Interactive Flashcards
US History
Vocabulary Review
Goals 7-12
Begin Review
Goal Seven
Muckraking
See the Definition
Monroe
Doctrine
See the Definition
A part Teddy Roosevelt’s “big
stick diplomacy”
Reinforced the idea of no European
control of Latin America
Stated that if necessary the US
would intervene in Latin America on
behalf of Europe
The US as an international police
force
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Journalists who exposed
corruption and weakness in
American society early in 20th
century
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Sherman
Anti-Trust
Act
See the Definition
Outlawed business monopolies because
they stifled trade
Authorized the Attorney General to force
monopolies to break up into smaller
companies
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Plessey v.
Ferguson
See the Definition
Supreme Court case which established
the principle of “separate, but equal”
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Booker T.
Washington
See the Definition
Ex-slave and African American leader at
turn of 20th century
Acknowledged white domination, called
for slow progress through selfimprovement
Stressed patience, manual training, and
hard work
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W.E.B.
DuBois
See the Definition
African American leader in early party of
20th century who earned first African
American doctorate from Harvard
In his Souls of Black Folks, he attacked
Washington’s views and sought higher
education for African Americans
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Ida Wells
Barnett
See the Definition
African American journalist from
Tennessee who led a crusade against
lynching
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Great
Migration
See the Definition
Large scale movement of African
Americans from the South to the
North in the early part of the 20th
century
Reasons for move were to escape Jim
Crow laws and discrimination and for
economic opportunity
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NAACP
See the Definition
National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People
Created by white progressives and members of
Niagara Movement in 1908 on Lincoln’s birthday
Mission was to abolish all forms of segregation and
increase educational opportunities for AfricanAmerican children
Relied on extensive use of the court system
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Poll taxes
See the Definition
Annual tax required to be paid before
one could vote; hurt poor whites and
African Americans
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Henry Ford
See the Definition
$5 day – Ford’s wage scheme that doubled average
wage in automobile industry; lead to increased
production
Assembly line – Ford used a moving assembly line to
produce automobiles instead of handcraftsmanship
Model T – first affordable automobile, credited with
putting Americans on wheels
Workers as consumers – Ford paid workers a wage
proportionate to the cost of the car so the would
become ready made market
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Goal Eight
Nationalism
See the Definition
Pride or loyalty to one’s country
One of the causes of WWI
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Militarism
See the Definition
Glorification of a nation’s military
strengths
Aggressive increase in the armed forces
of Europe’s great powers
One of the causes of WWI
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WWI
Alliances
See the Definition
WWI alliance of Russia, France, The
British Empire, and Italy
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WWI
Central
Powers
See the Definition
WWI alliance of Germany, AustriaHungary, and the Ottoman Empire
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Kaiser
Wilhelm II
See the Definition
Leader of Germany during WWI
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Zimmerman
Telegram
See the Definition
Secret message sent by Germany’s
foreign minister (Arthur Zimmerman) to
the German ambassador in Mexico that
disclosed a German plan to form an
alliance w/ Mexico if the U.S. should
enter the war
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Lusitania
See the Definition
British passenger ship sunk by the
Germans on May 7, 1915, killing 1200
civilians, including 128 Americans
Helped turn American public opinion
against Germany before the US entered
WWI
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Woodrow
Wilson
See the Definition
U.S. President from 1912-1920
Considered to be on of three
Progressive presidents from the early
1900s
President during WWI
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Trench
