Gilded Age
1870s - 1890s; time period looked good on the outside, despite the corrupt politics & growing gap between the rich & poor
graft
the acquisition of money in dishonest ways, as in bribing a politician
political bosses
powerful politician who controls work done locally and demands payoffs from businesses
political machine
Corrupt organized groups that controlled political parties in the cities. A boss leads the machine and attempts to grab more votes for his party.
kickbacks
Payments from the earnings for a contract. Overcharge the city , then give the contract to their buddy in return for a % of the profit
William Tweed
N.Y. political boss (did not hold a political office) controlled the Democratic political machine known as Tammany Hall; Stole $200 million form New York City
recall
procedure whereby voters can remove an elected official from office
tenement
A building in which several families rent rooms or apartments, often with little sanitation or safety
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
a fire in New York's Triangle Shirtwaist Company in 1911 killed 146 people, mostly women. DEADLIEST IN HISTORY They died because the doors were locked and the windows were too high for them to get to the ground. Dramatized the poor working conditions and
Muckraker
A group of investigative reporters who pointed out the abuses of big business and the corruption of urban politics; Big business, immigration, industrialization
The Jungle
Upton Sinclair's novel that inspired pro-consumer federal laws regulating meat, food, and drugs-Meat Packing Industry
Progressivism
A group of reformers who worked to solve problems caused by the rapid industrial urban growth of the late 1800s.-Improve by reform-due to industrialization
Conservation
Protecting and preserving natural resources and the environment
Suffrage
the right to vote-women 19th Amendment
18th Amendment
Prohibited the manufacture, sale, and distribution of alcoholic beverages-Not the Consumption-ratified after 1 year.
19th Amendment
Women Right to Vote
Women's Suffrage 1920
Pure Food and Drug Act
1906 - Forbade the manufacture or sale of mislabeled or adulterated food or drugs, it gave the government broad powers to ensure the safety and efficacy of drugs in order to abolish the "patent" drug trade. Still in existence as the FDA. FOOD LABELS
Meat Inspection Act
1906 - Laid down binding rules for sanitary meat packing and government inspection of meat products crossing state lines.
Imperialism
A policy in which a strong nation seeks to dominate other countries politically, socially, and economically.
Monroe Doctrine
Declared that Europe should not interfere in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere and that any attempt at interference by a European power would be seen as a threat to the U.S. It also declared that a New World colony which has gained independence may no
Yellow Journalism
type of sensational, biased, and often false reporting for the sake of attracting readers
Roosevelt Corollary
Addition to the Monroe Doctrine asserting America's right to intervene in Latin American affairs. Stated that the United States would intervene as a last resort to ensure that other nations in the Western Hemisphere fulfilled their obligations to internat
Spanish American War
In 1898, a conflict between the United States and Spain, in which the U.S. supported the Cubans' fight for independence
San Juan Hill
Site of the most famous battle of the Spanish-American war, where Theodore Roosevelt successfully leads the Rough Riders in a charge against the Spanish trenches
Hawaii
treaty was signed between US and Hawaii, it permitted US access to Hawaiian sugarcane market. In 1898 the US annexed Hawaii due to war needs.
annex
The adding of a region to the territory of an existing political unit.
Sphere of Influence
areas where foreign nations claimed special rights and economic privileges;
a country or area in which another country has power to affect developments although it has no formal authority.
Open Door Policy
Statement of U.S. foreign policy toward China. Issued by U.S. secretary of state John Hay (1899), the statement reaffirmed the principle that all countries should have equal access to any Chinese port open to trade.
Great White Fleet
1907-1909 - Roosevelt sent the Navy on a world tour to show the world the U.S. naval power. Also to pressure Japan into the "Gentlemen's Agreement.
Dollar Diplomacy
Foreign policy created under President Taft that had the U.S. exchanging financial support ($) for the right to "help" countries make decisions about trade and other commercial ventures. Basically it was exchanging money for political influence in Latin A
Big Stick Diplomacy
Comes from the phrase, "speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." emphasis on military preparedness; willingness to use military force to achieve foreign policy goals.
Panama Canal
a ship canal 40 miles long across the Isthmus of Panama built by the United States (1904-1914)
Militarism
believe that a country needs a strong military to promote or defend interests
Nationalism
full support of your own country-ethnicity, religion, customs,
No Man's Land
Ground between trenches-barbwire-250 yards -
Central Powers
Austria Hungary, Germany-Ottoman Empire
Triple Entente
A military alliance between Great Britain, France, and Russia in the years preceding World War I.
Trench Warfare
Stale mate-rats, lice, rain, floods, mud, dead people, disease, chlorine gas, starvation, FRANCE
Schlieffen Plan
Germany plan to take France--through Belgium, circle around-quickly so they could focus on Eastern Front-Russia.
