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1492
Colombian Exchange
The process by which commodities, people,& diseases crossed the Atlantic is known as the Columbian Exchange.Possibly the most dramatic,immediate impact of it was the spread of diseases.In places where the local population had no or little resistance especially the Americas,the effect was horrific.It caused population growth in Europe by bringing new crops from the America & started Europe's economic shift towards capitalism.It impacted the social & cultural makeup of both sides of the Atlantic. -
Jamestown Settlement
It was the first permanent English settlement in America. It was an important turning point in the history of Colonial America,as the English,who would become the dominant colonial power in North America,had finally established a permanent colonial presence.A tobacco boom allowed some to make fortunes, & soon the English were scrambling for land&looking for new ways to attract & exploit labor.The settlements meant more encroachment on Native American lands and somewhat greater contact with them. -
Headright System
It began in Jamestown as an attempt to solve labor shortages due to the advent of the tobacco economy which required large plots of land with many workers.It directly impacted the growth of indentured servitude as poor individuals would become workers for a specified number of years and provide labor in order to repay the landowners who had sponsored their transportation to the colonies.It contributed to the growth of the colony in terms of population, private land ownership,&westward expansion -
Enlightenment
After the Great Awakening was the Enlightenment movement which gave the people a scientific and a rational way to think towards the world.It emphasized on rationalism, individualism and skepticism by challenging the citizens traditional religious views. It gave importance to literacy in terms of schools, newspapers, books, etc. It was influential in creating a rebellious attitude in hearts of people and encouraged them to question the government about their natural rights. -
Seven Years War
The war provided Great Britain enormous territorial gains in North America, but disputes over subsequent frontier policy and paying the war's expenses led to colonial discontent, and ultimately to the American Revolution.The Treaty of Paris officially brought an end French-Indian War. The British were given Canada, Louisiana and Florida, thereby removing European rivals and opening up North America for Westward expansion. The War fundamentally realigned colonial power around the world. -
proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation Line of 1763 was a British-produced boundary marked in the Appalachian Mountains at the Eastern Continental Divide,it prohibited Anglo-American colonists from settling on lands acquired from the French following the War. It fueled tensions between the British monarchy and the colonists, thus leading to the development of the American Revolution.It was a turning point as the British attempted to impose revenue taxes as well as he colonists felt secure without British protection. -
Boston Tea Party
It was the first major act of defiance to British rule over the colonists.It showed Great Britain that Americans wouldn't take taxation& tyranny sitting down,& rallied American patriots across the 13 colonies to fight for independence.The party was a raid that took place in the Boston Harbor,during which American colonist dumped shiploads of tea into the water to protest a British tax on tea.This event was important because it fueled the tension that had already begun between Britain & America. -
Salutary Neglect
It was a term regarding the English colonies;idea that the colonies benefited by being left alone,as long as they remained loyal to England.Its long term effects were Self government,colonist grew accustomed to making their own rules.It was a large contributing factor that led to the American Revolution.Since the imperial authority did not assert the power that it had,the colonist were left to govern themselves.Due to this,colonies soon became accustomed to the idea of self-control. -
Thomas Paine's Common Sense
Common Sense made a clear case for independence and directly attacked the political, economic, and ideological obstacles to achieving it. The document played a major part in uniting colonists before the Revolutionary War for freedom from the British. The plain language that Paine used spoke to the common people of America , he used bible quotes to appeal protestant audience, and was the first work to openly ask for independence from Great Britain and led to the creation of democratic republic. -
Declaration of Independence
It marked an official step taken by the American colonies toward independence from British rule, signed by the second continental congress,1776. It summarized the colonists' motivations for seeking independence, gave America independence, put forth the idea that all men were created equal, & gave people the right to life, liberty, & the pursuit of happiness.The Declaration helped unify the colonies so that they all fought together instead of trying to make separate peace agreements with Britain. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point in the revolutionary war. It leveled the battle field ( equal troops). The American defeat of the superior British army lifted patriot morale and gave the American the support of the French military to win the war. It lifted American spirits, ended the British threat in New England by taking control of the Hudson River and furthered their hope of Independence. Most importantly, showed the French that the Americans had the potential to beat their enemy. -
Gradual Emancipation
It was not an immediate action, it was an act to abolish slavery over a period of time, passed by Pennsylvania legislature.The Act prohibited further importation of slaves into the state, required Pennsylvania slaveholders to annually register their slaves. It was the first act abolishing slavery in the course of human history to be adopted by a democracy.Some North states opted gradual emancipation whereas other's banned slavery.This encouraged many people; ex. New York Emancipation act (1799). -
Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown was the major last battle fought during the Revolutionary war. The British general Cornwallis surrendered himself after the defeat with the combined forces(the Americans and the French navy) and forecast the end of British rule in colonies and gave birth to the new nation- United States. The Treaty of Paris signed in 1788 officially marked the end of war and created a friendly alliance with France creating peace internationally & not risking their newly acquired freedom. -
Hamilton's Financial Plan
Alexander Hamilton's plan was to pay off the war debt to federal & state debts.He raised the federal government's revenue through tariffs, government assumption of war debt and created a national bank.His plan encouraged the growth of nation's politics and economy by having stable currency.The most controversial was the bank, between Jefferson and Hamilton, though it ended with the establishment bank. The thought to his plan was to make the federal government stronger than the state government. -
Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening set the stage for greater role for women, church being the vehicle of social change & social activism gave rise to abolitionism and temperance in the society.It spread religion through revival among the protestant christian and caused formation of Romanticism & modern revolution.It helped make United States a much more deeply Protestant nation than it had been before. Also, gave rise to education in the society; religious movements were increased & given importance. -
Eli whitney
Eli Whitney was an American inventor known for inventing the cotton gin. This was one of the key inventions of the Industrial Revolution and shaped the economy of the Antebellum south and further led to many other inventions.Changes in manufacturing his interchanging parts formed industrial revolution.Factories became the new center of industry.Cotton became so profitable for the planters that it greatly increased their demand for land & slave labor,which caused discontent among the workers. -
Pinckney's Treaty (Treaty of Madrid)
Pinckney's Treaty was signed during Washington's presidency creating a friendly alliance with Spain and U.S.A, which gave Americans the right to travel freely on the Mississippi river and use the port of New Orleans. It helped the country grow economically through trade and duty-free transport through the port of New Orleans. Moreover, the treaty also defined the border between the United States and Spanish Florida. The treaty was an important diplomatic success for the United States. -
Louisiana Purchase
During Jefferson's presidency the negotiation over the purchase of New Orleans but instead Jefferson purchased the Louisiana territory. It stood beneficial for the country as it doubled the size of the US, serving the New Orleans and Mississippi river for trade to grow the nations economy. Moreover, the deal was reasonable and in favor of the Americans as it gave 828000 sq.mi. of land for 4 cents an acre. It shaped the nation's expansion of land as well as its economy. -
Embargo Act of !807
Jefferson's Embargo Act outlawed trade between America and any foreign port (Britain and France), effectively closing in the American economy to deter Britain and France from halting U.S ships at sea.Moreover, this act was contradictory with the treaty of Paris as it imposed ban on French goods as well.The positive impact of this was it made the nation independent, more factories were developed(encouraged domestic production),made them to be recognized internationally. -
War of 1812
The impressment of American sailors, terrorism against the nation & their inferior complex led to the war. War strengthened American nationalism & encouraged the growth of industry.Due to the War, sense of nationalism seeped the nation, there was an embark of foreign trade by increasing the transportation system and it caused the opening the Midwest for expansion.The war marked the end of Federalist party.The Treaty of Ghent(1814) ended the war and considered it as status quo ante bell-um. -
Missouri Compromise (1819-1821)
It admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a non-slave state at the same time, so as not to upset the balance between slaves and free states in the nation. The Compromise created a new conflict over the slavery issue by saying that when a fugitive slave was found in the "free states" , they would be returned to their owners. It increased slavery beyond the Mississippi river and benefited the pro-slavery group as people in the north preferred it to be as a binding agreement. -
Mcculloch v. Maryland
It is one of the first and most important Supreme Court cases on federal power. McCulloch v. Maryland are cases regarding federal power.In a unanimous decision,the Court established that Congress had implied constitutional power to create a national bank and that individual states could not tax a federally chartered bank.The decision established and reaffirmed the fact that the United States has a strong central government and that federal law has authority over state law. -
Andrew Jackson
A major general in the War of 1812, Jackson became a national hero when he defeated the British at New Orleans.As president,he strengthened the power of the presidency defended the Union,gained new respect for the U.S in foreign affairs and pushed the country toward democracy.Led by President,the movement championed greater rights for the common man and was opposed to any signs of aristocracy in the nation.His democracy was aided by the strong spirit of equality among the people in south & west. -
Indian Removal Act
The act caused mandatory relocation of eastern tribes to territory west of Mississippi. It created more land available for white planters to settle and cultivate, thus helping to create an economic boom though it expanded slavery. Moreover, Jackson also forced westward journey of Cherokees from their land to Georgia in which most of them died due to cold,disease or starvation called as (trail of tears,1838).This all was done so that white Americans could expand west & increase it's economy. -
