American history Final Exam

Reconstruction

Period after the Civil War focused on rebuilding the South and integrating formerly enslaved people

Freedmen

Formerly enslaved African Americans after the Civil War

Black Codes

Laws restricting the rights of African Americans after the Civil War

14th Amendment

Granted citizenship and equal protection under the law

Sharecropping

System where freedmen farmed land in exchange for a share of crops, often trapping them in debt

Ku Klux Klan

White supremacist group using violence to control African Americans

Compromise of 1877

Ended Reconstruction and removed federal troops from the South

Gilded Age

Period of rapid industrial growth and extreme wealth inequality

Laissez-faire

Economic policy where the government does not interfere in business

Social Darwinism

Belief that the wealthy succeed because they are naturally superior

John D. Rockefeller

Oil tycoon who built Standard Oil and controlled the oil industry

Andrew Carnegie

Steel industry leader who became extremely wealthy

Urbanization

Growth of cities due to industrialization

Labor Unions

Organizations of workers formed to improve wages and conditions

Haymarket Riot

Violent labor protest in 1886

Pullman Strike

Railroad strike in 1894 that disrupted the nation

Jim Crow Laws

Laws enforcing racial segregation in the South

Plessy v. Ferguson

Supreme Court case that allowed “separate but equal” segregation

Dawes Act

Law that divided Native American land to encourage assimilation

Wounded Knee

Massacre of Native Americans by U.S. troops

Populist Party

Political party representing farmers and working-class interests

Free Silver

Idea to increase money supply to help farmers

William Jennings Bryan

Populist leader known for supporting free silver

Imperialism

Policy of expanding a nation’s power through territories

Spanish-American War

War that expanded U.S. influence overseas

Yellow Journalism

Sensationalized news used to influence public opinion

Progressivism

Reform movement aimed at fixing social and economic problems

Muckrakers

Journalists who exposed corruption and injustice

Theodore Roosevelt

Progressive president known for trust-busting

Woodrow Wilson

Progressive president who expanded government regulation

World War I

Global war from 1914–1918

Lusitania

Ship sunk by Germany that pushed the U.S. toward war

Zimmerman Telegram

Message encouraging Mexico to attack the U.S.

Fourteen Points

Wilson’s plan for peace after WWI

League of Nations

International organization to prevent future wars

Roaring Twenties

Period of economic growth and cultural change

Red Scare

Fear of communism in the U.S.

Prohibition

Ban on alcohol in the 1920s

Harlem Renaissance

Cultural movement celebrating African American identity

Flappers

Women who challenged traditional gender roles

Great Depression

Severe economic downturn starting in 1929

Stock Market Crash

Collapse of stock prices triggering the Depression

Underconsumption

People unable to buy enough goods, hurting the economy

Hoovervilles

Shantytowns where homeless people lived

Dust Bowl

Severe drought that damaged farmland

Herbert Hoover

President blamed for poor response to the Depression

Franklin D. Roosevelt

President who created the New Deal

New Deal

Government programs to provide relief, recovery, and reform

CCC

Program that created jobs through environmental work

WPA

Program that created public works jobs

Social Security

Program providing financial support to elderly and unemployed

World War II

Global war from 1939–1945

Pearl Harbor

Japanese attack that brought the U.S. into WWII

D-Day

Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France

Atomic Bomb

Weapon used to end the war with Japan

Holocaust

Genocide of six million Jews by Nazi Germany

Cold War

Conflict between U.S. (capitalism) and USSR (communism)

Containment

Policy to stop the spread of communism

Truman Doctrine

U.S. support for countries resisting communism

Marshall Plan

U.S. aid to rebuild Europe

Berlin Airlift

Effort to supply West Berlin during Soviet blockade

McCarthyism

Fear and accusations of communism in the U.S.

1950s

Period of economic growth and social conformity

Suburbanization

Movement of people to suburbs

Consumerism

Buying goods as a way of life

Brown v. Board of Education

Ended school segregation

Civil Rights Movement

Movement to end racial discrimination

SNCC

Student group involved in civil rights activism

Martin Luther King Jr.

Leader who promoted nonviolent protest

Civil Rights Act (1964)

Law ending segregation

Voting Rights Act (1965)

Law protecting voting rights

Malcolm X

Leader advocating Black pride and self-defense

Black Power

Movement emphasizing racial pride and independence

Vietnam War

Conflict to stop communism in Vietnam

Tonkin Gulf Resolution

Allowed president to expand the war

Tet Offensive

Major attack that weakened U.S. support

My Lai Massacre

Killing of civilians by U.S. soldiers

Kent State

Students killed during anti-war protest

Great Society

Government programs to reduce poverty

War on Poverty

Effort to improve living conditions

Richard Nixon

President involved in Watergate scandal

Watergate

Political scandal leading to Nixon’s resignation

Détente

Easing of tensions between U.S. and USSR

Ronald Reagan

Conservative president of the 1980s

Reaganomics

Economic policy of tax cuts and reduced regulation

Feminism

Movement for women’s rights

Stonewall Riot

Event that sparked modern LGBTQ rights movement

Globalization

Increasing global economic connections

NAFTA

Trade agreement between North American countries

9/11

Terrorist attacks leading to War on Terror

War on Terror

U.S. response to terrorism after 9/11

Climate Change

Long-term environmental changes due to human activity

Wealth Inequality

Growing gap between rich and poor

Political Polarization

Increasing division between political parties