Warfare
See the Definition
Style of infantry combat during WWI
Each side sheltered in trenches from
which they would attack the other
Led to stalemate on the western front
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Wilson’s
Fourteen
Points
See the Definition
Pres. Wilson’s plan for peace after WWI
Listed steps that the world must take to
prevent another great war
Advocated free trade, freedom of the
seas, and self-determination
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Treaty of
Versailles
See the Definition
Treaty that ended WWI and created the
League of Nations
The US Senate never approved the treaty
or joined the League of Nations
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Sacco &
Vanzetti
See the Definition
Anarchists who were accused and convicted of
committing 2 murders during a robbery
The judge refused to listen to witnesses who gave the
2 men alibis and the men were executed
Their execution was seen as a form of discrimination
against immigrants in the early 1900s
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Goal Nine
Laissez
Faire
See the Definition
Hands-off approach to governing
Approach to governing that advocates
no government regulation/intervention in
the economy
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Speculation
See the Definition
Buying something at a low price, in order
to sell it at a higher price later
The term is often used in reference to
buying and selling stock
Speculation in the stock market is
considered a cause of the 1929 stock
market crash
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Buying on
the margin
See the Definition
Borrowing money in order to invest in
the stock market
Considered a cause of the 1929 stock
market crash
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Black
Tuesday
See the Definition
Term used to describe Oct 29, 1929
Five days after the initial crash, the stock
market reached its lowest point
Usually associated with the start of the
Great Depression
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Direct
Relief
See the Definition
Government providing jobs, money,
food, etc. to people in need
Approach taken by FDR in reacting to
the Depression
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Hoovervilles
See the Definition
Shantytowns formed by people left
homeless during the Depression
Nicknamed after President Hoover
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Soup
Kitchen
See the Definition
Soup kitchens were places where
people suffering from the Depression
could get food for free
Usually operated and staffed by volunteers
and/or church organizations
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Jazz
See the Definition
Popular form of music during the 1920s
Key Figures: Lois Armstrong, Duke
Ellington
The “Jazz Age” refers to the time period
between the early 1920s and the end of
WWI
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Speakeasies
See the Definition
Places to buy liquor illegally during
prohibition
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Fireside
Chats
See the Definition
Radio addresses made by FDR to the
American people during the Great
Depression and WWII
FDR used the addresses to reassure
American’s during times of crisis
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Marcus
Garvey
See the Definition
Advocate of Black Nationalism and
founder of the United Negro
Improvement Association
Supported a Back-to-Africa movement
that encouraged all people of African
descent to return to Africa
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Scopes
Trial
See the Definition
Often called the “Scopes Monkey Trial”
John T. Scopes broke a Tennessee law
banning the teaching of evolution in
schools
The trial was referred to as the “Trial of
the Century” and drew nationwide
attention
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Billy
Sunday
See the Definition
Christian Evangelist in the early 1900s
Known for his “fire and brimstone”
approach to evangelism, opposition to
evolution, and support for prohibition
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FDIC
See the Definition
Government program created during the New Deal
Bank closings during the Great Depression caused
many Americans to distrust banks
FDIC was designed to restore Americans’ trust in
banks by promising to insure all deposits up to
$5,000 ($100,000 today)
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PWA
See the Definition
Government program created during the
New Deal
Designed to help stimulate the American
economy by providing jobs
Government paid Americans to work on
construction projects (roads, dams, etc.)
