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Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was a policy that opposed European colonialism in America. It decreed that the United States wouldn’t interfere in wars of European powers or their existing colonies and that European powers would stay out of colonization in South America and that any other colonization would be considered hostile. -
“Influence of Sea Power Upon History”
The book written by Alfred Thayer Mahan claimed that a nations power was reliant on its naval power. This led the United States growing its naval strength leading up to WWI. -
Yellow Journalism
Journalism that is based on sensationalism and crude exaggeration that was used to push the US and Spain into war over Cuba and the Philippines. -
Cuban Revolt
The Cuban Revolt was against their Spanish rulers. America supported the Cuban Revolutionaries in their fight. -
Jingoism
Jingoism is the attitude of belligerent nationalism. It was a term coined by British people who wanted to go to war to prove British superiority. -
Spheres of Influence
Spheres of Influence are areas of countries that have been carved out and put under the control of other nations. America had many spheres of influence in China to encourage trade. -
Hawaiian Annexation
American forces stormed the Hawaiian islands and forced Queen Liliuokalani to abdicate. Grover Cleveland was president at the time. Hawaii was granted statehood as the 50th state in 1959. -
De Lomé Letter
Dupuy de Lomé wrote a letter to the foreign minister of Spain revealing this thoughts about the involvement with Spain. This led to the Spanish American war. -
Sinking of the Maine
The Maine was a US Navy ship that sank in Havana Harbor that was used to justify the US going to war with Spain. -
Teller Amendment
The Teller Amendment put a condition on the US military presence on Cuba. The United States would help them win the war of independence and then withdraw their troops. -
Anti-imperialist League
The league was formed to fight the United States annexation of the Philippines for economic, legal, racial, and moral reasons. -
Open Door Policy
Statements of principals initiated by the United States to open trade in China. -
Insular Cases
A series of opinions by the US Supreme Court about the status of U.S territories and the citizenship status of their residents. Residents of Puerto Rico and the Philippines were not technically citizens despite being a territory. -
Socialist Party of America
The Socialist Party of America was the American chapter of the worldwide socialist party which is a far left leaning political group. The Socialist Party of America was notably leader by Eugene V. Debs. -
Square Deal
Theodore Roosevelt used his progressive ideals to develop his “square deal”, an approach to social problems which he used to settle a major mining strike in Pennsylvania in a way that benefited the strikers. -
Newlands Reclamation Act
The Newlands Reclamation Act was a federal law that funded irrigation projects for the arid lands of 20 states in the west that combated drought. -
Platt Amendment
A treaty between the United States and Cuba that attempted to protect Cuba’s independence from foreign intervention. -
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Isthmus of Panama. Through securing this canal, traders don’t need to go around Cape Horn to get to other trade routes. -
Support of Panamanian Revolt
Columbia refused to give up the Isthmus of Panama to the United States so Teddy Roosevelt supported Panamanian revolutionaries to secure the canal. -
Roosevelt Collary
The Roosevelt Collary was a declaration made my Theodore Roosevelt as an addition to the Monroe Doctrine that the United States would help Caribbean and South American nations in economic troubles. -
Russo Japanese War
Between 1904 and 1905, war raged between Russia and Japan in Notheastern China. This changed the balance of power in Asia and set the stage for World War I -
NCLC
The National Child Labor Committee was established from a reaction to the horrid conditions child laborers had to experience. The committee brought about child labor laws. -
The Jungle
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair was a massively influential book which exposed harsh living conditions of immigrants in Chicago and similar big cities. -
Pure Food and Drug Act
The Pure Food and Drug Act enacted regulations on hygiene in the meat packing industry as the result of muckracking investigators exposing the industry. -
Meat Inspection Act
The Meat Inspection Act ensured that meat was slaughtered and packed in sanitary conditions. -
Great White Fleet
The Great White Fleet was a US Navy fleet that took a trip around the world which was a show of the US’ Naval power to the world. They took off on Dec 16,1907 and returned on Feb 22, 1909. -
16th Amendment
The 16th Amendment allows congress to levy an income tax without apportioning it on the basis of population. -
NAACP
The NAACP is a civil rights organization to advance justice for African Americans. -
Scientific Management
Scientific Management is a theory in which workers are tested to see how much time can be minimized during a task. It was the building blocks to one of the biggest catalyst of industry, the assembly line. -
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
The fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was one of the deadliest industrial disaster in US History which led to better conditions in sweatshops. -
Bull Moose Party
The Bull Moose Party, also known as the Progressive Party, was the party Theodore Roosevelt was aligned with in the election of 1912. They won the election and brought about changes in terms of welfare and federal regulations. -
Initiative, Referendum, and Recall
Initiative - People have the right to propose a new law
Referendum - A law passed can be vetoed/approved by the people.
Recall - The people can have a law or a representative removed. -
Federal Reserve Act
The Federal Reserve Act gave 12 Federal banks the ability to print money to ensure income stability. -
Assembly Line
A system of production that focused on worker efficiency and production of goods at a higher rate. Henry Ford utilized this system initially in his factories and it became a staple of factories imminently. -
17th Amendment
Gives voters power to directly elect senators and gives each state two senators, each with one vote and a six year term. -
Clayton Antitrust Act
The Clayton Anti Trust Act defined unethical business practices like price fixing and monopolies. -
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commissions principal mission is the enforcement of civil US antitrust laws and the promotion of consumer production. -
Submarine Warfare
Submarine warfare was a major part of the German strategy and it gave them a significant naval advantage in WWI. -
Sussex Pledge
The Sussex Pledge was a promise made by Germany to the United States that unrestricted submarine warfare would not involve civilians. -
Lusitania
The Lusitania was a British passenger ship was shot down by German naval forces which triggered the United States to join WWI -
Jones Act
The Jones Act granted full territorial status to residents of the Philippines and promised them citizenship. -
NWP
NWP or the National Women’s Party was founded to advance women’s suffrage and work for that cause. -
Zimmerman Telegram
The telegram was sent from Germany to Mexico proposing and alliance to eliminate the United States from the war. -
War Industry Board
The war industry board was a government agency that coordinated the purchase of war supplies between the War Department and the Navy Department -
Committee on Public Information
The Committee was a propaganda group that built enthusiasm for the war effort by building anti-German sentiments. This drove Americans to be more enthusiastic about the war and joining it. -
Selective Service Act
The selective service act was the term for the mandatory registration of all young men in the country between the ages of 21 and 30. -
Espionage Act
The Espionage Act decreed that it was a crime for anyone to spread information or sentiments that were anti war, anti military, or against America. -
Fourteen Points
Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points were the plans he had for world peace. He debuted these plans at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 and the only one that remained was point 14, the idea of the League of Nations. -
Lost Generation
The lost generation is considered those who came to age during World War I. Many of them served in the war or were VAD nurses during the war. They were considered “directionless” or “lost” after the war as they grew up in such a traumatic time. Many suffered from shell shock, or ptsd as we know it now, and were affected greatly. -
National War Labor Board
The National War Labor Board was a government agency developed to mediate labor disputes during WWI. -
Sedition Act
This act was added on to the Sedition Act to censor any material that was anti war or did not align with the sentiments of the American government towards the war -
WWI Armistice
World War I ended on the momentous 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. The Armistice was decided on the hopes they could enact the Fourteen points that Wilson had declared. -
Schenck vs U.S
The case was a decision to convict a socialist who had tried to urge young men to resist the draft into WWI. Justice Holmes, the preceding judge on the case decided that his actions were a danger to the society and thus it was okay for him to be censored. -
Treaty of Versailles
The end of World War One was officially settled with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles which drew up the settlement of the war, most of which landed on Germany. Germany had to pay a considerable amount in reparations to the rest of the world powers. -
Volstead Act
The Act was most known as Prohibition which prohibited the production and sale of alcohol. -
Red Scare
The Red Scare was a rise in anti-communist sentiment as a result of the Bolshevik uprising, bringing communism to Russia and the end to the royal class. Americans were afraid this same sentiment would build in the U.S and distrust the democratic system. -
Palmer Raids
The Palmer Raids were a series of raids on suspected communists within the United States led by Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer. He lost credit, however, when his raids turned up nearly nothing of value. -
League of Nations
In 1920, Wilson’s 14th point, the League of Nations came into existence. Many world powers joined this group including England and France but the United States chose to remain observational rather than also joining. This lack of initiative and the strength that America would bring to the LON would lead to its eventual demise. -
Teapot Dome Scandal
The scandal consisted of Secretary of the Interior Albert B Fall leasing petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome to private oil companies and accepting bribes. The scandal became national news -
Quota laws of ‘21 and ‘24
The quota law of ‘21 restricted immigration to three percent of that nationality of immigrants that arrived in 1910
The quota law of ‘24 restricted immigration further to two percent of that nationality that arrived in 1890 -
Radio and Phonographs
Radio connected the world like never before with constant contact to news from faraway places, music one might have never heard before, and entertaining shows playing every night. The phonograph also became a staple in households as it gave the ability to people to listen to music not played live in person, this led to the rise of many music production companies and labels. -
Five Power Naval Treaty
The treaty was between the five major powers post WWI, the US, UK, Japan, France, and Italy which promised naval disarmament to maintain peace. -
Nine Power China Treaty
The treaty was signed by the aforementioned five powers plus the Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium, and China which established chinas sovereignty and independence. -
Dawes Plan
The Dawes Plan was a resolution created by the Dawes committee to solve the issue of the large amount of reperations Germany had to pay. -
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a time of a culture boom coming out of the predominantly black Harlem neighborhood in New York City. Many notable black artists, musicians, writers, and more emerged during this time and led to a further integration in the culture of America. -
Scopes Trial
The Scopes trial involved high school substitute teacher John T Scopes who was accused of breaking Tennessee’s Butler Law which kept any teacher from teaching evolution in schools. This led to the debate of wether evolution should be taught in schools or not. -
Jazz
Jazz was a cultural anomaly at the time because of its origins as a predominantly black style of music and how it bled into white society as well. Jazz artists were very largely black and it exposed black culture into a very segregated society. -
Sacco and Vanzetti
Sacco and Vanzetti were two Italian anarchist immigrants accused of murder. They believed that this accusation was based on their immigrant status and thus brought up the question of nativism in the nation. -
Kellog Brian’s Pact
A international pact where nations decided they would not use war to solve disputes. There was no established way to enforce this, however. -
Black Tuesday
Black Tuesday is considered the day the Great Depression started. The stock market plummeted as everyone sold their stocks in a panicked frenzy, putting banks out of business and crashing the New York stock exchange. -
Dust Bowl
The dust bowl was a period of severe dust storms in the Midwest as a result of arid land and drought. -
Hawley Smoot Tarriff
The tariff implemented protectionist trade polices to ensure the stock market would stay afloat if another crash was to come along -
Japanese Take Manchuria
The Japanese invaded Manchuria and established their puppet state of Manchuko -
Bonus Marchers/ Army
The bonus marchers or army as they were called were WWI vets wanting their bonus from the government in order to fight off the economic uncertainty and poverty brought along by the Great Depression. -
Reconstruction Finance Corporation
A government agency that gave financial state and local government and supported infrastructure and industry with loans to lift the U.S out of the depression. -
21st Amendment
The 21st Amendment repealed the 18th Amendment which prohibited the sale of alcohol -
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of programs enacted by Roosevelt to help society during the years of the Great Depression. It worked on relief, reform, and recovery. -
1st Hundred Days
The term was coined by FDR who noted that this time would show the worth and ability of a president. By his first 100 days, FDR had enacted a monumental amount of projects and legislation. -
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
The FDIC was created to insure banks in case of another market crash and to insure that people’s money wouldn’t go down with the banks. It created confidence in those that used banks. -
Civilian Conservation Corp.
The organization was created to provide relief to out of work men and better infrastructure at the same time, giving much needed cash flow to poor households. -
Good Neighbor Policy
Roosevelt emphasized having good relations with Latin American nations and tried to decrease economic nativism. -
20th Amendment
The 20th amendment moved the beginning and end of a presidential term from the fourth of March to the third of January. -
Tennessee Valley Authority
This project was created to provide water and electricity to the most rural of areas in the Tennessee Valley -
USSR Recognized
FDR formally recognized the USSR after 16 years. -
Securities and exchange commission
The SEC was created to avoid any major market collapses for happening in the future. -
Indian Reorganization Act
The Indian reorganization act decreased federal control on Indian and relied heavily on Indian self government -
Italy Invades Ethiopia
Italy invaded Ethiopia in order to boost morale and the LoN condemned their actions as they were the aggressors. Italy won the eventual war. -
Neutrality Acts ‘35 ‘36 ‘36 ‘37 ‘39
The acts were written to avoid entering any further conflicts as Americans were still mad about joining WWI which in their opinion was unnecessary -
Wagner Act
The Wagner Act kept employers from interfering in workers unions and protests in the private sector, -
Social Security Act
The social security act gave a safety net to vulnerable populations like the elderly and disabled. -
Spanish Civil War
The war between the Republican Party and the Nationalist Party broke out in which the Nationalist party won and established their government. -
Court Packing Scandal
FDR was accused of “court packing” for suggesting that the Supreme Court be extended to 15 judges, tipping the scales towards his party. -
Quarantine Speech
This speech was given by FDR and a main motif of the speech was that the rest of the world should stay quarantined from the chaos ongoing. -
Fair Labor Standards Ac
The act established minimum wage, overtime, record keeping, and much more to treat employees more fairly. -
The Grapes of Wrath
John Steinbeck’s novel showed the reality of life during the Great Depression and the dust bowl and -
Atlantic Charter
The document outlined what goals the US and UK had in terms of alliance after WWII. -
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan project was the secret name for the development of atomic bombs ongoing in America during World War Two. -
Four freedoms speech
This speech was also given by FDR and a main motif of it is that everyone wants freedoms of speech, expression, worship, freedom from fear and from want. -
Lend lease Act
The lend lease Act was a project to help the Allied powers by giving them supplies but not entering the war itself. -
Oil and Steel Embargo
FDR ordered all exports to Japan to stop after they allied themselves with the axis powers in order to weaken them. -
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese Navy struck Pearl Harbor naval base i order to take the aircraft carriers stationed there out of commission, this led to the US joining WWII -
War production Board
This agency regulated all war production during WWII and replaced all other production agencies. -
Braceros Program
This program brought Mexican laborers to help farm to combat the food shortage at the time. -
Office of war Info
The purpose of this agency was to keep civilians informed about the war though radio, tv and newspapers. -
Filipino Independence
The Philippines declared independence from Spain and leader Emilio Aguinaldo led fighting as he felt there was only a change of leadership, not freedom.
