Ways to Study for the US History State Common Exam
I know it is not always fun to study, but please remember that this test will have a significant impact
on your grade. You have worked hard all semester, keep it up!. Do your best to set time everyday to
study for the test.
Review Notes given in class throughout the semester
 Use the websites for practice questions and information
 Review this Packet!
Websites with Practice Questions:
http://regentsprep.org/Regents/core/questions/topics.cfm?Course=USHG
http://www.phschool.com/curriculum_support/brief_review/us_history/index.html
http://historyteacher.net/AmericanHistoryAndGovernment/ReviewMaterials/us_history_regents_r
eview_sheet.htm
OTHER HINTS:
1) Bring two #2 pencils to class
2) Bring a bottle of water or refreshment—it is a long test.
3) Check that you have not skipped any questions or made random pencil marks.
4) Simply try your best! We have worked hard this year and if you put the time in to study this
weekend you will do very well!
Thank you for putting forth the effort; You Have done a good job this semester!
Tricky Test Words Made Not-So Tricky!!
Discredit- speak out against; talk bad about.
Example: Myra would never discredit Ms. H’s U.S. History class, she enjoys it.
Depict- show
Example: The song “Whatever you like” by Lil Wayne depicts how Lil Wayne will treat his women
Portray- show
Example: George Bush was often portrayed as a bad President in the news.
Obtain- get; keep
Example: DeShaun wants to obtain a college degree.
Disprove- prove wrong; saying something is not true.
Example: Tiffany disproved Shayne’s idea that math is more fun than US History.
Amend- change
Example: Sam would like Ms. H to amend her class rules to not include tardies.
Seize- take; get by force
Example: Desmond said he was going to seize Ms. H’s pencil collection.
Oppose- go against
Example: I am very opposed to lowering teacher pay. I might even go speak out against it at the meeting
next week.
Coordinate- organize; get together
Example: Alex is going to coordinate a class party and tell everyone what to bring.
Profound- big; large; usually means big impact
Example: Jay-Z has had a profound impact on rap music.
Fueled- helped; encouraged
Example: The fight between Biggie and Tupac was fueled by one talking about the other.
Vast- big
Example: There is a vast difference between country music and rap.
Denounce- speak out against
Example: Many people in this school denounce the Duke Blue Devils.
Fundamental- basic
Example: Tyler Hansbrough definitely knows the fundamentals of how to play basketball.
Innovative- creative; Innovate means to start something new
Example: The new car that Lexus came out with is very innovative, it parks the car for you!
Erode- disappear, go away slowly.
Example: The rivalry between NC State and UNC has began to erode, since State is usually not good at
any sports (according to Ms. B).
EOC UNIT KEY TERMS
UNIT 1
1. Judiciary Act of 1789
4. Protective tariff
7. The Jay Treaty
10. The Alien and Sedition Acts
13. Louisiana Purchase
16. Tecumseh
19. Impressment
22. The Battle of New Orleans
2. The Bill of Rights
5. Alexander Hamilton
8. Pickney’s Treaty
11. VA and KY Resolutions
14. Democratic-Republicans
17. Federalists
20. Embargo Act 1807
23. The Treaty of Ghent
3. The Whiskey Rebellion
6. Neutrality
9. The XYZ affair
12. Marbury v Madison 1803
15. John Marshall
18. War Hawks
21. Washington’s Farewell Address
24. Abigail Adams
1. Cotton Gin
4. McCulloch v. Maryland
7. The Missouri Compromise
10. Charles G Finney
13. Henry David Thoreau
16. William Lloyd Garrison
19. Seneca Falls Convention
22. The Oregon Trail
25. The Alamo
UNIT 2
2. The American System
3. The Erie Canal
5. Adams-Onis Treaty
6. Monroe Doctrine
8. spoils system
9. Indian Removal Act
11. The 2nd Great Awakening 12. Transcendentalism
14. utopian communities
15. Dorothea Dix
17. Frederick Douglass
18. The Grimke Sisters
20. John Deere
21. manifest destiny
23. Mormons
24. “Fifty-Four Forty of Fight”
26. James K Polk
27. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
UNIT 3
1. Compromise of 1850
2. popular sovereignty
4. Lincoln v. Douglas
5. Harriet Beecher Stowe
7. John Brown
8. Bleeding Kansas
10. Compromise of 1877
11. Secession
13. Jefferson Davis
14. Stonewall Jackson
17. Ulysses S. Grant
18. Robert E. Lee
21. William Tecumseh Sherman 22. Clara Barton
24. Radical Republicans
25. Andrew Johnson
27. 13th, 14th, 15th Amendments 28. Hiram Revels
30. Carpetbaggers & Scalawags 31. Compromise of 1877
1. Wounded Knee
2. Dawes Act
5. Exodusters
6. The Grange
9. Bimetallism
10. Assimilation
13. Andrew Carnegie 14. Social Darwinism
17. Samuel Gompers
18. Eugene V. Debs
20. Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)
3. Harriet Tubman
6. Kansas-Nebraska Act
9. Dred Scott v. Sandford
12. Fort Sumter
15. Anaconda Plan
16. Antietam
19. Vicksburg
20. Gettysburg
23. Emancipation Proclamation
26. Freedman’s Bureau
29. The Whiskey Ring scandal
.
