Proclamation Line of 1763
Stated that no colonists could settle in lands to the west of the Appalachian mountains– made the colonists very upset
Declaration of Independence
- Document adopted on July 4, 1776.
- Established the 13 American colonies as independent states, free from rule by Great Britain.
- Thomas Jefferson wrote most of it.
- Explained to the world why we wanted our freedom.
Agriculture
Farming.
Articles of Confederation
1st Constitution of the U.S. 1781-1788 (weaknesses-no executive, no judicial, no power to tax, no power to regulate trade)
Anti-Federalist
a person apposed to the ratification of the US constitution, and wanted a bill of rights to be added.
Federalist
supporters of the constitution during the debate over its ratification; favored a strong national government
Amendment
a change to the Constitution
Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments of the U.S. Constitution, containing a list of individual rights and liberties, such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press.
Constitution
The document which established the present federal government of the United States and outlined its powers. It can be changed through amendments. Supreme law of the land.
Bicameral
a legislature consisting of two “houses”
Cabinet
people that advise the president and help set policy for the nation–an example of the unwritten Constitution
Unwritten Constitution
customs, traditions, practices not written in constitution that are part of our system of government–ie. the cabinet and two term limit.
Census
population count every 10 years, to determine the number of representatives in Congress for each of the states.
Checks and Balances
The power of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government to block some acts by the other two branches–ie. the veto, declaring a law unconstitutional, or impeaching a president.
Electoral College
the body of electors who formally elect the United States president and vice-president
Compromise of 1850
it abolished the slave trade in the District of Columbia, admitted California as a free state and opened much of the Mexican Cession to popular sovereignty
Monroe Doctrine
Europeans should not interfere with affairs in Western Hemisphere, Americans to stay out of foreign affairs; supported Washington’s goal for US neutrality in Americas
Federalism
A system in which power is divided between the national and state governments
Federalist Papers
Series of essays that defended the Constitution and tried to reassure Americans that the states would not be overpowered by the federal government.
House of Representatives
One of the two parts of Congress, considered the “lower house.” Representatives are elected directly by the people, with the number of representatives for each state determined by the state’s population–has the power to impeach
Impeachment
Formal accusation against a president or other public official, the first step in removal from office.
Judicial Review
the power of the courts to declare laws unconstitutional
Manifest Destiny
the belief that the United States was destined to stretch across the continent from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean
Andrew Jackson
As president he opposed the Bank of US, did not allow individual states to nullify federal laws, was responsible for the Indian Removal Act, the “Trail of Tears”. Created Spoils System
spoils system
practice of rewarding supporters with government jobs
Abolition
the movement to end slavery
Dred Scott
A black slave, had lived with his master for 5 years in Illinois and Wisconsin Territory. Backed by interested abolitionists, he sued for freedom on the basis of his long residence on free soil. The ruling on the case was that He was a black slave and not a citizen, so he had no rights.
Jim Crow Laws
Laws that separated people of different races in public places in the south
Reconstruction
a period after the civil war when the US worked to bring the country back together and the southern states were subject to a federal military presence
13th, 14th, 15th Amendments
The three amendments to the Constitution that resulted from the Civil War and abolished slavery, guaranteed civil rights, and guaranteed blacks the right to vote
Great Plains
vast grassland between the mississippi river and the rocky mountains
New Immigrants
Immigrants who came to the United States during and after the 1880s; most were from southern and eastern Europe.
Old Immigrants
immigrants who had come to the US before the 1880s from Britain, Germany, Ireland, and Scandenavia, or Northern Europe
Harlem Renaissance
a flowering of African American culture in the 1920s; instilled interest in African American culture and pride in being an African American–ie. Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington
Langston Hughes
a Harlem Renaissance poet. The phrase “Harlem Renaissance” refers to African American achievements in art, literature and music in the 1920s
Great Migration
movement of over 300,000 African American from the rural south into Northern cities between 1914 and 1920
Open Door Policy
The idea that all countries should have the right to open trade with China-this was directed toward other imperialist countries. U.S. wanted to prevent countries from setting up separate spheres of influence within China, thereby blocking potential U.S. trade opportunities.
