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114 Cards in this Set

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Abolitionist Movement
Movement dedicated to the abolition of slavery that existed primarily in the North in years leading up to the Civil War; had both white and black members.
Advertising Age
Termfirst used to describe America's consumer culture of the 1920s, when advertising began to influence the choices of purchasers.
Affirmative Action
Policies that began in the 1970s to make up for past dicrimination and give minorities and women advantages in applying for certain jobs and applying for admission to certain universities.
Affluent Society
Term used by economist John Kenneth Galbraith to describe the American economy in the 1950s, during which time many Americans became enraptured with appliances and homesin the suburbs.
Agiricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA)
Establishedby the Agricultural Act of 1932, a New Deal bureau designed to restore economic position of farmersby paying them not to farm goods that were being overproduced.
Agricultural Marketing Act
1929 act championed by Herbert Hoover that authorized the lending of federal money to farmer's cooperatives to buy crops to keep them from the oversaturated marker; program hampered by lack of adequate federal financial support.
Albany Congress
1754 meeting of representatives of seven colonies to coordinate their efforts against French and Native American threats in the Western frontier regions.
Alien and Sedition Acts
Proposed and supported by John Adams, gave the president the power to expel aliens deemed "dangerous to the country's well-being" and outlawed publication and public pronouncement of "false, scandalous, and malicious" statements about the government.
Allied Powers
Coalition of nations that opposed Germany, Italy, and Japan in World War II; led by England, the Soviet Union, and the United States
America First Committee
Isolationist group in America that insisted that America stay out of World War II; held rallies from 1939 to 1941; argued that affairs in Europe should be settled by Europeans and not Americans and stated that the Soviet Union was a greater eventual threat than Nazi Germany.
American Colonization Society
Formed in 1817, stated that the best way to end the slavery problem in the United States was for blacks to emigrate to Africa; by 1822 a few American blacks emigreated to Liberia. Organization's views were later rejected by most abolitionists.
American Expeditionary Force (AEF)
Official title of American army sent to Europe to aid England and France after the United States entered World War I; army was commanded by General John J. Pershing.
American Federation of Labor (AFL)
National labor union founded by Samuel Gompers in 1886; original goal was to organize skilled workers by craft. merged with COngfress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in 1955.
American Indian Movement (AIM)
Native Ameircan organization founded in 1968 to protest government policies and injustices suffered by native Americans; in 1973 organized armed occupation of Wounded Knee, South Dakota.
American Liberty League
Formed in 1934 by anti-New Deal politicians and business leaders to oppose policies of Franklin Roosevelt; stated that New Deal policies brought America closer to fascism.
American System
Economic plan promoted by Speaker of the House Henry Clay in years following the War of 1812; promoted givorous growth of the American economy and the use of protective tariffs to encourage Ameircans to buy more domestic goods.
Anaconda Copper Company
Large mining syndicate typical of many companies involved in mining in the western United States in the 1860s and 1870s; used heavy machinery and professional engineers. Many prospectors who found gold, silver, or copper sold their claims to companies such as this.
Anaconda Plan
Critical component of intitial Union plans to win the Civil War; called for capture of critical Southern ports and eventual control of the Mississippip River, which would create major economic and strategic difficulties for the Confederacy.
Antifederalists
Group that opposed the ratification of the proposed Constitution of the United States in 1787; many feared that strong central government would remove that processes of government "from the people" and replicate the excesses of the British monarchy.
Anti-Imperialist League
Organization formed in 1898 to oppose Ameircan annexation of the Philippines and American imperialism in general; focused the public on the potential financial, military, and especially moral costs of imperialism.
Anti-Saloon League
Organization founded in 1893 that increased public awareness of the social effects of alcohol onsciety; supported politicians who favored prohibition and promoted statewide referendums in Western and Southern states to ban alcohol.
Appomattox
In the courthouse of this Virginia city Robert E. Lee surrendered his Confederate army to Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865.
Army-McCarthy Hearings
1954 televised hearings on charges that Senator Joseph McCarthy was unfairly tarnishing the United States Army with charges of communist infiltration into the armed forces; hearings were the beginning of the end for McCarthy, whose bullying tactics were repeatedly demonstrated.
Articles of Confederation
Ratified in 1781, this document established the first official government of the United States; allowed much power to remain in the states, with the federal government possessing only limited powers. Articles replaced by the Constitutionin 1788.
Astrolabe
Instrument thatenabled navigators to calculate their latitudeusing the sun and the stars; allowed more accuracy in plotting routes during the Age of Discovery.
