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Declaration of Independence
This is the document unanimously agreed on by America's founding fathers. It declared separation from Great Britain, making America a new and free country from the British monarchy. It's contents contain the core ideas that America built itself upon. -
"E Pluribus Unum"
Translated to "one of many, one" this is the motto inscribed on the US Great Seal. -
US Constitution
The US Constitution was written to protect the rights of its citizens and establish the roles of the government. -
Bill of Rights
This was the original first 10 amendments to the US Constitution. It's purpose is to define the individual rights of the American people and regulate the power of the government. -
Expansions & Imperialism
This is referring to the period in which America's focus was on the economic, military, and cultural influence it had on other countries. The effort was for the hop that America would become and be seen as a global superpower. -
Alexis de Tocqueville's Five Principles
His five values were liberty, egalitarianism, individualism, populism, and laissez-faire. These were what Tocqueville observed were the reasons behind America's success as a free country. He published his observations in his book "Democracy in America." -
Alfred Thayer Mahan
Alfred Thayer Mahan was an American naval officer and historian who has been named the most important strategist of the 19th century. He is most well known for his work "The Influence of Sea Power Upon History," which went on to help navies around the world. -
Sanford B. Doyle
Sanford B, Boyle was the first president of the Republic of Hawaii after it was annexed by the US. -
Social Darwinism
This was the theory created by Herbert Spencer that humans, like all other plants and animals, follow the same laws of natural selection. This thinking was used to justify racism, saying that some races are just "better" because of it. -
Gen. John J. Pershing
John J. Pershing was one of the most Accomplished American Generals. He is most famous for serving as commander to the American Expeditionary Forces in WW1 where they helped defeat the Allied Powers in 1918. -
Ida B. Wells
Ida B. Wells was an American writer, investigative journalist, civil rights activist, and a founder of the NAACP. -
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist who is most well known for his manufacturing in the car and automobile industry that revolutionized production at that time. -
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Gilded Age
This was an era of intense economic growth, but its reputation is that of damaging materialism and corruption. -
Eminent Domain
The right of the government to take private property for public use. However, this can only be done if given compensation to the property owners. -
Upton Sinclair
Upton Sinclair was an American writer, muckraker, and activist who is most well known for his book "The Jungle." In his work he exposed the horrific conditions in the meat-packing industry. -
Lost Generation
The Lost Generation refers to those who were in early adulthood after the end of WW1, named so because they were disillusioned by the end of the war and suffered from loss of identity. However many known artists came from this period like Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein. -
Tin Pan Alley
This was the location of New York City's centered music publishers and songwriters who dominated the industry in the late 19th century and early 20th century. -
Marcus Garvey
Marcus Garvey was a Jamaican political activist who is most well known for founding Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in 1914. -
Muckraker
Muckrakers were reformist writers and photographers who worked to expose the corruption in the US during the Progressive Era. -
Settlement House Movement
Reformist social movement that started in the 1890's but peaked in the 1920's whose goal was to bring the rich and poor society closer in proximity and with social interactions. Jane Adams is one of the most prominent figures during this reform. -
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower served as the 34th president of the United States. He is known for signing the Civil Rights Act of 1957, his collaboration with the Interstate Highway System, and promoting the National Defense Education. -
Homestead Strike
Tensions between steel workers and management were the cause of the industrial lockout and then the later battle between the two. The goal of the workers to keep their ages from decreasing, but the strikers lost and the unionization of works was set back. -
Klondike Gold Rush
Migration of 100,00 prospectors to the Klondike region of Yukon in Canada. It was found by Skookum Jim and his family, and their discoveries started one of the most frantic gold rushes in history. -
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Progressive Era
This was time of widespread political reform and social activism, seeking to change the ways of the Gilded Age. It implemented regulations and antitrust laws in economic powerhouses. -
Alvin York