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WPA
See the Definition
The largest New Deal agency
Designed to help stimulate the American
economy by providing jobs
Employed people in construction and as
writers, musicians, and artists
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Frances
Perkins
See the Definition
The first female cabinet member
She was appointed Secretary of Labor by
FDR in 1933
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Goal Ten
Axis
Powers
See the Definition
WWII alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan
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Fascism
See the Definition
Political ideology based on nationalism
Characteristics:
One party dictatorship
Extreme nationalism
Anti-Communist & Anti-Democratic
Militaristic: both developed powerful
militaries
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Adolf
Hitler
See the Definition
German dictator during WWII
Leader of the Nazi Party
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Third Reich
See the Definition
Name used to refer to Germany under
the Nazi Party
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Benito
Mussolini
See the Definition
Italian dictator during WWII
Leader of the Fascist Party
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Emperor
Hirohito
See the Definition
Emperor of Japan during WWII
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Allied
Powers
See the Definition
WWII alliance of the US, Great Britain,
and the USSR
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Winston
Churchill
See the Definition
Prime Minister of Great Britain during
WWII
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Joseph
Stalin
See the Definition
Premier of the USSR during WWII
Stalin was an ally of the US during
WWII, but became a major adversary
during the Cold War
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Kellogg –
Briand Pact
See the Definition
International treaty that outlawed war in
1928
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Lend-Lease
Act
See the Definition
Act of Congress that allowed FDR to
supply the Allied Powers with weapons
before the Pearl Harbor attack
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Pearl
Harbor
See the Definition
Japan attacked the US naval base at
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Dec 7, 1941
The attack led the US to declare war on
Japan and enter WWII on the side of the
Allied Powers
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Battle of
the Bulge
See the Definition
The last German offensive of WWII
The German Army tried to split the
American and British forces
Germany hoped to force the Allies into
negotiating a peace treaty with the Axis
Powers
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Blitzkrieg
See the Definition
Lightning war
Using airplanes to bomb an area before
rapidly invading using tanks and other
mechanized weapons
Used by Germany during WWII
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D-Day
Operation
Overlord
See the Definition
France was captured by Germany in the
early years of WWII and this was the
Allied invasion of France to liberate the
nation from German occupation
Allied forces crossed the English
Channel from England to the beaches of
German occupied Normandy, France
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General
George
Patton
See the Definition
US Army General during WWII
Led US forces against Germany forces
in North Africa and led the US invasion
of Italy
Also led US forces in the Allied attack on
Germany
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Holocaust
See the Definition
Nazi campaign of genocide against Jews
and other European minorities
Approximately 6 million Jews were killed
Nazis referred to it as the “Final
Solution”
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Newsreels
See the Definition
Short news clips shown in movie
theaters
An important source of information about
the war
Used as pro-war propaganda by the US
government
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Iwo Jima
See the Definition
Battle between the US and Japan during WWII
Both sides suffered extremely high numbers of killed
and wounded
One of the battles that made American leaders
concerned about the costs of an invasion of Japan
Famous for the photograph of US Marines raising an
American during the battle
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Atomic
Bomb
See the Definition
The US developed it as a part of a top
secret program named the Manhattan
Project
Only been used in warfare twice, both by
the US at the end of WWII - Hiroshima
and Nagasaki
Played a very important role in the Cold
War, leading to a nuclear arms race
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Island
hopping
See the Definition
US strategy for fighting in the Pacific
theater during WWII
The US bypassed islands heavily
defended by the Japanese and instead
focused only on capturing islands that
were not well defended but would help
the US in its push towards Japan
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Nuremberg
Trials
See the Definition
A series of trials after WWII known for
their prosecution of Nazi leaders
The trials were held in Nuremburg,
Germany
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War Bonds
See the Definition
A type of savings bond sold during WWI
and WWII as a means of raising money
for the war effort
A way for Americans to lend money to
the government, and be repaid plus
interest
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G.I. Bill
See the Definition
Nickname for the Serviceman
Readjustment Act of 1944
Provided money to US soldiers returning
from WWII to pay for college or job
training, and provided low-interest home
loans
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Levittown
See the Definition
The first mass-produced suburb
Became the model for post-WWII
suburbs in the US
Named for the builder Abraham Levitt
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Rosie the
Riveter
See the Definition
Character used to represent women who
worked in manufacturing during WWII
Many women entered the workforce to
produce war supplies while the men who
traditionally performed this work went to
war
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TaftHartley
Act
See the Definition
Severely limited the power of American
labor unions
Banned closed shops and put
restrictions on Union shops
Passed by Congress over Truman’s veto
in 1947
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Japanese
Internment
camps
See the Definition
The forced detention of 120,000
Japanese-Americans during WWII for
