Dual Credit U.S. History Essential Learnings

Reconstruction

  • Definition: The period after the Civil War (1865-1877) focused on rebuilding the United States, especially the South.
  • Successes: Some rebuilding of infrastructure, establishment of rights for African Americans (at least temporarily).
  • Failures: Entrenched racism, failure to fully integrate African Americans into society, political corruption.

Constitutional Amendments

  • 13th Amendment: Abolished slavery.
  • 14th Amendment: Granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S., including former slaves.
  • 15th Amendment: Prohibited denying voting rights based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Plains Indians

  • Characteristics: Nomadic, dependent on buffalo, skilled horsemen, lived in extended family groups, warrior culture.

Assimilation

  • Definition: The process by which a minority group adopts the beliefs and way of life of the dominant culture.

Homestead Act

  • Law: Gave 160 acres of free land to any head of household who moved west and improved the land by building a home and cultivating the land for five years.

Labor Disputes in the Late 19th Century

  • Government Stance: Generally sided with business owners and against labor unions.

Nativism

  • Definition: The policy of protecting the interests of native-born citizens against those of immigrants.

Protective Tariff

  • Definition: A tax on imports meant to protect American businesses from foreign competition.

Disenfranchisement of African Americans

  • Methods used by states: Poll taxes, literacy tests, grandfather clauses, violence, and intimidation.

Jim Crow Laws

  • Definition: Segregation laws enacted in the South after Reconstruction that discriminated against African Americans.

Plessy v. Ferguson

  • Supreme Court Case: Legalized racial segregation, establishing the principle of "separate but equal" (which was rarely, if ever, truly equal).

Progressive Movement

  • Definition: An early 20th-century movement that sought to improve society morally, politically, and economically.

Prohibition

  • Definition: The banning of the manufacture, transportation, sale, and consumption of alcohol.

19th Amendment

  • Granted women's suffrage (the right to vote).

Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive Actions

  • Specific Actions: Trust-busting, conservation efforts (national parks), regulation of food and drugs (Pure Food and Drug Act, Meat Inspection Act), and mediating the Anthracite Coal Strike.

Presidential Election of 1912

  • Candidates: Theodore Roosevelt (Progressive/Bull Moose Party), Woodrow Wilson (Democrat), and William Howard Taft (Republican).
  • Winner: Woodrow Wilson.

Woodrow Wilson's Progressive Actions

  • Actions: Creation of the Federal Reserve System, Clayton Antitrust Act, establishment of the Federal Trade Commission, and support for labor legislation.

End of the Progressive Movement

  • Cause: The start of World War I shifted the nation's focus from domestic reform to international affairs.

Imperialism

  • Definition: The policy in which stronger nations extend their economic, political, and military control over weaker territories.

Treaty of Paris (1898)

  • Ended the Spanish-American War.
  • Terms: Spain gave Puerto Rico and Guam to the U.S., authorized the sale of the Philippines to the U.S., and promised Cuba its independence.

Long-Term Causes of WWI

  • Militarism: Buildup of military forces.
  • Alliances: Complex system of alliances that obligated nations to defend each other.
  • Imperialism: Competition for colonies.
  • Nationalism: Intense pride and loyalty to one's nation.

Trench Warfare

  • Definition: A new kind of fighting in WWI where opposing armies would fight for territory from systems of dug-in defenses, resulting in a "no man's land" between the trenches.

U.S. Entry into WWI

  • Reasons: German unrestricted submarine warfare (sinking of the Lusitania), the Zimmerman Telegram (Germany's proposal to Mexico to ally against the U.S.).

Selective Service Act (1917)

  • Law: Required men to register for random military service (the draft).

End of WWI Fighting

  • Date: November 11, 1918.

Treaty of Versailles

  • Ended WWI.
  • Terms: Imposed harsh penalties on Germany, including territorial losses, demilitarization, and reparations.

Legacies of WWI

  • Rise of the United States as a global power, economic devastation of Europe, creation of new nations in Eastern Europe, increased government intervention in the economy, and social changes like women entering the workforce.

Isolationism

  • Definition: A foreign policy that opposes political and/or economic entanglements with other countries.

