AP U.S. History Semester Exam Review Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on the provided review terms from Chapters 16-27.

Black Tuesday (1929)

The day the stock market crashed, signaling the start of the Great Depression.

Homestead Act (1862)

A law that provided settlers with 160 acres of public land in exchange for living on and cultivating it.

Hoover’s reaction to Depression

Initially, Hoover favored a limited government response, emphasizing voluntary cooperation and private charity.

Dawes Act (1887)

Aimed to assimilate Native Americans by dividing tribal lands into individual allotments.

New Deal (1933-1939)

A series of programs and reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to address the Great Depression.

Buffalo Destroyers

Refers to the mass slaughter of buffalo, which significantly impacted Native American populations and their way of life.

Destroyers for bases (1940)

An agreement between the U.S. and Great Britain during WWII where the U.S. gave warships to Britain in return for military bases.

Massacre at Wounded Knee (1890)

The killing of approximately 300 Lakota Native Americans by U.S. Army soldiers in 1890.

Final solution

Nazi Germany's plan to exterminate the Jewish people during World War II.

Thomas Edison (1847-1931)

A prolific inventor, most known for inventions such as the lightbulb, phonograph and motion picture camera.

Lend-Lease Act (1941)

A program that allowed the U.S. to provide military aid to Allied nations during World War II.

Transcontinental Railroad (1869)

A railroad that connected the eastern and western United States, facilitating trade and westward expansion.

Manhattan Project (1942-1946)

A research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons.

Chinese immigrants

Immigrants who came to the U.S. seeking economic opportunities, often facing discrimination.

Eastern Bloc (1947-1991)

The communist states of Eastern Europe during the Cold War, aligned with the Soviet Union.

Department stores

Large retail establishments that offered a wide variety of goods, becoming popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Massive retaliation

A military doctrine and nuclear strategy of the state committing to retaliate in much greater force in the event of an attack.

Knights of Labor (1869)

An early labor organization that sought to organize all workers and advocate for social and economic reforms.

Brinkmanship

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

Tariffs

Taxes imposed on imported goods.

Iron Curtain (1945-1991)

The symbolic boundary dividing Europe into communist and non-communist areas during the Cold War.

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

A law that prohibited Chinese laborers from immigrating to the United States.

Marshall Plan (1948)

A U.S. program providing economic aid to Western European countries after World War II.

Social Darwinism

The application of Darwinian ideas to society.

Joseph McCarthy (1908-1957)

A U.S. Senator known for leading anti-communist accusations during the Red Scare of the 1950s.

Gospel of Wealth (1889)

An essay written by Andrew Carnegie promoting philanthropy by the wealthy.

Sputnik (1957)

The first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the Soviet Union.

Populist Party (1891-1908)

A political party that advocated for the interests of farmers and laborers in the late 19th century.

Bay of Pigs (1961)

A failed invasion of Cuba by CIA-trained Cuban exiles.

Ida B. Wells (1862-1931)

An African American journalist and activist who campaigned against lynching.

The Great Society (1964-1965)

A set of domestic programs launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson to eliminate poverty and racial injustice.

Political machines

Political organizations that controlled city governments through patronage and corruption.

Election of 1960

A closely contested presidential election between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

A Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the doctrine of 'separate but equal.'

Warren Commission (1963-1964)

Investigated the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

Spanish-American War (1898)

A conflict between Spain and the United States, resulting in U.S. acquisition of territories such as Puerto Rico and the Philippines.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

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

Triangle Shirtwaist Company (1911)

The site of a deadly fire in New York City that led to improved workplace safety regulations.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Legislation that prohibited racial discrimination in voting.

Muckrakers

Journalists who exposed corruption and social problems in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Causes of World War I (1914-1918)

Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism

Little Rock 9 (1957)

A group of African American students who were enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957.

Zimmermann Telegram (1917)

A secret diplomatic communication issued from the German Foreign Office in January 1917 that proposed a military alliance between Germany and Mexico.

Martin Luther King Jr (1929-1968)

An American Baptist minister and activist who was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement.

League of Nations (1920-1946)

An international organization established after World War I to promote peace and cooperation among nations.

Vietnamization (1969)

A policy of the Richard Nixon administration to end U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War through a program to 'expand, equip, and train South Vietnam's forces and assign to them an ever-increasing combat role, at the same time steadily reducing the number of U.S. combat troops.'

Bolshevik Party (1903-1917)

Led by Vladimir Lenin, seized power in Russia in 1917 and established a communist government.

Cesar Chavez (1927-1993)

An American labor leader and civil rights activist.

Great Migration (1916-1970)

The movement of millions of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North and West.

Executive privilege

The right of the president to withhold information from Congress or the courts.

Espionage Act (1917)

Made it a crime to communicate any information that would interfere with the U.S. military during WWI.

Iran hostage crisis (1979-1981)

A diplomatic standoff between Iran and the United States, lasted from January 1979 to January 1981.

Sedition Act (1918)

Extended the Espionage Act of 1917 to cover a broader range of offenses, notably speech and the expression of opinion that cast the government or the war effort in a negative light.

Reagan’s priorities

Reducing the size of government, stimulating economic growth, strengthening national defense, and advancing American interests abroad.

Teapot Dome Scandal (1921-1923)

A bribery incident that took place in the United States from 1921 to 1923, during the administration of President Warren G. Harding.

Persian Gulf War (1991)

A war waged from January 1991 to February 1991, in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.

Sacco and Vanzetti (1927)

Italian immigrants who were controversially convicted and executed for robbery and murder.

Harlem Renaissance (1920s-1930s)

A cultural movement in the 1920s and 1930s that celebrated