirmative Action

An action or policy favoring those who tend to suffer from discrimination.

Deregulation

The removal of regulations or restrictions, especially in a particular industry.

Privatization

The transfer of a business, industry, or service from public to private ownership and control.

Outsourcing

Obtain (goods or a service) from an outside or foreign supplier, especially in place of an internal source.

Deficit Spending

Government spending, in excess of revenue, of funds raised by borrowing rather than from taxation.

Supply-Side Economics

A school of macroeconomics that argues that economic growth can be most effectively created by lowering taxes and decreasing regulation.

The Iron Curtain

The notional barrier separating the former Soviet bloc and the West prior to the decline of communism that followed the political events in eastern Europe in 1989.

Proxy War

A war instigated by a major power that does not itself become involved.

Containment

A United States policy using numerous strategies to prevent the spread of communism abroad.

Détente

The easing of hostility or strained relations, especially between countries.

Glasnost

(In the former Soviet Union) the policy or practice of more open consultative government and wider dissemination of information.

Perestroika

(In the former Soviet Union) the policy or practice of restructuring or reforming the economic and political system.

Domino Theory

The theory that a political event in one country will cause similar events in neighboring countries.

Brinkmanship

The art or practice of pursuing a dangerous policy to the limits of safety before stopping, typically in a political context.

Massive Retaliation

A military doctrine and nuclear strategy in which a state commits itself to retaliate in much greater force in the event of an attack.

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

A doctrine of military strategy and national security policy in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two or more opposing sides would cause the complete annihilation of both the attacker and the defender.

The Military-Industrial Complex

An informal alliance between a nation's military and the arms industry which supplies it, seen as a powerful vested interest.

McCarthyism

The practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence.

The Red Scare

Promotion of widespread fear by a society or state about a potential rise of communism, anarchism, or radical leftism.

The Lavender Scare

Mass dismissal of homosexual people from the U.S. government.

The Silent Majority

An unspecified large group of people in a country or group who do not express their opinions publicly.

The Culture Wars

A conflict between groups with different ideals, beliefs, and philosophies.