AP United States History Unit 7 Vocabulary Terms

Jingoist

Extremely patriotic supporter of the expansion and use of military power. Jingoist’s such as Roosevelt wanted war to demonstrate America’s strength and prove own masculinity.

Spanish-American War

The war US declared against Spain to aid Cuban Revolutionaries in ongoing war for independence. The war was also fought in the Phillippines and US victory led to annexation of the Phillippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam from Spain as well as the Carribean

Teller Amendment

An amendment to the 1898 deceleration of war against Spain stipulating that Cuba should be free and independent. The amendment was largely ignored in the aftermath of US victory.

Yellow Journalism

Sensationalist news accounts meant to sell newspapers provoking an emotional response in readers. Yellow Journalism contributed to the growth of public support for American intervention in Cuba in 1898.

Platt Amendment

A 1901 act of Congress limiting Cuban sovereignty. US officials pressured Cuban leaders to incorporate the amendment into the Cuban constitution.

Anti-Imperialist League

An organization founded in 1898 to appose the annexation of the Phillippnes. Some feared the annexation would bring compeition from cheap labor; others considered Filipinos racially inferior and the Phillippines unsuitable as an American territory.

Panama Canal

50 mile canal built by the US in Panama that connected the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Big Stick Diplomacy

Aggressive foreign diplomacy backed by the threat of US force. It’s name comes from a proverb quoted by Theodore Roosevelt: “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”

Dollar Diplomacy

The term used by President Taft to describe the economic focus of his foreign policy. Helped use economic policies and control of foreign assets by the American companies to expand US influence in Latin America.

Open Door Policy

A 1899 policy in which Secretary of State John Hay informed the nations occupying China that the US had the right of equal trade in China.

Progressivism

A movement whose adherents were united by the belief that if people joined together and applied human intelligence to improving the nation, progress was inevitable. Sought government intervention without radical change.

Muckrakers

Investigative journalists during the late 19th and early 20th centuries who specialized in exposing corruption, scandal and vice. Helped build support for progressive reform.

Hull House

The settlement house established by Jane Addams and Ellen Starr in Chicago. Sewed as center of social reform, providing educational social opportunities for the working class (immigrant women and children).

National Association of Colored Women

An organization that became the largest federation of Black local women’s clubs in 1896. Designed to reduce suffering among poor Black people, defend Black women and promote interests.

National American Women’s Suffrage Association

A national organization created in 1890 that contributed to the ratification of the 19th amendment in 1920

Muller v. Oregon

US Supreme Court ruling in 1908 that upheld on Oregon law establishing a 10 hour workday for women and progressive reform

19th Amendment

Guarenteed women’s right to vote in the US

Tuskegee Institute

An educational institute for southern Blacks founded by Brooker T. Washington. Following Washington’s philosophy, the institute focused on teaching industries habits and practical job skills.

Women’s Christian Temperance Union

Founded in 1874, was a religiously motivated organization that originally aimed to end the consumption of alcohol under Frances Willard’s leadership.

18th Amendment

The 1918 Amendment of the Constitution banning the production and sale of alcoholic beverages. Repealed in 1933 by the 21st Amendment.

Margaret Sanger

An American birth control activist, s*x education writer, and nurse. Believed in Eugenics and that contraceptives would raise quality of white race.

Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

An infamous industrial fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City. Inadequate fire safety provisions led to the death of 146 workers.

Conservationism

A progressive era political and social movement whose supporters wanted to protect the environment by balancing demand for natural resources.

17th Amendment

Established the direct election of Senate by populist vote, rather than appointment by state legislators.

Square Deal

Theodore Roosevelt’s plan to provide economic and political stability to the nation by guaranteeing the rights of everyday workers and protecting business rights.

The Jungle

A novel by Muckraker Upton Sinclair published in 1906 that portrayed the poor working and living conditions in Chicago’s meat packing district.

Meat Inspection Act

Regulatory standards passed by Congress in 1906, raising meat packing standards through federal requirements, hurting small businesses.