Abolitionism
Abolitionist goal was to achieve immediate emancipation of all slaves and the end of racial discrimination and segregation. It achieved it's goal by the passage of 13th Amendment. Abolitionists sought to shape American political debate for decades,they encouraged state and federal politicians to adopt a range of antislavery laws.They impacted state institutions and American culture through anti-slavery literature such as Uncle Tom's Cabin as it made northerner's view south as evil and immortal. -
Transcendentalism
It was a religious movement that valued the importance of the individual.Transcendentalists added to the spirit of reform by urging people to question society's rules and institutions. Transcendentalists took progressive stands on women's rights, abolition, reform, and education. They criticized government, organized religion, laws, and social institutions.It gave a new point of view to the people-spirituality over organized religion and influenced them on progressive ideas & communal living. -
Bank War
Battle between President Andrew Jackson and Congressional supporters of the Bank of the United States over the bank's renewal in 1832.Andrew Jackson vetoed the recharter bill of the Second Bank of the U.S as he didn't believed the federalist bank & created pet banks, destabilized the national currency. It was a loss for monopolies, aristocrats,and foreign domination and victory for labor.the country was thrown into financial turmoil created Jacksonian party which ruled for next two decades -
Nullification Crisis
The Nullification Crisis idea was individual states can invalidate federal laws or judicial decisions they deem unconstitutional.It was caused by the enacted protective tariffs(Tariff of 1828 and tariff of 1832)which were deemed unconstitutional by the Southerners.It's impact was that it continued the debate as to the role of Federal Government and states and which one was superior to the other.The Compromise Tariff,1833 was eventually accepted-South Carolina & ended the nullification crisis. -
Whig's Party
Political party formed to go against Andrew Jackson; they were against the executive branch having too much power.The Whigs promoted protective tariffs, federal funding for internal improvements, and other measures that strengthened the central government.They also supported distributing land revenues to states and passing relief legislation in response to the panic of 1837.They counted the expansion of railroads & creation of the state public school system and also supported social reforms. -
Panic of 1837
A financial crisis in the United States that touched off a major depression, which lasted until the mid-1840's.There was a sharp reduction in English capital and credit following into the nation,the cash shortage caused the panic. It caused the profits, prices, and wages to go down, westward expansion was stalled, and unemployment went up.As a result of the Panic of 1873, the debate between the farmers who wanted inflated greenback money vs. the bankers who wanted the gold standard were formed. -
Frederick Douglas
He was the first African-American to join the Anti-Slavery Society & asked for help to Abraham Lincoln.He contributed to the society in many ways after & before the civil war.He helped for the women suffrage movement and attended the Seneca falls convection.He was a conductor on the Underground Railroad,provided food,shelter for slaves as they made their journey to freedom.He worked very hard to end slavery.He freed himself & helped others to become free even though it was dangerous and illegal. -
Manifest Destiny
the idea that the United States is destined by God. Its goal was to expand its dominion and spread democracy&capitalism across the entire North American continent.The rapid expansion of the United States intensified the issue of slavery as new states were added to the Union.It increased the economy of the nation by demand for farmland,ranches, & fur. It also affected them as they were able to acquire a lot of land and double the size of the U.S.It also led to native conflicts & US-Mexico war -
U.S. - Mexico War
Mexican unwillingness to recognize Texas independence, the desire of Texans for statehood, and American desire for westward expansion caused the war though Texas became a part of U.S.Whereas,under the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo,Mexico ceded to the United States Upper California and New Mexico known as the Mexican Cession.California came into union as a free state.War reopened the slavery extension issue,which divided the North&South &which had been largely dormant since the Missouri Compromise. -
Gold-Rush (California)
The Gold Rush significantly influenced the history of California and the U.S.It created a lasting impact by propelling significant industrial and agricultural development and helped shape the course of California's development by spurring its economic growth and facilitating its transition to statehood.Americans were able to sell this gold in exchange for loads of money.Due to this opportunity there was a wave of immigrants from China which further caused discontent among the Americans. -
Seneca Falls Convection 1848
The desire to address inequality and challenge the country to live up to its revolutionary promise led to a two-day convention in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848, where 300 women and men gathered to debate Elizabeth Cady Stanton's Declaration of Sentiments & declares all men and women are equal and have rights to vote.It marked the beginning of a massive civil & political rights movement, launched the women's suffrage movement, which more than seven decades later ensured women the right to vote. -
Compromise of 1850
It acted as a temporary act to control the issue of slavery in the new territory. The acts called for the admission of California as a free state, provided for a territorial government for Utah and New Mexico, established a boundary between Texas and the U.S, called for the abolition of slave trade in Washington,DC,& amended the Fugitive Slave Act.It increased tension between the North and the South because the North refused to enforce the Fugitive slave Act&South enacted the Fugitive Slave Act. -