Progressive Era
Period of reform from 1890s-1920s. Opposed waste and corruption, for social justice, general equality, and public safety: Sherman Anti-trust Act, President Theodore Roosevelt, Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle”, Pure Food and Drug Act and Meat Inspection Act of 1906.`
muckrakers
A group of investigative reporters who pointed out the abuses of big business and the corruption of urban politics; included Frank Norris (The Octopus), Ida Tarbell (A history of the standard oil company), Lincoln Steffens (the shame of the cities), and Upton Sinclair (The Jungle)
Prohibition
18th amendment: a total ban on the manufacture, sale, and transportation of liquor throughout the United States. 1919-1933 — ends with 21st amendment
Social Reformers
Dorothea Dix, Jane Addams, and Jacob Riis –tried to improve lives of poor, underserved in society
Womens suffrage
the right of women to vote W/ 19th amendment in 1920
Seneca Falls Convention
Took place in Upstate New York in 1848. Women of all ages and even some men went to discuss the rights and conditions of women. There, they wrote the Declaration of Sentiments, tried to get women rights for women, especially the right to vote.
Scopes Trial
1925, the trial that pitted the teaching of Darwin’s theory of evolution against teaching Bible creationism
World War One
War fought because Germany was interfering with American freedom of the seas.
Herbert Hoover
became president in 1928, just before the onset of the Great Depression; blamed for the market crash; actions taken were criticized as too little too late
Great Depression
the economic crisis beginning with the stock market crash in 1929 and continuing through the 1930s.
WPA
Congress created the Works Progress Administration in 1935– spent $11 billion on federal works projects and provided employment for 8.5 million persons. They built roads, bridges, schools, etc., but the also funded projects for thespians, artists, writers, and young people.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
an engineer and his wife who were accused, tried, and executed in the early 1950s for running an espionage ring in New York City that gave atomic secrets to the soviet union; long considered unjustly accused victims of the Red Scare, recent evidence suggests that Julius was indeed a soviet agent
Sacco and Vanzetti
Italian radicals who became symbols of the Red Scare of the 1920s; arrested (1920), tried and executed (1927) for a robbery/murder, they were believed by many to have been innocent but convicted because of their immigrant status and radical political beliefs.
World War Two
Event that brought the United States completely out of the Great Depression, we entered because of Japanese bombing at Pearl Harbor
New Deal
The name given to the program of “Relief, Recovery, Reform” begun by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 to bring the United States out of the Great Depression.
Communism
an economic system in which the central government directs all major economic decisions. Its spread was our biggest fear after WW2!
Harry Truman
The 33rd U.S. president, who succeeded Franklin D. Roosevelt upon Roosevelt’s death in April 1945. Truman, who led the country through the last few months of World War II, is best known for making the controversial decision to use two atomic bombs against Japan in August 1945. After the war, Truman was crucial in the implementation of the Marshall Plan, which greatly accelerated Western Europe’s economic recovery.
Interstate Highway
a main highway that crosses the entire country, either from east to west or south to north–sponsored by D. Eisenhower
John F Kennedy
35th President of the United States 35th President of the United States; only president to have won a Pulitzer Prize; events during his administration include the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the building of the Berlin Wall, the Space Race, the African American Civil Rights Movement and early events of the Vietnam War; assassinated in Dallas, TX in 1963
Lyndon Johnson
President who escalated Vietnam War, signed the civil rights act of 1964 into law and the voting rights act of 1965. War on Poverty, medicare and Medicaid.
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.
Detente
relaxation of tensions between the United States and its two major Communist rivals, the Soviet Union and China
Watergate
The events and scandal surrounding a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in 1972 and the subsequent cover-up of White House involvement, leading to the eventual resignation of President Nixon under the threat of impeachment.
Marbury V Madison
this case establishes the Supreme Court’s power of judicial review
Korematsu v US
This supreme court case followed the movement of 100,000 Japanese Americans moved to internment camps; the case upheld the US govt’s internment policy as justified in wartime.
Schenck V US
1919; conviction of a socialist who had urged young men to resist the draft during WW1. Justice Holmes declared that gov’t can limit speech if the speech provokes a “clear and present danger” of substantive evils.
Brown V Board of Education
1954 – The Supreme Court overruled Plessy v. Ferguson, declared that racially segregated facilities are inherently unequal and ordered all public schools desegregated.
Plessy V Ferguson
Supreme Court case (1896) Legalized segregation under the Constitution with the concept of “separate but equal.”
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.