UNIT 4
3. Treaty of Fort Laramie
4. Homestead Act
7. Populism
8. William Jennings Bryan
11. Transcontinental Railroad
12. Vertical/Horizontal Int.
15. John D. Rockefeller
16. Sherman Antitrust Act
19. American Federation of Labor (AFL)
21. Laissez Faire
22. Robber Barons
UNIT 5
1. Ellis Island
2. Chinese Exclusion Act
5. conservation
6. Jane Addams
9. patronage
10. The Tuskegee Institute
13. 16th,17th,18th,19th Amendments
16. Robert LaFollette 17. William H. Taft
20. Theodore Roosevelt 21. Square Deal
24. Plessy v. Ferguson
25.Gentlemen’s Agreement
28.Booker T. Washington
3. nativism
7. political machine
11. Ida B. Wells
14. prohibition
18. Susan B. Anthony
22. the Meat Inspection Act
26 W.E.B. DuBois
4. tenements
8. Boss Tweed
12. Jim Crow laws
15. muckrakers
19. The Jungle
23. the NAACP
27. Clayton Antitrust Act
1. Alfred T. Mahan
2. Imperialism
6. Emilio Aguinaldo
7. Queen Liliukalani
11. Open Door policy 12. Dollar Diplomacy
16. Franz Ferdinand
17. Lusitania
21. War Industries Board
23. “Great Migration” 24. Treaty of Versailles
27. Selective Service Act 28. Platt Amendment
1. Sacco and Vanzetti
5. Teapot Dome Scandal
8. Tennessee Valley Authority
11. Court Packing Scheme
15. Dust Bowl
18. Duke Ellington
22. the FDIC
25. Flappers
29. the Bonus Army
UNIT 6
3. William Seward
4. Yellow Journalism
5. U.S.S. Maine
8. Great White Fleet
9. Schenck v. US
10. Propaganda
13. Roosevelt Corollary 14. Panama Canal
15. Nationalism
18.Zimmerman note
19. Boxer Rebellion
20. Armistice
22. Espionage & Sedition Act
25. Fourteen Points
26. League of Nations
UNIT 7
2. Charles Lindbergh
3. the Model T
4. Return to Normalcy
6. Works Project Administration 7. National Industry Recovery Act
9. “Lost Generation”
10. Langston Hughes 10 ½. Palmer Raids
12. Fireside Chats
13. Black Tuesday
14. Bootleggers
16. the Bonus Army
17. Civilian Conservation Corps
19. Emergency Quota Act
20. Speakeasies
21. Harlem Renaissance
23. “Business of America is Business”
24. Fundamentalism
26. buying on margin
27. Marcus Garvey
28. Hoovervilles
30. Scopes Monkey Trial
31. Isolationism
32. First Red Scare
1. Totalitarianism
2. Benito Mussolini
5. Appeasement
6. blitzkrieg
8. Lend-Lease Act
9. Concentration Camp
12.Island-hopping
13. Manhattan Project
16. D-Day
17. George Patton
20. Hiroshima & Nagasaki
23. Japanese Internment Camps
27. Truman Doctrine 28. United Nations
32. Joseph McCarthy
33. Brinkmanship
36. Rosie the Riveter
37. Neutrality Acts
UNIT 8
3. Joseph Stalin
7. Winston Churchill
10. Kristallnacht
14. Pearl Harbor
18. Eisenhower
21. Nuremberg Trials
24. Containment
29. NATO
34. Yalta Conference
38. WAC
1) GI Bill of Rights
2) The Feminine Mystique
5) Cuban Missile Crisis 6) New Frontier
9) Medicare & Medicaid
12) Thurgood Marshall 13) Civil Rights Act of 1964
16) Malcolm X
17) Ho Chi Minh
20) Tonkin Gulf Resolution
23) Pentagon Papers
24) Cesar Chavez
27) Beat Movement
28) counter-culture
31) Berlin Wall
32) Montgomery Bus Boycott
35) Domino Theory
36) Kent State Protests
39) Woodstock
1) OPEC
5) Iran Hostage Crisis
9) Affirmative Action
13) Jesse Jackson
16) Tiananmen Square
19) Mikhail Gorbachev
22) Sandra Day O’Connor
4. Adolf Hitler
8. Stalingrad
11.Holocaust
15. Rationing
19. Douglas MacArthur
22. GI Bill of Rights
25. Cold War
26. Marshall Plan
30. Korean War
31. HUAC
35. Korematsu v. US
39. Battle of Midway
UNIT 9
3) Baby Boom
4) Fidel Castro
7) Warren Court
8) Great Society
10) Brown v. Board of Ed. 11) MLK Jr (SCLC)
14) Little Rock Nine
15) Stokeley Carmichael (SNCC)
18) JFK
19) Bay of Pigs Invasion
21) Tet Offensive
22) My Lai Massacre
25) Levittown
26) Conformity
29) Sputnik
30) Peace Corps
33) Greensboro Sit-in 34) 1968
37) Khrushchev
38) Roe v. Wade
UNIT 10
2) détente
3) stagflation
4) Watergate
6) Camp David Accords
7) Three Mile Island
8) Rachel Carson
10) Moral Majority
11) Reaganomics
12) Sunbelt
14) AIDS
15) glasnost & perestroika
17) Graying of America
18) Operation Desert Storm
20) NAFTA
21) Contract w/ America
23) War on Terror
Exam Review Packet
I. THE NEW NATION
A. GEORGE WASHINGTON WAS THE FIRST PRESIDENT
B. The biggest problem to face our nation was COULD WE ENFORCE OUR OWN LAWS?
When Washington was able to PUT DOWN THE WHISKEY REBELLION we proved that we could
make people obey our new laws.
C. The first political party formed called the DEMOCRATIC-REPUBLICANS.
1. Led by THOMAS JEFFERSON AND JAMES MADISON
2. Had a STRICT INTERPRETATION of the Constitution
3. Were pro-French
4. NO NATIONAL BANK
5. Small farmers and plantation owners
D. The FEDERALISTS were the other group
1. Led by John Adams and Alexander Hamilton
2. Had a LOOSE INTERPRETATION OF THE CONSTITUTION
3. Were pro- British
4. Wanted a NATIONAL BANK
5. Northern businessmen
E. During this time Americans continued to fight with Native Americans over LAND OWNERSHIP.
F. To prevent the Democratic-Republicans from speaking out against them, the Federalists
passed the ALIEN AND SEDITION ACTS – saying they could deport foreigners and imprison anyone
who spoke badly about the government.
G. The Democratic Republicans answered with the KENTUCKY AND VIRGINIA
RESOLUTIONS which said that people, though the states, could declare laws unconstitutional.
H. The ELECTION OF 1800 between Jefferson and Adams, showed THAT POWER COULD
PASS PEACEFULLY FROM ONE PARTY TO ANOTHER.
I. Right before he left office, Adams stacked the Supreme Court with Federalist judges, called
the MIDNIGHT JUDGES. This meant that the Federalists would control the supreme court for as long
as the judges lived.
J. The right of those judges to serve was challenged in the case of MARBURY V. MADISON. The case
was significant because it set up the power of JUDICIAL REVIEW.
– THE POWER OF THE SUPREME COURT TO DECLARE A LAW UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
II. JEFFERSON’S PRESIDENCY
A. During Jefferson’s Presidency, we almost doubled the size of our nation by BUYING THE
LOUISANA PURCHASE TERRITORY FROM FRANCE.
B. THE WAR OF 1812 was a second war between the British and the Americans. ANDREW JACKSON
became famous in this war. The last battle of the war was the BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS, but it
was eventually unimportant because THE PEACE TREATY HAD ALREADY BEEN SIGNED.
C. HENRY CLAY’S AMERICAN SYSTEM helped build roads, bridges and canals, to improve our
nation’s infrastructure. It also created a NATIONAL BANK.
