AP US History Key Topics Flashcards

A collection of key terms and concepts related to AP US History, ideal for studying and review for the exam.

Columbian Exchange

The widespread exchange of animals, plants, culture, human populations, technology, and ideas between the Americas and the Old World following Columbus's voyages.

Encomienda System

A labor system instituted by the Spanish crown in the Americas that granted colonists the right to demand labor from indigenous people.

Manifest Destiny

The 19th-century belief that the expansion of the United States throughout the American continents was both justified and inevitable.

Great Awakening

A series of religious revivals in the American colonies during the 18th century, emphasizing personal piety and a more emotional connection to religion.

Proclamation of 1763

An executive order issued by King George III that prohibited colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Federalism

A political system in which power is divided between the national and state governments.

Abolition Movement

A movement to end slavery in the United States, particularly active in the decades leading up to the Civil War.

Jim Crow Segregation

State and local laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States at the end of the 19th century until the 1960s.

Plessy v. Ferguson

An 1896 Supreme Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Legislation that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Brown v. Board of Education

The 1954 Supreme Court case that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional.

Social Darwinism

A theory that applies the concept of natural selection to social, political, and economic issues, often used to justify imperialism and racism.

The New Deal

A series of programs and policies instituted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in response to the Great Depression.

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

A public work relief program during the Great Depression that employed young men to work on infrastructure and conservation projects.

Suffrage Movement

The struggle for the right of women to vote, which gained traction in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Gilded Age

A term for the late 19th century when the U.S. economy grew rapidly; however, it was marked by political corruption and social issues.

Truman Doctrine

A U.S. foreign policy established in 1947 to counter Soviet geopolitical expansion during the Cold War.

Détente

A period of improved relations between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, particularly during the 1970s.

Salvation Army

A Christian organization founded in London in 1865 known for providing social services and alleviating poverty.

McCarthyism

The practice of making accusations of subversion or treason, particularly in the context of the anti-communist sentiment and the Red Scare.

Affordable Care Act

A comprehensive healthcare reform law enacted in March 2010 aimed at expanding health insurance coverage for Americans.

MeToo Movement

A movement against sexual harassment and sexual assault that gained prominence in the late 2010s, particularly through social media.