Maine Law
It prohibited the manufacture and sale of liquor and affected the economy as many breweries and factories got closed and also unemployment became a problem.It was the first temperance movement of the nation who, used women as their spiritual guide.Women's and many others argued alcohol was the root of numerous social problems plaguing the nation at the time.It had an negative impact as it called abuse led by poverty and domestic violence.Workers & elite people were against temperance movement. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Act repealed the Missouri Compromise,created two new territories,&allowed for popular sovereignty.It also produced a violent uprising known as Bleeding Kansas&gave rise to the Republican Party,a new political party that attracted northern Whigs,Democrats who shunned the Act, members of the Free-Soil Party,&assorted abolitionists.It created the territories,opening new lands for settlement,&allowed white settlers to determine through popular sovereignty whether they would allow slavery. -
Dred Scott Decision
Court ruled that African Americans,whether they were slaves or had ancestors who were slaves,had no legal view in court.They felt that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional.In the eyes of the court, Dred Scott had no legal right to request his freedom.The Dred Scott decision was one of the last things that led up to the civil war.This decision led to Northern protests and Lincoln's changes in laws toward slavery.The south ultimately still believed in this ruling and decided to break away. -
Morrill Act (Land grant colleges)
Land grant act signed by Lincoln in which government gave land to state only if they use it for universities&make education accessible to all parts of the country.Its goal was to expand the opportunities for people to access education in agriculture and mechanical arts.It brought about the establishment of 19 public black colleges.The Act expanded higher education opportunities for a young nation driven by westward expansion,the advancement of the industrial era,&the aspirations of its citizens. -
Transcontinental Railroad
The construction of the transcontinental railroad, which connected the east coast to the west coast helped the country economically, to develop on a large scale and also led the westward expansion. It tied the country together(unified) and escalated the fight between Native American tribes and settlers who now had easier access to new territories.The federal government passed the Pacific Railway Act, 1862 to support the construction of the railroad which was completed in 1871. -
Homestead Act
The Act granted 106 acres of land to anybody who claimed it.The reason was to make a permanent settlement in west by shifting people from North-east which was over-crowed and to build economy.U.S citizens were benefited the most and created discontent among the Native Americans. The act opened land ownership to male citizens,widows,single women,& immigrants pledging to become citizens. The 1866 Civil Rights Act and the Fourteenth Amendment guaranteed that African Americans were eligible as well. -
Battle at Gettysburg
The battle of Gettysburg ended up being a Union victory. It was significant as it allowed for Lincoln to release the Gettysburg Address,which reflected his redefined belief that the Civil War was not just a fight to save the Union, but a struggle for freedom & equality for all. It gave the North a major morale boost and put a definitive end to Confederate General Robert E. Lee's plan to invade the North.As a result of the war,federal government gained more jurisdiction over the state government. -
Battle at Vicksburg
It captured the last confederate fortress on the Mississippi River, divided the Confederacy in two making it a turning point in the war, and gave the Union complete control of the river.This was a time in which the Union army surrounded the city of Vicksburg, allowing no supply's or reinforcements to come to the trapped confederate army. Later, Pemberton was forced to surrender. The city was an important key because of its strategic location, and losing it would affect the outcome of the war. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The proclamation declared that all persons held as slaves shall be free."It was issued to shorten the war,to gain support of non-slave nations,to strengthen the Union.It added moral force to the Union cause and strengthened the Union both militarily and politically.It changed the aim of the war from preserving the Union to being a fight for slavery.The proclamation left the South's agricultural economy in disarray & black Americans were permitted to serve in the Union Army for the first time. -
13th Amendment
The law that banned any form of slavery in any place under the influence of the United States.It was important for slave as now would be free to get paid jobs and more.The south in opposition to this introduces black codes designed to disenfranchise Blacks and weaponize anti-Black violence as a purposeful strategy to maintain White political and economic domination over newly freed African Americans.The Reconstruction Act,1867 weakened the effect of the Black codes by enabling Black men to vote. -
Reconstruction Act
Reconstruction Acts,outlined the conditions under which the Southern states would be readmitted to the Union following the Civil War. Its main focus was on bringing the southern states back into full political participation in the Union,guaranteeing rights to former slaves and defining new relationships between African Americans and whites.It divided the former Confederate states into five military districts.It enabled the black people to vote&gain voice in the society&abolished slavery. -
14th Amendment
It granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States;including former enslaved people and guaranteed all citizens equal protection of the laws.