Battle of the Atlantic
Began in the spring 1941 with the sinking of an American merchant vessel by a German submarine. Armed conflict between warships of America and Germany took place in September of 1941; American merchant vessels were armed by 1942.
Atlantic Charter
Fall 1941 agreement between Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, stating that America and Great Britain would support a postwar world based on self-determination and would endorse a world body to ensure "general security"; U.S. agreement to convoy merchant ships across part of Atlantic inevitably drew America closer to conflict with Germany.
Aztecs
Advanced Indian scoiety located in central Mexico; conquered by Spanish conquistador Cortes. The defeat of the Aztecs was hastened by smallpox brought to Mexico by the Spanish.
Baby Boom
Large increase in birthrate in United states that began in 1945 and lasted until 1962; new and larger families fueled the move to suburbia that occurred in th 1950s and produced the "youth culture" that would become crucial in the 1960s.
Ballinger-Pinchot Affair
Crisis that occurred when William Howard Taft was president, further distancing him from Progressive supporters of Theodore Roosevelt. Richard ballinger, Taft's Scretary of the Interior, allowed private bsinessmen to purchase large amounts of public land in Alaska; Forest Service head Gifford Pinchot (a Roosevelt supporter) protested to Congress and was fired by Taft.
Bank War
Political battles surrounding the attempt by President Andrew Jackson to greatly reduce the power of the Second Bank of the United states; Jackson claimed the Bank was designed to serve special interests in America and not the common people.
Bataan Death March
Forced march of 76,000 Ameircan and Filipino soldiers captured by the Japanese from the Bataan Peninsula in early May 1942; over 10,000 soldiers died during this one-week ordeal.
Bay of Pigs
Failed 1961 invasion of Cuba by Inted States-supported anti-Castro refugees designed to topple Castro from power; prestige of the United States, and of the newly elected president, John kennedy, was damaged by this failed coup attempt.
Bear Flag Republic
Declaring independence from Mexican control, this republic was declared in1846 by American settlers living in California; this political act was part of a larger American political and militrary strategy to wrest Texas and California from Mexico.
Beat Generation
Literary movement of the 1950s that criticized the conformity of American society "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac, "Howl" by Allen Ginsber, and "Naked Lunch" by William Burroughs were key works of the Beat Generation.
Berlin Airlift
American and British pilots flew in food and fuel to West Berlin during late 1948 and early 1949 because Soviet Union and East Germany blockaded other access to West Berlin (which was located in East Germany); Stalin ended this blockade in May 1949. Airlift demonstrated American commitment to protecting Western allies in Europe during the early Cold War period.
Berlin Wall
Concrete structure build in 1961 by soviets and East Germany pysically dividing East and West Berlin; to many in the West, the Wall was symbolic of communist repression in the Cold War era. The wall finally torn down in 1989.
Bessemer Steel
First produced in 1856 in converter (furnace) invented by Henry Bessemer; was much more durable and harder than iron. Steel was a critical commodity in the Second Industrial Revolution.
Bias
No historical writing can be totally objective; observers are always influenced by either conscious or unconscious bias. Conscious bias might be a flattering biography of Lincoln writtenby an abolitionist in 1865, or an unflattering biography of Lincol writeen by a southerner in the same year. Unconcious bias may be createdby one's education, predispositions toward the subject, or even one's race or gender.
Bicameral Legislature
A legislative structure consisting of two houses, this was adopted by the authors of the U.S. Constitution; membership of the states in one house (the House of Representatives) is determined by population, while in the other house (the Senate) all states have equal representation.
Bill of Rights
Added to the Constitutionin 1791, the first ten amendments protected freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to bear arms, and other basic rights of American citizens.
Birth of a Nation
Epic movie released in 1915 by director D.W. Griffith; portrayed the Reconstruction as a period when Southern blacks threatened basic American values, which the Ku Klux Klan tried to protect; film was lauded by many, including President Woodrow Wilson.
Black Codes
Laws adopted by the Southern states in the Reconstruction era that greatly limited the freedom of Southern blacks; in several states blacks could not move, own land, or do anything but farm.
Blacklist
Prevented persons accused of being communistsfrom getting work in entertainment and other industries during the period of anticommunist fervor of the late 1940s and early 1950s; some entertainers waited until the mid-1960s before working publicly again.
Black Nationalism
Spurred by Malcolm X and other black leaders, a call for black pride and advancement without the help of whites; this appeared to be a repudiation of the calls for peaceful integration urged by Martin Luth King. Race riots in Northern cities in mid-1960s were at least partially fueled by supporters of black nationalism.
