Civil War

1. Sharecropping: An agricultural system that emerged after the Civil War where landowners allowed tenants to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on their portion of land.

2. March to the Sea & William T. Sherman: A military campaign during the Civil War where Union General William Tecumseh Sherman led troops from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia, employing a scorched earth policy.

3. Popular Sovereignty: The principle that the settlers of a given territory have the sole right to decide whether slavery will be permitted there.

4. Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo: The treaty that ended the Mexican-American War in 1848, resulting in the U.S. acquisition of territories like California and New Mexico.

5. Manifest Destiny: The 19th-century doctrine or belief that the expansion of the U.S. throughout the American continents was both justified and inevitable.

6. Sectionalism: An exaggerated devotion to the interests of a region over those of a country as a whole, which was a significant factor leading to the Civil War.

7. Frederick Douglass: An escaped slave who became a prominent activist, author, and public speaker. He was a leader in the abolitionist movement.

8. Presidential vs. Radical Reconstruction: Presidential Reconstruction (led by Presidents Lincoln and Johnson) aimed for a lenient reintegration of Southern states, whereas Radical Reconstruction (led by Congress) sought to impose stricter terms and ensure civil rights for freed slaves.

9. Freedmen’s Bureau: An agency established in 1865 to aid freed slaves during the Reconstruction era by providing food, housing, education, and legal assistance.

10. Fort Sumter: A fort in Charleston, South Carolina, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.

11. Union vs. Confederacy Advantages: The Union had more industrial resources, a larger population, and a better railway network, while the Confederacy had the advantage of fighting a defensive war and experienced military leaders.

12. Lincoln’s War-Time Diplomacy: Efforts by President Lincoln to prevent foreign powers, particularly Britain and France, from recognizing or supporting the Confederacy.

13. Emancipation Proclamation: An executive order by President Lincoln in 1863 that freed all slaves in Confederate-held territory.

14. John Brown & Abolitionism: John Brown was an abolitionist who believed in and advocated for armed insurrection to overthrow the institution of slavery in the United States.

15. Special Field Order No. 15: Issued by General Sherman, this order confiscated land along the Atlantic coast in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida to be settled by freed slaves.

16. Appomattox Court House: The site of General Robert E. Lee’s surrender to General Ulysses S. Grant in April 1865, effectively ending the Civil War.

17. Anaconda Plan: The Union's strategic plan to defeat the Confederacy by blockading Southern ports and controlling the Mississippi River.

18. Missouri Compromise: An agreement passed in 1820 between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the U.S. Congress, involving primarily the regulation of slavery in the western territories.

19. Slave Rebellions: Acts of violent resistance against slavery, such as Nat Turner's Rebellion in 1831.

WW1

1. War Guilt Clause: Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles, which placed full responsibility for the war on Germany and its allies.

2. Causes of US Neutrality: Initially, the U.S. stayed neutral due to isolationist policies, economic interests, and the diverse origins of its population.

3. Zimmermann Telegram: A secret communication from Germany to Mexico proposing a military alliance if the U.S. entered WW1 against Germany, which was intercepted by British intelligence.

4. Wilson’s 14 Points: President Woodrow Wilson's principles for peace to be used for peace negotiations to end WW1.

5. Alsace-Lorraine: A region contested between France and Germany, annexed by Germany in 1871 and returned to France after WW1.

6. Trench Warfare: A type of combat in which opposing troops fight from trenches facing each other, which led to a stalemate on the Western Front.

7. Central Powers: The alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria during WW1.

8. Verdun & the Somme: Two of the largest and most brutal battles of WW1 fought on the Western Front, resulting in massive casualties.

9. Arms Race: The competition between nations, particularly Germany and Britain, for superiority in the development and accumulation of weapons.

10. Long Term Causes of War: Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism (MAIN), which set the stage for WW1.

11. Schlieffen Plan: Germany’s military strategy at the outbreak of WW1, aiming for a quick defeat of France followed by an attack on Russia.

12. Gavrilo Princip & Black Hand: Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Black Hand, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, sparking WW1.

13. Imperialism vs Nationalism: Imperialism refers to the policy of extending a country's power, while nationalism is a strong identification with one’s nation.