D. The constitutionality of the national bank was challenged in court. The Supreme Court said in the case
of MC CULLOCH V. MARYLAND that the government could create a national bank, because
Congress had certain IMPLIED POWERS – POWERS NOT SPECIFICALLY STATED IN THE
CONSTITUTION.
III. MOVEMENT WEST AND EXPANSION OF INDUSTRY
A. A problem came as new states wanted admission to the union. Should they be slave or free. The
MISSOURI COMPROMISE, which said that in the Louisiana Purchase territory, STATES ABOVE
THE 36’30 PARALLEL WOULD BE FREE AND STATES BELOW THAT WOULD BE SLAVE.
B. The MONROE DOCTRINE said that Europe should stay out of the western hemisphere. This
established the Western Hemisphere as America’s sphere of influence.
C. ELI WHITNEY helped INCREASE THE NEED FOR SLAVES by inventing the COTTON GIN
which made cotton production easier. He also invented a system of INTERCHANGABLE PARTS.
IV. THE JACKSONIAN ERA
A. Andrew Jackson began the Jacksonian Era by beginning the DEMOCRATIC PARTY, THE PARTY
OF THE COMMON MAN. Jackson loved the SPOILS SYSTEM and HATED THE NATIONAL
BANK. He vetoed the re-charter of the Second Bank of the US.
B. JOHN C. CALHOUN challenged the Tariff of 1828 by saying that a state could NULLIFY (OR
DECLARE SOMETHING NOT A LAW) if the law went against the desires of the state. Calhoun said
South Carolina didn’t have to pay the Tariff. Jackson made South Carolina pay.
C. Under Jackson thousands of Native Americans were relocated from Georgia to what is now Oklahoma
to please Georgia farmers. This relocation was called the TRAIL OF TEARS. When the Native
Americans took the case to the Supreme Court they were told they were told they did not have to move.
JACKSON REFUSED TO CARRY OUT HIS DUTIES AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND GIVE THE
NATIVE AMERICANS THEIR LAND BACK.
V. REFORM MOVEMENTS
A. In the 1830’s and 1840’s there were a series of reform movements sweeping the country,
B. The Second Great Awakening was a religious movement where new religions developed. These new
religions spread the belief that PEOPLE COULD BE SAVED BY THEIR CHOICES.
C. TRANCENDENTALISM helped spread the belief that people have the power to make their future.
HENRY DAVID THOREAU AND RALPH WALDO EMERSON WERE
TRANSCENDENTALISTS. THOREAU ALSO ARGUED THAT ONE COULD USE NONVIOLENT PROTEST TO ACHIEVE ONE’S GOALS. THOREAU WOULDN’T PAY TAXES
BECAUSE THEY WENT TO PAY FOR THE MEXICAN WAR WHICH HE BELIEVED WAS
BEING FOUGHT TO SPREAD SLAVERY.
D. The goal of the TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT was to BAN ALCOHOL. MIDDLE CLASS
WOMEN participated in this movement.
E. DOROTHEA DIX started a movement to help the MENTALLY ILL.
F. HORACE MANN began a movement to require MANDATORY PUBLIC EDUCATION IN THE
STATES.
G. UTOPIAN COMMUNITIES like BROOK FARM were intended to create PERFECT
COMMUNITIES.
VI. THE ABOLITION MOVEMENT
A. The ABOLITION MOVEMENT was the movement to ABOLISH SLAVERY.
B. People had DIFFERENT IDEAS about how to abolish slavery.
C. COLONIZATION was one plan. The plan was to SEND SLAVES BACK TO AFRICA. Many
African Americans didn’t like this plan.
D. IMMEDIATE ABOLITION (END TO SLAVERY) was another plan. WILLIAM LLOYD
GARRISON and FREDERICK DOUGLASS were proponents of this plan.
E. GRADUAL ABOLITION was another plan.
F. There was a lot of tension among abolitionists because they disagreed about which plan would work
best. The biggest problem among abolitionists however, was not what to do about slavery but whether
to ALLOW WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN ANTI-SLAVERY DISCUSSIONS. Many women
sympathized with slaves because LIKE SLAVES, WOMEN DIDN’T HAVE MANY RIGHTS.
G. There was resistance to abolition in both the north and the south, but many people found ways of
getting around this resistance. HARRIET TUBMAN was a CONDUCTOR ON THE
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD a series of secret hiding places from the south to the north and into
CANADA.
VII. THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENT
A. THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT PARALLELED THE ABOLITION MOVEMENT. Many
women who worked for women's rights also participated in the anti-slavery movement.
B. In 1848 at SENECA FALLS, NY women met and drafted the DECLARATION OF SENTIMENTS
which protested a lack of legal and political rights for women. LUCRETIA MOTT AND
ELIZABETH CADDY STANTON were major players in the early women's movement.
VIII. TERRITORIAL EXPANSION FROM 1830 - 1860
A. In 1845 John O'Sullivan came up with the phrase MANIFEST DESTINY to describe AMERICA'S
SUPPOSEDLY GOD GIVEN MISSION TO SPREAD ACCROSS THE ENTIRE CONTINENTAL
UNITED STATES.
B. As our population grew people began to move west. Just having won its independence from Spain,
Mexico, especially the under populated northern parts (WHAT IS NOW TEXAS) was attractive to many
Americans. When Mexico offered settlers perks like free land and no taxes, Americans began to move
there.
1. The first group of settlers were led by Steven Austin. By 1835 30,000 Americans lived in Texas.
Mexico however, OUTLAWED SLAVERY, which angered many settlers. SETTLERS
DECLARED INDEPENDENCE FROM MEXICO causing a fight with Mexico. Although
they suffered losses at the ALAMO the settlers rallied and captured Mexican dictator SANTA
ANNA who agreed to their independence. Upon his return to Mexico City, he said TEXAS
WASN'T REALLY INDEPENDET.
2. TEXAS APPLIED TO BE A STATE IN THE US BUT THE PETITION WAS REJECTED
BECAUSE IT WOULD BE ANOTHER SLAVE STATE. Texas was eventually ANNEXED,
causing tension with Mexico.
C. The tension with Mexico over Texas would help cause the MEXICAN WAR (1846 - 1848). Many antislavery advocates didn't like the war because they believed it was being fought TO SPREAD SLAVERY.
THE US WON THE MEXICAN WAR. And in the peace treaty called the TREATY OF
GUADELOUPE -HIDALGO we agreed that:
1. The RIO GRANDE WAS THE US / MEXICO BORDER
2. THE US WOULD BUY CALIFORNIA AND NEW MEXICO
D. THE MEXICAN WAR REOPENED THE ISSUE OF SLAVERY AND WAS A MAJOR CAUSE
OF THE CIVIL WAR.
