Final Review Sheet - Colonial America to Reagan Era

Colonial America

Mercantilism: Economic system where the colonies exist to benefit the mother country by providing raw materials and serving as a market for finished goods.
Self-Government Systems: Colonial governments (e.g., House of Burgesses, Mayflower Compact) demonstrated a move toward self-governance long before the Revolution.

Weakness of the Articles of Confederation: The first government of the U.S. was weak (e.g., no power to tax, no national currency, unanimous vote to amend).
Constitutional Convention: Meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 to address the flaws of the Articles of Confederation; resulted in the U.S. Constitution.
Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists:
- Federalists (e.g., Hamilton, Madison) supported the Constitution and a strong central government.
- Anti-Federalists (e.g., Jefferson, Patrick Henry) opposed the Constitution without a Bill of Rights, feared a strong central government.

New Forms of Transportation: Steamboats, canals, and railroads revolutionized trade and transportation in the early 19th century.
Erie Canal: Significantly lowered transportation costs and connected the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, boosting the economy of New York and the Midwest.
Effects on the Economy: Faster and cheaper transportation led to increased trade, agricultural specialization, and economic growth.

Justification: Belief that the U.S. was destined to expand westward across the continent.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: Ended the Mexican-American War (1848); the U.S. gained vast territories (e.g., California, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona).
Relation to the Civil War*: Expansion and debate over the expansion of slavery into newly-acquired territories intensified sectional tensions.

Causes: Slavery, states' rights, economic differences between the North and South, political issues.
Advantages of the North v. South:
- North: Larger population, industrial capacity, more resources, better transportation.
- South: Home-field advantage, military leadership in the beginning, purpose.

Plans: Debates over how to rebuild the South and reintegrate it into the Union; Presidential vs. Radical Reconstruction.
Freedman’s Bureau: Federal agency created to aid freed slaves and poor whites in the South after the Civil War.

Captains of Industry: Business leaders who amassed great wealth and contributed positively to the economy (e.g., Carnegie, Rockefeller).
Worker’s Exploitation: Low wages, long hours, and dangerous working conditions for many industrial workers.
Monopolies: Large corporations that dominated industries, stifled competition, and wielded significant economic and political power.
Consumerism: Increased availability of goods and a rising standard of living led to a culture of consumerism.

Muckrakers: Journalists who exposed corruption and social problems (e.g., Upton Sinclair, Ida Tarbell).
Government Involvement: Increased government regulation of business and the economy to address social and economic problems.
Legislation Passed:
- Sherman Antitrust Act: First federal law outlawing monopolies and trusts.
- Pure Food and Drug Act: Protects consumers from unsafe food and drugs.
Woman’s Suffrage: Movement to gain women the right to vote; achieved with the 19th Amendment (1920).

Causes: Stock market crash (1929), overproduction, unequal distribution of wealth, banking failures, trade policies (Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act).
Effects: High unemployment, poverty, bank failures, business closures, widespread hardship.
Harlem Renaissance: A flowering of African American art, literature, and music in the 1920s and 1930s.
Langston Hughes: Prominent writer and poet of the Harlem Renaissance.

Three R’s: Relief (immediate help for the needy), Recovery (economic recovery), Reform (preventing future depressions).
Court Packing: FDR's proposal to increase the size of the Supreme Court to appoint justices favorable to New Deal legislation.
Critiques: Opponents argued the New Deal led to excessive government intervention and spending.

Isolation to Involvement: Initially, the U.S. tried to stay out of the war, but gradually became involved through economic and military aid to the Allies.
Cash and Carry: Policy allowing the sale of materials to belligerents as long as they paid cash and transported the goods themselves.
Lend-Lease Act: Allowed the U.S. to provide military aid to Allies without immediate payment.
Effect on the Economy: Ended the Great Depression by creating jobs and stimulating industrial production.

Mapp v. Ohio: Evidence obtained illegally cannot be used in a state criminal trial (exclusionary rule).
Gideon v. Wainwright: Right to legal counsel, even if one cannot afford it.
Miranda v. Arizona: Suspects must be informed of their constitutional rights (e.g., right to remain silent, right to an attorney) before being interrogated.

Containment: U.S. policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism.
Truman Doctrine: Provided economic and military aid to countries threatened by communism (e.g., Greece, Turkey).
Domino Theory: Belief that if one country fell to communism, neighboring countries would also fall.

Social Conservatism: Emphasis on traditional values, smaller government, and lower taxes.
Reagan Doctrine: Supporting anti-communist movements around the world to roll back Soviet influence.