It strengthened the federal government's power over the States,particularly regarding treatment of citizens and provided the legal framework for the civil rights movement.It also affirmed the new rights of free women&men and protected the right as it prohibits states from depriving any person of life,liberty or property. -
Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall, the Democratic political machine that played a major role in politics- Tweed was a politician known for being the boss.He was convicted of stealing an $25 million from NYC taxpayers through corruption, bribes,they used loyalty/trust for in city politics & public contracts.Political machines help people find job & cheap housing& make them citizen but often discriminated against the immigrants &used violence,corruption& intimidation.By helping people they diverted their vote to them. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
It was the first significant law restricting immigration in the states.A absolute 10-year ban on Chinese laborers immigrating to U.S. Congress wanted placate worker demands and assuage concerns about maintaining white racial purity, but the nation suffered loss in economic&political institutions as Immigrants helped secure the frontier, provide labor for building projects, including transportation networks of roads, canals, and railroads, but the removal caused a major setback to those fields. -
Civil Right Cases
These state supreme court cases ruled that Constitutional amendments against discrimination applied only to the federal and state governments, not to individuals or private institutions. Thus the government could not order segregation, but restaurants, hotels, and railroads could i.e neither the 13th or 14th amendments empowered Congress to pass laws that prohibited racial discrimination. Gave legal sanction to Jim Crow laws.The Supreme Court declared Civil right act unconstitutional in 1883. -
Dawes Act
The Act broke up the reservations and gave some to individual Native Americans.The federal government aimed to assimilate Native Americans into mainstream US society by encouraging them towards farming and agriculture, which meant dividing tribal lands into individual plots.It was an attack on natives culture,tradition and way of living, weakening tribal land and bonds.Remaining reservation land was sold to whites benefiting the government economically&showed their fake care towards the Indians. -
Pullman Strike
It was a widespread railroad strike and boycott, led due to reduction in wages, racism of rail-workers, that severely disrupted rail traffic in the Midwest. It had cost the railroads millions of dollars in lost revenue and in looted and damaged property. Similar to the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 the Pullman strike did not achieve success but showed the power of the labor movement.The event led others for achieving better relations between capital & labor while protecting the public interest. -
Atlanta compromise
The Atlanta Compromise represented Booker Washington's as influential black leader.He suggested that African Americans should not agitate for political&social equality, but should instead work hard, earn respect&acquire vocational training in order to participate in the economic development of South.He believed that blacks had to accept segregation in short term as they focused on economic gain to achieve political equality in the future&served as important role models for civil rights movement. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
The supreme court case that made the legality of separate but equal,which provided a legal justification for racial segregation in public facilities.The upheld state-imposed Jim Crow.Plessy continued to break laws as they were not equal after being segregated.In Brown V. Board case the court agreed that racial discrimination is public school(segregation) was unconstitutional&ended legalized segregation in the school overruling the separate but equal principle set forth in Plessy v. Ferguson case -
Spanish American War
The Spanish-American War was a conflict between the US and Spain that effectively ended Spain's role as a colonial power in the New World.Cuba gained independence from Spain, the US gained possession of the Philippines,Guam & Puerto Rico and also annexed the independent state of Hawaii during the conflict.The United States emerged as a world power with significant territorial claims stretching from the Caribbean to Southeast Asia,more markets opened for trade, US navy is enlarged and modernized. -
William V. Mississippi
The Mississippi supreme court ruled that poll taxes and literacy tests, which took away blacks' right to vote ("disenfranchisement"), were legal.The tests limit African Americans access to the polls and fair trials.It started the segregation,discrimination at public places. The voters turned to plunge, lynching increased, not only black but many poor whites ceased to vote,racial climate began to harden. The Court didn't find discrimination in laws but was passed in a way that made it possible. -
Industrial workers of the World
It is the most important contributions to the labor movement&broader push for the social justice.It welcomed workers,including women,immigrants,African Americans&Asians,into the same organization,banning discrimination based on sexual,racial,ðnic divisions within working class.It was one giant labor union that would take back the means of production.It planted the idea of industrial unionism into politics&paved the way for formation of CIO(Congress of Industrial Organizations)-ind. drivers. -
W.E.B Du Bois
He was the most important black protest leader,created the NAACP-fought for racism-writing&impassioned speaking on race,discrimination&protested against Jim crow,targeted inequality in education.As a result, African Americans received a formal education,were free to migrate,Civil rights protest movement began.He fought for the end of segregation whereas, Booker T Washington believed to gain economic success&prove the whites the capability of blacks which would further help solve the racial case. -
Great Migration
With a large number of men joining the army& factories gearing up to support the war efforts. Many African American from south moved north to escape racial violence,pursue economic and educational opportunities,obtain freedom from the oppression of Jim Crow law.It created large urban black communities,spread jazz culture,crowd & poverty increased in cities,crimes increased.Black voters were the balance of power in northern elections by voting.The migration also influenced the Harlem Renaissance. -
Triangle shirtwaist Fire