E. At the same time the US settled a boundary dispute peacefully with Britain, SETTING THE US /
CANADA BORDER AT THE 49TH PARALLEL IN THE OREGON TERRITORY.
IX. PRELUDE TO THE CIVIL WAR
A. Prior to the Civil War the North and South were very different. The NORTH HAD MORE
FACTORIES, MORE PEOPLE, BETTER RESOURCES and the SOUTH HAD MORE SLAVES
AND MORE PLANTATIONS.
B. Tensions over slavery grew and were further heightened by HARRIET BEECHER STOWE'S BOOK
UNCLE TOM'S CABIN which condemned slavery.
C. One of the biggest causes of tension was WHAT TO DO ABOUT SLAVERY IN THE NEW
TERRITORIES FROM THE MEXICAN WAR. The Missouri Compromise was only about slavery in
the Louisiana Purchase territory. Both the North and South wanted to PRESERVE THE BALLANCE
OF POWER in Congress so they came up with the COMPROMISE OF 1850 which said:
1. CALIFORNIA WOULD BE A FREE STATE
2. NEW MEXICO AND UTAH WOULD CHOOSE FOR THEMSELVES ABOUT SLAVERY
3. SALE OF SLAVES IS OUTLAWED IN D.C.
4. (FUGITIVE SLAVE ACT) ALL CITIZENS MUST ASSIST IN THE CAPTURE AND
RETURN OF RUNAWAY SLAVES.
D. The Compromise of 1850 didn't solve any problems. It just made northerners mad that they had to
participate in slavery through the fugitive slave law and made southerners mad that slavery would be
restricted.
E. The KANSAS NEBRASKA ACT which IGNORED THE MISSOURI COMPROMISE AND SAID
THAT CITIZENS OF KANSAS AND NEBRASKA COULD VOTE FOR OR AGAINST
SLAVERY made things worse. The act spawned VIOLENCE over slavery - some of which was caused
by JOHN BROWN who MURDERED PRO SLAVERY PEOPLE - giving Kansas the name
BLEEDING KANSAS.
F. Tensions mounted with the SUPREME COURT CASE of DRED SCOTT v. SANFORD where a slave
taken to an anti-slavery state sued for his freedom. The Court SAID THAT SLAVES ARE
PROPERTY AND HAVE NO RIGHTS AS CITIZENS. This in effect said that SLAVERY
COULDN'T BE BANNED ANYWHERE.
X. THE CIVIL WAR
A. The Civil War really started with the ELECTION OF 1860. It was the FIRST TIME IN OUR
NATION'S HISTORY THAT A LARGE GROUP OF PEOPLE REFUSED TO ACCEPT THE
OUTCOME OF AN ELECTION.
B. The REPUBLICAN candidate ABRAHAM LINCOLN WON THE ELECTION because he had a
majority of the electoral vote. But none of the South voted for him.
C. Because of the election SOUTH CAROLINA SECEEDED (OR LEFT) the United States (or the
UNION) and formed, with other states in the lower south, THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF
AMERICA with JEFFERSON DAVIS as their President.
D. The first shots of the war were fired at FT. SUMPTER, SC, a federal fort which the Confederate States
would not allow to be re-supplied by the Union. After Ft. Sumter, four other southern states joined the
confederacy.
E. The only slave owning states to remain in the Union were BORDER STATES OF KY, WV (which was
formed when Virginia seceded), MD, AND DE. The Union needed these states as a BUFFER
AGAINST THE SOUTH. This is why early in the war Lincoln stated that PRESERVING THE
UNION WAS HIS MAIN WAR GOAL, not freeing slaves.
F. The first major battle was the BATTLE OF MANASSAS OR THE BATTLE OF BULL RUN.
G. The strategy of the North was called the ANACONDA PLAN, which was to cut the Confederacy in
two by TAKING THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER and then squeeze it. The BATTLE OF VICKSBURG
was important because it signaled that the NORTH HAD CUT THE CONFEDERACY IN HALF.
H. ROBERT E. LEE WAS THE GENERAL FOR THE SOUTH. THE NORTH WON THE WAR
AND LEE SURRENDERED TO UNION GENERAL ULYSEES S. GRANT AT APPOMATTOX
COURT HOUSE, VA.
I. Out of the war came THREE IMPORTANT AMMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION:
1. THIRTEENTH AMENDMENT: FREED THE SLAVES
2. FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT: SLAVES ARE CITIZENS
3. FIFTEENTH AMENDMENT: FORMER SLAVES CAN VOTE
XI. RECONSTRUCTION
A. RECONSTRUCTION IS THE NAME FOR THE PERIOD RIGHT AFTER THE CIVIL WAR. It
is when the North and South came back together and the South rebuilt.
B. There were several plans for how to bring the South back into the Union.
1. LINCOLN'S PLAN: WOULD MAKE IT EASY FOR SOUTHERN STATES TO RETURN
TO THE UNION. This didn't happen because LINCOLN WAS SHOT.
2. JOHNSON'S PLAN: ANDREW JOHNSON WAS LINCOLN'S VICE PRESIDENT, HE
BECAME PRESIDENT WHEN LINCOLN WAS SHOT. His plan was similar to Lincoln's.
3. WADE -DAVIS BILL (RADICAL REPUBLICAN'S PLAN): This was the plan of the antiSouth Republicans in Congress. It MADE IT VERY DIFFICULT FOR SOUTHERN STATES
TO REJOIN THE UNION. It also implemented MILLITARY RECONSTRUCTION where
the South was divided into military districts to be overseen by the federal government.
C. In order to help freed slaves the government set up the FREEDMAN'S BUREAU, AN
ORGANIZATION THAT PROVIDED EDUCATION, TEMPORARY SHELTER AND FOOD TO
RECENTLY FREED SLAVES. CARPETBAGGERS were white northerners who came south to work
in organizations like the Freedman's Bureau.
D. Reconstruction ended in 1876
XII. THE WEST
A. People began traveling West in large numbers shortly after the Civil War. The were looking for cheap
land, new opportunities and gold. This caused a number of conflicts with Native Americans whose land
shrunk and shrunk as whites moved west. By the 1900's the frontier had virtually been conquered, and
many Native Americans were forced to live on RESERVATIONS. Since Native American land had
been acquired the new goal of the government was ASSIMILATION or MAKING NATIVE
AMERICANS LIKE WHITES. The government did this by forcing Native Americans to farm, forcibly
taking their children to white boarding schools, etc... The DAWES SEVERALTY ACT was one such
assimilation program. It:
1. BROKE UP TRIBAL LANDS
2. BROKE UP INDIAN TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS
3. SOLD THE BEST LAND FROM THE RESERVATIONS TO WHITES.
B. THE HOMESTEAD ACT GAVE CHEAP OR FREE LAND ON THE GREAT PLAINS TO
ANYONE WHO WOULD IMPROVE IT IN FIVE YEARS. THIS HELPED SETTLE THE
GREAT PLAINS.