fear of spying and sabotage
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Bay of Pigs
See the Definition
Failed attempt by the US to train Cuban
refugees to invade Cuba and overthrow
Communist dictator Fidel Castro
The invasion was a bad for President
Kennedy’s Cold War image
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Berlin Wall
See the Definition
East Germany built a wall separating
East and West Berlin
The wall was built to keep East Germans
from escaping to West Germany
The wall served as a symbol of the Cold
War
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Cuban
Missile
Crisis
See the Definition
In October of 1962 US spy planes
detected Soviet missiles being built in
Cuba
President Kennedy ordered a naval
quarantine (blockade) of Cuba to
prevent the missiles from becoming
operational
13 days into the crisis, Soviet Premier
Nikita Khrushchev announced that the
missiles would be removed
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Fidel
Castro
See the Definition
Communist dictator who took over Cuba
in 1959
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Geneva
Accords
See the Definition
France gave up control of Vietnam
Vietnam was divided into North and
South Vietnam at the 17th parallel line
Also called the Geneva Conference
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Iron
Curtain
See the Definition
Symbolic boundary between East and
West
East = the USSR and its communist
allies
West = the US and its non-communist
allies
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Korean
War
See the Definition
Korea was divided along the 38th
parallel line in 1945
In 1950 communist North Korea invaded
non-communist South Korea
Harry Truman sent US forces to help
defend South Korea from communist
takeover
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Marshall
Plan
See the Definition
US plan to rebuild Europe after WWII
Named for Secretary of State George Marshall
The US offered economic aid to all European nations,
including those behind the Iron Curtain (no communist
nations accepted)
Americans hoped that rebuilding the European
economy would make communism less attractive
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Alliance
for
Progress
See the Definition
Organization created by JFK aimed at
establishing economic cooperation
between North and South America
Intended to counter the threat of
communism posed by Cuba
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NATO
See the Definition
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Cold War alliance of Western nations
against communist threats
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Warsaw
Pact
See the Definition
Cold War alliance of Soviet dominated
Communist nations
Created in response to the formation of
NATO
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United
Nations
See the Definition
International organization founded in
1945 in the aftermath of WWII
Designed to prevent future wars by
promoting international law, cooperation
between nations, and economic
development
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Goal Eleven
Duck and
Cover
See the Definition
Method of personal protection from
nuclear attack taught to US school
children beginning in late 1940s
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House Un-American
Activities
Committee
(HUAC)
See the Definition
Set up originally to investigate Nazi
propaganda, after WWII, revived as
watchdog against communist
propaganda
Most spectacular investigation was of
motion picture industry beginning in
1947
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Alger Hiss
See the Definition
Former State Department official
accused of being part of a Soviet
espionage ring
Convicted of perjuring himself before the
HUAC
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Julius and
Ethel
Rosenberg
See the Definition
“Atomic bomb spies”
Members of American Communist party
accused of being part of atomic bomb
spy ring
Convicted of espionage and executed in
1953
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Selective
Service
See the Definition
Passed in 1940 instituted first peacetime
draft; expired in 1947, but several draft
laws passed between 1948-67
1975 by Executive Order, President Ford
ended mandatory registration, but
President Carter reinstated it in 1980
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New Left
See the Definition
Name loosely associated with radical
social movements of the 1960s primarily
on college campuses
Symbolized best by the Students for a
Democratic Society (SDS) and
opposition to the Vietnam War
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Détente
See the Definition
Foreign policy mainly identified with
President Nixon and Henry Kissinger
aimed at reducing Cold War tensions
Led in 1972 to Nixon’s visits to China
and Moscow
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Montgomery
Bus Boycott
See the Definition
Sparked by Rosa Parks’ arrest for
refusal to give up seat on bus
Lasted 381 days until federal courts
struck down Alabama’s law requiring
racial segregation in public
transportation
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Rosa Parks
See the Definition
Civil rights pioneer whose refusal to give
up her seat on bus sparked the
Montgomery bus boycott
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Martin
Luther
King, Jr
See the Definition
Most influential civil rights leader of the
1950s-60s
Civil Disobedience
He earned the Noble Peace Prize for his
work in 1964
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Malcolm X
See the Definition
Most popular and controversial Black
Muslim (Nation of Islam) leader of 1960s
Message was white responsibility for black
condition, black pride, separatism, and
armed self-defense when needed
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Black
Panthers
See the Definition
Militant black nationalist organization
founded in Oakland, CA in 1966 by Huey
Newton and Bobby Seale
Supported activities to help those in
ghettos, however, better known for
violent confrontations with law
enforcement
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Stokley
Carmichael
See the Definition
Militant leader of SNCC who advocated
political separation of the races and violent
revolution
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CORE
See the Definition
Interracial organization formed in 1942
to challenge segregation
Organized the “freedom riders”
challenge to segregated bus facilities in
the South in 1961 and active in
“Freedom Summer” of 1964
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S.N.C.C.
