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US History Regents Review

Terms in this set (142)

Mayflower Compact
A document written by the Pilgrims setting guidelines for self-government
Virginia House of Burgesses
First representative government in the colonies, self-government
Mercantilism
Economic system where the mother country benefits - raw materials sent from the colonies, colonists buy finished products from the mother country.
Common Sense
1776: a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that claimed the colonies had a right to be an independent nation
French and Indian War
Caused England to raise taxes on the American colonies, leading to protests
Proclamation Line of 1763
British say colonists can't settle past Appalachian Mountains, don't want conflict with Native Americans.
Declaration of Independence
1776 statement, issued by the Second Continental Congress, explaining why the colonies wanted independence from Britain.
British Taxes
Colonists thought they were unfair because they lacked representation in Parliament,

"No taxation without representation."
Articles of Confederation
First government of the United States that failed because it lacked the power to collect taxes
U.S. Constitution
A document written by delegates at the Constitutional Convention that established a national government in the United States.
Bicameral Legislature
a lawmaking body with 2 houses - the Senate and the House of Representatives
Great Compromise
Created the House (population) and Senate (equal) while resolving the dispute between the large and small states. Bicameral legislature
3/5 Compromise
each slave would count for 3/5 of a person for taxation and representation purposes
Anti-Federalists
People who opposed the constitution
Federalists
Supporters of the Constitution during ratification.
Bill of Rights
a statement of fundamental rights and privileges (first ten amendments to the United States Constitution)
Strict vs. Loose interpretation
Strict interpretation: go exactly by what the constitution says- Thomas Jefferson

Loose: have more liberal views-Alexander Hamilton
Federalism
A system in which power is divided between the national and state governments
Elastic Clause
Part of the Constitution which allows Congress to make all laws that are "necessary and proper" to carry out the powers of the Constitution.
Separation of Powers
Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying and enforcing the law, and the judiciary interpreting the law
George Washington's Farewell address
He advised the nation: 1. to stay away from permanent alliances with foreign nations 2. stay away from political parties
Louisiana Purchase
Made by Jefferson in 1803 that doubled the size of the US and gave it total control of the Mississippi River
Marbury V. Madison
Established judicial review
Andrew Jackson
President of the United States, first "regular guy" to be elected.
Indian Removal Act
AKA "Trail of Tears" congressional act that authorized the removal of Native Americans who lived east of the Mississippi River
Nullification Crisis
South Carolina tried to assert control over government, President Jackson stopped it. States rights issue
Manifest Destiny
A notion held by a nineteenth-century Americans that the United States was destined to rule the continent, from the Atlantic the Pacific.
Mexican Cession
Land taken by the US after the Mexican American War
Mexican-American War
President Polk declared war on Mexico over the dispute of land in Texas.
Missouri Compromise
An agreement between slave and free states resulting in Missouri becoming a slave state, Maine a free state and the rest of the Louisiana Purchase divided at the 36th Parallel
Compromise of 1850
An agreement between slave and free states resulting in California becoming a free state but the creation of the Fugitive Slave Act
Fugitive Slave Act
A law that made it a crime to help runaway slaves; allowed for the arrest of escaped slaves in areas where slavery was illegal and required their return to slaveholders
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Allowing new states to decide slavery by popular sovereignty
Popular Sovereignty
The right of the people to decide if there would be slavery in their state or not.
Sectionalism
Loyalty to one's own region of the country, rather than to the nation as a whole such as the North and South before and during the Civil War.
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Popular book before the Civil War that made people aware of how harsh treatment was for slaves
John Brown
Abolitionist (wanted to get rid of slavery) who tried to incite slaves in Virginia to rebel against their masters. Failed, was executed.
Dred Scott v. Sanford (aka Dred Scott Decision)
Supreme Court case which ruled that slaves are not citizens but are property - made South happy, made abolitionists work harder
Secession
A state withdraws from the Union. South Carolina was the first to secede
Abraham Lincoln
President of the United States during the Civil War, his election in 1860 made the South want to secede.
Emancipation Proclamation
Order issued by President Abraham Lincoln freeing the slaves in states rebelling against the Union, took effect January 1, 1863
Reconstruction
Period after the Civil War in the United States when the southern states were reorganized and reintegrated into the Union
Radical Republicans
Political group who wanted equality and to punish the former Confederacy after the Civil War
13th amendment
Abolished Slavery
14th amendment
Declared that all persons born in the US were citizenship and entitled to due process.
15th Amendment
Citizens cannot be denied the right to vote because of race, color , or precious condition of servitude
Black Codes
Laws denying most legal rights to newly freed slaves; passed by southern states following the Civil War
Jim Crow Laws
Laws designed to enforce segregation of blacks from whites
Freedmen's Bureau
1865 - Agency set up to aid former slaves in adjusting themselves to freedom.
Ku Klux Klan
White supremacy organization that intimidated blacks out of their newly found liberties
Sharecropping
A system used on southern farms after the Civil War in which farmers worked land owned by someone else in return for a portion of the crops. Trapped a lot of former slaves in debt.
Poll Tax
A requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to register to vote, directed at African Americans.