Black Panthers
Group originally foundedinOakland, California, to protectblacks from policeharassment; promotedmilitantblack power; also ran social programs in severalCaliforniacities. Found by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton.
Black Power
Movement of black Americans in the mid-1960s that emphazied pride in racial heritage and black economic and political self-reliance; term coined by black civil rights leader Stokely Carmichael.
"Bleeding Kansas"
As a result of Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, residents of Kansas territtory could decide if territory would allow slavery or not; as a result, both pro-slavery and anti-slavery groups flooed settlers into Kansas territory. Much violence followed very disputed elections in 1855.
Bonanza Farms
Large farms that came todominate agricultural life in much of the West in the late 1800s; instead of plots farmed by yeoman farmers, large amounts of machinery were used, and workers were hired laborers, often performing only specific tasks (similar to workin a factory).
Bonus Army
Group of nearly 17,000 veterans who marched on Washington in May 1932 to demand the military bonuses they had been promised; this group was eventually driven from their camp city by the United States Army. This action increased the public perception that the Hoover administration cared little about the poor.
Boston Massacre
Conflict between British soldiers and Boston civilians on March 5, 1770; after civilians threw rocks and snowballs at the soldiers, the soldiers opened fire, killing five and wounding six.
Boston Tea Party
In response to the Tea Act and additional British taxes on tea, Boston radicals disguised as Native Americans threw nearly 350 chests of tea into Boston harbor on December 16, 1773.
Brown v. Board of Education
1954 Supreme Court decision that threw out the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling that schools could be "separate but equal"; ruling and began the long and painful process of school desegregation in the South and other parts of America.
Battle of the Bulge
December 1944 German attack that was the last major offensive by the Axis powers in World War II; Germans managed to push forward into Belgium but were then driven back. Attack was costly to the Germans in terms of material and manpower.
Bull Moose party
Name given to the Progressive party in the 19112 presidential campaign; Bull Moose candidate ex-president Theodore Roosevelt ran against incumbent president William Howard Taft and Democrat Woodrow Wilson, with Wilson emerging victorious.
First Battle of Bull Run
July 21, 1861 Confederate victory over Union forces, which ended in Union battle convinced Lincoln and others in the North that victory over the Confederates would not be as easy as they initially thought.
Second Battle of Bull Run
Decisive victory by General Robert E. Lee and Confederate forces over the Union army in August 1862.
Battle of Bunker Hill
June 1775 British attack on colonial forces at Breed's Hill outside Boston; despite frightful losses, the British emerged victorious in this battle.
Calvinism
Protestant faith that preached salvation "by faith alone" and predestination; desire by Calvinists in England to create a "pure church" in England was only partially succesful, thus causing Calvinist Puritans to come to the New World starting in 1620.
Camp David Accords
Treaty between Egypt and Israel brokered by President Jimmy Carter and signed in early 1979; Israel agreed to give back territory in the Sinai peninsula to Egypt, while Egypt agreed to recognize israel's right to exist as a nation.
Carpetbaggers
Term used by Southerners to mock Northerners who came to the South to gain either financially or politically during the Reconstruction era.
Central Powers
The alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria that opposed England, France, Russia, and later the United States in World War I.
Chancellor of the Exchequer
During the era prior to and during the Revolutionary War, this was the head of the department in the British government that issued and collected taxes; many acts issued by the Chancellor of the Exchequer created great resentment in the American colonies.
Battle of Chancellorsville
Brilliant Confederate attack on Union forces led by Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee on May 2-3, 1863; Union defeat led to great pessimism in North and convinced many in the South that victory over North was indeed possible.
Battle of Chateau-Thierry
One of the first 1918 World WarI battles where soldiers of the AEF fought and suffered severe casualties.
Checkers Speech
Speech made by RIchard Nixon on national television on September 23, 1952, where he defended himself against charges that rich supporters had set up a special expense account for his use; by the speech Nixon saved his spot on the 1952 Republican tick (he was running for vice presiden, with Eisenhower running for president) and saved his political career.
Cherokee Nation v. Georgia
1831 Supreme Court case in which the Cheokee tribe claimed that Georgia had no right to enforce laws in Cherokee territory, since Cherokees were a sovereign nation; ruling by John Marshall stated that Cherokees were a "domestic dependent nation" and had no right to appeal in federal court.
Church of England
Also called the Anglican Church, this was the Protestant church establishe dby King Henry VIII; religious radicals desired a "purer" church that was allowed by monarchs of the early seventeenth century, causing some to leave for the Americas.
Circular Letter
In reaction to the1767 Townshend Acts, the Massachusetts assembly circulated a letter to the other colonies, asking that they work together and jointly issue a petition of protest. Strong-willed response of British authorities to the letter influenced the colonial assemblies to work together on a closer basis.