(Student
Nonviolent
Coordinating
Committee)
See the Definition
Biracial national protest group originally
founded to coordinate sit-ins and
boycotts, later voting rights drives
In the middle 1960s, under the direction
of Stokley Carmichael, it became much
more radical/militant
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March on
Washington
See the Definition
March organized by civil rights groups to
support the passage of the 1963 Civil
Rights Bill
Held on August 28, 1963, it was here
that Martin Luther King, Jr. made his “I
Have a Dream” speech
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Little Rock
Nine
See the Definition
Nine African American students chosen
to integrate the school system in Little
Rock
Blocked by the governor of Arkansas,
President Eisenhower sent in federal
troops to ensure integration
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George
Wallace
See the Definition
Segregationist and states rights
governor of Alabama who attempted to
prevent integration in state
Ran for president as 3rd party candidate
in 1968 (captured 5 states) and again in
1972 (paralyzed in assassination
attempt)
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Brown v.
Board of
Education
See the Definition
Held by many scholars to be the most
important Supreme Court case of the
20th century
Overruled Plessy v. Ferguson, holding
that “separte educational facilities are
inherently unequal."
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Thurgood
Marshall
See the Definition
Chief counsel for the NAACP in many
civil rights cases including Brown v.
Board of Education
In 1967 became first African American
appointed to the Supreme Court
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Earl
Warren
See the Definition
Chief Justice of Supreme Court from
1953-1969
His term of office was marked by
numerous rulings affecting, among other
things civil rights, separation of church
and state, rights of accused persons
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Civil Rights
Act of
1964
See the Definition
Outlawed discrimination in public
accommodations (theaters, hotels,
restaurants)
Prohibited employment discrimination
based on race, creed, national origin,
and sex.
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NOW
National
Organization
for Women
See the Definition
Women’s rights organization founded by
Betty Freidan and other feminist in 1966
Major goals were passage of the Equal
Rights Amendment and sexual equality
in the workplace through political means
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Gloria
Steinem
See the Definition
American feminist and activist who
founded the feminist magazine, Ms, in
1971
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The
Feminine
Mystique
See the Definition
1963 book written by Betty Friedan
which attacked the popular notion that
women during this time could only find
fulfillment through childbearing and
homemaking
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ERA
Equal Rights
Amendment
See the Definition
Proposed constitutional amendment that
provided that equality of rights could not
be denied on account of sex
Passed Congress in 1972 and sent to
states for ratification; fell 3 states short
of ratification
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Roe v.