Pure Food & Drug Act

A law passed in 1906 to prevent the manufactoring sale of harmful foods, dr*gs, medicines and liquors.

Progessive Party

A political party formed by Theodore Roosevelt to facilitate candidacy for president, splitting republican vote and allowing Democrat Woodrow Wilson to win the election. The Party promoted income tax, 8 hour workdays, labor unions, women’s suffrage and and end to child labor.

16th Amendement

Established in 1913, providing a legal basis for a graduated income tax, which had been previously deemed unconstitutional.

Clayton Antitrust Act

An act that strengthened the Sherman Antitrust Act by banning corporate operations, encouraging economic competition.

Adamson Act

A 1916 Act establishing an 8 hour workday and overtime for workers in private industry.

Keating-Owen Act

An act preventing the sale of goods made by children under 14.

Regulation gaurenteeing the rights of federal employees to receive financial compensation or pursue legal action for any injury on the job.

Mexican Revolution

The 1911 revolution in Mexico, which led to nearly a decade of bloodshed and civil war.

Lusitania

A British passage linear struck by German submarines torpedoes off the coats of Ireland in 1915, sinking the ship and killing 128 Americans.

Zimmerman Telegram

A secret 1917 telegram in which Germany offered Mexico an alliance in the event that the US entered WW1 and promised to help Mexico reclaim lands.

Selective Secret Service

The Act authorizing a nationwide draft to support the US participation in WWI.

14 Points Peace Plan

The core principles President Wilson saw as the basis for lasting peace after WWI including the freedom of the seas and open diplomacy.

League of Nations

The international Organization proposed by Wilson after the end of WWI to ensure world peace and security in the future through mutual agreement.

Treaty of Versailles

The treaty officially ending WWI and creating the League of Nations, signed in 1919. Treaty imposed a ‘war guilt’ clause on Germany however it was never ratified by the US.

Philippine American War

Emerged in early 1899 following the US annexation of the former Spanish colonies of the Phillippine Islands, leading to debate between imperialists and anti-imperialists.

Committee on Public Information

A government organization established in 1917 to create and promote pro–World War I propaganda and censor dissenting voices

Espionage Act

An act that prohibited antiwar activities, including opposing the military draft, passed in 1917. It banned subversive mailings as well as deliberate actions of sabotage and spying.

Sedition Act

An act limiting free speech by punishing individuals for expressing opinions deemed hostile to the U.S. government, flag, or military, passed in 1918.

American Protective League

An organization of private citizens that cooperated with the Justice Department and the Bureau of Investigation during World War I to spy on German residents suspected of disloyal behavior.

Red Scare

The fear of communist-inspired radicalism in the wake of the Russian Revolution. The Red Scare culminated in the Palmer raids on suspected radicals.

Schenck v. United States

The Supreme Court ruling in 1919 limiting free speech that creates a “clear and present danger.” The ruling upheld a conviction under the Espionage Act for mailing leaflets opposed to the draft.

Palmer Raids

The government roundup of some 6,000 suspected alien radicals in 1919–1920, ordered by Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer and his assistant J. Edgar Hoover. The raids reflected the fears of foreign radicalism present during the first Red Scare and resulted in the deportation of 556 immigrants.

Influenza Pandemic

A worldwide flu pandemic, also known as the “Spanish Flu,” following the end of World War I. It killed an estimated 50 million individuals, including approximately 675,000 Americans.

Great Migration

The population shift of more than 400,000 Black people who left the South beginning in 1917–1918 and headed north and west to escape poverty and racial discrimination. During the 1920s, another 800,000 Black people left the South.

Chicago Race Riot

An incident where a young Black swimmer drowned due to white people throwing stones leading to a 13 day mob of Black and White people attacking each other. Lead to the death of 38 people.

Teapot Dome Scandal

An oil and land scandal that highlighted the close ties between big business and the federal government in the early 1920s.

Ford Automobile

The Ford Motor Company revolutionized American Industry through the introduction of the assembly line and streamline leading to mass production.

Consumerism and Installment Plan

Credit systems allowing consumers to male small down payments and pay off expensive items over time, creating an economic boom.