Literacy Test
A test administered as a precondition for voting, often used to prevent African Americans from exercising their right to vote.
Plessy V Ferguson
Supreme Court case (1896) Legalized segregation under the Constitution with the concept of "separate but equal."
Transcontinental Railroad
Completed in 1868, connected east and west coasts of America allowing for faster trade and travel
Gilded Age
A period in the late 1800s and early 1900s where businesses boomed but there was a big gap between the wealthy and the poor
Vertical Integration
the combination in one company of two or more stages of production normally operated by separate companies.
Horizontal Integration
is the process of a company increasing production of goods or services at the same part of the supply chain. Leads to a monopoly
Robber Barons
a derogatory metaphor of social criticism originally applied to certain late 19th-century American businessmen who used unscrupulous methods to get rich.
Andrew Carnegie
Steel robber barron, wrote about the rich's responsibility to help the poorer people
Monopoly
the exclusive possession or control of the supply or trade in a commodity or service.
Trust
another term for a monopoly
Social Darwinism
"Survival of the fittest"
Laissez-faire capitalism
Hands off approach to the economy. No government regulations
The Jungle
This 1906 work by Upton Sinclair pointed out the abuses of the meat packing industry. The book led to the passage of the 1906 Meat Inspection Act.
Jacob Riis
Early 1900's muckraker who exposed social and political evils in the U.S. with his novel "How The Other Half Lives"; exposed the poor conditions of the poor tenements in NYC and Hell's Kitchen
Upton Sinclair
muckraker who shocked the nation when he published The Jungle, a novel that revealed gruesome details about the meat packing industry in Chicago.
Ida Tarbell
Leading muckraking journalist whose articles documented the Standard Oil Company's abuse of power
Ida B. Wells
African American journalist. published statistics about lynching
Tenement
A building in which several families rent rooms or apartments, often with little sanitation or safety
Nativism
Anti-immigrant sentiment (KKK)
Progressive Era
Late 19th and Early 20th Century, t response to the abuses of big business - "progress" in society.
Muckraker
one who inquires into and publishes scandal and allegations of corruption among political and business leaders
Isolationism
process in which America remained isolated from foreign affairs
Yellow Journalism
Journalism that exaggerated the truth ("Remember the Maine!" started the Spanish American War)
Neutrality
the state of not supporting or helping either side in a conflict, disagreement, etc.; impartiality.
Lusitania
A British passenger ship that was sunk by a German U-Boat on May 7, 1915. 128 Americans died
Zimmerman Telegram
Message from Germany to Mexico asking for their support in attacking America in WWI and in return they would get their land back. Got America into WWI
Treaty of Versailles
Ended WWI, established the League of Nations
League of Nations
An international organization established after World War I under the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles. Didn't stop WWII from happening
John Peter Zenger
Journalist who questioned the policies of the governor of New York in the 1700's and sued when he was arrested for freedom of speech and press
Labor Unions
An organization formed by workers to strive for better wages and working conditions
Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890)
an 1890 law that banned the formation of trusts and monopolies in the United States
Monroe Doctrine
an American foreign policy opposing interference in the Western hemisphere from outside powers
Roosevelt Corollary
Roosevelt's 1904 extension of the Monroe Doctrine, stating that the United States has the right to protect its economic interests in South And Central America by using military force
Open Door Policy
A policy of the United States that stated China should be open to all nations that wish to trade with them. This policy did not include the consent of the Chinese, and was another form of imperialism.
Chinese Exclusion Act
1882 law that prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers
Reasons for US entry in WWI
Unrestricted submarine warfare, sinking of the Lusitania, Zimmermann Telegram, Russian Revolution
Schenk vs. US
The defendant did not have a First Amendment right to free speech against the draft during World War I.
19th Amendment
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1920) extended the right to vote to women in federal or state elections.
Assembly Line
In a factory, an arrangement where a product is moved from worker to worker, with each person performing a single task in the making of the product.
Harlem Renaissance
A period in the 1920s when African-American achievements in art and music and literature flourished
Prohibition
A law forbidding the sale of alcoholic beverages (18th Amendment)
Speakeasy
A place where alcoholic drinks were sold and consumed illegally during prohibition
Bootlegger
someone who makes or sells illegal liquor
Roaring 20s
Nickname for the 1920s because of a boom in business, flappers, jazz etc.
The Great Depression
a time period during the 1930s when there was a worldwide economic depression and mass unemployment
Stock Market Crash
Another leading component to the start of the Great Depression. The stock became very popular in the 1920's, then in 1929 in took a steep downturn and many lost their money and hope they had put in to the stock.
Dust Bowl
A drought in the 1930s that turned the Great Planes very dry and caused people from Oklahoma to migrate to California
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
man who ran for president in 1932. He promises a New Deal to get people out of Hoovervilles and back on the road to prosperity.
The New Deal
1933-1937 Government sponsored programs implemented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to revitalize the economy and alleviate poverty and despair caused by the Depression.
Social Security Act
.