It led to the transformation of the labor code of NY& adoption of fire safety measures that served as a model for the nation.It inspired a great campaign of workplace reform,laws were passed-regulating the minimum wage&working conditions.It required factory owners to install sprinkler systems,established the NYC Fire Prevention Bureau.For the first time, it became legitimate for government to require employers to provide workers with safe and healthful working conditions&to prohibit child labor. -
Dollar Diplomacy
It was the policy of using America's financial power, rather than military intervention (the Big Stick), to extend their influence abroad,making other nations dependent on the dollar.It gained US the control of Latin-America,kept influence in China by investing in railway network,divided opinion between Anti-imperialist&imperialists,prevented the colonization of Liberia by approving a US loan to them.It widened America's economic market & it established the United States as a predominant power. -
Panama Canal
The US helped the Panamanian revolt against Columbia.The victory helped them build a canal. It served as a shortcut between the Atlantic and pacific oceans for naval fleets and cheap trade. The idea was thought of during the Spanish American war. It increased the trade, economy, population growth & manufacturing wages.During WW2 the canal gave US navy the strategic flexibility and shortened the Army's supply line.It was of geopolitical strategy making US the most powerful nation in the world. -
Zimmerman Telegram
It's a telegram, written by Germany to Mexico, proposing a military alliance against the United States.The note revealed a plan to renew unrestricted submarine warfare and to form an alliance with Mexico& Japan if the United States declared war on Germany. Moreover, European's aggressive actions (submarine destruction, intervention in national peace, death of many american citizens) against the United States, brought the US into the war and led to a series of tensions between the US and Germany. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty signed by Germany and the Allied Nations formally ended WW1. The terms of the treaty required that Germany pay financial reparations, disarm, lose territory, &overseas colonies.In placing entire guilt on them the treaty failed to resolve the underlying issues that caused war.They disapproved the treaty&violated it under Hitler, leading the foundation of WW2. At home the war & treaty accelerated income tax, urbanization and helped the nation's economic and military power in the world. -
Harlem Renaissance
The black community saw the flourishing of black artists, musicians,poets,writers & journalists. It led to new spirit of black's self-determination and pride, a new social consciousness, and a new commitment to political activism,all of which would provide a foundation for the Civil Rights Movement.It gave them voice&integrated black and white cultures and marked the beginning of a black urban society.Jazz emerged as musical style from black community & quickly became popular in White Americans -
Flappers
Flappers were young women known for their energetic freedom, embracing a lifestyle viewed by many at the time as outrageous,immoral,downright dangerous.They wore short dresses,danced,got drunk,bob-haircut,actresses in Hollywood.They pushed barriers to economic,political and sexual freedom for women and challenged traditional roles for women.Many women joined the work force.They rejected the idea of temperance and chastity.Postwar materialism&consumer capitalism,were the elements of this culture. -
Stock Market Crash
The steep fall in the prices of stocks due to widespread financial panic,caused many people lost their entire life savings as many financial institutions went bankrupt.As a result of sharp declines in income&production as buying &selling to Europe slowed down. There was an increase in unemployment, high tariffs,industrial production fell,people could no longer afford to pay home mortgages - people started living in Hoovervilles, Banks lacked money causing the nation to face the Great depression. -
Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl intensified the economic impacts of the Great Depression&drove many families on migration in search of work&better living conditions towards West.It decreased the population in the central plains,food became more scarce,families were forced to abandon farms& close mortgages by banks resulting in loss of banks.It was caused partially due to depression as farmers were trying to make profit, so they cut down trees for land and planted more.Later this land became home to many settlers. -
Election of 1932 (Roosevelt-Hoover)
FDR won by a huge margin of 7 million votes.He became the first Democrat in 80 years to win the presidency by a majority vote, rather than a plurality.Many people switched parties to vote than ever before as they believed he could take America out of the Great Depression.It was a turning point in US political&economic history.Democrats swept both houses of Congress.People's believe in Teddy Roosevelt and the great depression,somehow influenced FDR's election.His laws&act passed made him popular. -
New deal
It is aimed at creating new agencies&programs to protect people from economic disaster&provide temporary relief.It had programs under it (Tennessee valley authority, social security act)which provided temporary work,electricity&incentive to retire.Temporarily,it put people back to work,restored faith in economic system.But again after a period of time,unemployment rose&the economy faced a setback.The expansion of the supreme court caused a tension among the people&led to 'court packing scandal'. -
Indian Reorganization Act
The act curtailed the future allotment of tribal communal lands to individuals&provided for the return of surplus lands to the tribes rather than to homesteaders.It also encouraged written constitutions&charters giving Indians the power to manage their internal affairs,privatization was terminated,the right to form business&organizations,establish a credit system for Indians,grant certain rights of home rule to Indians& improved their political,economic,and social conditions of American Indians. -
Work Progress Administration
The Work Progress Administration supplied paid jobs to the unemployed during the Great Depression in the United States, while building up the public infrastructure of the US, such as parks, schools& roads.It costs the federal government, approximately $11 billion. It valued the works of Artists & writers as they were being paid for art and literature.The program helped the nation temporarily overcome the depression but was a success because of its contribution to nature & citizens of the nation. -
Pearl Harbor
Japan attacked the US so as to begin their quest for the pacific empire.It destroyed nearly 20 american ships and 300 airplanes. The death of Americans further angered and launched the US into WW2. Led to a period of national unity(Patriotism),end of American isolationism and the beginning of the superpower status of the US.At home there were war productions,women in workforce ,native-Americans contribution(Navajo),African- Americans entered military & Braceros entry in work & military fighting. -
Double V Campaign
The double V stands for victory at home&aboard.Victory Abroad championed military success against fascism overseas,&Victory at Home demanded equality for African Americans in workforce,military training& public facilities.Designed to pressure the US government into desegregating the military&providing fair working opportunities for African Americans.Blacks embraced the war effort.Culturally,the campaign also bonded black's.Though it was a failure people kept making efforts to gain their rights. -
Japanese Internment camps
The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese caused a feeling of discontentment among the citizens against the Japanese.Many Japan immigrants were suspected of being spies,the fear drove the U.S. to place over 127,000 Japanese-Americans in concentration camps.Camp residents lost money in property during their incarceration.It sparked constitutional & political debate.After the war, Congress provided $20,000 to people who had been detained in camps.They started small work in those camps for living. -
G.I bill
The G.I. Bill is a federal law that provides educational&low interest housing benefits and business loans to veterans &one-year of unemployment compensation to the US military.It gave the vet's all the opportunity to succeed in life,enabled easy higher education.It also kept millions of vets from flooding the job market all at once.In long term, it benefited the economy of the nation.Negatively,there were discrimination against African Americans in their pursuit of higher education & in housing. -
D-Day - A turning point in war
A turning point -The US troops joined with the Allied troops to fight against Nazi and gained victory, ending the WW2 &liberation of France. At home it created job opportunities,growth of many war-production industries,rationing,victory gardens in every backyard.Women&Blacks were allowed to enter war service, increased US relations with other nations gaining their trust. Japan also got to view the States power and their military victories, which will be faced by them as a result of Pearl Harbor. -
United Nation
Its aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues.It replaced the League of Nations, founded in 1919.The UN was created at the initiative of the US after World War II.UN promotes and strengthens democratic institutions and practices around the world, including by helping people in many countries to participate in free and fair elections.It helped nation economical for trade,development and postwar-reconstruction. -
Iron Curtain
It symbolized the Cold War divide between capitalist & communist nations but also led to the creation of opposing alliances. Nations on the capitalist side of the curtain joined NATO while nations on the communist side joined Warsaw Pact and also represented Soviet expansion into Eastern Europe.It significantly increased tension between the superpowers,avoided the spread of communism beyond the curtain&kept the USSR's satellite area safe from the modern ideas&depicted the aggression of Soviets. -
Potsdam Conference
It was the conference between the leaders of the Big Three nations.The Potsdam Conference resulted in divisions of Germany through reparations of each allied sides occupation zones, and divisions of European countries between the US and the USSR.It was decided that Germany would be occupied by the Americans, British, French and Soviets. It would also be demilitarized and disarmed.The division of Germany further laid the foundation for the Berlin wall& also helped set the stage for the Cold War. -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima&Nagasaki by US Army Air Forces,with nuclear weapon,ended war months sooner& saved money&lives of many people on this war.It gave US the mood of pride,relief&fear.US becomes the first&only nation to use atomic boom during war&became a military superpower along with the USSR. The rivalry between the two,led to the nuclear arms race.But,it failed to achieve their foreign policy goals of containment.As a result of bombing,US helped rebuilt the city&gave jobs to many. -
Truman Doctrine
The expansion of communism in Europe led the US to provide political,military&economic help to all nations facing the Russian threat.It was based on strategy of containment.It effectively reoriented US foreign policy,provided a legitimate basis for US's activism during the Cold War. The help provided to Turkey and Greece marked the start of the Marshall plan.Though government saw this an opportunity to become a world power many citizen opposed it for getting involved in other nations' affairs. -
Kinsey report
It argued that human sexuality could be mapped onto a continuum from heterosexual to homosexual, rather than only two categories.It changed the public perception of sexuality.Revealed many sexual activities/intercourse among the youth&married adults.The sexual intercourse was most dominant in youth generation.It liberated female sexuality&changed the attitude of people towards science.His research not only caused a stir within scientific community,but also attracted media's&youth's attention. -
Marshall Plan
It provided capital and materials that enabled Europe to rebuild the continent's economy after the devastation from WW2. The Plan was designed to prevent the further advancement of Soviet power and of communism in Europe.Help was also offered to the east Europe out of humanity.For the US,the Plan provided markets for American goods,created reliable trading partners,made them powerful & the greatest nation in the world and supported the development of stable democratic governments in West Europe. -
McCarthyism and The Red Scare
WW1 gave people the sense of patriotism,with the knowledge of the Russian revolution there was a rising tide of hatred against communism known as Red scare.whereas McCarthyism was the widespread accusations,reckless public accusations of disloyalty to US&investigations of suspected Communist activity. People were forced to take loyalty oaths, Activism&labor unions declined, people became afraid to speak on public issues,limited free speech to fight communism&caused US involvement in Korean War. -
Korean War
It aimed at preventing the spread of communism.It was important in the development of Cold War,as it was the first time that the military of two superpowers,US&USSR fought.At home,Taxes were raised significantly to finance the war,black and white troops were integrated in the US army for the first time, increased US spending on the military.The war extended the Truman Doctrine&Containment to Asia.Americans saw a change in culture&society(1950)&also the growing terror of war,communism&inflation. -
