US History Top 100

USH

118287552	Whiskey Rebellion	a 1794 protest over a tax on all liquor made and sold in the United States. Prez Washington sent in the army, and rebellion disappeared. Disagreements about his decision led to development of two party system (Federalists vs. Democratic-Republicans)
118287553	Washington's Farewell Address	Warned Americans not to make permanent alliances, not to form political parties and to avoid sectionalism.
177230481	Federalist Party	First political party in US, led by Alexander Hamilton, believed in strong central government, wanted to base economy on industry & trade, pro-British, loose constructionists
118287554	Democratic-Republican Party	Democratic-Republicans: Led by Jefferson, believed in reserving power for states/individuals, pro-farmers, pro-French, strict constructionists
118288578	Alien & Sedition Acts	Laws passed by Federalist Congress and Prez John Adams in 1798 that enabled the government to imprison or deport aliens and to prosecute critics of the government. Nullified by Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions!
118288579	Marbury vs. Madison	Established the principle of judicial review
118288580	Louisiana Purchase	Territory in western United States purchased from France in 1803 for $15 million by Prez Jefferson (Jefferson moves from strict constructionism to loose constructionism!)
121048194	American System	Nationalist economic program advanced by Henry Clay that included support for a national bank, high tariffs, and internal improvements like roads and canals
121048195	Monroe Doctrine	1820 American foreign policy opposing interference in the Western hemisphere from European powers
121048196	Nullification	the states'-rights doctrine that a state can refuse to recognize or to enforce a federal law passed by the United States Congress (examples: Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, South Carolina Nullification Crisis)
121048197	Indian Removal	Nineteenth century policy of the government of the US to remove Native American tribes living east of the Mississippi River to lands west of the river (example: Cherokee moved from southeast to Oklahoma territory in Trail of Tears)
121048198	Transcendentalism	A philosophy pioneered by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau in the 1830's and 1840's, in which each person has direct communication with God and Nature, and emphasized self-reliance
121048199	Abolitionism	movement to end slavery in the United States. Key abolitionists: Grimke Sisters, William Lloyd Garrison (The Liberator newspaper), Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, David Walker, Harriet Tubman...
121048200	Tecumseh	a famous chief of the Shawnee who tried to unite Indian tribes against the increasing white settlement (1768-1813)
121048201	War of 1812	War between the U.S. and Great Britain which lasted until 1814, ending with the Treaty of Ghent and a renewed sense of American nationalism
121048202	Mexican Cession	land that Mexico sold to the United States after the Mexican War through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo; included what is now California, Nevada, and Utah; most of Arizona and New Mexico
121048203	Missouri Compromise	an agreement in 1820 between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States concerning the extension of slavery into new territories. Missouri becomes slave state, Maine becomes free state, establish 36/30 line (north of that line would be free territory, south of the line could be slave territory)
121048204	Compromise of 1850	Postponed the Civil War by adding California into union as a free state BUT gave popular sovereignty to Utah and New Mexico and passed strict new Fugitive Slave Law. Also banned slave trade in Washington D.C.
121048205	Kansas-Nebraska Act	1854 - Created Nebraska and Kansas as states and gave the people in those territories the right to chose to be a free or slave state through popular sovereignty. Led to "Bloody Kansas"
121048206	Dred Scott v. Sanford	Supreme Court case that decided US Congress did not have the power to prohibit slavery in federal territories. Ruled against Dred Scott, saying that slaves would remain slaves even in non-slave states and slaves could not sue because they were not citizens
121048207	Emancipation Proclamation	issued by Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1862, it declared that all slaves in the rebellious Confederate states would be free. Made the Civil War about ending slavery in the United States! (Lincoln's original goal was only to preserve the Union)
121048208	Gettysburg	Turning point of the Civil War fought over three days in Pennsylvania, ultimately a Northern victory. Site of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address reminding the nation of the importance of continuing the war, bringing the Union back together, and protecting the Constitution.
121048209	14th Amendment	The 14th guaranteed citizenship to former slaves.
121048210	Impeachment	President in office being formally accused of a crime and put on trial in the Senate. Happened to Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton.
