US 1 Final Exam Key Terms ACADEMIC (Modified)

Reconstruction

rebuilding the country after the Civil War

Freedmen's Bureau

a federal agency that helped former slaves by opening schools, opening hospitals, and providing work opportunities

Ku Klux Klan

White supremacist group that hated and targeted African Americans.

Jim Crow Laws

State laws enforcing racial segregation in the South. Separated African Americans and Whites.

Manifest Destiny

Belief in U.S. expansion across North America. Idea that God had given the continent to Americans and wanted them to settle western land.

Mexican-American War

fight between the U.S. and Mexico over disputed land in the 1840s. The US won and gained territory in the Southwest.

California Gold Rush

Mass migration to California for gold in 1849 that greatly increased the population

Oregon Trail

the most popular trail from the frontier to the West

Industry

Economic activity concerned with the processing of raw materials and manufacture of goods in factories.

Robber Barons

American business leaders in the late 1800s who became rich in unfair ways, like cheating in the stock market and treating workers badly

Captains of Industry

American business leaders viewed in a good way, people called them 'self-made men' or leaders who helped grow the country and gave many Americans jobs

Immigration

millions of immigrants came to live in the United States from all over the world: Europe, Asia, and the Americas

Tenements

multi-family apartments in cities with terrible living conditions and overcrowding

Imperialism

The economic and political domination of a strong nation over other weaker nations.

Spanish-American War

1898 conflict resulting in U.S. territorial gains of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

Big Stick Policy

President Roosevelt's policy. He talked politely with other countries to get what he wanted, but he also warned them that the U.S. military was strong and could be used if needed

Panama Canal

The United States built the Panama Canal for ships to have a quicker passage between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.

Progressivism

Desire to reform/improve a particular area or areas of American life like social and political issues.

Suffrage

The right to vote in political elections. American women finally got suffrage with Nineteenth Amendment.

Upton Sinclair

Muckraker and author of 'The Jungle,' exposing the dirty conditions of the meatpacking industry.

MAIN causes of WWI

Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism

Alliance

an agreement between countries to help each other

Nationalism

pride in one's country

Lusitania

British ship sunk by German U-boats in 1915. 128 Americans were killed.

Zimmerman Telegram

Secret German proposal to Mexico about forming an alliance during WWI.

New weapons/technology in WWI

tanks, airplanes, zeppelins, machine guns, mustard gas, artillery, submarines