Lusitania
British ocean liner-sunk 1915-128 Americans--got America War.
Zimmerman Note
Intercepted-1917-alliance with Germany and Mexico--Get land back from US--Tx,Az, Nm
Selective Service Act
National Army-Draft-1917-18-45 24 million --2.8 drafted
propaganda
information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.
Sedition Act
1918- Stronger penalties for Greatest 1st amendment breaker of all time-crime to willingly utter, print, write, publish, disloyal- about government--thousands
Big Four
The most important leaders, and the most important ones at the Paris Peace Conference. They were Woodrow Wilson- USA, David Lloyd George- UK, George Clemenceau- France, and Vittorio Orlando- Italy.
Treaty of Versailles
Best known for its harsh reparations towards the Germans after World War I.Germany reduce army, League of Nations set up, German pay for the war 6,600 million pounds=8.7 billion dollars
League of Nations
International organization--World Peace - Part of Wilson's 14 points--
Wilson's 14 Points
speech in 1918. Couple of months before war ended. Plan for WW1 end. Peace without victory-self determination-no more secret agreements-reduce weapons, league of nations, free navigation of seas,
Great Depression
the economic crisis beginning with the stock market crash in 1929 and continuing through the 1930s
Forgotten Man
The ordinary working American who Roosevelt said had been politically ignored and to who FDR directed much of his New Deal appeal.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Democratic president who created the New Deal to counter the effects of the Great Depression
Hoovervilles
Shantyhomes during the Great Depression
Dust Bowl
was a period of drought that hit the Great Plains
Buying on margin
paying a small percentage of a stock's price as a down payment and borrowing the rest
Black Tuesday
October 29, 1929; date of the worst stock-market crash in American history and beginning of the Great Depression.
Herbert Hoover
President during the beginning of the Great Depression. He believed in rugged individualism and laissez-faire capitalism.
fireside chats
informal talks given by FDR over the radio; sat by White House fireplace; gained the confidence of the people
speculation
investing in stocks or property hoping that your gain riches.
New Deal
The name of President Roosevelt's program for getting the United States out of the depression
100 days
FDR's first 100 days in office; first action was to close all banks on a "bank holiday
Huey Long
As senator in 1932 of Washington preached his "Share Our Wealth" programs. It was a 100% tax on all annual incomes over $1 million and appropriation of all fortunes in excess of $5 million. With this money Long proposed to give every American family a com
Okies
name for people that moved west in search for jobs in hopes of buying fertile land.
Flappers
carefree young women with short, "bobbed" hair, heavy makeup, and short skirts. The flapper symbolized the new "liberated" woman of the 1920s. Many people saw the bold, boyish look and shocking behavior of flappers as a sign of changing morals. Though har
Appeasement
Satisfying the demands of dissatisfied powers in an effort to maintain peace and stability.
Blitzkrieg
the new style of fighting demonstrated by the Germans first in WWII; it showed how far and fast technology changed since WWI; faster planes, tanks, and warships made fighting move quickly and with much greater violence and death
Axis Powers
Alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan during World War II.
Allies
England, France, United States, and Russia after their pact with the Nazi Regime was violated.
Holocaust
The attempted physical extermination of the Jewish people by the Nazis during WWII; between five and six million Jews were killed, essentially two out of three European Jews.
D-Day
June 6th 1944, Invasion of the beaches of Normandy France (Largest amphibious invasion ever)
V-E Day
May 8, 1945; victory in Europe Day when the Germans surrendered
Internment
the state of being confined as a prisoner, especially for political or military reasons.
Rosie the Riveter
A propaganda character designed to increase production of female workers in the factories. It became a rallying symbol for women to do their part.
Battle of Britain
Germans launched daily bombing raids against military targets. The British royal air force surprised Germans
Operation Barbarossa
German invasion of Russia. This caused a two front war for Germany and led to their downfall.
Stalingrad
decisive battle in German invasion of Russia, the Germans were surrounded and systemically destroyed
Island Hopping
stragety of Allies in World War 2 of capturing some Japanese-held islands and going around others
Manhattan Project
A secret U.S. project for the construction of the atomic bomb.
segregation.
Separation of people based on racial, ethnic, or other differences
Brown v. Board
1954 - The Supreme Court overruled Plessy v. Ferguson, declared that racially segregated facilities are inherently unequal and ordered all public schools desegregated.
Sit In
protests by black college students, 1960-1961, who took seats at "whites only" lunch counters and refused to leave until served; in 1960 over 50,000 participated in sit-ins across the South. Their success prompted the formation of the Student Non-Violent
Nonviolent civil disobedience
A philosophy of peaceful violation of laws considered unjust and accepting punishment for the violation
Black Panthers
Founded in Oakland, California. The Panthers carried loaded firearms and patrolled city streets to protect, they said, people from police brutality. The Panthers also embraced the concept of Black Nationalism. Many former SNCC members were attracted to th
integration
the act of uniting or bringing together, especially people of different races
Jim Crow Laws
Laws aimed at separating the races
Freedom Riders.