121048211	Compromise of 1877	Ended Reconstruction. Newly elected Republican Prez Rutherford B. Hayes promised 1) Remove military from South, 2) Appoint Democrat to cabinet (David Key postmaster general), 3) Federal money for railroad construction and levees on Mississippi river
121048212	Manifest Destiny	Belief that the U.S. should extend all the way to the pacific ocean. Supported by people migrating west into new territories during the 1800s (farmers, Mormons, miners, ranchers...) and new laws encouraging people to head west (Homestead Act, Indian Removal)
121048213	Transcontinental Railroad	Completed in 1869 at Promontory Point, Utah, it linked the eastern railroad system with California's railroad system, revolutionizing transportation in the west and opening the west to a population boom
121048214	Dawes Act	An act that removed Indian land from tribal possesion, redivided it, and distributed it among individual Indian families. Designed to break tribal mentalities and promote individualism.
121048215	Cross of Gold Speech	William Jennings Bryan's populist speech about how the gold standard hurt everyday Americans and supporting the policy of bimetallism instead.
121048216	Populism	Grassroots political movement of the late 1800s, started by farmers protesting unfair prices and policies of the railroads.
121048217	Interstate Commerce Act	Established the ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission) - monitors the business operation of carriers transporting goods and people between states - created to regulate railroad prices
121059483	Nativism	Anti-immigrant policy of favoring native-born individuals over foreign-born ones. On the rise in the US in the 1800s with waves of "New" immigrants. Extreme examples of nativism: Know-Nothing Party, Chinese Exclusion Act
121059485	Monopoly	Establishing total control over an industry, usually through vertical or horizontal integration and creation of a trust.
121059486	Social Darwinism	The application of ideas about evolution and "survival of the fittest" to human societies - used as justification for the existence of poverty and imperialism in the late 1800s.
121059488	Thomas Nast	Political cartoonist who worked to expose corruption and abuses of the Tweed ring, criticized the South's attempts to impede Reconstruction, and lampooned labor unions. Created the animal symbols of the Democratic and Republican parties.
121059489	Sherman Anti-Trust Act	an 1890 law that banned the formation of trusts and monopolies in the United States, first used by Teddy Roosevelt to regulate good trusts/bust bad trusts.
121059490	Progressivism	Social and political movement in late 1800s aimed at correcting problems of Industrial Revolution. Wanted to end child labor, support education, social welfare, stop alcohol abuse, promote women's suffrage and workers' rights, end abuses of corporation.
121059491	Triangle Shirtwaist Fire	(1911) 146 women killed while locked into the burning building (brought attention to poor working conditions)
121059492	Muckrakers	Journalists who attempted to find corruption or wrongdoing in industries and expose it to the public (Upton Sinclair, Jacob Riis, Ida Tarbell, Lincoln Steffans...)
121059493	Robert LaFollette	Three term governor of Wisconsin, then U.S. Senator in 1906, he was one of the earliest proponents of Progressive Reform.
121059494	Federal Reserve Act	a 1913 law that set up a system of federal banks and gave government the power to control the money supply
121059495	Plessy v. Ferguson	Supreme Court decision ruling that segregation in public places was legal as long as the different facilities for blacks and whites were equal.
121059496	Disenfranchisement	Being deprived of the right to vote. African-Americans were systematically disenfranchised in the American South after Reconstruction. Examples: poll taxes, literacy test, grandfather clause
121059497	Booker T. Washington	Civil Rights leader who wanted economic equality first for African-Americans, okay with slow and steady change, founded the Tuskegee Institute.
121059498	Alfred Mahan	Navy officer and author of "Influence of Sea Power on History" whose ideas encouraged US to build a powerful navy (AKA the Great White Fleet)
121059499	Josiah Strong	Minister and author of "Our Country," believed in Anglo-Saxon superiority and the importance of American imperialism and Christian missionary work.
