1.
Abolitionist Movement: Movement dedicated to the abolition of slavery that existed primarily in the North in the years leading up to the Civil War; had both white and black memebers
2.
Advertising Age: Term first used to describe America's consumer culture of the 1920s, when advertising began to influence the choices of purchasers
3.
Affirmative Action: Policies that began in the 1970s to make up for past discrimination and give minorities and women advantages in applying for certain jobs and in applying for admission to certain universities
4.
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 homes in suburbs
5.
Agricultural Adjustment Administration(AAA): Established by the Agricultural Act of 1932, a New Deal bureau designed to restore economic position of farmers by paying them NOT to farm good that were being overproduced
6.
Agricultural Marketing Act: 1929 act championed by Herbert Hoover that authorized the lending of federal money to farmer's cooperatives to by crops to keep them from the oversaturated market; program hampered by lack of adequate federal financial support
7.
Albany Congress: 1754 meeting of representatives of seven colonies to coordinate their efforts against French and Native American threats in the Western frontier regions
8.
Alien and Sedition Acts: Proposed and supported by John Adams,, gave the president power to expel aliens deemed "dangerous to the country's well-being" and out lawed publication and public pronouncement of "false scandalous and malicious" statements about the government
9.
Allied Powers: Coalition of nations that opposed Germany Italy Japan in WWII; led by England, the Soviet Union, and the United States.
10.
America First Committee: Isolationist group in America that insisted that America stay out of WWII; 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
11.
American Colonization Society: Formed in 1817, started that the best way to end the slavery problem in the US was fro blacks to emigrate to Africa; by 1822 a few American blacks emigrated to Liberia. Organization's views were later rejected by most abolitionists
12.
American Expeditionary Force: Official title of the American army sent to Europe to aid England and France after the US entered WWI; the army was commanded by General John J. Pershing
13.
American Federation of Labor (AFL): National labor union founded by Samuel Gompers in 1886; original goal was to organize skilled workers by craft
14.
American Indian Movement (AIM): Native American organization founded in 1968 to protest government plicies and injustices suffered by Native Americans; in 1973 organized armed occupation of Wounded Knee, South Dakota
15.
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
16.
American System: Economic plan promoted by Speak of the House Henry Clay in years following the War of 1812; promoted vigorous growth of the American economy and the use of protective tariffs to encourage Americans to by more domestic goods
17.
Anaconda Copper Company: Large mining syndicate typical of many companies involved in mining in the western US in the 1860s and 1870s; used heavy machinery and professional engineers. Many prospectors who found cold, silver, or copper sold their claims to companies such as this
18.
Anaconda Plan: Critical component of initial Union plans to win the Civil War; called for capture of critical Southern ports and eventual control of the Mississippi River, which would crate major economic and strategic difficulties for the Confederacy
19.
Anti-Imperialist League: Organization formed in 1898 to oppose American annexation of the Philippines and American imperialism in general; focused the public on the potential financial, military and especially moral costs of imperialism
20.
Anti-Saloon League: Organization founded in 1893 that increased public awareness of the social effects of alcohol on society; supported politicians who favored prohibition and promoted statewide referendums in Western and Southern states to ban alcohol
21.
Antifederalists: Group that opposed the ratification of the proposed Constitution in 1787; may feared that strong central government would remove the processes of government "from the people" and replicate the excesses of the British monarchy
22.
Appomattox: In the courthouse of this Virginia city Robert E. Lee surrendered his Confederate army to Ulysses S Grant on April 9, 1865
23.
Army-McCarthy Hearings: 1954 televised hearings on charges that Senator Joseph McCarthy was unfairly tarnishing the United STates ARmy with carges of communist infiltration into the armed forces; hearings were the beginning of the end for McCarthy whose bullying tactics were repeatedly demonstrated
24.
Articls 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 federal government possessing only limited powers
25.
astobalde: instrument that enabled navigators to calculate their latitude using the sun and the stars; allowed more accuracy in plotting routes during the Age of Discovery
26.
Atlantic Charter: Fall 1941 agreement between FDR 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"; US agreement to convoy merchant ships across part of Atlantic inevitably drew America closer to conflict with Germany
27.
Baby Boom: Large increase in birthrate in the United States that began in 1945 and lasted until 1962; new and larger families fueled the move to suburbia that occurred in the 1950s and produced the "youth culture" that would become crucial in the 1960s
28.
Ballinger-Pinchot Affair: Crisis that occurred when Taft was president, further distancing him from Progressive supporters of TR. Richard Ballinger, Taft's Secretary of the Interior, allowed private businessmen to purchase large amounts of public land in Alaska; Forest Service head Gifford Pinchot (TR supporter) protested to congress and was fired by Taft
29.
