USA Final
Reserve Currency
What: A foreign currency held by governments/central banks for international transactions and currency stabilization.
Why: To facilitate international trade and stabilize their own currencies.
Where: Held globally, with the U.S. dollar being a primary example.
Finance Capitalism
What: An economic system driven by financial activities (investment, speculation) rather than goods/services production.
Why: Accumulation of capital and profit generation.
Trickle-down Economics
What: An economic theory where tax cuts/benefits to the wealthy will create investment and job growth, benefiting the broader population.
Who: Proponents of the theory assert that the wealthy will invest, creating jobs.
Glass-Steagall Banking Act (1933)
What: A U.S. law separating commercial and investment banks.
When: Enacted in 1933 during the Great Depression; largely repealed in 1999.
Why: To reduce conflicts of interest and financial risk.
Bretton Woods
What: A 1944 international conference that established a new global financial system post-WWII.
When: 1944
Where: Bretton Woods, New Hampshire.
Why: To promote international monetary cooperation and finance economic development.
Marshall Plan
What: A U.S. initiative providing economic assistance to rebuild Western European economies after WWII.
Who: The U.S. provided assistance to Western European countries.
When: After World War II.
Why: To prevent the spread of communism by fostering economic stability and growth.
Soft Power
What: The ability of a country to influence others through non-coercive means (culture, values, diplomatic relations).
Why: To influence others through attraction and persuasion rather than force.
Neoliberalism
What: A political-economic philosophy emphasizing free markets, deregulation, and minimal government intervention.
Why: To promote free markets, reduce trade barriers, and promote individual responsibility.
OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries)
What: An organization of 13 oil-exporting countries that coordinates petroleum policies.
Why: To ensure the stabilization of oil markets and secure a steady income for oil producers.
H1-B Visa
What: A U.S. visa program allowing U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations.
Who: U.S. employers employ foreign workers.
Why: To allow foreign workers in areas requiring theoretical or technical expertise.
Bracero Program
What: An agreement between the U.S. and Mexico allowing Mexican laborers to work temporarily in the U.S.
When: 1942 to 1964
Where: United States, primarily in agriculture.
Why: To address labor shortages during World War II.
Frances Perkins
Who: First woman to serve as a U.S. Cabinet member as Secretary of Labor under President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Why: Played a key role in shaping New Deal labor reforms, including the establishment of Social Security, minimum wage laws, and unemployment benefits.
Delores Huerta
Who: A labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) with César Chávez.
Why: Dedicated her life to advocating for the rights of farmworkers and promoting social justice.
A. Philip Randolph
Who: A civil rights leader and labor organizer
Why: fought against racial discrimination in employment and organized the March on Washington in 1941 to protest segregation in the military and defense industries.
Levittowns
What: Suburban developments built after World War II, characterized by mass-produced, affordable homes.
When: After World War II
Why: Symbolized postwar suburbanization but also reflected racial segregation due to restrictive housing policies.
The Feminine Mystique (1963)
What: A book by Betty Friedan that sparked second-wave feminism in the United States.
When: 1963
Why: It challenged the societal belief that women could find fulfillment only through domestic roles.
Model Minority
What: A stereotype that portrays Asian Americans as uniformly successful and hardworking.
Why: Often used to downplay racial inequality faced by other minority groups.
Racial Scripts
What: A framework that explains how ideas about race are historically constructed and applied across different groups and time periods
Why: highlights the ways in which racial stereotypes and biases influence perceptions and treatment of various racial groups.
Equal Rights Amendment
What: A proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that aimed to guarantee equal rights for all citizens regardless of sex.
When: First introduced in 1923 but has never been ratified.
Why: To guarantee equal rights for all citizens regardless of sex.
Sun Belt
What: A region in the southern and southwestern United States that experienced rapid population and economic growth after World War II.
Why: Factors contributing to this growth include a favorable climate, lower cost of living, and expanding job opportunities, particularly in the technology and defense sectors.
Farm Crisis
What: An economic crisis that affected U.S. farmers in the 1980s, characterized by falling crop prices, rising debt, and high interest rates.
When: 1980s
Why: falling crop prices, rising debt, and high interest rates. This crisis led to farm foreclosures and a decline in rural communities.
HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee)
What: A committee of the U.S. House of Representatives that investigated alleged communist influence in the country, particularly during the Cold War.
Why: To investigated alleged communist influence in the country, particularly during the Cold War.
GI Bill
What: A law passed after World War II that provided benefits to veterans, including low-cost mortgages, education, and job training.
When: After World War II
Why: played a significant role in expanding access to higher education and promoting homeownership, contributing to postwar economic growth.
Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
What: A key civil rights group that focused on direct action and grassroots organizing
Why: SNCC played a significant role in the Freedom Rides, sit-ins, and voter registration drives in the South.
