Studied by 0 people
Atomic Bomb
• Developed in the secret Manhattan Project during WWII
• Dropped on Hiroshima (August 6, 1945) and Nagasaki (August 9, 1945), helping force Japan’s surrender and ending the war
• Marked the beginning of the nuclear age and transformed military strategy
Axis Powers
• The coalition of Germany, Italy, and Japan during World War II
• Their aggressive expansionism and totalitarian regimes set the stage for the Allied response
Harlem Renaissance
• A flowering of African American arts, literature, and music during the 1920s
• Helped redefine Black identity and challenged prevailing racial stereotypes
Jazz
• An innovative music genre emerging from African American traditions in the early 20th century
League of Nations
An international organization formed after WWI to promote peace and cooperation.
• Despite its idealism, its lack of U.S. participation and enforcement powers limited its effectiveness.
Pearl Harbor
• A U.S. naval base in Hawaii attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941.
• The surprise assault led the United States to abandon isolationism and enter World War II.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
The 32nd president (1933–1945) who led the nation through the Great Depression and most of WWII.
• Launched the New Deal (the “3 R’s”: Relief, Recovery, Reform) that reshaped American government and society.
Spanish-American War
• A 1898 conflict triggered by U.S. support for Cuban independence and sensationalist journalism.
• Ended with the Treaty of Paris, which granted the U.S. new territories (e.g., Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines)
Imperialists
Argued that acquiring colonies spread American ideals and secured markets
Anti-Imperialists
contended that imperialism contradicted the nation’s democratic principles and self‑determination.
Woodrow Wilson
• The 28th president (1913–1921) who steered the nation during WWI and championed the League of Nations.
• His progressive reforms and Fourteen Points shaped postwar international debates— even though many of his ideas were rejected
Women’s Rights Movement
• A struggle for equality culminating in the 19th Amendment (1920), which granted women the right to vote.
Progressivism
A reform movement aimed at curbing the abuses of industrial capitalism, political corruption, and social inequity.
• Led to antitrust laws, improved labor conditions, and increased government regulation in the early 20th century.
Great Depression (New Deal & Welfare State)
• A catastrophic economic downturn beginning with the 1929 Stock Market Crash.
• Spurred massive government intervention through FDR’s New Deal, which created lasting institutions and reshaped the welfare state.
Red Scare
• Periods of intense fear of communism and radical ideas (after WWI and later during the early Cold War).
• Led to government crackdowns, violations of civil liberties, and widespread suspicion toward immigrants and labor activists.
World War I
• A global conflict (1914–1918) in which the U.S. entered in 1917, tipping the balance for the Allies.
Great Migration
• The movement of millions of African Americans from the segregated South to northern and midwestern cities.
• Sought economic opportunities and escape from Jim Crow laws
Isolationism
• A foreign policy stance advocating noninvolvement in international conflicts
Japanese-American Internment
• The forced relocation and incarceration of over 100,000 Japanese Americans during WWII.
Atlantic Charter
• A joint declaration by FDR and Churchill in 1941 outlining Allied goals for the postwar world (self‑determination, free trade, and collective security).
• Laid the ideological groundwork for the United Nations.
Open Door Policy
• A U.S. diplomatic initiative toward China that promoted equal trade access for all foreign powers and upheld China’s territorial integrity.
• Reflected American economic interests without resorting to outright colonization.
Clayton Anti-Trust Act
• A Progressive-era law designed to curb monopolies and promote fair competition.
Dollar Diplomacy
A policy (under President Taft) encouraging U.S. investments abroad—especially in Latin America and East Asia—to extend American influence.
Federal Writer’s Project
• A New Deal program employing writers to document American life, create state guides, and preserve folklore.
• Helped provide employment and preserve cultural history during the Great Depression.
FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation)
• Established in 1933 to insure bank deposits, restoring public confidence after bank failures during the Depression.
John L. Lewis
• A powerful labor leader of the United Mine Workers who helped shape the modern labor movement.
• Instrumental in union organization and strikes that influenced labor policies for decades.
Neutrality Acts
• A series of 1930s laws intended to keep the U.S. out of foreign conflicts by restricting arms sales and loans to warring nations.
• Reflected widespread isolationist sentiment before WWII.
Sierra Club
• An environmental organization founded in the early 20th century dedicated to conservation.
• Symbolized Progressive efforts to protect natural resources
Manhattan Project
• The secret WWII research program that developed the atomic bomb.
National Recovery Administration (NRA)
• A New Deal agency designed to stimulate industrial recovery by establishing fair-practice codes for businesses and labor standards.
Social Security Act
• Enacted in 1935, it created a system of pensions and unemployment insurance.
• Marked a major expansion of federal responsibility for economic security.
Subsidies
• Government financial support given to industries, agriculture, or other sectors.
• Used during the New Deal and other periods to stabilize markets and promote economic recovery.
Communism
• A political ideology advocating a classless society and state ownership of production.
• Its rise abroad (especially in the Soviet Union) and its appeal during economic crises fueled domestic fears and influenced U.S. foreign policy.
Conservation
• Efforts to protect natural resources and preserve wilderness, championed by Progressive reformers (e.g., Theodore Roosevelt).
• Led to the creation of national parks and enduring environmental policies.
Booker T. Washington
• A leading African American educator and advocate who promoted vocational training and economic self‑reliance as a path to racial uplift.
Radio
• A transformative communication technology that became widely popular in the 1920s.
• Revolutionized news, entertainment, and politics by directly reaching millions of American households.
Automobiles
• The mass production and widespread adoption of cars (exemplified by Ford’s assembly line) transformed American society by increasing mobility and reshaping urban and suburban landscapes.
Internal Migrants
• Refers to Americans moving within the country—often from rural areas to cities—in search of better economic opportunities.
• A trend accelerated by industrialization, the Great Migration, and New Deal-era shifts in labor.
Liberalism
the political philosophy favoring individual rights and free enterprise—but which evolved during the Depression into a more interventionist “social liberalism” that supported government action to promote economic stability and social welfare.
16th Amendment
• Ratified in 1913, it authorized Congress to levy an income tax.
Stock Market Crash
• The 1929 crash that abruptly ended the Roaring Twenties and triggered the Great Depression.
FDR & 3 R’s
Relief (for the unemployed), Recovery (of the economy), and Reform (of the financial system).
Bank Holiday
• A temporary closure of banks declared by FDR in 1933 to halt bank runs and stabilize the financial system.
• Paved the way for banking reforms and the restoration of public confidence.
Upton Sinclair
• A muckraking author whose novel The Jungle exposed unsanitary practices in the meatpacking industry.
• His work spurred public demand for regulatory reforms, leading to the Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food and Drug Act.
Northern Securities Case
• A landmark antitrust lawsuit (1904) in which the federal government broke up a major railroad monopoly.
Federal Reserve Act
• Passed in 1913, it established the Federal Reserve System to manage the nation’s money supply and stabilize the economy.
Sacco & Vanzetti
• Two Italian immigrant anarchists controversially convicted and executed in the 1920s for robbery and murder.
Immigration Quotas
• Laws passed in the 1920s that severely limited immigration, favoring Northern and Western Europeans over others.
Urbanization
• The rapid growth of cities spurred by industrialization, internal migration, and economic opportunity.
Treaty of Versailles
• The 1919 treaty that ended WWI by imposing harsh penalties and reparations on Germany.
• Its terms contributed to long‑term instability in Europe and set the stage for World War II.
Note 
Flashcard (73)