14. Blank Cheque: Germany’s unconditional support to Austria-Hungary after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which encouraged aggressive action against Serbia.

Great Depression

1. Roaring Twenties Society: A period of economic prosperity and cultural change in the U.S. during the 1920s before the Great Depression.

2. Dust Bowl: A series of severe dust storms that damaged the agriculture of the U.S. Great Plains during the 1930s.

3. Black Thursday & Tuesday: The stock market crashes on October 24 and 29, 1929, marking the beginning of the Great Depression.

4. Buying on Margin: The practice of purchasing stocks with borrowed money, which contributed to the stock market crash.

5. Consumerism: The protection or promotion of the interests of consumers, which expanded during the 1920s and contributed to economic instability.

6. Hoover vs Roosevelt response to GD: Hoover's response was seen as inadequate, while Roosevelt implemented the New Deal programs to combat the Depression.

7. Bank Holiday: A temporary closure of banks during the Great Depression to prevent bank runs.

8. Speculation: The investment in stocks, property, or other ventures in the hope of gain but with the risk of loss.

9. New Deal Programs: A series of programs and policies designed to promote economic recovery and social reform introduced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

10. Public Works Administration: A New Deal agency that provided jobs through large-scale public works projects.

11. CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps): A New Deal program that provided jobs for young men to work on projects related to environmental conservation.

WW2

1. Dawes Plan: A plan in 1924 to resolve the World War I reparations that Germany had to pay, which helped stabilize the German economy.

2. Weimar Republic: The German federal republic and semi-presidential representative democracy established in 1919 after WW1.

3. D-Day: The Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, which was a turning point in WW2.

4. Fascism: An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization, exemplified by Nazi

5. Mussolini & Tojo:

   • Benito Mussolini: The fascist dictator of Italy from 1925 to 1943, aligned with Nazi Germany during World War II.

   • Hideki Tojo: The Prime Minister of Japan during much of World War II, responsible for Japan's military actions and the attack on Pearl Harbor.

6. Ethiopia:

   • Invaded by Italy in 1935 under Mussolini's regime as part of his imperial expansion, leading to international condemnation and highlighting the weaknesses of the League of Nations.

7. Pearl Harbor:

   • A surprise military attack by the Japanese Navy Air Service on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. This attack led to the U.S. entering World War II.

8. Rhineland:

   • A region of Germany that was demilitarized after World War I. In 1936, Hitler violated the Treaty of Versailles by remilitarizing the Rhineland, a key step in his aggressive expansion policy.

9. Auschwitz & Concentration Camps:

   • Auschwitz: One of the largest and most notorious Nazi concentration and extermination camps located in occupied Poland, where over a million Jews and other minorities were murdered during the Holocaust.

   • Concentration Camps: Facilities used by Nazi Germany to detain and exterminate Jews, political prisoners, and other groups deemed undesirable by the regime.

10. Anschluss:

    • The annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in March 1938. This unification was part of Hitler's expansionist policies and was achieved without military confrontation.

11. Luftwaffe & Blitzkrieg:

    • Luftwaffe: The aerial warfare branch of the German Wehrmacht during World War II, responsible for air battles and bombing campaigns.

    • Blitzkrieg: A military strategy involving rapid, surprise attacks using a combination of armored and air forces to quickly overwhelm the enemy.

12. Danzig, Poland:

    • A city in Poland that was a flashpoint at the start of World War II. Germany demanded its return, and the invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, marked the beginning of the war.

13. Operation Barbarossa:

    • The code name for Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union, launched on June 22, 1941. It was the largest military operation in history but ultimately failed, leading to significant German losses.

14. Atomic Bombs:

    • Nuclear weapons dropped by the United States on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, leading to Japan's surrender and the end of World War II.

15. Axis Invasions:

    • Refers to the aggressive military campaigns conducted by the Axis powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) during World War II, including invasions of Poland, France, the Soviet Union, and various countries in Asia and Africa.

16. War in the Pacific:

    • The theater of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean and its islands, involving major battles between Allied forces (primarily the United States) and Japan, including the Battle of Midway and the island-hopping campaign.