1920s Economic Boom

  • Backbone Industry: Automobile industry.

Installment Plan

  • Definition: An arrangement in which a purchaser pays over an extended time, without having to put down much money at the time of purchase.

Causes of the Great Depression

  • Overproduction, uneven distribution of wealth, stock market speculation (buying on margin), high tariffs and war debts, and drought conditions (Dust Bowl).

Dow Jones Industrial Average

  • Definition: A measurement based on the prices of the stocks of 30 large corporations on the NYSE, widely used as a barometer of the stock market's health.

Speculation

  • Definition: Involvement in risky business transactions in an effort to make a quick or large profit.

Impact of the Depression

  • Urban Areas: High unemployment, poverty, homelessness, and breadlines.
  • Rural Areas: Farm foreclosures, migration to cities, and the Dust Bowl.

Direct Relief

  • Definition: The giving of money or food by the government directly to needy people.

Trickle-Down Economics

  • Definition: The economic policy of providing capital to businesses and the rich in order to encourage expansion and investment into the economy, creating more jobs and higher wages for the middle- and lower-class.

20th Amendment

  • Moved presidential inaugurations from March to January.

Keynesian Economics

  • Definition: The economic policy of direct relief in order to stimulate the economy by giving capital to the lower- and middle-classes encouraging consumerism.

Deficit Spending

  • Definition: When a government spends more money than it receives.

Eleanor Roosevelt

  • Famous for: Being an active and influential First Lady, advocating for civil rights, women's rights, and human rights.

Legacies of the New Deal

  • Increased government role in the economy, social safety net (Social Security), infrastructure development (TVA, CCC), and preservation of natural resources.

Totalitarianism

  • Definition: A political system in which the government exercises complete control over its citizens.

Totalitarian Dictators of WWII

  • Adolf Hitler (Germany), Benito Mussolini (Italy), and Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union).

Appeasement

  • Definition: Granting concessions to a hostile power in order to keep the peace.

Axis Powers

  • Main Members: Germany, Italy, and Japan.

U.S. Entry into WWII

  • Event: The attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan on December 7, 1941.

Manhattan Project

  • Definition: The U.S. program that developed an atomic bomb for use in World War II.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

  • Supreme Allied Commander in charge of D-Day during WWII and later became president.

GI Bill (1944)

  • Law: Provides financial and educational benefits for veterans.

Holocaust

  • Definition: The genocide of European Jews at the hands of Nazi Germany during WWII.

Cold War

  • Definition: The era of hostility, without direct military conflict, between the United States and the Soviet Union after WWII.

United Nations

  • Definition: The international peacekeeping organization to which most nations in the world belong, founded in 1945 to promote world peace, security, and economic development.

Containment

  • Definition: The U.S. foreign policy of blocking communist aggression during the Cold War.

NATO

  • Definition: The defensive military alliance formed in 1949 that the U.S. belongs to.

Korean War

  • Definition: The conflict between North Korea and South Korea, lasting from 1950 to 1953, in which the United States and the U.N. fought to contain communist aggression.

Baby Boomers

  • Definition: The name of the largest generation in the U.S. born after WWII and before 1964.

Berlin Wall

  • Definition: A symbol of communist oppression built in 1961 to keep East Germans from fleeing into West Berlin.

Peace Corps

  • Definition: The agency established in 1961 by JFK that provides volunteer assistance to developing nations around the world.

Last President Assassinated

  • John F. Kennedy.

Medicare and Medicaid

  • Definition: The two federal programs established in 1965 that help provide health insurance for people on welfare and to Americans age 65 and older.

Brown v. Board of Education

  • Supreme Court Case (1954): Ruled that "separate but equal" education was unconstitutional.

Martin Luther King Jr.

  • Famous Civil Rights leader that founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, gave the I Have A Dream speech, and was assassinated in 1968.

Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965

  • Civil Rights Act: Banned discrimination in public places.
  • Voting Rights Act: Made it easier for African Americans to register to vote.

Affirmative Action

  • Definition: A policy that seeks to correct past discrimination by favoring the groups who were previously discriminated against by reserving them jobs, scholarships, and admissions.

