DCUSH Key Terms

(Reconstruction) 13th Amendment

Amendment that abolished slavery

(Reconstruction) 14th Amendment

Amendment that granted citizenship to all people born in the United States

(Reconstruction) Civil Rights Act of 1875

Prohibited racial segregation in public spaces

Jim Crow Laws

Enforced racisl segregation and disenfranchisement of African Americans

Disenfranchisement

Literacy tests, poll taxes, and violence

Plessy vs. Ferguson

Upheld racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine

Rise of Black Activism

Organizations like the NAACP began fighting legal battles against segregation

Civil Rights Movement

African Americans fought for equal rights and an end to racial segregation

Brown vs. Board of Education

Overturned Plessy vs. Ferguson. Declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Outlawed segregation in employment, education, and public spaces

Great Depression

Caused by the stock market crash of 1929. A period of severe worldwide economic downturn

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

Provided jobs to young men and improved the nation's natural resources

CCC job examples

Planting trees, improving forests, and maintaining roads

Works Progress Administration (WPA)

Created large-scale public works jobs for unemployed Americans

WPA job examples

Building bridges, libraries, and schools

Society Security Act

Provided a safety net for the elderly, unemployed, and disabled

Social Security examples

Included old-age pensions, unemployment insurance, and aid for the disabled

New Deal Programs

Implemented by FDR, aimed at provided relief for the unemployed, promoting recovery, and preventing future depressions

Isolationism

Policy of avoiding political or military involvement in international affairs

Monroe Doctrine

Rejected European interference and emphasisized no intervention