Civil Rights Act of 1866
Act that struck down Black Codes and defined the rights of all citizens; also stated that federal government could act when civil rights were violated at the state level. Passed by Congress over the veto of President Andrew Johnson.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Key piece of civil rights legislation that made discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, or national origin illegal; segregation in public restrooms, bus stations, and other public facilities also was declared illegal.
Civil Service Commission
Created by the Pendelton Civil Service Act of 1883, this body was in charge of testing applicants and assigning them to appropriate government jobs; filling jobs on the basis of merit replaced the spoils system, in which government jobs were given as rewards for political service.
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
New Deal progream that began in 1933, putting nearly 3 million young men to work; workers were paid little, but worked on conservation projects and maintaining beaches and parks. CCC program for young women began in 1937.
Clayton Antitrust Act
1914 act designed to strengthen the Serman Antitrust Act of 1890; certain activities previously committed by big businesses,such as not allowing unions infactories and not allowing strikes, were declared illegal.
Cold War
Period between 1945 and 1991 of near-continuous struggle between the United States and its allies and the Soviet Union and its allies; Cold War tensions were made even more intense by the existence of the atomic bomb.
Colonial Assemblies
Existed in all of the British colonies in America; House of Burgesses in Virginia was the first one. Members of colonial assemblies were almost always members of the upper classes of colonial society.
Committee on Public Information
Created by Woodrow Wilson during World War I to mobilize public opinion for the war, this was the most intensive use of propaganda until that time by the United States. The image of "Uncle Sam" was created for this propaganda campaign.
Committees of Correspondence
First existed in massachusetts, and eventually in all of the colonies; leaders of resistance to British rule listed their grievances against the British and circulated them to all of the towns of the colony.
"Common Sense"
Very popular 1776 piblication in the colonies written by Englishman Thomas Paine, who had come to America in 1774; repudiated the entire concept of government by monarchy. After publication of this document, public sentiment in the colonies turned decisively toward a desire for independence.
Compromise of 1850
Complex agreement that temporarily lessened tensions between Northern and Southern political leaders, and prevented a possible secession crisis; to appease the South, the Fugitive Slave Act was strengthened; to appease the North, California entered the Union as a free state.
Compromise of 1877
Political arrangement that ended the contested presidential election of 1876. Representatives of Southern states agreed not to oppose the official election of Republican Rughterford B. Hayes as president despite massive election irregularities. in return, the Union army stopped enforcing Reconstruction legislation in the South, thus ending Reconstruction.
Battle of Concord
Occurred on April 19, 1775, between British regulars and Massachusetts militiamen. More than 70 British soldiers died and another 174 were wounded; as a result, a wider conflice between the colonies and the British became much more probable.
Confederate States of America
Eventually made up of 11 former states with Jefferson Davis as its first and only president. Was unable to defeat the North because of lack of railroad lines, lack of industry, and an inability to get European nations to support their cause.
Congressof Industrial Organizations (CIO)
Group of unions that broke from the AFL in 1938 and organized effective union drives in automobile and rubber industries; supported sit-down strikes in major rubber plants. Reaffiliated with the AFL in 1955.
Conscription
Getting recruits for military service using a draft; this method was used by the American government in all of the wars of the twentieth century. Conscription was viewed most negatively during the Vietnam War.
Consumer Society
Many Americans in the 1950s became infatuated with all of the new products produced by technology and went out and purchased more than any prior generation; consumer tastes of the decade were largely dictated by advertising and television.
Containment Policy
Formulated by George Kennan, a policy whereby the United States would forcibly stop communist aggression whenever and wherever it occurred; containment was the dominant American policy of the Cold War era, and forced America to become involved in foreign conflicts such as Vietnam.
Continentals
Soldiers in the "American" army commanded by George Washington in the Revolutionary War; victory at the Battle of Trenton on December 16, 1776, did much to raise the morale of the soldiers (and convince many of them to reenlist).
Contract with America
1994 pledge by Republican candidates for House of Representatives; led by Newt Gingrich, candidates promised to support term limits, balancing the budget, and lessening the size of the deferal government. In 1994 Congressional elections, Rpublicans won both houses of Congress for first time in 40 years.
Convoy System
System used to protect American ships carrying materials to Great Britain in 1940 and 1941; merchant ships were protected by American warships. Firing took place between these ships and German submarines, with American losses.
Copperheads
Democrats in Congressin the first years of the Civil War who opposed Abraham Lincoln and the North's attack on the South, claiming that the war would result in massive numbers of freed slaves entering the North and a total disruption of the Northern economy.