Baby Boom
Between 1943-63 there was an increase in the population of over 30 million.The population-growth required a need for larger hospitals,pediatricians-giving jobs to many women. Factories,medication, agriculture needed to expand.The increase of public education,colleges,the labor market,and the housing market(construction boom).These children followed beat generation who were against conformity&tradition,experimented with drugs,music,dance&sexuality.Introduced rhythm&freedom in American literature. -
President Eisenhower
Eisenhower established NASA,the Interstate Highway System,signed the Civil Rights Act(1957).It was under his presidency that federal troops were sent to Little Rock, Arkansas, to protect African-American students being discriminated in high school.His doctrine to combat communism in middle east made US a world power. D-day was held under his leadership. He also signed legislation that expanded Social Security,increased the minimum wage, and created the Department of Health,Education and Welfare. -
Levittowns (suburbs)
Levitt used mass production techniques to build inexpensive homes in suburban to relieve the postwar housing shortage.The G.I bill&baby boom influenced the suburbs.The crowd of African-American&crime in the city forced the whites to shift to the outskirt(affluent society).African American faced discrimination&were not allowed to buy home in white community. The Fair housing Act 1963 further ended this discrimination.Suburbs also encouraged the automobile-industry for transport to &from the city. -
Vietman War
It was the struggle to unify the country of Vietnam to prevent the spread of communism.It gave US President Lyndon Johnson authority,without a formal declaration of war,to use of military force in Southeast Asia.The war severely damaged the U.S. economy as the tax pay for war increased&so did the inflation,weakened US military moral&strength,questioned US's priorities & sparked an era of distrust, paranoia,cynicism among musicians& filmmakers.Tet offensive weakened US public support for the war. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
African Americans refused to use the entire bus system until the government agreed to change its segregation policy.The injustice of Rosa Parks being arrested,sparked the boycott.As a result Supreme Court ruled segregation on public buses unconstitutional,significantly play towards civil rights&equity.The bus corporation supported the boycott so as to regain their customers and boost economy.Freedom Riders further traveled south to end segregation in facilities serving interstate bus passengers. -
C.O.R.E and S.N.C.C
The CORE focused on peaceful racial equality, organizes protest,court cases,sit-in's,marches to shed light on inequality&discrimination.The SNCC gave young black students the opportunity to be involved in civil right moment, which further became radical.They both united&challenged public segregation,uphold the Supreme Court ruling-interstate travel could not be segregated,helped create sense of Black strength&Black power&launching freedom rides,voters registration drives for African Americans. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
A direct & dangerous confrontation between the US&USSR during the Cold War& was the moment when the two superpowers came closest to nuclear conflict by placing nuclear missile in Cuba.The peaceful negotiation from Kennedy strengthened his image domestically&internationally.The nation suffered fear from bombs &simultaneously flourished its economy&social cultures.There were mock drills in US to overcome the nuclear damage.The Cuban relation with USSR made them face political isolation from the US -
March on Washington
African Americans marched in Washington headed by Martin Luther King Jr.,to demand an end to segregation,fair wages & economic justice,voting rights,education&long overdue civil rights protections.The march was successful in pressuring the administration of JFK to initiate a strong federal civil rights bill in Congress,which further led to the passage of civil right Act&ratification of the Twenty-fourth Amendment to the US Constitution.The march portrayed the power of black nationalism to world. -
Malcolm X
As the nation's most visible proponent of Black Nationalism, Malcolm X's challenge to the multiracial, nonviolent approach of Martin Luther King, Jr., helped set the tone for the ideological & tactical conflicts that took place within the black freedom struggle of the 1960.He shaped the debate over how to achieve freedom and equality in a nation that had long denied a full protection of their rights. It also laid the groundwork for the Black Power movement.He viewed whites as enemies of justice. -
Civil Right Act of 1964
It forbade discrimination on the basis of sex,race in hiring, promoting,firing, housing,discrimination in public accommodations and federally funded programs.Strengthened the voting rights,legally ended the Jim Crow,desegregation of schools.This act also increased the economic opportunity in the country, The immediate reason was the Birmingham police riot, whereas Montgomery bus boycott, Brown V. Board, JFK's assassination, and Little rock Nine, etc contributed significantly to the Act. -
Black Panther Party
It inspired by the idea of Black Power&provided aid to black neighborhood,often thought of as radical/violent- to force white,grant them equal rights,fighting for political&economic equality.They have an ideology of black nationalism,socialism&armed self-defense.They provided access to medical clinics& free breakfasts for children.It confronted politicians, challenged the police, and protected black citizens from brutality, and inspired other minority groups worldwide to pursue their own causes. -
Watergate scandal
A scandal involving an illegal break-in at the Democratic National Committee offices by members of President Nixon's reelection campaign staff. Before Congress could vote to impeach Nixon for his action in the break-in,Nixon resigned from the presidency. Many Americans lost faith in the government and caused the reputation of the presidency to be greatly damaged,created new laws,limited the power of president to claim executive privilege& presidential campaigns also impacted the 1970's election. -
President Ronald Reagan
In his presidency the unemployment rate was reduced:people got jobs,stock market increased(Reagan Economics),gas price was reduced.The credit to bring the hostages back from Iran is given to him,by many citizens.His major policy priorities were increasing military spending,cut tax &restricting federal regulations.During the recession people wanted optimistic leader&Reagan was the one,loved by the citizens bcz of his optimistic views&hope to people,contribution to nation without personal benefit.