Escalation of Vietnam War

  • President: Lyndon B. Johnson (1964-1968).

Withdrawal from Vietnam War

  • President: Richard Nixon (1974).

Legacies of the Vietnam War

  • Increased skepticism of government, war Powers resolution act limiting presidential power, division of american societies, significant casualties and psychological impact.

Roe v. Wade

  • Supreme Court Case: Ruled that women have the right to choose an abortion during the first trimester.

OPEC

  • Definition: The international economic association of oil-producing nations that sets oil prices.

Nixon's Foreign Policy Successes

  • Opening relations with China and détente with the Soviet Union.

Watergate Scandal

  • Definition: The scandal arising from the Nixon administration's attempt to cover up its involvement in a break-in at the DNC headquarters that resulted in Nixon's resignation.

Ford's Pardon

  • President Ford pardoned Richard Nixon in 1974.

Universal Human Rights

  • Definition: The rights and freedoms to which all people in all countries are entitled.

Camp David Accords

  • Definition: The historic peace agreements in 1978 where Israel agreed to withdraw from the Sinai and Egypt recognized Israel.

Iran Hostage Crisis

  • Definition: The event where Muslim militants seized a U.S. embassy and took 52 American hostages for 444 days in 1979.

Reaganomics

  • Three Parts: Tax cuts, deregulation, and reduced government spending.

End of the Cold War

  • Factors: The collapse of the Soviet Union's economy, political reforms in Eastern Europe, and Reagan's strong stance against communism.

First Gulf War

  • Reason: Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.

NAFTA

  • Definition: The 1993 treaty that lowered tariffs and brought Mexico into the free-trade zone with the U.S. and Canada.

Clinton's Impeachment

  • Reason: Perjury and obstruction of justice related to his affair with Monica Lewinsky.

Impact of September 11, 2001

  • Shift in American foreign policy toward combating terrorism, increased military spending, and increased security measures.

Bush v. Gore (2000)

  • Ruling and Significance: The Supreme Court halted the Florida recount, effectively awarding the presidency to George W. Bush. The case was highly controversial and highlighted the importance of every vote.

Al-Qaeda

  • Terrorist organization responsible for 9/11; leader was Osama bin Laden.

War in Afghanistan (2001)

  • Reason: To dismantle Al-Qaeda and remove the Taliban regime that supported them.

War in Iraq (2003)

  • Reason: The Bush administration claimed that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and had ties to terrorism. These claims were later proven to be false.

ISIS/ISIL

  • Islamic State of Iraq and Syria/Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a militant Islamist group.

PATRIOT Act

  • Law: Enacted after 9/11 to enhance national security.
  • Controversy: Raised concerns about civil liberties due to increased government surveillance powers.

No Child Left Behind

  • Changed American education by: Increasing standardized testing and holding schools accountable for student performance.

Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court

  • John Roberts.

Great Recession (2007-2009)

  • Description: A severe economic downturn triggered by the collapse of the housing market and resulting in widespread job losses and financial instability.
  • Impact:
    • Millions of Americans lost their jobs and homes.
    • The stock market crashed, and many businesses failed.
    • The government implemented significant economic stimulus packages.

Presidential Election of 2008

  • Historic because: Barack Obama was the first African American president.

Obamacare

  • Officially known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), it expands health insurance coverage to more Americans.

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)

  • Ruling and Significance: The Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, recognizing the right to marry as a fundamental right.

End of the Iraq War

  • President: Barack Obama.

Death of Osama bin Laden

  • Date: Killed in 2011; President Barack Obama gets credit.

COVID-19 Pandemic

  • Global pandemic in 2019-2021 that infected more than 154 million people and killed 3.2 million worldwide (May 2021).

Space Force

  • The sixth military branch created by President Donald Trump in 2019 to protect American interests beyond the atmosphere.

Black Lives Matter

  • Social movement established in 2013 that protests incidents of police brutality and racially motivated violence against black people.

Trump's Impeachments

  • Reasons: Abuse of power and obstruction of Congress (first impeachment); incitement of insurrection (second impeachment).

First Female Vice President

  • Kamala Harris.