Flapper

A term for the modern, sexually liberated woman popularized in movies and magazines in the 1920s. Flappers defied traditional, conservative views of women by wearing short hair and short skirts, smoking, drinking, and acting more independently.

Lost Generation

A term coined by the writer Gertrude Stein to describe the writers and artists disillusioned with the consumer culture of the 1920s.

Harlem Renaissance

The work of Harlem-based Black writers, artists, and musicians who flourished following World War I through the 1920s.

New Negro

The 1920s term for the second generation of Black Americans born after emancipation, who stood up for their rights.

Scopes Trial

A 1925 legal case prosecuting high school teacher, John Scope for violating the Butler Act, which banned teachings of human evolution in state-funded schools.

Sacco and Vanzetti Case

The 1920 case in which Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were convicted of robbery and murder. The trial centered on the defendants’ foreign birth and political views, rather than the facts pertaining to their guilt or innocence, and drew worldwide criticism.

National Origins Act

An act passed in 1924 establishing immigration quotas by national origin. It was intended to severely limit immigration from southern and eastern Europe as well as halt all immigration from East Asia.

Black Tuesday

The name given to the October 29, 1929, crash of the U.S. stock market. This event marked the beginning of the Great Depression, although it was not the depression’s root cause.

Smoot-Hawley Tariff

A 1930 tariff act that significantly raised taxes on imported agricultural and manufactured goods to aid struggling farmers and businesses during the beginning of the Great Depression. In response, other countries greatly increased their duties on American goods, contributing to a sharp decline in global trade.

Reconstruction Finance Corporation

A government corporation endorsed by Herbert Hoover and created by Congress. It provided federal support through loans to troubled banks, railroads, and insurance companies and, later, states and municipalities in an attempt to stimulate economic growth and job creation.

Dust Bowl

Name for the southern plains of the United States during the Great Depression, when the region experienced devastating dust storms due to soil erosion caused by poor farming practices and drought.

Scottsboro Nine

Nine Black youths convicted of raping two white women in Scottsboro, Alabama, in 1931. Their death penalty sentences were later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case, which drew national and international attention to ongoing racial inequalities in the U.S. criminal system.

Bonus Army

World War I veterans who marched on Washington, D.C., in 1932 to demand immediate payment of their service bonuses. President Hoover refused to negotiate and instructed the U.S. army to clear the capital of protesters, leading to a violent clash.

New Deal

The policies and programs that Franklin Roosevelt initiated to combat the Great Depression. The New Deal represented a dramatic expansion of the role of government in American society, and its provisions were often categorized as either relief, recovery, or reform efforts (the 3 Rs).

Emergency Banking Relief Act

An act passed in 1933 with the goal of stabilizing the banking system to calm widespread public panic over the safety of bank deposits. The act required banks to pass a federal audit before reopening after the “bank holiday,” reassuring depositors that they were solvent.

Glass-Stegall Act

New Deal legislation passed in 1933 that sought to reform and strengthen the banking system. The act created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to insure bank deposits. It also prohibited institutions from participating in both commercial and investment banking (the prohibition was repealed in 1999).

21st Amendment

The constitutional amendment ratified in 1933 to repeal the Eighteenth Amendment and prohibition.

Agricultural Adjustment Act

A New Deal act passed in 1933 that raised prices for farm produce by paying farmers subsidies to reduce production. Large farmers reaped most of the benefits from the act. It was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1936.

Public Works Administration

A New Deal administration created in 1933 to provide jobs relief through the construction of infrastructure, such as roads, schools, hospitals, dams, and libraries.

Civilian Conservation Corps

A New Deal work program that hired young, unmarried men to work on conservation projects. It employed about 2.5 million men and lasted until 1942.

Huey Long

A radical populist American political known for his “share our wealth” program to advocate for massive redistribution of wealth.

Works Progress Administration

A New Deal agency established in 1935 to put unemployed Americans to work on public projects ranging from construction to the arts. The WPA was the largest jobs program during the New Deal, employing more than eight million people.