Stonewall
What: A 1969 series of spontaneous demonstrations by members of the LGBTQ+ community in response to a police raid at the Stonewall Inn in New York City.
When: 1969
Where: Stonewall Inn in New York City
Why: It is considered a turning point in the modern gay rights movement.
Montgomery Bus Boycott
What: A 1955-56 protest against segregated buses in Montgomery, Alabama, sparked by Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger.
When: 1955-56
Where: Montgomery, Alabama
Why: protesting segregated buses in Montgomery, Alabama. It became a pivotal event in the Civil Rights Movement.
Pauli Murray
Who: A civil rights activist, lawyer, and legal scholar who made significant contributions to both feminist and racial justice movements.
Why: Murray's legal theories influenced landmark Supreme Court cases on gender and race equality.
Watergate
What: A major political scandal involving illegal activities by President Richard Nixon's administration, including the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate Hotel.
Why: The scandal led to Nixon's resignation in 1974.
Henry Kissinger
Who: A U.S. diplomat who served as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State under Presidents Nixon and Ford.
Why: He played a key role in shaping U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War, including the opening of relations with China and détente with the Soviet Union.
Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
What: A tense 13-day confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union over the presence of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba.
When: 1962
Why: It brought the world to the brink of nuclear war and was resolved through diplomatic negotiations.
Bay of Pigs (1961)
What: A failed military invasion of Cuba by a CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles.
When: 1961
Why: The invasion was intended to overthrow Fidel Castro's communist government but was quickly defeated.
Kent State
What: The site of a 1970 shooting in which Ohio National Guard troops killed four unarmed college students during a protest against the Vietnam War.
When: 1970
Why: sparked widespread outrage and anti-war demonstrations across the country.
Battle of Britain
What: A crucial air campaign during World War II in which the British Royal Air Force (RAF) defended the United Kingdom against sustained attacks by the German Luftwaffe.
Why: The battle prevented a German invasion of Britain.
Battle of the Coral Sea
What: A key naval battle in the Pacific during World War II between Japan and Allied forces.
Why: It was the first naval battle in which aircraft carriers engaged each other, marking a shift in naval warfare.
Hiroo Onoda
Who: A Japanese soldier who continued to fight World War II for decades after the war had ended, unaware that Japan had surrendered.
Proxy Wars
What: Conflicts in which major powers support opposing sides without directly engaging each other in combat.
Total Warfare
What: A military strategy involving the full mobilization of a society's resources and population to wage war.
Shoah
What: The Hebrew term for the Holocaust, the genocide of European Jews by Nazi Germany during World War II.
Bloodlands
What: A term coined by historian Timothy Snyder to refer to the regions in Eastern Europe (including Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, and the Baltic states) where millions of people were killed under the regimes of Hitler and Stalin during the 1930s and 1940s.
Afghanistan
What: A country that has been the site of multiple international conflicts, including the Soviet invasion in 1979 and the U.S.-led war in 2001-2021 following the 9/11 attacks.
Friedrich Hayek
Who: An Austrian-British economist and philosopher known for his defense of classical liberalism and free-market capitalism.
John Maynard Keynes
Who: A British economist whose ideas fundamentally changed the theory and practice of macroeconomics and the economic policies of governments.
Why: He advocated for government intervention in the economy during recessions to stimulate demand and reduce unemployment.
Milton Friedman
Who: An American economist and statistician who advocated for free-market capitalism and opposed Keynesian economic policies.
Ayn Rand
Who: A Russian-American philosopher and author known for her advocacy of Objectivism, which emphasizes individualism, reason, and capitalism.
Hannah Arendt
Who: A German-born political theorist known for her works on totalitarianism, authority, and the nature of evil.
John Foster Dulles
Who: Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, known for his aggressive anti-communist stance during the Cold War.
Ho Chi Minh
Who: A Vietnamese revolutionary leader who led the fight for independence from French colonial rule and against the United States during the Vietnam War.
Satyagraha
What: Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolent resistance as a means to achieve political and social change.
Peace Corps
What: A U.S. government program launched in 1961 to send volunteers abroad to work on development projects and promote cultural exchange.
National Review
What: A conservative magazine founded by William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955.
Silent Majority
What: A term used by President Richard Nixon to describe Americans who did not publicly protest against the Vietnam War or engage in countercultural activities but supported his policies.
Meiji Restoration (1868)
What: A political revolution in Japan that restored imperial rule and led to rapid modernization and industrialization.
When: 1868
Executive Order 9066
What: An executive order issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942 that authorized the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
When: 1942
Nanjing
What: A city in China where Japanese troops committed mass atrocities in 1937, known as the Nanjing Massacre or the Rape of Nanjing.
When: 1937