XII. THE GILDED AGE (1870'S UNTIL ABOUT 1910)
A. The GILDED AGE was the period when America grew as a world and industrial power.
B. Many new inventions fueled this growth:
1. BESSEMER PROCESS: NEW PROCESS FOR TURNING IRON INTO STEEL
2. LIGHT BULB: THOMAS EDISON
3. ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL: TELEPHONE
4. TYPEWRITER: CHRISTOPER SHOLES
5. ELECTRIC SEWING MACHINE: ELIAS HOWE
C. All these new inventions made great changes in American society and culture.
D. During this time BIG BUSINESS EMERGED. These were MONOPOLIES or companies that
control an entire industry. Some of the heads of these companies were JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER,
ANDREW CARNEGIE, JP MORGAN. They believed in free enterprise, LAISSEZ FAIRE approach
to business (WHERE THE GOVERNMENT LETS BUSINESS DO AS IT LIKES), and the idea of
SOCIAL DARWINISM, THAT THE RICH DESERVE THEIR RICHES BECAUSE THEY ARE
STRONGER AND THE WEAK DESERVE TO BE POOR BECAUSE THEY HAVE POOR
TRAITS.
E. Writers like HORATIO ALGER justified these men's wealth through his RAGS TO RICHES
STORIES.
F. During this time, IMMIGRATION TO AMERICA PEAKED. Immigrants came from all over, but
early on they came mainly from WESTERN EUROPE. After about 1890 they came from EASTERN
EUROPE. Immigrants FROM CHINA WERE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST HARSHLY.
Immigrants from EUROPE IMMIGRATED TO ELLIS ISLAND. When they got off the boat, they
frequently moved to cities where they formed LARGE IMMIGRANT NEIGHBORHOODS.
G. As our population grew so did the problems of cities. There were various attempts to solve these
problems such as:
1. JANE ADDAMS' HULL HOUSE. Hull House was a SETTLEMENT HOUSE where
IMMIGRANTS AND THE POOR COULD GET JOB TRAINING AND EDUCATION.
2. POLITICAL MACHINES were corrupt political parties who provided services to immigrants in
exchange for votes.
F. The PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT also tried to SOLVE THE PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH
INDUSTRIALIZATION. Progressive Reforms focused on:
1. PROMOTING MORAL REFORM: Getting rid of alcohol, etc...
2. CREATING ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL REFORM: Secret ballot, Direct election of
senators, etc..
3. FOSTERING EFFICENCY: the assembly line system
4. BREAKING UP MONOPOLIES
G. There were a group of journalists like LINCOLN STEFFANS, IDA TARBELL, JACOB RIIS, AND
UPTON SINCLAIR who were called MUCKRAKERS because they tried to expose corruption and
scandal in business and government. For instance, UPTON SINCLAIR wrote an expose on the meat
industry called THE JUNGLE which helped get the Pure Food and Drug Act and Meat Inspection Act
passed.
H. TEDDY ROOSEVELT (SQUARE DEAL), WILLIAM TAFT, AND WOODROW WILSON (NEW
FREEDOM) WERE ALL PROGRESSIVE PRESIDENTS.
I. During this time LABOR UNIONS, WHICH PROMOTED WORKERS' RIGHTS became more
powerful.
J. Another movement THE POPULIST MOVEMENT (what the Wizard of Oz was about!!) tried to
advocate for RIGHTS OF FARMERS. WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN was the leader of the Populist
Movement. Bryan was NOT SUCESSFUL IN HIS CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT BECAUSE HE
COULDN'T GET A BROAD ENOUGH BASE OF SUPPORT FOR HIS MOVEMENT.
1. The Populists wanted things like FREE SILVER. They did not like the Banks or the Railroads
because the Populists believed that they exploited farmers.
K. During this time, African Americans were working for greater rights. They suffered under JIM CROW
LAWS which essentially REPLACED SLAVERY IN THE SOUTH.
L. The case of PLESSY V. FERGUSON (1896) supported JIM CROW LAWS by saying that YOU
COULD HAVE SEPERATE FACILITIES FOR BLACK AND WHITES AS LONG AS THEY
WERE EQUAL.
M. BOOKER T. WASHINGTON AND WEB DUBOIS WORKED FOR EQUAL RIGHTS FOR
AFRICAN AMERICANS, BUT IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
1. WASHINGTON: Believed that African Americans would achieve equality by improving their
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES. He focused on training African Americans in TRADE
AND MECHANICAL SKILLS, AND DOMESTIC WORK.
2. DUBOIS: Believed that whites must ACCEPT THE TALENTED TENTH, OR THE
TALEND TEN PERCENT OF AFRICAN AMERICANS IMMEDIATELY.
XIII. IMPERIALISM
A. As America became a world power, we needed to expand our influence, acquire territories for raw
materials, and for markets for our products. This is called IMPERIALISM.
B. In the 1860's we BOUGHT ALASKA FROM RUSSIA
C. In the 1890's we ANNEXED HAWAII after taking it over.
D. In 1898 we fought a war with Spain called the SPANISH AMERICAN WAR. We went to war for
several reasons:
1. EXAGERATED JOURNALISM called YELLOW JOURNALISM in America made people
hate the Spanish for the terrible things they were supposedly doing to Cuba.
2. The newspapers said that SPAIN BLEW UP OUR SHIP THE USS MAINE.
E. WE WON THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR and in the TREATY OF PARIS which ended the war:
1. We agreed that CUBA WOULD BE INDEPENDENT. However, later on we made Cuba add
the PLATT AMMENDMENT to its Constitution which gave the US THE RIGHT TO
INTERVENE IN CUBA'S AFFAIRS TO PROTECT OUR INTERESTS. This made Cuba our
PROTECTORATE or a COUNTRY WHOSE AFFAIRS ARE PARTIALLY CONTROLED
BY ANOTHER COUNTRY.
2. In the Treaty of Paris we also WON PUERTO RICO AND GUAM
3. WE BOUGHT THE PHILIPENES FROM SPAIN
F. The US secured its influence in China by writing the OPEN DOOR NOTES which demanded that
China remain open, and that the special privileges of European nations there be abolished. This was so
that the US could have access to its markets.