Battle of the Coral Sea
May 1942 American naval victory over the japanese; prevented japanese from attacking Autralia. First naval battle where losses on both sides came almost exclusively from bombing from airplanes.
Counterculture
Youth of the 1960s who espoused a lifestyle encompassing drug use, free love, and a rejection of adult authority; actual "hippies" were never more than a small percentage of young people.
Coxey's Army
Supporters of Ohio Populist Jacob Coxey who in 1894 marched on Washington, demanded that the government create jobs for the unemployed; although this group had no effect whatsoever on policy, it did demonstrate the social and economic impact of the panic of 1893.
Creationism
Belief in the Biblicalaccountof the origin of the universe and the origin of man; believers in creationism and believers in evolution both had their day in court during the 1925 Scopes Trial.
Crittenden Plan
1860 compromise proposal on the slavery issue designed to defuse tension between North and South; would have allowed slavery in the South to continue and would have denied Congress the power to regulate interstate slave trade. On the advice of newly elected President Lincoln, Republican in Congress voted against it.
Crusades
From these attempts to recapture the Holy Land, Europeans acquired an appreciation of the benefits of overseas expansion and an appreciation of the economic benefits of slavery.
Cuban Missile Crisis
1962 conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union over Soviet missiles discovered in Cuba; Soviets eventually removedmissiles under American pressure. Crisis was perhaps the closest the world came to armed conflict in the Cold War era.
Currency Act
1864 British act forbidding the American colonies to issue paper money as legal tender; act was repealed in 1773 by the British as an effort to ease tensions between themselves and the colonies.
Dark Horse Candidate
A candidate for office with little support before the beginning of the nomination process; James K. Polk was the first dark horse candidate for president in 1844.
Dawes Act
1887 act designed to break up Native American tribes, offered Native American families 160 acres of farmland or 320 acres of land for grazing. large amounts of tribal lands were not claimed by Natives Americans, and thus were purchased by land speculators.
Declaration of Neutrality
Issued by President Woodrow Wilson after the outbreak of Wold War I in Europe in 1914, stating that theUnited States would maintain normal relations with and continue to trade with both sides in the conflic; factors including submarine warfare made it difficult for America to maintain this policy.
Declaration of Rights and Grievances
1774 measure adopted by the First Continental Congress, stating the Parliament had some rights to regulate colonial trade with Britain, but that Parliament did not have the right to tax the colonies without their consent.
Declaratory Act
1766 British law stating that the parliament had absolute right to tax the colonies as they saw fit and to make laws that would be enacted in the colonies. Ironically, issued at the same time as the repeal of the Stamp Act.
Deficit Spending
Economic policy where government spends money that it "doesn't have", thus creating a budget deficit. Although "conventional" economic theory disapproves of this, it is commonplace during times of crisis or war (e.g. The New Deal; post-September 11, 2001).
Democratic Party
Had its birth during the candidacy of Andrew Jackson; originally drew its principles from Thomas Jefferson and advocated limited government. In modern times many Democrats favor domestic programs that a larger, more powerful government allows.
Democratic-Republicans
Believed in the ideas of Thomas jefferson, who wrote of the benefits of a limited government and of a society dominated by Federalists, who wanted a strong national state and a society dominated by commercial interests.
Desert Shield
After Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990, President Bush sent 230,000 American troops to protect Saudi Arabia.
Détente
The lessening of tensions between nations. A policy of détente between the United States and the Soviet Union and Communist China began during the presidency of Richard Nixon; the architect of policy was National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger.
Dien Bien Phu
1954 victory of Vietnamese forces over the French, causing the French to leave Vietnam and all of Indochina; Geneva Peace Accords that followed established North and South Vietnam.
Direct Primary
Progressive-era reform adopted by some states that allowed candidates for state offices to be nominated by the rank-and-file party members in statewide primaries instead of by the party bosses, who had traditionally dominated the nominating process.
"Dollar Diplomacy"
Foreign policy of President William Howard Taft, which favored increased American investment in the world as the major method for instead increasing American influence and stability abroad; in some parts of the world, such as in Latin America, the increased American influence was resented.
Domesticity
Social trend of post-World War II America; many Americans turned to family and home life as a source of contentment; emphasis on family as a source of fulillment forced some women to abandon the workforce and achieve "satisfaction" as homemakers.
Dominion of New England
Instituted by King James II in 1686. Sir Edmund Andros governed the colonies of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Plymouth, and New Hampshire as a single entity without an elective tiamen in Boston in April 1689 (after the Glorious Revolution).