NJ v TLO
TLO caught smoking in non-designated area, and drug paraphernalia found in possession. The school search is CONSTITUTIONAL as schools only need “reasonable suspicion.” *UNREASONABLE SEARCH/SEIZURE CLAIM DENIED
13th amendment
abolished slavery
14th amendment
Declares that all persons born in the U.S. are citizens and are guaranteed equal protection of the laws
15th amendment
citizens cannot be denied the right to vote because of race, color , or precious condition of servitude
3/5 comprimise
Only 3/5 of the states slave population counted toward representation in Congress
abolitionists
people who believed that slavery should be against the law
alexander hamilton
United States statesman and leader of the Federalists (est. the 1st Bank of the US)
articles of confederation
a written agreement ratified in 1781 by the thirteen original states (the first “constitution”)
cabinet
a group of advisors to the president (not in the constitution, example of elastic clause)
census
a period count of the population to determine representation in Congress
checks and balances
A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power (Exec., Judicial, and Legislative)
cherokee trail of tears
The moving of the Cherokee Indians to Oklahoma. Only 1 out of 5 lived. then the indian removal of 1830
civil war
a war between factions in the same country ex. North Vs. South
declaration of independence
the document recording the proclamation of the second Continental Congress (4 July 1776) asserting the independence of the colonies from Great Britain
delegated powers
Powers specifically given to the federal government by the US Constitution, for example, the authority to print money.
democracy
a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them
elastic clause
the part of the Constitution that permits Congress to make any laws “necessary and proper” to carrying out its powers
electoral college
the body of electors who formally elect the United States president and vice-president
emancipation proclamation
Issued by abraham lincoln on september 22, 1862 it declared that all slaves in the confederate states would be free
frederick douglas
Famous black abolitionist that escaped from slavery who would later right a narrative of his own life that described his life. He promoted the abolitionist cause and drew the line where evil must be denounced.
annex
an addition to (ex. Louisiana Purchase)
assembly line
mechanical system in a factory whereby an article is conveyed through sites at which successive operations are performed on it (time period: industrial revolution)
brown vs. board of education
Decision saying, segregation in SCHOOLS is a violation of the 14th amendment, 1954
civil disobedience
a group’s refusal to obey a law because they believe the law is immoral (as in protest against discrimination) (ex. Bus Boycott)
cold war
a state of political conflict using means short of armed warfare (after WWII between US and USSR)
collective bargaining
negotiation between an employer and trade union
communism
a form of socialism that abolishes private ownership (ex. USSR during Cold War)
constitution
the Supreme Law- determines the fundamental political principles of a government
containment
(military) the act of containing something or someone (ex. communism)
detente
the easing of tensions or strained relations (especially between nations) at the end of the cold War
domino theory
the political theory that if one nation comes under Communist control then neighboring nations will also come under Communist control
fdr
32nd President of the United States
responsible for the New Deal
federal reserve system
the central bank of the United States
federalism
the idea of a federal organization of more or less self-governing units
fourteen points
the war aims outlined by President Wilson in 1918, which he believed would promote lasting peace; called for self-determination, freedom of the seas, free trade, end to secret agreements, reduction of arms and a league of nations
grange
an association formed by farmers in the last 1800s to make life better for farmers by sharing information about crops, prices, and supplies
great comprimise
compromise made by Constitutional Convention in which states would have equal representation in one house of the legislature and representation based on population in the other house
great depression
the economic crisis beginning with the stock market crash in 1929 and continuing through the 1930s
harlem renaissance
An African American cultural movement of the 1920s and early 1930s that was centered in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City.
immigrants
People who settle in a country they weren’t born in (ex. Irish in New York).
impeach
bring an accusation against
ex. President Clinton
imperialism
a policy of extending your rule (conquering) over foreign countries
industrial revolution
the transformation from an agricultural to an industrial nation with factories
isolation
a country’s withdrawal from internal politics
ex. Washington Farewell address
jim crow laws
Limited rights of blacks. Literacy tests, grandfather clauses and poll taxes limited black voting rights
john brown
abolitionist who was hanged after leading an unsuccessful raid at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia (1800-1858)
john d. rockefeller
Was an American industrialist and philanthropist. Revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of modern philanthropy.