Wade
See the Definition
Established that abortion is a
fundamental right under the Constitution
Decision was based on right to privacy
(not explicit, but 9th amendment)
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HaightAshbury
See the Definition
Area in San Francisco which became
the center of the 1960s hippie movement
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Woodstock
See the Definition
Rock festival which has been
romanticized and idealized in American
popular culture as the culmination of the
hippie movement
Held in August 1969, it featured many
rock legends, The Who, Hendrix,
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and the
Grateful Dead
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Cesar
Chavez
See the Definition
Latino labor leader of farm workers who
helped form the United Farm Workers
Organizing Committee in 1966
Organized boycott of California grapes in
1965 which led to contract in 1970
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AIM
American
Indian
Movement
See the Definition
Often militant Native American activist
organization dedicated to protecting
Native American rights
Seized Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1972 and
had bloody confrontation with federal
authorities at Wounded Knee in 1973
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EPA
See the Definition
Established by President Nixon in 1970,
it is an agency of the federal government
of the United States charged with
protecting human health and with
safeguarding the natural environment:
air, water, and land
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Ho Chi
Minh
See the Definition
Vietnamese nationalist and founder of
the Viet Minh independence movement
in 1940s
First president and leader of the Democratic
Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam)
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Vietcong
See the Definition
Insurgent organization in South Vietnam
composed of South/North Vietnamese
who fought US and South Vietnam in
guerilla war
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Gulf of
Tonkin
Resolution
See the Definition
Congressional resolution passed in
response to alleged attacks by North
Vietnamese patrol boats in Gulf of
Tonkin
Gave president (LBJ) authority to use all
necessary measures to repel attacks
against U.S. forces and take all steps
necessary for the defense of U.S. allies
in Southeast Asia
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Operation
Rolling
Thunder
See the Definition
Sustained bombing raids of North
Vietnam which began 3 months after
LBJ became president and lasted for 3
years
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My Lai
Incident
See the Definition
Massacre of hundreds of Vietnamese
civilians by US soldiers led by Lt. William
Calley
News of atrocity led to public outrage,
loss of support for war, and Calley’s
court martial
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Agent
Orange
See the Definition
Powerful herbicide/defoliant used in war;
later linked to a variety of health
problems suffered by veterans
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Napalm
See the Definition
Jellied gasoline incendiary used in
bombs during Vietnam War; highly
flammable and adheres to victims
causing severe burns
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Tet
Offensive
See the Definition
Surprise attack by Vietcong on hundreds
of South Vietnamese cities and villages
beginning on Tet (Vietnamese New Year)
Although military victory for US/South
Vietnamese, it became a turning point of
the war because of American public
opinion
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Kent State
See the Definition
Student protests over American invasion
of Cambodia led to Ohio National Guard
firing into group of students leaving 4
dead and 9 wounded
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Cambodia
and Laos
See the Definition
Both were granted independence from
France after the 1954 Geneva
Conference
During the Vietnam War the Ho Chi Minh
Trail ran through these two countries
connecting North Vietnam to South
Vietnam
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Sputnik
See the Definition
First artificial satellite launched by the
Soviets in October 1957
Marked the start of the space age and
the U.S.-U.S.S.R space race
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NASA
See the Definition
US space agency created during the
Cold War
Established in 1958 in response to the
Soviet launching of Sputnik
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Peace
Corps
See the Definition
Program of volunteer assistance to
developing nations in Asia, Africa, and Latin
America established in 1961 by Executive
Order
Huge success and one of JFK’s most
lasting contributions
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United
States v.