G. The US also "took" the PANAMA CANAL ZONE from Columbia/Panama, so that we could have a
faster way from the Atlantic to the Pacific than going around South America.
H. We sent the GREAT WHITE FLEET of ships to JAPAN to impress them with our naval strength.
I. President THEODORE ROOSEVELT reasserted our power in the world through the ROOSEVELT
COROLLARY TO THE MONROE DOCTRINE which not only warned Europe to keep out of Latin
America, but said that THE US RESERVED THE RIGHT TO ACT AS A POLICE POWER IN
LATIN AMERICA.
XIV. WORLD WAR I
A. The four main long term causes of WWI were:
1. NATIONALISM: EXTREME PRIDE IN ONE'S COUNTRY
2. IMPERIALISM: ACQUIRING COLONIES
3. MILLITARISM: BUILDING UP OF ARMED FORCES
4. ALLIANCES: PACTS BETWEEN COUNTRIES TO AID ONE ANOTHER IN CASE
THEY ARE ATTACKED.
B. These four things had been causing tension in Europe prior to the outbreak of war.
C. The spark that set off these tensions was THE ASSASINATION OF THE ARCHDUKE OF
AUSTRIA HUNGARY, FRANZ FERDINAND, BY A SERBIAN. The Serbs had just been annexed
by Austria Hungary. Serbia had an alliance with Russia, so when AUSTRIA HUNGARY DECLARED
WAR ON SERBIA IN 1914, the alliance system was set in motion. The alliances were:
1. ALLIES: ENGLAND, FRANCE, RUSSIA, SERBIA AND IN 1917 THE UNITED STATES
2. CENTRAL POWERS: GERMANY AND AUSTRIA HUNGARY
D. MOST AMERICANS DID NOT BELIEVE WE SHOULD JOIN THE WAR WHEN IT BROKE
OUT. It was too far away and we had too many immigrants representing both sides. Furthermore, we
were trading with both sides. Woodrow Wilson won the Presidential election with the slogan, "HE
KEPT US OUT OF WAR."
E. When the Germans SANK THE LUSITANIA a British passenger ship carrying American citizens,
America got closer to war. We asked Germany to sign the SUSSEX PLEDGE saying that they
WOULD STOP BOMBING OUR SHIPS. We didn't fulfill our part of the pledge so GERMANY
RESUMED UNRESTRICTED SUBMARINE WARFARE AND BEGAN BOMBING OUR SHIPS
AGAIN. We didn't join the war however, until the British intercepted the ZIMMERMANN
TELEGRAM which SUGGESTED AN ALLIANCE BETWEEN MEXICO AND GERMANY
SHOULD THE US JOIN THE WAR. THIS BROUGHT THE WAR HOME AND WE
DECLARED WAR IN 1917.
F. WOODROW WILSON, OUR PRESIDENT DURING WWI, SAID WE WERE FIGHTING TO
"MAKE THE WORLD SAFE FOR DEMOCRACY."
G. We got ready for the war in a number of ways: We passed a draft - the SELECTIVE SERVICE ACT;
we planted Victory Gardens; the COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC INFORMATION spread pro-war
propaganda and convinced people to support the war.
F. There was a lot of FEAR OF IMMIGRANTS or NATIVISM during the war, particularly directed
against Germans. The government also prevented people from speaking out against the government or
the war effort through the ESPIONAGE AND SEDITION ACTS.
G. The war ended in 1918. The ALLIES WON. The treaty that ended the war was called the TREATY
OF VERSAILLES. Among other things it:
1. Contained a WAR GUILT CLAUSE, forcing Germany to accept totally responsibility for the
war.
2. Forced Germany to PAY REPARATIONS OR WAR DAMAGES (which it didn't have the
money to pay)
3. It made a lot of new nations.
4. The Treaty of Versailles really damaged Germany and is in part responsible for WWII.
H. Wilson wanted to make the world a more peaceful place after the war. To do this he proposed a plan
for peace called the FOURTEEN POINTS. One of the most important points was that nations of the
world should join an international league for peace called the LEAGUE OF NATIONS. The United
States never joined the League of Nations, nor did it sign the Treaty of Versailles.
XV. THE 1920'S
A. During the 1920's we wanted to RETURN TO NORMALCY or go back to how we were before the
war. We did this by BECOMING ISOLATIONIST or STAYING OUT OF WORLD AFFAIRS.
B. Because of the Russian Revolution, were also SCARED THAT COMMUNISTS MIGHT TAKE
OVER THE US. This was called the RED SCARE.
C. During the 1920's we were also NATIVIST or WERE SUSPICIOUS OF FORIGNERS. Because of
this we applied a QUOTA SYSTEM which limited the number of immigrants from certain countries.
D. During the 1920's the ECONOMY WAS SEEMINGLY GOOD. People bought lots of things on
credit, and speculated in the STOCK MARKET which caused stock prices to rise unusually high.
E. During the 1920's GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS HAD A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP. The
government's attitude was to let business do what it wanted, an idea called LAISSEZ FAIRE.
F. In the 1920's we implement PROHIBITION with the 18TH AMENDMENT. This BANNED THE
SALE OR CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL.
G. In the 1920's WOMEN FINALLY GOT THE RIGHT TO VOTE with the 19TH AMENDMENT.
H. In the 1920's AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE EXPERIENCED A REBIRTH called the
HARLEM RENAISSANCE, because it took place in major cities, like Harlem, throughout the US. This
was in part caused by the GREAT MIGRATION a huge MOVEMENT OF AFRICAN AMERICANS
FROM THE SOUTH TO THE NORTH DURING WWI.
XVI. THE 1930'S
A. In 1929 the STOCK MARKET CRASHED which brought on a period of SEVERE ECONOMIC
DOWNTURN that would last until WWII called the GREAT DEPRESSION.
B. The Great Depression had many causes, like the economic problems in Europe, sever problems in the
US economy, trade restrictions, etc...
C. When the Depression broke out, PRESIDENT HERBERT HOOVER DID VERY LITTLE TO TRY
AND FIX THE ECONOMY.
D. In 1932 the country wanted a President who would do something about the Depression. They elected
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT. He had a PLAN FOR GETTING THE US OUT OF THE
DEPRESSION called the NEW DEAL. The NEW DEAL WAS BOLD AND EXPERIMENTAL,
and included a number of programs like the CCC, NRA, TVA, FDIC, SSA, etc...
E. Many people felt like Roosevelt took too much control of the government as President. However, many
people were also helped by his programs.
