US history ll: 1865-present
US History CLEP Exam Study Guide (1865 to Present)
I. Reconstruction Era (1865-1877)
Key Topics:
- Presidential Reconstruction:
- Andrew Johnson’s lenient approach to the Southern states.
- Quick restoration of state governments without significant social change.
- Radical Reconstruction:
- Led by Radical Republicans in Congress.
- Military Reconstruction Act divided the South into military districts.
- Constitutional Amendments:
- 13th Amendment (1865): Abolished slavery.
- 14th Amendment (1868): Granted citizenship and equal protection.
- 15th Amendment (1870): Gave Black men the right to vote.
- Key Legislation:
- Freedmen’s Bureau Act and Civil Rights Act of 1866.
- Black Codes and Jim Crow Laws: Restricted Black civil rights.
Key Figures:
- Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, Thaddeus Stevens
Important Events:
- Impeachment of Andrew Johnson (1868)
- Compromise of 1877 and the end of Reconstruction
II. Industrialization and the Gilded Age (1877-1900)
Key Topics:
- Economic Growth:
- Rapid industrialization and rise of big businesses.
- Key industries: steel (Andrew Carnegie), oil (John D. Rockefeller).
- Labor Movements:
- Formation of unions (Knights of Labor, American Federation of Labor).
- Major strikes: Haymarket Riot (1886), Pullman Strike (1894).
- Political Corruption:
- Political machines (Tammany Hall, Boss Tweed).
- Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act (1883).
Key Figures:
- Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Samuel Gompers
Important Events:
- Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad (1869)
- Sherman Antitrust Act (1890)
- Panic of 1893
III. Progressive Era (1900-1920)
Key Topics:
- Political Reforms:
- Direct election of senators (17th Amendment).
- Initiative, referendum, and recall.
- Social Reforms:
- Women’s suffrage (19th Amendment).
- Child labor laws and workplace safety reforms.
- Economic Reforms:
- Trust-busting (Theodore Roosevelt).
- Federal Reserve Act (1913).
Key Figures:
- Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jane Addams
Important Events:
- Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911)
- Establishment of the NAACP (1909)
IV. World Wars and Interwar Period (1914-1945)
World War I (1914-1918)
- US entry in 1917 due to unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmermann Telegram.
- Treaty of Versailles and League of Nations (US did not join).
#### 1920s (Roaring Twenties)
- Economic prosperity and cultural change.
- Prohibition (18th Amendment).
- Harlem Renaissance and Jazz Age.
Great Depression (1929-1939)
- Stock market crash of 1929.
- New Deal programs (CCC, WPA, Social Security Act).
World War II (1939-1945)
- Pearl Harbor attack (1941) led to US involvement.
- Key battles: D-Day (1944), Battle of Midway (1942).
- Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945).
- Establishment of the United Nations.
Key Figures:
- Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman
V. Cold War Era (1947-1991)
Key Topics:
- Containment Policy:
- Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan.
- NATO formation.
- Key Conflicts:
- Korean War (1950-1953)
- Vietnam War (1955-1975)
- Domestic Issues:
- McCarthyism and the Red Scare.
- Space Race (NASA, Apollo 11).
Civil Rights Movement:
- Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
- Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965
- Key figures: Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X
VI. Modern Era (1991-Present)
Key Topics:
- Post-Cold War Foreign Policy:
- Persian Gulf War (1991)
- War on Terror (Afghanistan and Iraq wars)
- Domestic Changes:
- Technological advancements (rise of the internet).
- 2008 financial crisis.
- Social Issues:
- Marriage equality and civil rights expansions.
- Black Lives Matter movement.
Key Figures:
- Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama