US History Final

Executive Order 9066

• Signed by president FDR, this order authorized the forced removal and internment of over 120,000 Japanese Americans during WWII

• This was a key example of racial injustice and the suspension of civil liberties during wartime

• It led to years of suffering and was later acknowledged to be unconstitutional, resulting in a formal government apology and reparations.

Aiko-Herzig Yoshinaga

• A Japanese American internment survivor who uncovered documents proving that the government had no military justification for internment

• Her research was essential to the 1988 Civil Liberties Act, which granted reparations and a formal apology to the internment survivors

Truman Doctrine

• President Truman’s policy of providing aid to countries resisting communism, especially Greece and Turkey

• It marked the start of America’s Cold War policy of containment and justified decades of US intervention in global affairs.

McCarthyism (1950s)

• A campaign against alleged communists in the US government and society, led by Senator Joseph McCarthy

• Created a climate of fear and repression, damaged civil liberties, and became symbolic of Cold War Paranoia

The Red Scare

• The widespread fear of communist infiltration in American institutions during the Cold War, especially in the late 1940s and 1950s

• Led to loyalty oaths, blacklists, and investigations that targeted activists, artists, and government employees.

Brown v Board of Education (1954)

• A Supreme Court Case ruling that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional

• Overturned Plessy v Ferguson (allowed segregation) and gave legal momentum to the Civil Rights Movement, though it did face intense backlash in the South.

Juanita Garcia and Migrant Labor

• A Mexican American woman who testified in 1952 about the harsh conditions faced by migrant workers

• Her story illuminated labor and racial injustices that fueled the push for labor rights and reforms in the 1960s and beyond

Port Huron Statement (1962)

• A political manifesto by the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) advocating participatory democracy and criticizing inequality and war

• A foundational document of the 1960s student protest movement and the broader New Left

Flappers

• Young women in the 1920s known for their bold fashion (short hair, short skirts), public smoking and drinking, and rejection of traditional gender norms

• Symbolize a broader cultural shift towards modernism, women’s independence, and changing gender roles during the post WWII era

• Reflected tensions between urban modernity and rural conservatism

Harlem Rennaissance

• A cultural, artistic, and intellectual explosion centered in Harlem, New Orleans, during the 1920s driven mostly by African American writers, artists, and musicians (eg Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, etc)

• The movement reshaped Black identity, challenged racial stereotypes, and elevated African American cultural contributions on a national scale

Prohibition/Volstead Act (1919)

• The 18th Amendment (1919) banned the manufacture, sale, and transport of alcohol

• The Volstead Act was the legislation that defined and enforced Prohibition

• Led to massive black market for alcohol, the rise of organized crime (like Al Capone), and widespread disregard for the law

• Exposed the limitations of government attempts to legislate morality

Speakeasies

• Secret bars of clubs that illegally sold alcohol during Prohibition

• Symbolic of urban resistance to Prohibition

• Reflect both the ineffectiveness of the law and the cultural divide between rural conservativism and urban liberalism

Immigration Act of 1924

• A federal law that severely restricted immigration from southern and eastern Europe and effectively banned immigration from Asia

• Reflected rising nativism and white supremacy

• Marked a turning point in US immigration policy, priveleging northern Europeans and reinforced racist hierarchies

Scopes Trial

• A Tennessee court case where teacher John Scopes was tried for teaching evolution, violating the state law

• Became a national spectacle showing the clash between science and religion and more broadly, between modern and traditional values in 1920s America

Buying on Margin

• Purchasing stocks with borrowed money - a widespread and risky practice in the 1920s

• Contributed to the speculative bubble that led to the stock market crash of 1929 and the GD

The Jazz Age

• A nickname for the 1920s, highlightign the popularity of jazz and the cultural vibrancy of the decade

• Jazz music (largely developed by African American musicians) symbolized the cultural innovation and energy of the time, while also reflecting racial and generational shifts

Organized Crime / Al Capone

• Al Capone was a notorious Chicago gangster who profited from bootlegging during Prohibition

• Demonstrated how Prohibition fueled crime and corruption, leading many to reconsider its effectiveness

The Great Crash (1929)