Bank Wars: Political battles surrounding the attempt by President 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
30.
Bataan Death March: Forced march of nearly 75,000 American 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
31.
Battle of the Atlantic: Began in the spring o 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
32.
Bay of Pigs: Failed 1961 invasion of Cuba by United states-supported anti-Castro refugees designed to topple Castro from power; prestige of the US and of the newly elected president, JFK, was damaged by this failed coup attempt
33.
Bear Flag Republic: Declaring independence from Mexican control, this republic was declared in 1846 by American settlers living in Cali; this political act was part of a larger American political and military strategy to wrest Texas and Cali from Mexico
34.
Beat Generation: Literary movement of the 1950s that criticized the conformity of American society and the ever-present threat of atomic warfare
35.
Berlin Airlift: American and British pilots flew in food and fuel to West Berlin during late 1948 and early 1949 because the 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
36.
Bessemer steel: First produced in 1856 in converter invented by Henry Bessemer; was much more durable and harder than iron. Steel was a critical commodity in the Second Industrial Revolution
37.
Birth of a Nation: Epic movie released in 1915 by director DW Griffith; portrayed the Reconstruction as a period when Southern blacks threatened basic American values, which the KKK tried to protect
38.
Black Codes: Laws adopted by the Southern states in the Reconstruction era that greatly limited the freedom of Southern blacks; in several stares blacks could not move, own land, or do anything but farm
39.
Black nationalism: Spurred by Malcolm X and other black leaders, a call for black pride and advancement without the help of white; the appeared to be a repudiation of the calls for peaceful integration urged by MLK, Race riots in Northern cities in the mid-1960s were at least partially fueled by supporters of black nationalism
40.
Black Panthers: Group originally founded in Oakland, Cali, to protect blacks from police harassment; promoted militant black power; also ran social programs in several Cali cities.
41.
Black power: Movement of black American in the mid-1960s that emphasized pride in racial heritage and black economic and political self-reliance; term coined by black civil rights leader Stokely Carmichael
42.
Blacklist: prevented persons accused of being communists from 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 again
43.
Bonanza farms: Large farms that came to dominate 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 as laborers
44.
Brown vs. Board of Educaiton: 1954 Supreme Court decision that threw out the 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson ruling that schools could be "seperate but equal"; the ruling began the long and painful process of school desegregation in the South and other parts of America
45.
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 successful, the causing Calvinist Puritans to come to the New World
46.
Camp David Accords: Treaty between Egypt and Isreael brokered by President Carter and signed in early 1970; 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
47.
Carpetbaggers: Term used by Southerners to mock Northerners who came to the South to gain either financially or politically during the Reconstruction era
48.
Central Powers: The alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungry,The Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria that opposed England France and Russia in WWI
49.
Checkers Speech: Speech made by Richard Nixon on national television on Sept. 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 ticket(he was running for VP with Eisenhower) and saved his political career
50.
Cherokee Nation vs. Georgia: 1831 Supreme Court case in which the Cherokee 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
51.
Circular Letter: In reaction to the 1967 Townshend Acts, the Mass, assembly circulated a letter to the other colonies, asking that they work together and jointly issue a petition of protest
52.
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
53.
Committee on Public Information: Created by Woodrow Wilson during WWI 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 Same" was created for this propaganda campaign
54.
Committees of Correspondence: First existed in Mass and eventually in all of the colonies; leaders of resistance to British and circulated them to all of the towns of the colony
55.
Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO: Group of unions that broke form the AFL in 1938 and organized effective union drives in automobile and rubber industries; supported sit-down strikes in major rubber plants Re affiliated with the AFL in 1955
56.
Conscription: Getting recruits for military service using a draft; this method was used by the American government in all of the wars of the 20th century. conscription was viewed most negatively during the Vietnam war
57.
Continentals: Soldiers in the "American" army commanded by George Washington in the Revolutionary War
58.
Contract with America: 1994 pledge by Republican candidates of house of Representatives; led by Newt Gingrich, candidates promised to support term limits, balancing the budget, and lessening the size of the federal government. In 1994 Congressional elections, Republicans won both Houses of congress for the first time in 40 years
59.
Convoy System: System used to protect American ships carrying materials to Great Britain in 1940 and 1941
60.
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
61.
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, it did demonstrate the social and economic impact of the Panic of 1893
62.
Cuban Missile Crisis: 1962 conflict between the US and the Soviet Union over Soviet missiles discovered in Cuba; soviets eventually removed missiles under American pressure. Crisis was perhaps the closes the world came to armed conflict in the Cold War era
63.