A 1935 law passed during the Great Depression that was intended to provide a minimal level of sustenance to older Americans and thus save them from poverty
"Packing the Court"
In response to the Supreme Court declaring President Franklin Roosevelt's legislation unconstitutional, Roosevelt tried to add more members to the Supreme Court to support his interests. Not allowed - upsets checks and balances
WWII
began when Germany invaded Poland in 1934; US became involved in WWII when Pearl Harbor was bombed by Japan in 1941
Neutrality Act of 1935
Act that allowed nations at war to buy goods and arms in the United States if they paid cash and carried the merchandise on their own ships
Pearl Harbor
United States military base on Hawaii that was bombed by Japan, bringing the United States into World War II. Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941.
Japanese Internment
110,000 Japanese men, women, and children were rounded up and put in camps on the West Coast. Issued by executive order by FDR
Korematsu v. US
1944 Supreme Court case where the Supreme Court upheld the order providing for the relocation of Japanese Americans. It was not until 1988 that Congress formally apologized and agreed to pay $20,000 2 each survivor
Cold War
A conflict that was between the US and the Soviet Union. The nations never directly confronted each other on the battlefield but deadly threats went on for years.
Truman Doctrine
1947, President Truman's policy of providing economic and military aid to any country threatened by communism or totalitarian ideology, mainly helped Greece and Turkey - CONTAINMENT
Marshall Plan
A plan that the US came up with to revive war-torn economies of Europe. This plan offered $13 billion in aid to western and Southern Europe. - CONTAINMENT
Containment
Preventing the spread of communism during the Cold War
Korean War
The conflict between Communist North Korea and Non-Communist South Korea. The United Nations (led by the United States) helped South Korea.
McCarthyism
The term associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy who led the search for communists in America during the early 1950s through his leadership in the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Domino Theory
A theory that if one nation comes under Communist control, then neighboring nations will also come under Communist control.
Brown V. Board of Education
(1954) U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down racial segregation in public education and declared "separate but equal'' unconstitutional.
Little Rock Nine
Incident in which nine African-American students were prevented from attending Little Rock Central High in 1957 during the Civil Rights Movement.
John F. Kennedy(JFK)
Elected president in 1960; Democrat; 1stCatholic president; televised debates between Nixon
Bay of Pigs
In April 1961, the U.S. went to Cuba in an effort to overthrow communist Fidel Castro. Was a failure.
Cuban Missile Crisis
1962 crisis that arose between the United States and the Soviet Union over a Soviet attempt to deploy nuclear missiles in Cuba
Lyndon B Johnson (LBJ)
Became President after Kennedy was assassinated, signed the civil rights act of 1964 into law and the voting rights act of 1965. Created Medicaid, medicare etc called "Great Society Programs"
Civil Rights Act of 1964
(1964) law under Johnson that made segregation illegal in all public facilities, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Vietnam War
A prolonged war (1954-1975) between the communist armies of North Vietnam who were and the non-communist armies of South Vietnam who were supported by the United States. NOT popular in the United States.
Civil Rights Movement
Movement in the United States beginning in the 1960s and led primarily by Blacks in an effort to establish the civil rights of individual Black citizens
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
An African-American Civil Right's Activist who used peaceful protest such as boycotts and sit-ins. He was assasinated in 1968.
Malcolm X
Led the civil rights group Nation of Islam, his beliefs were the basis of a lot of the Black Power movement built on separationist and nationalist impulses to achieve true independence and equality
Watergate
the downfall of President Nixon- a cover up of a burglary of the Democratic headquarters at the Watergate apartments
President Nixon
President from 1969-1974, only US President to resign from office
US v. Nixon
no person, not even the President of the United States, is completely above law; and the president cannot use executive privilege as an excuse to withhold evidence that is 'demonstrably relevant in a criminal trial
Great Society
President Johnson called his version of the Democratic reform program. In 1965, Congress passed many measures, including Medicare, civil rights legislation, and federal aid to education.
Korematsu v US
This supreme court case followed the movement of 100,000 Japanese Americans moved to internment camps during WWII; the case upheld the US govt's internment policy as justified in wartime.
Mapp V Ohio
The 1961 Supreme Court decision ruling that the Fourth Amendment's protection against "unreasonable searches and seizures" must be extended to the states as well as to the federal government
Miranda V Arizona
1966 ruling that upon arrest, a suspect has the "right to remain silent" and the right to consult with a lawyer. (Law and Order rights)
Stonewall Inn
a bar in Greenwich Village, New York, where the modern Gay Pride movement began after rioters protested the police treatment of the LGBT community there
Obergefell v. Hodges
Upholds same sex marriage via 14th amendment equal protection clause
Betty Friedan
wrote The Feminine Mystique
Feminist Movement
the movement aimed at equal rights for women
Ronald Reagan
Republican president who favored conservative social and economic policies
Reaganonmics
the belief that lower taxes for businesses and people would promote spending, which would create jobs for lower class people
SALT
negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union to limit both countries' stock of nuclear weapons
Camp David Accords
A peace treaty between Israel and Egypt where Egypt agreed to recognize the nation state of Israel
Oslo Accords
An agreement in 1993 in which Israeli prime minister Rabin granted Palestinian self-rule in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
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