121059500	Seward's Folly	Americans criticized William Seward's purchase of Alaska from Russia for 7.2 million dollars in 1867, calling it a mistake
121059501	Annexation of Hawaii	American plantation owners take over control of Hawaii from Queen Lilioukalani, create a provisional government, territory later annexed by Prez McKinley in 1898. US naval base on Hawaii: Pearl Harbor
121059502	Spanish-American War	War fought between the US and Spain in Cuba and the Philippines in 1898. It lasted less than 3 months and resulted in Cuba's independence as well as the US annexing Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
121059503	Open Door Policy	A policy proposed by the US in 1899, under which ALL nations would have equal opportunities to trade in China.
121059504	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
121059505	Big Stick Diplomacy	Diplomatic policy developed by T.R where the "big stick" symbolizes his power and readiness to use military force if necessary. It is a way of intimidating countries without actually harming them and was the basis of U.S. imperialistic foreign policy.
121059506	Yellow Journalism	sensational stories that were often biased or untrue. Used by Hearst and Pulitzer to persuade American public to back Spanish-American War
121059507	US Involvement in WWI	Happens because of propaganda, unrestricted German submarine warfare (sinking of the Lusitania) and the Zimmerman telegram
121059508	Russian Revolution	Ended royal rule in Russia and led to creation of a communist government in 1917 led by Vladimir Lenin. Resulted in Russia leaving Allied Powers and no longer contributing to the fight against Germany in WWI
121059509	Fourteen Points	Woodrow Wilson's plan for world peace following WWI, included the creation of the League of Nations (which US never joined)
121059510	Treaty of Versailles	Treaty that ended WWI created by the "Big Four" (US, France, Great Britain, Italy). Three items in treaty planted seeds for WWII: war guilt clause, German reparations, and loss of Germany territory.
121059511	Dawes Plan	American plan to loan money to Germany, who would pay their reparations to France and Britain, who would pay back their debt to America.
121059512	Kellogg-Briand Pact	1928 agreement between 15 nations outlawing war; eventually 48 other nations joined the pact; had no way of enforcing peace.
121059514	Harlem Renaissance	Period in the 1920s when African-American achievements in art and music and literature flourished, centered in Harlem NY. Examples: Langston Hughes (writer/poet), Zora Neale Hurston, Louis Armstrong (jazz)
121059515	Prohibition	Law forbidding the sale of alcoholic beverages. Resulted in 18th Amendment in US, later repealed with 21st Amendment. Prohibition led to bootleggers and speakeasies, ultimately alcohol consumption did go down, but crime rose significantly.
121059517	Bonus Army	Group of WWI vets that marched to D.C. in 1932 to demand the immediate payment of their government war bonuses in cash. Prez Hoover forced them to leave using the military, resulted in popularity decrease.
121059518	Causes of Great Depression	Overspeculation in stock market (Black Tuesday, October 1929), too-easy access to credit, imbalance in foreign trade (Hawley Smoot Tariff), Dust Bowl
121059519	New Deal Agencies	FDIC, SEC, CCC, AAA
121059521	Deficit Spending	Government spends money it doesn't have. FDR used this to fund programs to help solve the problems of the Great Depression.
121059522	Lend Lease Act	Allowed sale or loan of war materials to any country whose defense the president deems vital to the defense of the U.S
121059523	Pearl Harbor	USvmilitary base on Hawaii that was bombed by Japan, bringing the United States into World War II. Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941.
121059524	D-Day	Allied forces land on the beaches of Normandy, France to begin massive offensive against Germany in occuped territories in Europe. Led by Dwight D. Eisenhower on June 6, 1944. Allied success and led to V-E Day after failed German counterattack at Battle of the Bulge
121059525	GI Bill	Law passed in 1944 to help returning veterans buy homes, start businesses, and pay for higher education
121059526	Manhattan Project	Code name for the secret United States project directed by J. Robert Oppenheimer, set up in 1942 to develop atomic bombs for use in World War II. Prez Truman decided to drop 2 atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 to end war with Japan and save lives in American soldiers.
121059527	Korematsu vs. US	1944 SC decision that upheld as constitutional the internment of more than 100,000 Americans of Japanese descent in prison camps during WW2.
121076414	Iron Curtain	Winston Churchill's term for the Cold War division between the Soviet-dominated East and the U.S.-dominated West.