• the US stock market crash in October 1929, marking the start of the GD

• Symbolized the collapse of speculative finance and ushered in a global economic crisis

• Exposed underlying weaknesses in the US economy (over speculation, consumer debt, bank failures, and global trade tensions)

Herbert Hoover

• US president from 1929-1933, often blamed for inaction during the early years of GD

• Though he initiated public works (Hoover Dam), he resisted direct federal relief, believing too much govt aid would harm individual self-reliance

• his response hurt his legacy and helped FDR win in 1932

Hoovervilles

• makeshift shantytowns built by homeless people during GD, named sarcastically after Hoover

• represented mass unemployment and public frustration with federal inaction

• became a powerful symbol of economic despair

New Deal

• A series of programs and reforms introduced by FDR in response to the GD

• Expanded federal govts role in the economy and aimed to provide relief, recovery, and reform to the american people

Dust Bowl

• a period of severe dust storms during the 30s, made worse by drougth and poor farming practices, affected the great plains

• displaced thousadns of families, leading to mass migrations and hihglghted the need for sustainable agriculture

Pearl Harbor (Dec 7, 1941)

• a surprise military strike by the imperial japanese navy air service against the us naval base at pearl harbor hawaii

• prompted the us entry into world war ii

d day (june 6 1944)

• the allied invasion of normany france during wwii

• marked a turning point in the war, leading to liberation of western europe from nazi control

manhattan project

• a research and development project during wwii that produced the first nucelar weapons

• led to the bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki, contributing to japan’s surrendur and the end of the war

marshall plan 1948

• an american initiative to aid western europe, providing over 12 bil to help rebuild economies after wwii

• aimed to prevent the spread of communism by stabilizing european economies

NATO (north atlantic treaty organization)

• a military alliance formed in 1949 between north america and european countries

• served as a collective defense against the soviet union and its allies during cold war

levittown

• one of the first mass-produced suburbs in the US, developed by william levitt after wwii

• symbolized the american dream of homeownership and the rise of suburban living

civil rights act of 1964

• legislation that outlawed discrimination based on race, gender,color, religion, or national origin

• ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination

voting rights act of 1965

• a law that prohibited racial discrimination in voting

• eliminated barriers like literacy tests, leading to increased voter turnout and registration among AA

second wave feminism

• a period of feminist activity durign the 50s and 60s focusing on issues beyond suffrage, such as equality in the workplace and reproductive rights

• led to significant legal and societal changes regarding gender equality

free speech movement (1964)

• a student protest at UC Berkeley advocated for the right to free speech on campuses

• sparked a wave of student activism across the us

woodstock festival 1969

• a music festival in NY that became a symbol of 1960s counterculture movement

• represented the peak of the hippie movement and the era’s ideals of peace and music

gulf of tonkin resolution 1964

• congressional resolution that auhorized president johnson to use military force in vietnam

• led to escalation of us involvement in vietnam war

tet offensive 1968

• a series of surprise attacks by the viet cong and the north vietnamese forces during the vietnamese new year

• shifted american public opinion and fueled anti-war sentiment in the us

vietnamization

• a strategy by president nixon to gradually withdraw us troops and transfer combat responsibilities to south vietnam forces

• aimed to end us involvement in the vietnam war

moral majority

• a political organization founded by jerry falwell in 1979 to promote conservative christian values

• played a key role in mabilizing evangelical voters and influencing us politics

reaganomics

• economic rolicies promoted by president ronald reagan, focusing on tax cuts, deregulation, and reducing govt spending

• aimed to stimulate economic growth but also led to increased income inequality

AIDS crisis

• an epidemic that emerged in the 80s, disproportionately affecting the LGBTQ+ community

• highlighted issues of public health, discrimnination, and govt response

sept 11 2001

• terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda on the world trade center and the pentagon

• led to the war on terror and signficant changed in us foreign and domestic policy and travel

patriot act (2001)

• legislation that expanded the govt surveillance and investigative powers post 9/11

• sparked debates over civil liberties and national securirty

barrack obama 2008

• elected as the 44th president of the us and first AA to hold office

• symbolized a US milestone