US History Regents Review

Truman Doctrine

1947 foreign policy pledge by Harry Truman to provide military and economic aid to nations resisting communist containment or subjugation, specifically initiated to aid Greece and Turkey against Soviet influence. (p. 1)Great Society vs. New Deal

Truman Doctrine

1947 foreign policy pledge by Harry Truman to provide military and economic aid to nations resisting communist expansion, especially Greece and Turkey.

Great Society vs. New Deal

Both expanded the federal government's role; the New Deal focused on economic relief during the Great Depression, while the Great Society focused on social welfare, civil rights, and reducing poverty during the 1960s.

Great Society

Lyndon B. Johnson's domestic reform program that aimed to eliminate poverty and racial injustice through programs like Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start, and civil rights legislation.

New Deal

Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1930s program of relief, recovery, and reform to combat the Great Depression through government intervention.

Proclamation Line (1763

British policy prohibiting colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains after the French and Indian War.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Established judicial review, giving the Supreme Court authority to declare laws unconstitutional.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Upheld the constitutionality of the national bank and established federal supremacy over state governments.

Worcester v. Georgia (1832)

Ruled that Cherokee territory was independent of Georgia's laws; ignored by Andrew Jackson, leading to the Trail of Tears.

Election of 1876

Disputed election resolved by the Compromise of 1877, which made Rutherford B. Hayes president and ended Reconstruction.

Upton Sinclair

Muckraking journalist whose novel The Jungle exposed meatpacking industry conditions and led to food safety laws.

Jacob Riis

Photojournalist whose book How the Other Half Lives exposed urban poverty and tenement conditions.

Ida Tarbell

Muckraker who exposed Standard Oil's monopolistic practices through investigative journalism.

Margaret Sanger

Advocate for birth control and founder of the American Birth Control League, later Planned Parenthood.

Federal Reserve System

Central banking system established in 1913 to regulate currency, banking, and interest rates.

Roosevelt Corollary

1904 extension of the Monroe Doctrine asserting the U.S. right to intervene in Latin America.

Schenck v. United States (1919)

Upheld limits on free speech when it creates a "clear and present danger."

Clear and Present Danger Doctrine

Legal principle stating that speech may be restricted if it poses an immediate threat to public safety or national security.

Great Depression (1929-1941)

Major economic crisis caused by the stock market crash, bank failures, overproduction, and other structural weaknesses.

Truman Statement on Korea (1950)

Declared the North Korean invasion of South Korea an act of communist aggression requiring U.S. intervention.

Science Education Expansion after Sputnik

The Soviet launch of Sputnik in 1957 led to the National Defense Education Act and increased STEM funding.

Patriot Act (2001)

Expanded federal surveillance and law enforcement powers after the September 11 attacks.

Andrew Johnson Impeachment

Impeached in 1868 for violating the Tenure of Office Act; acquitted by one Senate vote.

Presidents Impeached and Why

Andrew Johnson (Tenure of Office Act); Bill Clinton (perjury and obstruction of justice); Donald Trump (abuse of power/obstruction in 2019 and incitement of insurrection in 2021).

Pennsylvania Resolutions (1765)

Colonial protest asserting only colonial legislatures could tax colonists.

Philadelphia Freemen

Free African Americans in Philadelphia who built independent communities and supported abolitionist causes.

Judicial Review

Power of courts to declare government actions unconstitutional.

Sojourner Truth

African American abolitionist and women's rights advocate known for her "Ain't I a Woman?" speech.

William Lloyd Garrison

Radical abolitionist who founded The Liberator and demanded immediate emancipation.

Nationalization of Trusts

Populist and Progressive idea advocating government ownership of major industries to prevent corporate abuse.

Weakness of Sherman Antitrust Act

Vague wording and weak enforcement allowed monopolies to persist and was sometimes used against labor unions.

Sherman Antitrust Act (1890)

First federal law designed to break up monopolies and promote competition.

Woodrow Wilson and Executive Power

Expanded presidential leadership through direct legislative involvement and regulatory agencies.

League Covenant

Part of the Treaty of Versailles establishing the League of Nations; rejected by the U.S. Senate.

Executive Privilege

President's power to withhold confidential information from Congress or courts.

Lincoln's Reconstruction Plan

The Ten Percent Plan, allowing Southern states to rejoin the Union if 10% of voters pledged loyalty.

Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC)

First federal regulatory agency, created to regulate railroads and prevent unfair practices.

Popular Sovereignty

Idea that settlers in a territory should vote on whether to allow slavery.

17th Amendment (1913)

Established direct election of U.S. Senators by voters.

Civil War Dates

April 12, 1861 – April 9, 1865.

War of 1812

Conflict between the U.S. and Britain caused by impressment, trade restrictions, and frontier tensions.

Monroe Doctrine (1823)

Warned European nations against colonization or interference in the Western Hemisphere.

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

Confirmed federal authority over interstate commerce.

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

Allowed popular sovereignty in Kansas and Nebraska and repealed the Missouri Compromise line.

Passive Resistance

Nonviolent opposition through civil disobedience, boycotts, and peaceful protest.

Transcendentalism

Movement emphasizing individualism, intuition, self-reliance, and nature.

Lost Generation

Group of post-WWI writers disillusioned with materialism and traditional values.

Dust Bowl Causes

Drought, high winds, and poor farming practices that devastated the Great Plains during the 1930s.

Supply-Side Economics

Theory that tax cuts and deregulation stimulate investment and economic growth.

War on Terror

Global campaign against terrorism launched after the September 11 attacks.

Marshall Plan (1948)

U.S. aid program that rebuilt Western Europe and contained communism after World War II.

Political Effects of Vietnam

Anti-war protests, distrust of government, passage of the War Powers Act, and weakening of LBJ's agenda.

Necessary and Proper Clause

Constitutional clause allowing Congress to make laws needed to carry out its powers.

Elastic Clause

Another name for the Necessary and Proper Clause.

Sectionalism

Loyalty to regional interests over national interests.

Expansionism

Policy of expanding national territory or influence.

Big Stick Diplomacy

Theodore Roosevelt's policy of negotiation backed by military strength.

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

New Deal program that employed young men in conservation and public works projects.

Social Security Administration

Agency created by the Social Security Act of 1935 to provide retirement and unemployment benefits.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Agency established in 1934 to regulate communications industries.

National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act)

Protected workers' rights to organize unions and bargain collectively.

Lend-Lease Act (1941)

Allowed the U.S. to provide military aid to Allied nations before entering WWII.

Good Neighbor Policy

FDR's policy of non-intervention and cooperation with Latin America.

Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)

Conflict ending in Franco's fascist victory; U.S. remained officially neutral.

Clinton's Intervention in Bosnia (1995)

U.S.-led NATO effort to stop ethnic cleansing and enforce peace agreements.

American Perspectives on Vietnam

Shifted from support for containment to widespread opposition and postwar skepticism toward foreign intervention.

Berlin Wall (1961-1989)

Built to stop East Germans from fleeing to the West; its fall symbolized the end of the Cold War.