Nixon
See the Definition
Case involved President Nixon’s refusal
to surrender tape recordings to
Watergate Special Prosecutor on
grounds of executive privilege
Supreme Court determined it had the
power to decide limits of presidential
power and rejected Nixon’s claim of
privilege
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th
25
Amendment
See the Definition
Provides for secession upon
death/removal/resignation of president or
vice president
Provides for discharge of presidential duties
upon disability
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Goal Twelve
Camp David
Accords
See the Definition
Framework for peace process between
Israel and Egypt brokered by President
Carter between Anwar el-Sadat of Egypt
and Menachem Begin of Israel in
September 1978
Led to historic peace treaty following
year between the two countries
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Iranian
Hostage
Crisis
See the Definition
Triggered by US allowing Shah to enter
US for medical treatment
Militant Islamic students stormed US
embassy in Teheran, taking hostages
Carter’s failure to secure the release of
hostages hurt his reelection bid
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Jimmy
Carter
See the Definition
Former governor of Georgia and 39th
president of the United States
His administration was hurt by the
economy, energy crisis, and hostage
situation and he was seen as a less than
effective president
Most outstanding foreign policy success
was Camp David Accords between
Israel and Egypt
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Star Wars
See the Definition
March 1983 - Reagan’s most significant
defense initiative
System of weapons based in space that
would intercept Soviet missiles before
they reached US
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IranContra
Affair
See the Definition
Illegal arms sales to Iran for the release
of hostages held in Lebanon with the
resulting profits funneled to the Contras
in Nicaragua in direct violation of
Congress ban contained in Boland
Amendment
A number of Reagan aides were indicted
and convicted, however Reagan denied
any knowledge of the affair
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Mikhail
Gorbachev
See the Definition
Last leader of the Soviet Union
Introduced glasnost and perestroika as
reforms of the Soviet system
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Saddam
Hussein
See the Definition
President of Iraq from 1979 until 2003
who brutally suppressed challenges to
his rule from religious and ethnic groups
Stayed in power through the Iraq-Iran
War and Gulf War
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Persian
Gulf War
See the Definition
Operation Desert Storm (1991)
Attack by multinational coalition led
by the US to drive the Iraqis out of
Kuwait
Iraq War (2003-)
2003 attack on Iraq for the stated
reasons the it possessed weapons of
mass destruction (WMDs) and
harbored terrorist
War resulted in the overthrow of
Saddam Hussein’s government and
his subsequent arrest and execution
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Tiananmen
Square
See the Definition
Bloody in Peking military operation by
Chinese government that that killed
hundreds of civilians and crushed
democratic uprising
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Sandra Day
O’Connor
See the Definition
Appointed by Reagan in July 1981 to
Supreme Court
First female justice
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Clarence
Thomas
See the Definition
African American appointed to Supreme
Court by George Bush in 1991
Meager qualifications, opposition to
affirmative action, and allegations of
sexual impropriety led to dramatic
hearings on confirmation
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Americans
with
Disabilities
Act
See the Definition
Prohibits discrimination against people
with disabilities in areas such as
employment, public accommodations,
public transportation,
telecommunications
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Geraldine
Ferraro
See the Definition
Democratic VP nominee in 1984 election
First woman candidate
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Stagflation
See the Definition
Economic conditions existing during
Nixon’s administration and later Ford’s
Stagnant economy plus inflation
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NAFTA
See the Definition
Brought Mexico into free trade zone with
US and Canada
Ratified in 1993 it increased trade with
Mexico
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Three Mile
Island
See the Definition
March 1989 a nuclear reactor
malfunctioned sparking fears of release
of radiation and evacuation of area
Rekindled debate over the safety of
nuclear power
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Supply
Side
Economics
See the Definition
Reaganomics – traditional Republican
suspicion of government spending
combined with aggressive cut in federal
income taxes
Lower taxes gave business and
individuals more money to spend
resulting in a surge of productive
economic activity
Trickle-down economics
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National
Debt
See the Definition
Amount of money owed by the US
government to creditors approximately
44% of which is owed to foreigners
It increased significantly during
Reagan’s and George W. Bush’s
administrations
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Challenger
disaster
See the Definition
Space shuttle exploded in January 1986,
killing all 7 crew members
Caused some to question the safety of
the space program
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Ronald
Reagan
See the Definition
Former governor of California and 40th
president of the United States
His election marked the resurgence of
conservatism
His use of supply side economics
(Reaganomics) led to an economic
recovery during his administration, but at
the cost of enormous national debt
