US history final study guide (Vocabulary)

Push Factor

A reason that pushes people to leave their homeland

Pull Factor

A reason that attracts people to a new country

Bird of Passage

Immigrants who planned to work in the U.S. temporarily and then return home

Trachoma

highly contagious eye infection caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis

Ethnic enclave

A neighborhood made up of people from the same culture or nationality

Nativism

Favoritism toward native-born Americans over immigrants

Chinese Execution Act

Law that suspended Chinese immigration for 75 years

Urbanization

Growth and expansion of cities; increase in city population.

Tenements

Cheap, overcrowded apartment building with poor living conditions.

Settlement House

Community center that provided services like childcare, education, healthcare, and English classes for immigrants.

Political Machine

A political organization that controlled local government and used power to keep a political party in control.

Party Boss

Leader who controlled a city’s political machine and made major decisions about jobs and services.

Ward Boss

Local leader who worked in a specific district to gain voters’ support for the political machine.

Precinct

Smallest voting district within a ward.

Patronage

Practice of giving government jobs to political supporters instead of qualified candidates.

Graft

illegal use of political power for personal financial gain.

Kickback

Illegal payment made in return for awarding contracts or services.

Merit System

System where government jobs are given based on ability and qualifications.

Naturalization

Legal process of becoming a U.S. citizen.

Mass Transit

Public transportation systems like subways, streetcars, and buses.

Tammary Hall

Powerful political machine that controlled New York City politics.

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

Deadly 1911 factory fire that killed 146 workers and led to new safety laws.

Tenement House Act of 1901

Law that improved safety, sanitation, and living conditions in apartment buildings.

Laissez-faire

government stays out of business

Patent

Protects inventions

Entrepreneur

business starter/ innovator

Corporation

Illegally separate business entity

Monopoly

one company controls industry

Cartel

companies agreeing to control prices

Horizontal integration

buying competitors

Vertical integration

controlling production process

Trust

group of companies under one control

Sweatshop

unsafe factory

Company town

employer-controlled town

Wage slavery

workers trapped by low wages/debt

Collective bargaining

group negotiation by workers

Scabs

strikebreakers

Lockout

employer shuts workers out

Progressivism

A reform movement (1890s–1920s) aimed at fixing problems caused by industrialization, urbanization, corruption, and inequality.

Muckrakers

Journalists and writers who exposed corruption, unsafe conditions, and social injustices. Famous muckrakers included Upton Sinclair and Ida Tarbell.

Trust busting

Government actions to break up monopolies and large corporations that limited competition.

Sherman Antitrust Act

A law passed in 1890 to outlaw monopolies and restrain unfair business practices.

Direct Primary

A system allowing voters, rather than party leaders, to choose political candidates.

Initiative

A process allowing citizens to propose laws directly.

Referendum

A process where citizens vote directly on proposed laws.

Recall

A procedure allowing voters to remove elected officials before their term ends.

Temperance

A movement encouraging reduced alcohol consumption or complete prohibition of alcohol.

Suffrage

The right to vote; often refers to the women’s suffrage movement.

Americanization

Efforts to assimilate immigrants into American culture, language, and customs.

Square Deal

Theodore Roosevelt’s domestic program focused on consumer protection, conservation, and controlling corporations.

New Freedom

Woodrow Wilson’s reform program promoting small business competition and reducing monopolies.

Conservation

The protection and careful management of natural resources.

Arbitration

The settlement of disputes by a neutral third party.

Interstate Commerce Commission

The first federal regulatory agency, created to oversee railroad practices and ensure fair rates

Imperialism

policy of expanding a country’s power over other nations

Manifest Destiny

belief US was meant to expand across North America (and beyond)

Annexation

adding territory into an existing country

Protectorate

country controlled but not fully owned by another

Sphere of Influence

area where a country has strong economic/political control

Open Door Policy

equal trading rights in China for all countries

Roosevelt Corollary

US can intervene in Latin America

Dollar Diplomacy

use of financial power to influence countries

Big Stick Diplomacy

use of military strength to back diplomacy

Moral Diplomacy

promoting democracy and human rights

Yellow Journalism

exaggerated news that helped push US into war (Spanish-American War)

Platt Amendment

allowed US intervention in Cuba

Militarism

Building up a strong military and weapons

Alliances

agreements between countries to help each other in war

Imperialism

competing to take over colonies and resources

Nationalism

strong pride in your country

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Austro-Hungarian heir whose assassination started WWI

Gavrilo Princip

assassin of Franz ferdinand

Black Hand

Serbian nationalist group

Schlieffen Plan

Germany’s plan to quickly defeat France then fight Russia

Stalemate

neither side can win or move forward

Trench Warfare

fighting from deep trenches

Western Front

main battlefield in France and Belgium

Machine Guns

fast-firing weapons causing many deaths

Neutrality

not taking sides in a war

Lusitania

ship sunk by Germany killing Americans

unrestricted submarine warfare

sinking ships without warning

Zimmermann Note

Germany’s message asking Mexico to attack the U.S.

Selective Service Act

required men to register for the draft

Committee on Public Information (CPI)

government propaganda agency

Propaganda

information used to influence people

War Industries Board

controlled wartime production

Council of National Defense

organized wartime economy

Espionage Act

punished interference with the war effort

Sedition Act

banned criticism of the government

Conscientious objector

person who refuses to fight for moral/religious reasons

Artismtic

Agreement to stop fighting

Fourteen points

Wilson’s peace plan

League of nations

organization to prevent future wars

Treaty of Versailles

treaty that ended WWI and punished Germany

Reparations

money Germany paid for war damage

War Guilt Clause

Germany blamed for WWI

Irreconcilables

senators totally against the treaty

Reservationists

senators who wanted changes to the treaty