APUSH semester 2 final review
Progressive Era
A reform movement (1890s–1920s) aiming to eliminate problems caused by industrialization, urbanization, immigration, and political corruption.
Railroads
Key to U.S. economic expansion in the 19th century; enabled westward movement, created national markets, and led to the rise of powerful monopolies.
FDR (Franklin D. Roosevelt)
32nd President; led the U.S. through the Great Depression with the New Deal and WWII.
McCarthyism
1950s Red Scare led by Senator Joseph McCarthy, marked by aggressive investigations and accusations of communist infiltration.
Causes of the Great Depression
Stock market crash of 1929, bank failures, high tariffs, and declining consumer spending.
WW2
Global conflict (1939–1945); U.S. joined after Pearl Harbor (1941), helped Allies defeat Axis Powers.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Civil rights leader who advocated nonviolent protest; famous for the “I Have a Dream” speech and role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Civil Rights
Movement (1950s–60s) for racial equality and an end to segregation and discrimination.
Separation of Church and State
Constitutional principle to prevent government involvement in religion, based on the First Amendment.
Scopes Monkey Trial
1925 trial over teaching evolution in Tennessee; highlighted conflict between science and religion.
Robber Barons
Derogatory term for powerful 19th-century industrialists accused of exploiting workers and corrupting politics.
Plessy v. Ferguson
1896 Supreme Court case that upheld “separate but equal” segregation laws.
Brown v. Board of Education
1954 Supreme Court case that overturned Plessy v. Ferguson and declared segregated schools unconstitutional.
Reaganomics
Economic policies of President Ronald Reagan involving tax cuts, deregulation, and reduced government spending.
New Deal
FDR’s program to combat the Great Depression with government-funded jobs and social welfare programs.
Watergate
1970s political scandal involving Nixon’s administration; led to Nixon’s resignation.
Jimmy Carter’s Malaise Speech
1979 speech addressing America’s “crisis of confidence”; perceived as pessimistic.
Causes of American entry into WW1
Unrestricted submarine warfare, Zimmermann Telegram, and economic ties to Allies.
Monetary Policy of the Gilded Age
Debates over gold vs. silver standards; impacted inflation and farmers’ debts.
Barack Obama
44th President; first African American president; known for the Affordable Care Act and 2008 recession recovery efforts.
The Great Society
LBJ’s set of domestic programs to eliminate poverty and racial injustice.
The New Frontier
JFK’s policy initiative focusing on space, civil rights, and fighting poverty.
Miranda v. Arizona
1966 case requiring police to inform suspects of their rights (Miranda Rights).
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
1890 law aimed at curbing monopolies and promoting competition.
Reconstruction
Period after the Civil War focused on reintegrating Southern states and protecting former slaves’ rights.
Compromise of 1877
Ended Reconstruction; Rutherford B. Hayes became president in exchange for removing troops from the South.
WW1
1914–1918 global war; U.S. joined in 1917, helping to tip the balance toward the Allies.
The Spanish-American War
1898 conflict resulting in U.S. acquisition of Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
Imperialism
Policy of extending a country’s power through colonization or military force; U.S. adopted this in late 1800s.
OPEC
Oil cartel formed in 1960; major influence on global oil prices, especially in the 1970s oil crisis.
Vietnam War
Cold War conflict (1955–1975) where the U.S. attempted to stop the spread of communism in Vietnam; ended in U.S. withdrawal and communist victory.
Korean War
1950–1953 war between North (communist) and South (non-communist) Korea; ended in armistice with borders largely unchanged.
Truman Doctrine
U.S. foreign policy promising aid to countries resisting communism, especially Greece and Turkey (1947).
The Cold War
1947–1991 ideological conflict between the U.S. (capitalism) and USSR (communism), involving proxy wars and nuclear arms race.
SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks)
Negotiations between the U.S. and USSR to limit nuclear weapons during the Cold War.
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
Military alliance formed in 1949 between the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe to counter Soviet power.
Marshall Plan
U.S. program providing aid to Western Europe after WWII to rebuild economies and resist communism.
The Grange
Farmers’ organization founded in the 1860s to advocate for agricultural interests and cooperative purchasing.
Muckrakers
Early 20th-century journalists who exposed corruption and social issues (e.g., Upton Sinclair, Ida Tarbell).
The Roaring 20’s
Decade of economic prosperity, cultural change, and social rebellion in the U.S. before the Great Depression.
The Berlin Airlift
1948–49 U.S.-led effort to supply West Berlin by air after USSR blocked ground routes.
Iran-Contra Scandal
1980s political scandal involving illegal U.S. arms sales to Iran and funding Nicaraguan Contras.
Operation Desert Storm
1991 Gulf War military operation led by the U.S. to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait.
Populists
Late 19th-century political movement by farmers advocating for free silver, railroad regulation, and political reform.
Teddy Roosevelt
26th president known for trust-busting, conservation, and the “Square Deal” domestic program.
Love Canal
1970s environmental disaster where toxic waste buried in Niagara Falls, NY led to health crises and evacuations.
Three Mile Island
1979 nuclear accident in Pennsylvania that raised public concern about nuclear energy safety.
Panama Canal Treaty
1977 agreements transferring control of the Panama Canal from the U.S. to Panama by 1999.
Camp David Accords
1978 peace agreement brokered by Jimmy Carter between Egypt and Israel.
2008 Housing Crisis
Financial collapse caused by a burst housing bubble and risky mortgage lending; led to global recession.
Obamacare (Affordable Care Act)
2010 healthcare reform law aimed at expanding insurance coverage and reducing healthcare costs.