Group of civil rights workers who took bus trips through southern states in 1961 to protest illegal bus segregation
March on Washington
a large political rally that took place in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his historic "I Have a Dream" speech advocating racial harmony at the Lincoln Memorial during the march. Widely credited as helping lead to t
Malcolm X
Charismatic Black Muslim leader who promoted separatism in the early 1960s
Plessy v. Ferguson
a 1896 Supreme Court decision which legalized state ordered segregation so long as the facilities for blacks and whites were equal
Little Rock 9
African American students admitted to Central High School, governor of Arkansas, prevent African American students, from attending the school and sent the Arkansas National Guard to the school. President Dwight D. Eisenhower responded by sending federal t
Montgomery Bus Boycott
In 1955, after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a city bus, Dr. Martin L. King led a boycott of city busses. After 11 months the Supreme Court ruled that segregation of public transportation was illegal.
affirmative action
policy that gives special consideration to women and minorities to make up for past discrimination
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)
Bay of Pigs Invasion
failed invasion of Cuba in 1961 when a force of 1,200 Cuban exiles, backed by the United States, landed at the Bay of Pigs.
Containment
Established by the Truman administration in 1947 to contain Soviet influence to what it was at the end of World War II.
Molotov Plan
The Soviet Union's economic plan in Eastern Europe - their response to the Marshall Plan.
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 on condition they wouldn't go communist. Helped contain communism in Europe and helped our economy as Europe bought
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
Cuban Missile Crisis
an international crisis in October 1962, the closest approach to nuclear war at any time between the U.S. and the USSR. When the U.S. discovered Soviet nuclear missiles on Cuba, President John F. Kennedy demanded their removal and announced a naval blocka
Communism
A theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state.
Korean War
Conflict that began with North Korea's invasion of South Korea and came to involve the United Nations (primarily the United States) allying with South Korea and the People's Republic of China allying with North Korea.
Cold War
period of time after WWII where nuclear threats and confrontation were high between the USA and USSR, rather than actual warfare
Berlin Airlift
airlift in 1948 that supplied food and fuel to citizens of west Berlin when the Russians closed off land access to Berlin
Warsaw Pact
An alliance between the Soviet Union and other Eastern European nations. This was in response to the NATO
NATO
A 1949 defense alliance initiated by the US, Canada, and 10 Western European nations
Domino Theory
A theory that if one nation comes under Communist control, then neighboring nations will also come under Communist control.
Iron Curtain
Winston Churchill's term for the Cold War division between the Soviet-dominated East and the U.S.-dominated West.
Kruschev
Soviet leader during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the construction of the Berlin Wall
Star Wars (Reagan)
Reagan's defensive program; laser beams and satellites would shoot down USSR missiles
Napalm
Highly flammable chemical dropped from US planes in firebombing attacks during the Vietnam War.
Tet Offensive
1968; National Liberation Front and North Vietnamese forces launched a huge attack on the Vietnamese New Year (Tet), which was defeated after a month of fighting and many thousands of casualties; major defeat for communism, but Americans reacted sharply,
Operation Rolling Thunder
bombing campaign over North Vietnam, supposed to weaken enemy's ability and will to fight
North Vietnam
Communists controlled part of Vietnam
Kent State
4 students killed by National Guardsmen after violent protesting in this university
Vietcong
A group of Communist guerrillas who, with the help of North Vietnam, fought against the South Vietnamese government in the Vietnam War.
Agent Orange
a toxic leaf-killing chemical sprayed by U.S. planes in Vietnam to expose Vietcong hideouts
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
1964 Congressional resolution authorizing President Johnson to take military action in Vietnam
South Vietnam
a former country in southeastern Asia that existed from 1954 (after the defeat of the French at Dien Bien Phu) until 1975 when it was defeated and annexed by North Vietnam
Diem
Leader of South Vietnam, 1954-1963; supported by United States, but not by Vietnamese Buddhist majority; assassinated in 1963
Vietnamization
US policy of withdrawing its troops and transferring the responsibility and direction of the war effort to the government of South Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh
1950s and 60s; communist leader of North Vietnam; used geurilla warfare to fight anti-comunist, American-funded attacks under the Truman Doctrine; brilliant strategy drew out war and made it unwinnable
Ho Chi Minh Trail
A network of paths used by North Vietnam to transport supplies to the Vietcong in South Vietnam
Vietminh
an organization whose goal it was to win Vietnam's independence from foreign rule