Themes midterm vocab
Honors US History themes review sheet 2025
Map of US states and physical features
Northwest Ordinance - 1787 law that established a procedure for territorial expansion
Purchase of Louisiana Territory - 1803 bought a piece of land from France that included land west of the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains for $15 million, this doubled the size of the country
Lewis and Clark - A federally funded expedition to explore the Northwest of America
Monroe Doctrine - Declaration by President Monroe in 1823 that the U.S. would oppose efforts by any outside power to control a nation in the Western Hemisphere
Andrew Jackson - The seventh president of the U.S. serving from 1829 to 1837
Indian Removal - Policy of ethic cleansing through the forced displacment of self-governing tribes of American Indians from their homes in eastern U.S. to lands west of the Mississippi River
Manifest Destiny - The belief that white Americans had the divine right to expand westward
Mexican American war - Fought in and around Texas, New Mexico, California, and Northern and Central Mexico between 1846 and 1848
Irish immigration - The movement of Irish people to the U.S., particularly during the 19th century due to religious conflicts, lack of political autonomy and economic conditions
Homestead Act - 1892 strike in PA against carnegie steel
Indian Territory - Land in the U.S. reserved for the forced resettlement of Native Americans
Child labor - Work that deprives children of their childhood. Started in the late 1700s, early 1800s and ended not until 1938 where the Fair Labor Standards Act was passed.
Annexation of Texas - Texas being declared as a U.S. state and admitted to the Union as the 28th state
American Federation of Labor - A national union that provided resources and support to trade and craft workers
Blacklisting - To keep someone from being able to get a job, doing certain things, and going certain places
Haymarket Affair - A violent confrontation between police and labour protesters in an effort to fight for the international struggles for workers’ rights
Progressive movement - Worked to make American Society a better and safer place in which to live. They tried to make business more responsible through regulations
Andrew Carnegie - Scottish-American industrialists and philanthropist who led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late-19th century
J. D. Rockefeller - He was the guiding force behind the creation and development of the Standard Oil Company
J.P. Morgan - American financier and investment banker who dominated the corporate finance on Wall Street throughout the Gilded Age and Progressive Era
Cornelius Vanderbilt - American businessman who built his wealth in railroads and shipping
Gilded Age - A time of great political corruption and weath inequality in the late 1800s. Known for its’ rapid economic growth, immigration flooding, and scandalous politics
Muckrakers - Journalist who uncovers wrongdoing in politics or buisness
Philanthropists - People who give donations to worthy causes
Chinese Exclusion Act - Law passed in 1882 that prohibited Chinese laborers for entering the country but did not prevent entry of those who has previously established U.S. residence
Industrialization - Growth of industry
Urbanization - the increase in the proportion of people living in towns and cities. When people move from rural areas to urban areas
Immigration - Process by which individuals become permanent residents or citizens of another country
Business trusts - An agreement that allows one party, known as a trustee, to hold/manage and direct assets or property on behalf of another party, called the beneficiaries
Social Darwinism - Derived from Darwin’s theory of natural selection the belief that society should do as little as possible to interfere with people’s pursuit of success
Jim Crow laws - The laws in which formed segragation
Nativists - People who favor native-born Americans over immigrants. The goal of nativists movements is for Americans to gain authority and power of immigrants and foreigners
Open immigration policy - The position that people should be able to migrate to whatever counrty they choose with few restrictions
Robber baron - Indusrialists whose business practices were considered ruthless and unethical
Transcontinental railroad - A railroad line that connected the U.S. from the east coast to the west coast.
Sherman antitrust act - Regulated and curbing monopolies and trusts to promote fair competition in the marketplace
Meat inspection act - Law that makes it illegal to adulterate or misbrand meat and ensures meat comes from a reliable source
Pure food and drug act - Prohibited the sale of misbranded food and drugs in interstate commerce
Suffragists - A person who supports extending voting right escpecially to women
19th amendment - Granted women the right to vote
NAACP - Organization that’s purpose was to abolish segregation and discrimination, to oppose racism, and to gain civil rights for African Americans
Laissez faire capitilism - Doctrine stating that government generally should not interfere in private business
Primaries - Elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming election
Secret ballot - A ballot in which votes are cast secretly
Referendum - Process that allows citizens to approve or reject a law paused by their legislative
Recall - Procedure that permits voters to remove public officials from office before the next election
USS Maine - A second-class battleship built b/t 1888 and 1895, sent to Havana in January 1898 to protect American interests during the long-standing revolt of the Cubans against the Spanish goverment
Conservation - Seeks to prevent the waste of natural resources, control pollution and maintain a quality enviorment
Poll taxes - Special fees that must be paid before a person was permitted to vote
Plessy v. Ferguson - Established the “seperate-but-equal” doctrine. The law was ultimately decided by the court to be that segregation was legal as long as the seperate facilities provided the blacks with what was provided to the whites
Federal Trade Commission - Enforces a variety of antitrust and consumer protection laws affecting virtually every area of commerce
Spanish American War - A conflict between U.S. and Spain, ending with the loss, of Spain’s overseas empire and the U.S. emerging as a world power