US History Final Review Flashcards

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering major events and concepts in US History from the Market Revolution through the Civil Rights Movement.

Market Revolution

A period characterized by improvements in transportation, factories, and farming that led to economic growth and the development of national markets.

Labor Union

An organization of workers united for a common cause, specifically focusing on improving working conditions such as wages, hours, and safety.

Suffrage

The right to vote.

Progressive Era

A time period focused on addressing and fixing problems that resulted from industrialization.

Imperialism

A policy where a stronger nation attempts to create an empire by dominating weaker nations through economic or nationalist means.

Spanish American War

A conflict that helped the US become a global power, featuring leaders like Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders.

Yellow Journalism

A style of reporting that uses exaggerated headlines and half-truths to sell newspapers and influence public opinion, such as during the war with Spain.

Annexation

The process by which an independent nation becomes part of an existing country.

MAIN

The four underlying causes of WWI: Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The individual whose assassination served as the spark that started WWI.

Allied Powers

The WWI alliance that included the United States, France, Russia, and Britain.

Central Powers

The WWI alliance that included Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire.

Treaty of Versailles

The agreement that ended WWI, created the League of Nations, and required large reparations from Germany.

Jazz Age

A period of great cultural change in America characterized by flappers, speakeasies, and the Harlem Renaissance.

Prohibition

A ban on alcohol during the $1920s$ mandated by the $18^{th}$ Amendment, which led to illegal drinking and an increase in crime.

Harlem Renaissance

An intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, and politics.

Langston Hughes

A poet during the Harlem Renaissance who wrote "I Too Sing America" to describe the black experience in the USA.

Great Migration

The movement of African Americans from the rural south to northern and western cities, which eventually led to the Harlem Renaissance.

Bank Runs

A phenomenon where many people rush to a bank to withdraw their money simultaneously due to fear of bank failure.

Hoovervilles

Makeshift communities of homeless people that became common during the Great Depression.

Fireside Chats

A series of evening radio addresses delivered by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) to explain policies and reassure the public.

Fascism

An authoritarian and ultranationalist political ideology characterized by dictatorial leaders, military expansion, and the violent suppression of opposition.

Appeasement

The policy where Britain and France allowed Nazi Germany to annex Austria and parts of Czechoslovakia.

Pearl Harbor

The American Naval Base in Hawaii attacked by Japan on December $7$, $1941$, resulting in $2400$ deaths and leading the US to declare war.

Japanese Internment

The forced relocation of American citizens of Japanese descent to prison camps during WWII due to fears regarding national security.

Island Hopping

The major US strategy in the Pacific war to capture key islands close enough to Japan to conduct bombing missions without refueling.

Atomic Bomb

A new weapon developed during WWII; used by President Harry Truman on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to avoid a ground invasion of Japan.

The Holocaust

The systematic killing of over $12 ext{ million}$ people, including $2$ out of every $3$ European Jews, by Nazi Germany and its allies.

Duck and Cover

The name given to atomic bomb drills practiced by schools and citizens during the Cold War.

Iron Curtain

A metaphorical line symbolizing the Cold War division between the Communist countries of Eastern Europe and the Capitalist countries of Western Europe.

Containment

The US foreign policy goal to stop the spread of communism, which was a primary reason for involvement in the Korean War.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A dangerous Cold War confrontation occurring because the Soviet Union placed nuclear missiles in Communist Cuba, geographically close to the US.

Civil Rights Movement

A movement for equality that started after WWII, led by figures like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to fight against injustices like literacy tests and Jim Crow laws.

Segregation

The creation of separate spaces for African Americans that were intentionally underfunded and neglected compared to those for White persons.

Queen Liliuokalani

The Hawaiian monarch who was forced to step down by Americans during the annexation of Hawaii.

Assembly Line

An innovation by Ford that reduced the time to assemble a car from $12 ext{ hours}$ to $90 ext{ minutes}$, allowing for mass production and lower prices.

Pure Food and Drug Act

A Progressive Era reform that improved sanitation and safety in the meatpacking industry, leading to increased health outcomes for consumers.

Anti-trust Laws

Regulations used by the government, such as by Teddy Roosevelt against Standard Oil, to break up monopolies and lower consumer prices.