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
64.
Domesticity: Social trend of post-WWII America; many American s turned to family and home life as a source of contentment; emphasis on family as a source of fulfillment forced some women to abandon the work force and achieve "satisfaction" as homemakers
65.
Double V campaign: WWII "plicy" supported by several prominent black newspapers, stating that blacks in America should work for victory over the Axis powers but at the same time work for victory over oppression at home; black leaders remained frustrated during the war by continued segregation of the armed forces
66.
Eisenhower Doctrine: Policy established in 1957 that promised military and economic aid to "friendly" nations in the Middle East; the policy was established to prevent communism from gaining a foothold in the region.
67.
Enola Gay: The name of the American bomber that on August 6 1945, dropped the first atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, thus initiating the nuclear age
68.
feminism: The belief that women should have the same rights and benefits in American society that men do Feminism gained may supporters during the Progressive era, and in the 1960s drew a large numbers of supporters. the National Organization for Women (NOW) was established in 1966 by Betty Friedan and had nearly 200,000 members in 1969
69.
First Great Awakening: A religious revival in the American colonies that lasted from the 1720s through the 1740s; speakers like Jonathan Edwards enraptured speakers with sermons such as "Sinner in the Hands of an Angry God". Religious splits in the colonies became deeper because of this movement
70.
Flapper: A "new woman" of the 1920s, who wore short skirts and bobbed hair and rejected many of the social regulations that controlled women of previous generations
71.
Free Speech Movement: Protests ath the University of Cali at Berkeley in 1964 and 1965 that opposed the control that the university and "the establishment" in general had over the lives of university students. Protesters demanded changes in university regulations and also broader changes in American society
72.
Ghost Dances: Religion practiced by Lakota tribesmen in response to repeated incursions by American settlers. Ghost dancers thought that a Native American messiah would come and banish the whites, return the buffalo and give all former Native American land back to the Native Americans. Worried territorial officials had Sitting Bull arrested(he was later killed under uncertain circumstances) and killed another 240 Lakota at Wounded Knee Creek
73.
Great Society: Aggressive program announced by LBJ in 1965 to attack the major social problems in America; Great Society programs included the War on Poverty, Medicare and Madicaid programs for elderly Americans, greater protection for and more legislation dealing with civil rights, and greater funding for education.
74.
Gridlock: Situation when the president is a member of one political party and the US congress is controlled by the other causing a situation where little legislation is actually passed. This is how some describe the situation with President Clinton and the Republican-controlled Congress after the 1994 congressional elections
75.
Head Start: One of LBJ's War on Poverty programs that gave substantial funding for nursery school program to prepare children of poor parents for kindergarten
76.
Impeachment: The process of removing an elected public official from office; during the Progressive Era several states adopted measures making it easier to do this.
77.
Iran-Contra Affair: During the second term of the Reagan administration, government officials sold missiles to Iran (hoping that this would help free American hostages held in Lebanon); money from this sale was used to aid anti-communist contra forces in Nicaragua. Iran was a country was supposed to be on the American "no trade" list because of their taking of American hostages and congressional legislation had been enacted making it illegal to give money to the Contras
78.
Iranian hostage Crisis: On Nov. 4, 1979, Islamic fundamentalists seized the American embassy in Tehran, Iran, and took all Americans working there hostage
79.
Jay's Treaty: 1794 treaty between the United States and Great Britain designed to ease increasing tensions between the two nations; the British did make some concession to the Americans including abandoning the forts they occupied in the interior of the continent. However, Britain refused to make concessions to America over the rights of American ships; tensions over this issue eventually be a cause of the War of 1812
80.
Jazz Age: Term used to describe the image of the liberated, urbanized 1920s with a flapper as a dominant symbol of that era. Many rural, fundamentalist Americans deeply resented the changes in American culture that occurred in the "Roaring 20s"
81.
Jingoism: American foreign policy based on a strident nationalism, a firm belief in American world superiority and a belief that military solutions were in almost every case, the best ones. Jingoism leading up to and during the Spanish-American War
82.
Judicial Review: In the 1803 Marbury v. Madison decision Chief Justice Marshall stated that the US Supreme Court ultimately had the power to decide on the constitutionality of any law passed by the US Congress or by the legislature of any state. Many had argued that individual states should have the power to do this; the Marbury decision increased the power of the federal government
83.