Alvin York was the most praised US Army Soldier from WW1. He is known for his successful mission of killing and capturing Germany's soldiers that later earned him a Medal of Honor. -
Spanish-American War
Yellow Journalism helped push America and Spain into war with the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine. The US also wanted to help Cuba gain their freedom to protect their business affairs and partnerships. -
Charles A. Lindbergh
Charles A. Lindbergh was an American aviator, military officer, inventor, and author who is most famous and praised for being the first nonstop flight from New York CIty to Paris. -
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal was built to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean so that the distance, cost, and time it took to have cargo travel was lessened. -
16th Amendment
The Congress has the power to la and collect taxes on income from any source without dividing or allocating it among the states or regard to the census. -
17th Amendment
This gave people the right to vote for their senators instead of the state legislature, casting direct votes for their candidates. -
Causes of WW1
The four main causes of WW1 were alliances, imperialism, militarism, and nationalism. However, it was the assassination of Austria-HUngary's Archduke Franz Ferdinand that set off the initial fighting. -
US Entry to WW1
The US joined the war effort because of Germany's resumption of submarine attacks, Germany invading Berlin, and the Zimmermann Telegram. -
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Interwar Period
This was the time period between the end of WW1 and the start of WW2. Although short, this time period were the years of great economic and political change. -
18th Amendment
This was the prohibition law, making the production and sale of alcoholic beverages illegal, and was later repealed by the 21st Amendment after the further conflicts it caused. -
19th Amendment
The was the amendment that gave women the right to vote, also stated that someone cannot be denied voting on the basis of their sex. -
1920's
This is the era referred to most commonly as the "Roaring 20s" of the "Jazz Age" and known for its prosperity, partying, and flappers. This was a great time of economic growth and change for the US and its mass consumerism. -
Harlem Renaissance
This was an art and cultural movement that revived African American dance, music, fashion, literature, and politics. Centered, in Harlem, New York City, this movement spanned through the 1920s and 30s. -
Teapot Dome Scandal
This was a bribery scandal that involved President Warren G. Harding's administration, and them accepting the bribery from Teapot Dome's oil reserves. It lasted from 1921-1923. -
Dust Bowl
This was a period of severe drought and dust storms that damaged the agriculture from Nebraska to Texas. With this phenomena came a deep economic depression and unusable land due to wind erosion. -
Flying Tiger
This was the First American Volunteer Group, commanded by Claire Lee Chennault, hired by China to oppose Japanese invasion during WW2. -
Tuskegee Airmen
This was a military unit of primarily African Americans who are best known for escorting American bombers as they flew over Italy. -
Navajo Code Talkers
The Navajo Code Talkers were able to deliver sensitive information, fast and securely during WW2. This was done by the U.S. MArines of Navajo developing and utilizing a special code with their indigenous language. -
Executive Order 9066
President D. Roosevelt issued the order that authorized the evacuations of all personnel who were deemed a threat to national security from the West Coast to relocation centers further inland. -
Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March was the forcible transfer by the Imperial Japanese Army that made American and FIlipino prisoners of war march for 5-10 days. During this time the soldiers would beat, shoot, behead, and starve the captives; many did not make it the full journey. -
Bracero Program
The Bracero Program was a series of executive laws passed called the Mexican Farm Labor Program. This allowed millions of Mexican Men to work legally in the United States on short-term contracts. -
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking, created by J. Robert Oppenheimer, during WW2 that produced the first nuclear weapons. -
Korematsu V U.S.
This decision was made by the Supreme Court that excluded Japanese Americans from the West Coast Military during WW2. The ruling was passed under the guise that it was for strategic for keeping the West Coast from invasion, but it led to a lot of racial discrimination of Japanese Americans during this time. -
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were held by the Allies against Nazi Germany leadership that supported its dictatorship. It resulted in many being sentenced to death, others gaining lifelong imprisonment, other periods of imprisonment, and many found not guilty. However, later many were released by 1950 as a result of pardons. -
"In God We Trust"
This is the official motto of the United States, its original purpose was to be a symbol to remember that the nation's economic and political successes were tied to spiritual faith. It replaced "E Pluribus Unum."