121076415	Marshall Plan	Introduced by Secretary of State George G. Marshall in 1947, he proposed massive and systematic American economic aid to Europe to revitalize the European economies after WWII and help prevent the spread of Communism.
121076416	Containment	American policy of resisting further expansion of communism around the world. Reaction to the Domino Theory, which held that if the US allowed on country to fall to communism, other countries in that same region would also fall.
121076417	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 blockade of the island; the Soviet leader Khrushchev acceded to the U.S. demands a week later.
121076418	McCarthyism	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. Became a synonym for public charges of disloyalty without sufficient regard for evidence.,
121076419	Brown v. Board of Education	Supreme Court ruled that segregation was unconstitutional, overturned Plessey v Ferguson.
121076420	Martin Luther King, Jr.	African-American civil rights leader in the 1950s and 1960s. Opposed discrimination against blacks by organizing nonviolent resistance and peaceful mass demonstrations. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968. His methods were opposed by other civil rights leaders such as Malcolm X and the Black Panthers.
121076421	Gulf of Tonkin Resolution	Gave U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson authorization, without a formal declaration of war by Congress, for the use of military force in Southeast Asia.
121076422	Great Society	President Johnson called his version of the Democratic reform program the Great Society. In 1965, Congress passed many Great Society measures, including Medicare, civil rights legislation, and federal aid to education.
121076423	War Powers Act	In 1973, this law reversed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Presidents now had to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops; had to gain congress' approval to stay longer than 90 days.
121076424	Detente	Policy used by Prez Richard Nixon to relax tensions between the United States and its two major Communist rivals, the Soviet Union and China
121076425	Watergate	a political scandal involving abuse of power and bribery and obstruction of justice after break-in at Democratic Party headquarters at Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. Led to the resignation of Prez Richard Nixon in 1974.
121076426	Betty Friedan	American feminist, activist and writer. Best known for writing book "The Feminine Mystique".
121076427	Cesar Chavez	Organized Union Farm Workers (UFW); help migratory farm workers gain better pay & working conditions
121076428	Camp David Accords	A peace treaty between Israel and Egypt where Egypt agreed to recognize the nation state of Israel. Engineered by US Prez Jimmy Carter
121076429	Title IX	federal legislation that prohibited discrimination in education whether in academics or athletics. Required equal funding for men's and women's athletics!
121076430	Regents of UCLA v. Bakke	Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action in higher education. Bakke had argued that reverse discrimination (discrimination against whites) was the only factor keeping him from being accepted as a student at UCLA.
121076431	NAFTA	North American Free Trade Agreement; allows open trade with US, Mexico, and Canada, signed by Prez Bill Clinton
121076432	Election of 2000	George W. Bush vs. Al Gore. Election was noteworthy for a controversy over the awarding of Florida's 25 electoral votes, the subsequent recount process in that state, and the unusual event of the winning candidate having received fewer popular votes than the runner-up.
121076433	No Child Left Behind	Law signed by George W. Bush that holds states, schools, and school districts more accountable for their standardized test scores.
121076434	Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	Supreme Court decision that allowed for busing in order to integrate schools
121076435	Texas v. Johnson	A 1989 case in which the Supreme Court struck down a law banning the burning of the American flag on the grounds that such action was symbolic speech protected by the First Amendment.
121076436	Graying of America	refers to the growing percentage of older people in the U.S. population (growing baby boomer population)
121076437	Patriot Act	This law passed after 9/11 expanded the tools used to fight terrorism and improved communication between law enforcement and intelligence agencies
121076438	Bush Doctrine	A policy adopted by the Bush administration in 2001 that asserts America's right to attack any nation that has weapons of mass destruction that might be used against U.S. interests at home or abroad - used to justify War in Iraq against Saddam Hussein in 2003.
177241459	13th Amendment	Ended slavery in the United States
177241460	15th Amendment	Established suffrage for African-American men
177241461	W.E.B. Dubois	Civil rights leader who demanded immediate civil rights for African-Americans, one of the founders of the Niagara Movement and the NAACP
177241462	Susan B. Anthony	Supported women's rights and women's suffrage, attended Declaration of Sentiments