Key Historical Events and Figures

Flashcards from lecture notes on key historical amendments, Supreme Court cases, presidencies, and events.

12th Amendment

Reform of the Electoral College

13th Amendment

Abolition of slavery

14th Amendment

Birthright citizenship and equal protection of the law

15th Amendment

Voting rights for African Americans

16th Amendment

Allowed the federal government to collect an income tax

17th Amendment

Allowed the direct election of U.S. Senators

18th Amendment

Prohibition of alcohol

19th Amendment

Women’s suffrage

Marbury v. Madison

Judicial review was used for the first time

Worcester v. Georgia

U.S. must follow treaties with Native Americans

Dred Scott v. Sandford

Missouri Compromise ruled unconstitutional

Minor v. Happersett

State governments could decide if women could vote

Plessy v. Ferguson

Established “separate but equal” segregation

Schenck v. United States

Limited free speech during wartime

George Washington

Sent troops to put down the Whiskey Rebellion

Thomas Jefferson

Tied Aaron Burr in the Election of 1800

Andrew Jackson

Signed Indian Removal Act

Abraham Lincoln

Signed the Emancipation Proclamation

Theodore Roosevelt

Known as a Trust Buster

Franklin Roosevelt

Implemented the New Deal

Washington’s Farewell Address

Warned America not to have political parties and to stay neutral

Significance of the Election of 1800

A peaceful transfer of power from one party to another

Effects of the Louisiana Purchase

Doubling the U.S size, extending its western border to the Rocky Mountains, and securing access to the Mississippi River

Jefferson’s goal of acquiring New Orleans and the Mississippi River

Secure a crucial trade route and prevent a potential foreign power from controlling the Mississippi River

Judicial Review

The power of a court to declare a law unconstitutional

Causes of the War of 1812

British impressment of U.S. ships and British soldiers still in Northwest Territory

Effects of the War of 1812

U.S. is soundly defeated by the outnumbered Canadians and the British capture and burn down the White House

Main ideas of the Monroe Doctrine

President James Monroe warned European powers not to attempt further colonization or interfere in the Western Hemisphere

Era of Good Feelings

A period from 1815 to 1825, characterized by national unity and optimism

Manifest Destiny

A belief that the United States had a divinely ordained right to expand across the continent

Importance of poor farmers to Andrew Jackson’s election

Andrew Jackson grew up poor and had sympathy for them, and he favored the Spoils system

Missouri Compromise

Resolved the conflict over slavery in newly acquired territories

Trail of Tears

Cherokee were forcibly removed from their land and forced to reservations; many died on the journey

Effects of the Mexican American War

Established the Rio Grande as the boundary and added California, Texas, and New Mexico to the U.S.

Frederick Douglass - Importance of reading and writing

Freedom and personal development; a tool for understanding the world and challenging oppression

Effects of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Influenced antislavery movement and escalated tensions between North and South

Dred Scott

Sued for his freedom because his master brought him into territory where slavery was banned

Main ideas of the Gettysburg Address

All men are created equal and the civil war is a test of whether our nation could endure it

Main ideas of the Emancipation Proclamation

Slaves in the Confederate territory were declared free

Historical significance of the Civil War

Preserved the Union, abolished slavery, and strengthened the federal government

The Battle of Gettysburg

Deadliest battle in U.S. history

Surrender at Appomattox Court House

Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, ending the Civil War

Successes and failures of Reconstruction

Achieved gains in education and political representation but limited by federal support and Jim Crow laws

Immigration in the 1800s

Significant increase in European immigration

“The Gilded Age”

Major industrialization, urbanization, and immigration, 1870-1900

Monopoly

A single company controlling a specific industry

Capitalism

Economic system based on private ownership and supply and demand

Tycoon

A powerful, wealthy entrepreneur

Laissez-faire

Governments keep their hands off of business

Captain of Industry

Created jobs and gave away wealth to charity

Robber Baron

Provided poor working conditions and cut wages

Andrew Carnegie and the Homestead Strike

Pinkerton guards were a cause of violence and labor strikes were mostly unsuccessful

Oil tycoon and Carnegie’s rival

John D. Rockefeller

The Jungle

Readers were most outraged at poor quality of meat

Muckraker

Journalists who exposed corruption in established institutions

Define The Progressive Era

An age best known for social and political reforms

Triangle Shirtwaist Tragedy

Labor unions gain popularity and workers demand safe conditions due to locked exits and collapsed fire escapes

Women’s Suffrage

Susan B. Anthony’s arrest for voting illegally

Booker T. Washington

Conservative, tolerated discrimination, felt political protest was a distraction

W.E.B. Dubois

Liberal, protested against discrimination, wanted African Americans to learn new skills and move north

Theodore Roosevelt

Created U.S. Forest Service, preserved national parks, Antiquities Act

Roosevelt’s role in the Coal Strike of 1902

Workers won shorter work days and higher wages; government can take action to help people

Spanish American War

Imperialism and Cuba wanted independence from Spain

Territories that the U.S. took possession of

Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines

Allied Powers in World War I

U.S., Great Britain, France

Catalyst for U.S. involvement in World War I

Sinking of the Lusitania and the Zimmerman Note

14 Points

Woodrow Wilson’s peace plan

League of Nations

One world alliance for collective security

Treaty of Versailles

Ended World War I

Flapper

A fashionable young woman who likes to party

Great Migration

Mass migration of African Americans from the south to the north beginning in 1910

Harlem Renaissance

A rebirth of black art, literature, and music in New York during the roaring 20s

Prohibition

The prevention by law of the manufacture and sale of alcohol

Speakeasy

Bars operated in secret that sold and consumed alcohol illegally

Causes of prohibition

Families were falling into poverty and people spent more time in the bar than with their family

Effects of prohibition

Speakeasies were created and there was illegal production of alcohol

Jazz Music

Jazz Music contributed to breaking down racial barriers

Louis Armstrong

Most famous jazz musician of 20s

Babe Ruth

First baseball player to become a cultural icon

Great Migration

mass movement of African Americans from south to north caused by high demand for northern factory jobs

Harlem Renaissance

explosion of African American culture in New York

Stock Market Crash

investors panic and sell off stocks in one day and the market plummets

Causes of Great Depression

farmers struggled in 20s and there was a decline in consumer spending

New Deal

Franklin Roosevelt's government programs and policies to help Americans during the Great Depression

FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation)

government agency that insures money deposited into banks

SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission)

Sets rules and regulations for the stock market

AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Administration)

Paid farmers to produce fewer crops and destroy livestock in order for prices to go up

Social Security

Financial relief for elderly Americans

Minimum Wage

relief for low wage workers

Eleanor Roosevelt

the first politically active First Lady