F. The NEW DEAL PROGRAMS GREATLY INCREASED THE SIZE OF THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT.
XVII. WORLD WAR II
A. World War II had a number of causes, like the depression in Europe in the 1920's and 1930's, the anger
and humiliation of the German people over the end of WWI and the Treaty of Versailles, etc... During
the 1920's and 1930's these things allowed TOTALITARIAN DICTATORS like ADOLPH HITLER,
BENITO MUSSOLINI AND FRANCISCO FRANCO to come to power in Europe.
B. Adolph Hitler CAME TO POWER IN GERMANY when he was appointed Chancellor in of the weak
German government. He declared himself leader and began to slowly violate the Treaty of Versailles and
take over surrounding land. Europe didn't want to face another war so they APPEASED HITLER or
let him have his way to avoid war. However, when Hitler took over Poland, the other European nations
couldn't let his actions go on and in 1939 Britain and France declared war on Germany.
C. WWII was fought by:
1. The ALLIES: GREAT BRITIAN, RUSSIA, (FRANCE), THE USA (after 1941) AND OVER
40 OTHER NATIONS.
2. The AXIS: GERMANY, ITALY, JAPAN
D. At first the US DIDN'T WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN THE WAR. However, we did lend the
Allies supplies through the LEND LEASE PROGRAM.
E. When Japan invaded China, the US warned them to pull out. They wouldn't and so the US froze Japan's
assets in the US. JAPAN RESPONDED BY ATTACKING OUR BASE AT PEARL HARBOR
HAWAII. This was the act that MADE THE US DECLARE WAR IN 1941.
F. The war was fought on TWO FRONTS. THE EUROPEAN FRONT, IN EUROPE AGAINST
GERMANY AND ITALY AND THE PACIFIC FRONT IN THE PACIFIC AGAINST JAPAN.
G. Things didn't go well for the Allies at first, but a major TURNING POINT CAME AT THE BATTLE
OF STALINGRAD WHEN THE RUSSIANS WERE ABLE TO TURN AROUND THE GERMAN
OFFENSIVE. Other turning points came at EL AMIN in AFRICA when the Allies were able to push
the Germany out of Africa. The war in Europe ENDED WHEN THE ALLIES CAPTURED
BERLIN. Our President, FDR DIDN'T LIVE TO SEE THE END OF THE WAR IN EUROPE.
When FDR died HARRY TRUMAN BECAME PRESIDENT.
H. After the Allies won the war in Europe, they still had to win the war against Japan. The Allies used the
technique of ISLAND HOPPING going from island to island to take back the Pacific. A MAJOR
TURNING POINT IN THE WAR WAS THE BATTLE OF THE MIDWAY.
I. HARRY TRUMAN and others believed a land assault on Japan would be costly and dangerous. Instead,
the US dropped a secret weapon THE ATOMIC BOMB ON HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI
JAPAN. Shortly afterwards, the war ended (1945).
J. At the YALTA CONFERENCE shortly before the war was over it was agreed that GERMANY AND
BERLIN WOULD BE DIVIDED INTO FOUR SECTIONS, WITH EACH OF THE ALLIES
OCCUPYING ONE SECTION. We also joined AN INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR PEACE
called the UNITED NATIONS.
XVIII. THE COLD WAR BEGINS
A. When it came time for the Soviet Union to leave its section of Germany and Berlin after WWII, it
refused. The eastern part of Germany was formed as a new, Communist nation under Soviet control.
This was one of the first incidents in the COLD WAR a WAR WITHOUT BULLETS FOUGHT
BETWEEN THE US AND THE SOVIET UNION FROM AFTER WWII UNTIL 1990.
B. In order to supply its section of Berlin, the Allies organized an airlift of supplies to Berlin called the
BERLIN AIRLIFT.
C. East Berlin eventually erected a wall, called the BERLIN WALL to SEPERATE COMMUNIST EAST
BERLIN FROM NON COMMUNIST WEST BERLIN.
D. FROM 1950 TO 1990 THE TOP GOAL OF THE US WAS TO STOP THE SPREAD OF
COMMUNISM, DEFEAT THE SOVIET UNION AND STOP THE DOMINO EFFECT,
WHERE COMMUNISM SPREADS FROM ONE COUNTRY TO ANOTHER.
E. To stop the spread of communism we did a number of things:
1. MARSHALL PLAN: GAVE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN AID TO COUNTRIES IN
EUROPE TO STOP THEM FROM BEING COMMUNIST.
2. TRUMAN DOCTRINE: SAID WE WOULD SUPPORT ANYONE WHO WAS
RESISTING THE COMMUNISTS.
3. FOUGHT A WAR IN KOREA IN THE 1950'S
4. FOUGHT AN UNSUCESSFUL WAR IN VIETNAM FROM 1954 UNTIL 1973 TO STOP
THE SPREAD OF COMMUNISM.
5. REFUSED TO RECOGNIZE THE COMMUNIST CHINESE GOVERNMENT
6. JOINED NATO, A MULTI NATION ALLIANCE WHICH WENT AGAINST THE
COMMUNIST ALLIANCE, THE WARSAW PACT.
7. INVADED CUBA IN THE BAY OF PIGS INVASION TO OVERTHROW THE
COMMUNIST GOVERNMENT OF FIDEL CASTRO.
8. ALMOST FOUGHT WWIII WHEN THE SOVIETS PUT MISSILES IN CUBA POINTING
AT THE US
9. SPEND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON THE SPACE PROGRAM AND IN TRAINING
STUDENTS IN MATH AND SCIENCE TO DEFEAT THE SOVIET'S IN SPACE,
PARTICULARLY AFTER THEY LAUNCHED THE SPUTNIK, THE FIRST SATELLITE.
10. GOT INTO AN ARMS RACE WITH THE SOVIET UNION AND BUILT NUCLEAR
WEAPONS, WHICH COST MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
11. INTERVENED IN THE AFFAIRS OF LATIN AMERICA TO STOP THE SPREAD OF
COMMUNISM.
12. ALLOWED SENATOR JOSEPH MCCARTHY TO SEEK OUT SUSPECTED
COMMUNISTS IN THE GOVERNMENT AND IN INDUSTRIES LIKE THE FILM
INDUSTRY.
XIX. THE 1950'S AND 1960'S
A. The 1950's was a time of conformity in America. We were ECONOMICALLY PROSPEROUS
DURING THE 1950'S BECAUSE OF INCREASED CONSUMPTION.
B. In the 1950's we experienced a BABY BOOM which was a population explosion from around 1945
until around 1965.
