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AP US History Key Terms Flashcards

Key Terms from Krieger AP Crash Course

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779525206Columbian Exchange-Exchange of plants and animals btwn New World and Europe -Old World received corn, tomatoes, and potatoes -New World received horses, cows, and pigs
779525207Mercantalism-17th and 18th century economic philosophy -GB would increase wealth and power by obtaining large amounts of gold and silver and by establishing a favorable balance of trade with its colonies
779525208Half-Way Covenant-Established by Puritans to ease requirements for church membership -Allowed baptism of children of baptized but unconverted Puritans
779525209Enlightenment-18th century philosophy stressing reason could improve the human condition -Thomas Jefferson= thinker--> seen in Dec of Independence
779525210Deism-Belief that Hod created the universe but allowed it to operate through the laws of nature -Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin--> natural laws could be discovered through the use of human reason
779525211The First Great Awakening1730s-1740s= wave of religious revivals across American colonies
779525212Republican Government/ Republicanism-Belief that government should be based on the consent of the people -Inspired American Revolution
779525213Separation of Powers-Division of power among the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of the government -Defended by Alexander Hamilton
779525214Checks and Balances-System in which each branch of government can check the power of the other branches -Ex. President can veto bill passed by Congress, but Congress can override the President's veto
779525215Judicial Review-The Supreme Court can strike down an act of Congress by declaring it unconstitutional -Established by Marbury v. Madison
779525216Internal ImprovementsTerm referring to the development of the national transportation system
779525217American System-Set of proposals designed to unify the nation and strengthen its economy by means of protective tariffs, a national bank, and internal improvements -Henry Clay= chief proponent of the American System
779525218Cult of domesticity/Republican Motherhood-Idealization of women in their roles as wives and mothers -"rep motherhood"- women would be responsible for raising their children to be virtuous citizens of the new American republic
779525219Transcendentalism-1800s- philosophical and literary movement that emphasized living a simple life and celebrating the truth found in nature and in personal emotion and imagination -Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau= foremost writers
779525220Perfectionism-Belief that humans can use conscious acts of will to create communities based upon cooperation and mutual respect -Utopian Communities= Brook Farm, New Harmony, and Oneida reflected perfectionist aspirations
779525221The Second Great Awakening-1800-1830- second wave of religious enthusiasm across America -Middle-class women played especially important role by making Americans aware of moral issues posed by slavery
779525222Jacksonian Democracy-Set of political beliefs associated with Andrew Jackson and his followers -Respect for common sense and abilities of the common man, expansion of White male suffrage, appointment of political supporters to government positions, and opposition to privileged Eastern elites
779525223Nullification-Legal theory that a state in the US has the right to nullify (invalidate) any federal law that the state deems unconstitutional -John C Calhoun= foremost proponent of the doctrine of nullification -South Carolina convention declared 1828 and 1832 tariffs unenforceable in the state
779525224Manifest Destiny19th-century belief that the US would inevitably expand westward to the Pacific Ocean
779525225Popular Sovereignty-Principle that the settlers of a given territory have the sole right to decide whether to not slavery will be permitted there -Led to the divisive debate over the expansion of slavery unto the territories -First great test occurred in Kansas
779525226Jim Crow LawsPost-Civil War laws and customs designed to discriminate against African Americans
779525227Social Gospel-19th-century reform movement based on the belief that Christians have the responsibility to actively confront social problems such as poverty -Led by Christian ministers -Argued that real social change would result from dedication to both religious practice and social reform
779525228Gospel of Wealth-Belief that the rich were the guardians of society's wealth and, as such, had the duty to serve society in humane ways -Andrew Carnegie= foremost advocate
779525229Social Darwinism-Belief that there is a natural evolutionary process by which the fittest will survive -Wealthy business and industrial leaders used this to justify their success -John D Rockefeller
779525230Frontier Thesis-Argument by historian Frederick Jackson Turner that the frontier experience helped make American society more democratic -Especially emphasized the importance of cheap, unsettled land and the absence of a landed aristocracy
779525231New Immigrants-1880-1924- massive wave of immigrants -Came primarily from small farms and villages in Southern and Eastern Europe
779525232Old Immigrants-Came primarily from England, Germany, and Scandinavia
779525233Nativism-Nativists favored interests of native-born people over the interest of immigrants -Directed hostility against Irish and German Catholic immigrants
779525234Know-NothingsFirst nativist political party
779525235Muckrakers-Early 20-century journalists who exposed illegal business practices, social injustices, and corrupt urban political bosses -Upton Sinclair, Jacob Riis, and Ida Tarbell
779525236Taylorism-System of scientific management developed by Frederick W Taylor -Sought to develop disciplined labor force by eliminating wasted motion
779525237Vertical Integration-Company controls both production and distribution of its product -Used by Andrew Carnegie to gain control over US steel
779525238Horizontal IntegrationOne company gains control over the other companies that produce the same product
779525239HoovervillesSlums or shantytowns inhabited by the unemployed and homeless people of the Great Depression
779525240Laissez-Faire Economics-Economic philosophy stating that economic activities should be largely free from governmental interference, regulations, and restraint -Supported by leaders who also supported protective tariffs
779525241Isolationism-US foreign policy calling for Americans to avoid entangling political alliances -1930s- isolationists withdrew support from ideas in Washington's Farewell Address -1930 Neutrality Acts= commitment to isolationism
779525242Containment-Name for the US Cold War foreign policy designed to contain or block the spread of Soviet influence -George F Kennan= American diplomat and specialist on the USSR who wrote influential article advocating that US focus foreign policy on containing spread of Soviet influence
779525243McCarthyism-Making of public accusations of disloyalty without sufficient evidence -Senator McCarthy played on fears of Americans claiming that Communists had infiltrated the US State Department and other federal agencies -His accusations helped create climate of paranoia -Americans became preoccupied with perceived threat posed by alleged Communist subversives working in the US
779525244Domino Theory-Belief that if one country falls to communism, its neighbors will also be infected and fall to communism -Ex. Fall of South Vietnam= fall of Southeast Asia
779525245Massive Retaliation-Military doctrine -John Foster Dulles- Eisenhower's sec of state, associated with him -In the event of attack by the USSR or any other hostile power, the US would retaliate with massive force, including nuclear weapons -Designed to deter enemy from launching initial attack
779525246Black Power-Movement of the 1960s- advocated that African Americans establish control of their political and economic life -Key advocates= Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, and Huey Newton
779525247Hawks and Doves-Hawks= supported US involvement in Vietnam war and believed America should increase military force to win war -Doves= opposed Vietnam war and believed US should withdraw forces
779525248Detente-Relaxation of tensions between the US and the USSR -Introduced by Sec of State Henry Kissinger and President Richard Nixon -Ex. Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT), expanded trade with the USSR, and President Nixon's trips to China and Russia
779525249Reaganomics/Supply-Side Economics-Economic policies of President Ronald Reagan -Reagan hoped to promote growth and investment by deregulating business, reducing corporate tax rates, and lowering federal tax rates for upper- and middle-income Americans

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