National Labor Relation Act (Wagner Act)

A 1935 act (also known as the Wagner Act) that created the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The NLRB protected workers’ right to organize labor unions without business owner interference and engage in collective bargaining.

Social Security Act

The landmark 1935 act that created retirement pensions for most Americans funded by payroll taxes. It also provided unemployment insurance and assistance for the disabled.

Fair Labor Standards Act

A law passed in 1938 that provided a minimum wage of forty cents an hour and a forty-hour workweek for employees in businesses engaged in interstate commerce.

Indian Reorganization Act

An act from 1934 that ended the Dawes Act, authorized self-government for those living on reservations, extended tribal landholdings, and pledged to uphold native customs and languages.

Court Packing Plan

A proposal made by Franklin Roosevelt in 1937 to increase the number of members of the U.S. Supreme Court and reduce its opposition to New Deal legislation. Congress failed to pass the measure, and the scheme undermined Roosevelt’s popular support.

Kellogg-Briand Pact

An international arms-control agreement that outlawed war as an instrument of national policy following World War I. The policy reflected isolationist sentiments that opposed collective security agreements, and the pact proved unenforceable.

Isolationism

The informal policy stemming from the belief that the United States should not become involved in the affairs of other nations. This mindset was especially popular following World War I.

Neutrality Acts

Legislation passed between 1935 and 1937 to make it more difficult for the United States to become entangled in overseas conflicts. The Neutrality Acts reflected the strength of isolationist sentiment in 1930s America.

American First Committee

An isolationist organization founded by Senator Gerald Nye in 1940 to keep the United States out of World War II.

Lend-Lease Act

A law permitting the United States to lend or lease military equipment and other commodities to Great Britain and its allies. Its passage in March 1941 marked the end of U.S. neutrality before the United States entered World War II.

Attack on Pearl Harbor

The Japanese surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. The attack killed more than 2,400 Americans, seriously damaged ships and aircraft, and abruptly ended isolationism by prompting U.S. entry into World War II.

War Powers Acts

Two acts passed after the attack on Pearl Harbor that greatly expanded the power of the president during World War II. The acts allowed the president to reorganize federal agencies, expedite wartime production, censor international mail, and provide census data to the FBI.

Tuskegee Airmen

Black pilots and airmen who served in segregated units during World War II. They earned fame escorting U.S. bomber aircraft in Europe and North Africa.

Rosie the Riveter

A symbol for the recruitment of women during waritime

Office of War Information

A government office set up during World War II to promote patriotism and urge Americans to contribute to the war effort any way they could.

Double V Campaign

The slogan Black Americans used during World War II to state their twin aims to fight for victory over fascism abroad and victory over racism at home.

Braceros Program

A Spanish term meaning “manual laborer,” braceros were initially brought in from Mexico to work on U.S. farms, railroads, and factories during World War II. Bilateral agreements extended the program through 1964. Over 4.6 million guest contracts were signed before its termination.

Executive Order 8802

An executive order signed by Franklin Roosevelt in 1941 banning racial discrimination in the defense industry and creating the Fair Employment Practice Committee (FEPC). The order was issued in part as a compromise to avert a planned civil rights march on Washington, D.C.

Zoot Suit Riots

A series of violent attacks by white servicemen and citizens against Mexican American teenagers wearing zoot suits in 1943 in Los Angeles, California.

Korematsu v. United States

Challenged the legality of President Roosevelt’s executive order which had allowed military officials to exclude Japanese Americans from certain areas and evacuate them from their homes.

Internment

The forced relocation of persons seen as a threat to national security to isolated camps. During World War II, nearly all people of Japanese descent living on the West Coast, approximately 120,000, were forced to quickly sell or abandon their possessions and relocate to detention camps.

D-day

The invasion of German-occupied France by Allied forces on June 6, 1944. The D-Day landings opened up a western front in Europe and marked a major turning point in World War II.

Island Hopping

This tactic, employed in the Pacific by U.S. forces in World War II, directed American and Allied forces to cut off and pass over some heavily fortified Japanese islands to speed their drive toward the Japanese mainland.