john locke
English philosopher who believed in natural rights to life liberty and property (1632-1704)
judicial review
review by a court of law of actions of a government official or entity or of some other legally appointed person or body or the review by an appellate court of the decision of a trial court
kent state
Ohio college where an anti-war protest got way out of hand, the Nat’l Guard was called in and killed 3 students (innocent & unarmed,wounded 9) in idiscriminate fire of M-1 rifles
korematsu vs. us
Sup. Court upholds legality of Japanese relocation camps; 1988 US gov. officially apologizes and pays reparations of $20,000 to each camp survivor
laissez-faire
the doctrine that government should not interfere in commercial or business affairs
little rock crisis
1957 – Governor Faubus sent the Arkansas National Guard to prevent nine Black students from entering Little Rock Central High School. Eisenhower sent in U.S. paratroopers to ensure the students could attend class.
louisiana purchase
territory in western United States purchased from France in 1803 for $15 million
manifest destiny
a policy of imperialism rationalized as inevitable (as if granted by God) to conquer all land to the Pacific Ocean
marshal plan
George Marshal the US secretary of state saw Europe as very important to the USA, he saw the best way to keep them out of communism is to help restore their countries in 1947, June, and he proposed a plan to provide massive economic aid to Europe
martin luther king jr
U.S. Baptist minister and civil rights leader. A noted orator, he opposed discrimination against blacks by organizing nonviolent resistance and peaceful mass demonstrations. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Nobel Peace Prize (1964)
mercantilism
an economic system (Europe in 18th C) to increase a nation’s wealth by government regulation of all of the nation’s commercial interests, limiting trade
miranda vs. arizona
The accused must be notified of their rights before being questioned by the police
missouri comprimise
Agreement that temporarily settled the issue of slavery in the territories.
monopoly
exclusive control or possession of something
monroe doctrine
an American foreign policy opposing interference in the Western hemisphere from outside powers in Latin America
muckrakers
This term applies to newspaper reporters and other writers who pointed out the social problems of the era of big business. The term was first given to them by Theodore Roosevelt.
nativism
the policy of perpetuating native cultures (in opposition to acculturation)
nato
North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an alliance made to defend one another if they were attacked by any other country; US, England, France, Canada, Western European countries
neutrality
nonparticipation in a dispute or war (US didn’t enter WWI until 1914)
new deal
the historic period (1933-1940) in the U.S. during which President Franklin Roosevelt’s economic policies were implemented
panama canal
a ship canal 40 miles long across the Isthmus of Panama built by the United States (1904-1914)
plessey vs. ferguson
Supreme Court case in which “separate but equal” was upheld. 1986
prohibition
a law forbidding the sale of alcoholic beverages
ratify
approve and express assent, responsibility, or obligation
reconstruction
the period after the Civil War in the United States when the southern states were reorganized and reintegrated into the Union
republic
a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them
reserved powers
Powers not specifically granted to the federal government or denied to the states belong to the states and the people
roe vs. wade
the U.S. supreme Court ruled that there is a fundamental right ro privacy, which includes a woman’s decision to have an abortion. Up until the third trimester the state allows abortion.
satellite nations
Communist nations in Eastern Europe on friendly terms with the USSR and thought of as under the USSR’s control
schenck vs. us
argued that freedom of speech could be revoked when such speech posed a danger to the nation.
secede
withdraw from an organization (ex. South during Civil War)
spoils system
the system of employing and promoting civil servants who are friends and supporters of the group in power
suffrage
the right to vote
tariff
a government tax on imports or exports
totalitarianism
a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)
transcontinental railroad
Completed in 1869 at Promontory, Utah, it linked the eastern railroad system with California’s railroad system, revolutionizing transportation in the west
united nations
an organization of independent states formed in 1945 to promote international peace and security
underground railroad
abolitionists secret aid to escaping slaves
unions
organizations of workers who bargain with employers as a group
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. The book was fiction but based on the things Sinclair had seen.
urbanization
the social process whereby cities grow and societies become more urban
vietnam
a communist state in Indochina on the South China Sea that was the site of conflict in the late 1960’s
watergate
a political scandal involving abuse of power and bribery and obstruction of justice (impeachment of Nixon)
WWI
1914-1918; Began after the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a group of Serbian radicals; Germany, Austria-Hungary v. Britain, France, Russia; America is neutral
WWII
began when Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1934; US became in WWII when Pearl Harbor was bombed by Japan in 1941
yellow journalism
Journalism that exploits, distorts, or exaggerates the news to create sensations and attract readers