Judiciary Act: 1801 bill passed by the Federalist Congress just before the inauguration of President Jefferson; Federalists in this bill attempted to maintain control of the judiciary by reducing the number of Supreme Court judges(so Jefferson probably wouldn't be able to name a replacement) and by increasing the number of federal judges(who President Adams appointed before he left office). The Bill was repealed by new Congress in 1802
84.
Kent State University: Site of May 1970 anti-war protest where Ohio National Guardsmen fired on protesters, killing four. To many this event was symbolic of the extreme political tensions that permeated American society in this era
85.
King-Crane Commission: The American commission that went into various regions of the Middle East immediately after WWI to discover what political future was desired by residents of the region. It was determined that many did not want to be controlled by Britain and France, and saw the US in a favorable light. Predictably, the British and French saw to it that the findings of the commission were largely kept quiet
86.
Kitchen Cabinet: An informal group of advisers, with no official titles, who the president relies on for advice, The most famous was that of Andrew Jackson, who met with several old political friends and two journalists for advice on many occasions
87.
Ku Klux Klan: Organization founded in the South during the Reconstruction era by whites who wanted to maintain white supremacy in the region. the KKK used terror tactics including murder. The Klan was revitalized in the 1920s; members of the 20s Klan also opposed Catholics and Southern and Eastern European immigrants. The KKK exists to this day, with recent efforts to make the Klan appear to be respectable
88.
Lost Generation: Group of American intellectuals who viewed America in the 1920s as bigoted, intellectually shallow, and consumed by the quest for the dollar; many became extremely disillusioned with American life and went to Paris. Ernest Hemingway wrote of this group in The Sun Also Rises
89.
Martial Law: During a state of emergency, when rule of law may be suspended and government is controlled by military or police authorities. During the Civil War, Kentucky was placed by Lincoln
90.
McCarran Internal Security Act: Congressional act enacted in 1950 that stated all members of the Communist party had to register with the office of the Attorney General and that it was a crime to conspire to foster cdonnumism in the United States
91.
McCarran-Walter Act: 1952 bill that limited immigration from everywhere except Northern and Western Europe and stated that immigration officials could turn any immigrant away that they thought might treaten the national security of the United States
92.
NAFTA: Ratified in 1994 by the US Senate, this agreement established a free trade zone between the US Mexico, and Canada. Critics of the agreement claim that many jobs have been lost in the US because of it
93.
Nation of Islam: Supporters were called Black Muslims; this group was founded by Elijah Muhammad and preached Islamic principles along with black pride and black separatism. Malcolm X was a member.
94.
Neoconservatism: Modern American political philosophy that opposes big government approaches to domestic issues yet favors an interventions and aggressive foreign policy; most neoconservatives advocated American intervention in Iraq in 2003
95.
New Democrate: Term used to describe Bill Clinton and his congressional supporters during his two terms in office. A New Democrat was pragmatic and not tied to the old Democratic belief in big government; New Democrats took both Democratic and Republican ideas as they crafted their policies. Some in the Democratic party maintained that Clinton had actually sold out the principles of the party
96.
New Right: The conservative movement that began in the 1960s and triumphed with the election of Reagan in 1980. The New Right was able to attract many middle class and Southern voters to the Republican party by emphasizing the themes of patriotism, a smaller government and return to "traditional values"
97.
Pocket Veto: A method a president can use to kill congressional legislation at the end of a congressional term. Instead of vetoing the bill the president may simply not sign it; once congressional term is over, the bill will then die
98.
Religious Right: Primarily Protestant movement that greatly grew beginning in the 1970s and pushed to return "morality" to the forefront in American life. The religious right has been especially active in opposing abortion and sine the 80s has extended its influence in the political sphere by endorsing and campaigning for specific candidates
99.
Scramble for Africa: The competition between the major European powers to gain colonial territory in Africa that took place between the 1870s and the out break of WWI. Conflicts created by competing visions of colonial expansions increased tensions between the European powers and were a factor in the animosities that led to WWI
100.
Second Great Awakening: Religious revival movement that began at the beginning of the nineteenth century revivalist ministers asked thousands of worshipers at revival meeting to save their own souls. This reflected the move away from predestination in Protestant thinking of the era
101.
The Feminine Mystique: Betty Friedan's 1963 book that was the Bible of the feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Friedan maintained that the post-WWII emphasis on family forced women to think of themselves primarily as housewives
102.
The Jazz Singer: 1927 film staring Al Jolson that was the first movie with sound. Story of the film deals with a young Jewish man who has to choose between the "modern" and his Jewish past
103.
Verlin Wall: concrete structure built in 1961 by Soviets and East Germany physically dividing East and West Berlin; to many in the West, the Wall was symbolic of communist repression in the Cold War era. The wall fell in 1989