C. This Baby Boom caused an increased need for cheap housing. This began the process of the
SUBURBANIZATION OF AMERICA where people began to move out of the cities into the outskirts
of the cities. This was made possible by CHEAP HOUSING which was pioneered by WILLIAM
LEVIT'S LEVITTOWN.
D. During the 1950's African Americans made strides for Equal Rights with the Supreme Court Decision
of BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION which ENDED SEGREGATION by saying that
SEPERATE FACILITIES WERE NOT EQUAL.
E. Desegregation didn't come easily and many times it was necessary for the President to put National
Guard troops UNDER FEDERAL CONTROL IN ORDER TO DESEGRATE SCHOOLS.
F. DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER WAS PRESIDENT DURING THE 1950'S AND IN 1960
DEMOCRAT JOHN F. KENNEDY WON FOR PRESIDENT
G. While Kennedy wasn't that effective as a President his New Frontier Program did start organizations like
the PEACE CORPS.
H. KENNEDY WAS SHOT AND LYNDON B. JOHNSON BECAME PRESIDENT. Johnson's
GREAT SOCIETY PROGRAMS were directed at helping the poor and the elderly.
J. Johnson was ruined politically by television coverage of Vietnam, which was a war we were fighting to
end Communism in that country. After 1968 TET OFFENSIVE, THE WAR CHANGED AND IT
WAS CLEAR WE WOULD NOT WIN. Opinions about our role in Vietnam began to change, and
many people began to believe that we should be out of the war.
K. This anti-war movement was a lot like the CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT for Civil Rights for African
Americans and all people. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KIND USED NON-VIOLENT PROTEST AS A
MEANS TO ACHEIVING CIVIL RIGHTS. However, his tactics different from other groups in the
Civil Rights Movement, like the BLACK PANTHERS AND MALCOLM X, who advocated a more
forceful, sometimes-violent approach to achieving Civil Rights.
XX. THE END OF THE 20TH CENTURY
A. After Johnson, RICHARD NIXON BECOME PRESIDENT IN 1968. NIXON IS A REPUBLICAN.
B. Nixon was good with foreign relations
1. Recognized Communist Chinese govt. as government
2. Began détente with China: an easing of tensions (through ping pong)
2. Got us out of Vietnam War (1973)
C. Nixon was involved in Watergate scandal
1. Nixon worried about 1972 election
2. Authorized break-in of DNC headquarters at Watergate hotel
3. Tried to cover it up
4. Realized he was in trouble and resigned
D. GERALD FORD (Republican), Nixon’s VP becomes president
1. Ford pardons Nixon
2. Ford runs for President in 1976 and looses. He is the only President in the 20th century to never
have been elected.
G. JIMMY CARTER (Democrat) wins the 1976 election
1. Jimmy Carter is smart but not very effective as a President
2. During Carter’s administration there were high gas prices, recession and inflation
3. Carter looses the 1980 election to Ronald Reagan
H. RONALD REAGAN (Republican) is President from 1980 to 1988
1. Under Reagan we see prosperity because of DEFECIT SPENDING – spending more money
than the government has.
2. Reagan’s economic theory (trickle down economics/ SUPPLY SIDE ECONOMICS/
Reaganomics) was to give tax cuts to the rich which would let them invest in the economy, thus
making the poor better off. This made the rich happy – didn’t do much for poor. Reagan’s
programs were CONSERVATIVE
3. Reagan was involved in the Iran –Contra Scandal
a. The Sandinistas (pro-communists) had come to power in Nicaragua
b. The Contras were non-communist and fighting against them
c. The US was not supposed to aid any of these sides
d. We secretly sold arms to Iran in exchange for hostages and used the money from the sale
to give arms to the Contras which they paid for by selling drug in the US.
e. Oliver North took part of the blame for this when the scandal broke.
4. During the 1980’s there were several NUCLEAR DISASTERS. These were at THREE MILE
ISLAND AND CHERNOBYL. These raised issues about the DANGERS OF RADIATION
LEAKAGE.
5. In 1989 THE BERLIN WALL FELL, ENDING THE COLD WAR.
I. GEORGE BUSH (Reagan’s VP) Became President in 1988
1. Bush authorized troops to fight in the GULF WAR to fight Iraq, who took over neighboring
Kuwait, which gave us oil
2. In 1989 China ATTACKED ITS OWN STUDENTS IN TIANAMEN SQUARE which
prompted us to revoke its most favored nation status.
J. BILL CLINTON
1. He appealed to the younger generation.
2. First budget surplus in 50 years
3. Monica Lewinski scandal and IMPEACHMENT
K.GEORGE W. BUSH
1. Disputed election of 2000—Florida voting
2. Return of conservative values—a backlash against Clinton and Democrats
3. 9/11 and response against Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin-Laden
4. Invasion of Iraq and domestic turmoil
XXI. DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES
A. THE FASTEST GROWING SECTION OF THE POPULATION IS NOW OLD PEOPLE.
B. HISPANICS ARE THE LARGEST IMMIGRANT GROUP FOLLOWED BY ASIANS.
C. SINCE THE 1980’S MANY SOUTHERNERS NOW VOTE REPUBLICAN. MANY AFRICAN
AMERICANS NOW VOTE DEMOCRAT.
D. THE FASTEST GROWING SECTOR OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY IS THE SERVICE
SECTOR.
Important Supreme Court cases
Marbury v. Madison
Increased the power of the Supreme Court by setting a precedent of judicial review—the power to declare a law
unconstitutional
McCulloch v. Maryland
Stated that federal institutions are superior to state institutions
Dred Scott Case
Slaves are property and therefore slavery can not be limited. One fo the events that led to increased
sectionalism and the Civil War
Plessey v. Ferguson
It stated that Jim Crow laws and “separate but equal” did not violate the 14th amendment. It therefore allowed
for a segregated southern society.
Korematsu v.U.S.
Stated that the internment camps that Japanese were put in during WW II was NOT unconstitutional. This
showed that during a time of war, individual freedoms could be restricted.
Brown V. Board of Education
“Separate but Equal is inherently unequal. Reversed the Plessey decision and in many ways provided the
necessary foundation for the Civil Rights movement.
US. v. Nixon
This decision made it clear that the President is not above the law and executive privilege does not allow the
president to break the law. Related to the Watergate scandal.
Gideon v Wainwright and Miranda v. Arizona
Supported the individual rights of the accused.
Bakke v. The Regents of the University of California
Dealt with affirmative action. Stated that race could be a factor, just not the only factor, in determining
admissions.
Roe v. Wade
Stated that the government did not have the right to make first term abortions illegal.