Alfred Thayer Mahan – Naval strategist who emphasized the importance of sea power in national strength.
Queen Liliuokalani – Last monarch of Hawaii, overthrown by U.S.-backed forces in 1893.
Pan-American Conference – Meetings to improve relations and economic ties between the U.S. and Latin America.
Jingoism – Aggressive nationalism favoring an assertive foreign policy.
Cuban Revolt – Cuban uprising against Spanish rule, which led to U.S. intervention.
Yellow Journalism – Sensationalized news that exaggerated events to sway public opinion.
De Lome Letter – A letter criticizing President McKinley, fueling U.S. tensions with Spain.
Teller Amendment – Stated the U.S. would not annex Cuba after the Spanish-American War.
Platt Amendment – Allowed U.S. intervention in Cuba and control over Cuban foreign policy.
Sphere of Influence – Areas where foreign powers controlled trade and investment.
George Dewey – U.S. naval commander who won the Battle of Manila Bay in the Spanish-American War.
Emilio Aguinaldo – Filipino leader who fought against Spain and later the U.S.
Rough Riders – Volunteer cavalry led by Theodore Roosevelt in the Spanish-American War.
Hawaii – Annexed by the U.S. in 1898 for its strategic and economic value.
Theodore Roosevelt – 26th president, known for the Roosevelt Corollary and Big Stick Diplomacy.
Open Door Policy – U.S. policy advocating equal trade opportunities in China.
Boxer Rebellion – Anti-foreigner uprising in China, suppressed by international forces.
Panama Canal – Waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific, built by the U.S.
William Howard Taft – 27th president, known for Dollar Diplomacy.
Dollar Diplomacy – Using economic investment to extend U.S. influence abroad.
Roosevelt Corollary – Extension of the Monroe Doctrine, allowing U.S. intervention in Latin America.
Russo-Japanese War – Conflict between Russia and Japan; Roosevelt brokered the peace treaty.
Puerto Rico – Gained by the U.S. from Spain; later granted self-government.
Woodrow Wilson – 28th president, known for Moral Diplomacy and leading the U.S. into WWI.
Moral Diplomacy – Wilson’s policy promoting democracy and moral leadership in foreign affairs.
Pragmatism – Philosophy emphasizing practical solutions over ideals.
Ida Tarbell – Muckraker journalist who exposed Standard Oil’s monopoly.
Jacob Riis – Photographer and journalist who exposed urban poverty in How the Other Half Lives.
Muckrakers – Investigative journalists exposing corruption and social issues.
Florence Kelley – Social reformer advocating for labor rights and child labor laws.
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire – Tragic factory fire that led to improved workplace safety laws.
16th Amendment – Established a federal income tax.
17th Amendment – Allowed direct election of U.S. senators.
18th Amendment – Prohibited alcohol (Prohibition).
Square Deal – Roosevelt’s domestic policy focusing on consumer protection and labor rights.
Mann-Elkins Act – Strengthened regulation of railroads and telecommunications.
The Jungle (Upton Sinclair) – Exposed the unsanitary meatpacking industry, leading to food safety laws.
“Bull Moose” Party – Progressive Party led by Roosevelt in the 1912 election.
Booker T. Washington – Black leader advocating for vocational education and economic progress.
W.E.B. Du Bois – Civil rights leader advocating for immediate racial equality.
NAACP – Organization fighting for African American civil rights.
Alice Paul – Women’s rights activist and leader in the fight for suffrage.
19th Amendment – Gave women the right to vote.
Lusitania – British ship sunk by a German U-boat, killing Americans and escalating tensions.
Preparedness – U.S. movement advocating military readiness before entering WWI.
Zimmerman Telegram – German message urging Mexico to join the war against the U.S.
John J. Pershing – Commander of U.S. forces in WWI.
George Creel – Led the Committee on Public Information to promote pro-war propaganda.
Bolsheviks – Russian communist revolutionaries who took power in 1917.
Fourteen Points – Wilson’s peace plan promoting self-determination and the League of Nations.
League of Nations – International organization to maintain peace; the U.S. did not join.
Henry Cabot Lodge – Opposed the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations.
Self-determination – The right of people to govern themselves.
Reparations – Payments imposed on Germany after WWI.
Mobilization – Organizing resources for war.
Liberty Bonds – Government bonds used to finance WWI.
Spanish Flu – 1918 pandemic that killed millions.
Schenck v. U.S. – Supreme Court case limiting free speech during wartime.
Selective Service Act – Established the WWI draft.
The Red Scare (1st) – Fear of communism after WWI.
Nativism – Anti-immigrant sentiment.
Sacco & Vanzetti – Immigrant anarchists executed amid controversy.
The Great Migration – Movement of Black Americans from the South to Northern cities.
Fundamentalism – Religious movement favoring literal interpretation of the Bible.
Traditionalism – Cultural conservatism opposing modern changes.
Henry Ford – Revolutionized manufacturing with the assembly line.
Assembly Line Process – Mass production technique.
Art Deco – Stylish modernist architectural design.
Charles Lindbergh – First solo flight across the Atlantic.
Modernism – Embracing new cultural and artistic movements.
Scopes Trial – Debate over evolution in schools.
“Scarface” Al Capone – Famous Prohibition-era gangster.
Margaret Sanger – Advocate for birth control.
Harlem Renaissance – Black cultural movement in the 1920s.
“Jazz Age” – 1920s era of jazz music and cultural change.
Marcus Garvey – Leader of the Back-to-Africa movement.
Warren G. Harding – President promoting “Return to Normalcy.”
Teapot Dome – Corruption scandal in Harding’s administration.
Great Depression – Economic collapse of the 1930s.
New Deal Programs – Government efforts to end the Great Depression.
Pearl Harbor – Japanese attack bringing the U.S. into WWII.
D-Day – Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France.
Atomic Weapons – Developed in the Manhattan Project, used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end WWII.
AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Act) – Aimed to reduce agricultural overproduction by paying farmers to cut back on crop and livestock production, helping to raise prices.
PWA (Public Works Administration) – Funded large-scale public works projects like bridges, dams, and schools to create jobs and stimulate the economy.
CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) – Provided young men with jobs related to environmental conservation, such as planting trees, building trails, and fighting wildfires.
TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) – Built dams and power plants in the Tennessee Valley region to control flooding, provide electricity, and boost economic development.
NRA (National Recovery Administration) – Created codes for fair wages, hours, and prices in various industries to help businesses recover; later declared unconstitutional.
SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) – Regulated the stock market to prevent fraud and abuses that led to the 1929 crash.
FHA (Federal Housing Administration) – Provided mortgage insurance and low-interest loans to encourage home ownership and construction.
CWA (Civil Works Administration) – Created temporary jobs for millions of unemployed workers on public projects like roads and schools during the winter of 1933-34.
WPA (Works Progress Administration) – The largest New Deal agency, it provided jobs in public works, arts, and education, employing millions in projects ranging from construction to theater productions.