His foreign policy was marked by conflict
and agreement with the Soviet Union
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New Right
Coalition
See the Definition
Coalition between right wing grassroots
groups that grew up in the 1970s around
the support for key issues such as
blockage of the ERA, criticism of
abortion rights, school busing, and
affirmative action, and support for school
prayer
Included business leaders, middle class
voters, disaffected Democrats,
fundamentalist Christian groups
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Ross Perot
See the Definition
Third party candidate in the presidential
election of 1992 who targeted the federal
deficit as the nation’s number 1 problem
On election day, he captured 19% of the
electoral vote, the most of a third party
candidate since T. Roosevelt in 1912
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Bill Clinton
See the Definition
Former governor of Arkansas who was
elected as president in 1992 and again
in 1992
Clinton ran as a New Democrat
In his administrations, he presided over
the longest peacetime economic
expansion in US history, however the
were marred by his impeachment in
1998 and the resulting trial in 1999 in
which he was acquitted
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Al Gore
See the Definition
Bill Clinton’s VP who ran for president in
2000
Although he won the most popular votes,
he lost the election in the electoral
college by virtue of the unfavorable
Supreme Court decision in Bush v. Gore
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Joe
Lieberman
See the Definition
Al Gore’s VP running mate in the 2000
election and the first Jewish American to
run for national office
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Affirmative
Action
See the Definition
A policy or a program whose stated goal
is to correct the effects of past
discrimination by favoring the groups
who were previously disadvantaged
(minorities)
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Multiculturalism
See the Definition
Sometimes used interchangeably with
diversity
Idea that society should consist of, or at
least allow and include, distinct cultural
groups, with equal status
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Nativist
See the Definition
Favoring native born people; generally
opposition to immigration
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Patriot Act
See the Definition
Passed originally in the aftermath of
September 11 in response to the terrorist
attacks on the US, its intent was to
greatly expand the authority of American
law enforcement to combat terrorism
It came under attack (some parts were
found unconstitutional) for its effects on
civil liberties
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September
11, 2001
See the Definition
Series of coordinated attacks by terrorist
associated with al Qaeda on the US
using four hijacked airliners
Two airplanes hit the World Trade
Center destroying it
One airliner damaged the Pentagon and
the fourth crashed in Pennsylvania
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Al-Qaeda
See the Definition
Militant Islamic fundamentalist terrorist
organization which has committed
multiple acts of terrorism
Infamously known for planning and
executing the September 11, 2001
attacks in the US
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Colin Powell
See the Definition
Highest ranking African American in the
history of the US military, who became
Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff
As the first African American Secretary
of State in George W. Bush’s
administration, he originally opposed
waging war on Iraq, but later relented
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Osama bin
Laden
See the Definition
Saudi Arabian militant Islamist believed
to be one of the founders of al Qaeda
and one of the masterminds behind the
1998 US Embassy bombings and the
September 11, 2001 attacks
Despite US attempts to capture him, he
remains at large
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George W.
Bush
See the Definition
Former governor of Texas and 43rd
president of the United States
Bush has pursued a domestic agenda
based on supply side economics,
resulting in tax cuts, but also record
deficits
Administration had been defined by
September 11, 2001 and the War in Iraq
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Axis of Evil
See the Definition
Used by George W. Bush in his State of
the Union address in 2002 to describe
regimes that he accused of sponsoring
terrorism and seeking weapons of mass
destruction, specifically Iran, Iraq, and
North Korea
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War on
Iraq
See the Definition
2003 attack on Iraq for the stated
reasons the it possessed weapons of
mass destruction (WMDs) and harbored
terrorist
War resulted in the overthrow of Saddam
Hussein’s government and his
subsequent arrest and execution
US remains in Iraq for the purpose of
rebuilding the country
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Department
of Homeland
Security
See the Definition
Cabinet level department created by
Congress in November 2002 in the wake
of the September 11, 2001 attacks
It has the responsibility of protecting the
territory of the United States from
terrorist attacks and responding to
natural disasters
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Taliban
Regime
See the Definition
Islamic fundamentalist movement which
effectively ruled most of Afghanistan
from 1996 until 2001, until displaced by
a joint US and NATO force in late 2001
US/NATO attack was an attempt to
capture al Qaeda terrorist supposedly
protected by the Taliban
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Green Card
See the Definition
Identification card for legal permanent
residents of the US who are not US
citizens
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