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The Navigation Acts were trade rules that governed commerce between Britain and its colonies. The first of the Navigation Acts existed for almost two centuries and was repealed in 1849. The laws were designed to protect British economic interests in colonial trade and to protect its industry against the rapidly growing Dutch navigation trade. -
Piedmont rebellion against the Tidewater leaders in Virginia. Led by Nathaniel Bacon, the rebellion quickly gained power and attacked numerous friendly Indian tribes. Fearing more destruction, Governor Berkeley allowed Bacon to essentially take control of the House of Burgesses. Still unsatisfied, the group burned down much of Jamestown. It rushed the dealing with slavery, because this rebellion involved both black and white indentured servants which worried the ruling class. -
First law passed by Parliament that raised tax revenues in the colonies for the crown, which increased duty on foreign sugar imported from the West Indies. This made it more attractive for shippers to obey the law, and at the same time raised penalties for smuggling. The act enraged New England merchants, who opposed both the tax and the fact that merchants would be tried by British-appointed judges in a vice-admiralty court. -
A radical political organization for colonial independence which formed in 1765 after the passage of the Stamp Act. They incited riots and burned the customs houses where the stamped British paper was kept. After the repeal of the Stamp Act, many of the local chapters formed the Committees of Correspondence which continued to promote opposition to British policies towards the colonies. The Sons leaders included Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. -
The Stamp Act intended to raise revenue by requiring the purchase of stamps to be placed on public documents, there were 55 documents subject to the duty. Violators were to be prosecuted in the vice-admiralty courts. For the first time the British made an explicit tax on the colonists for the purpose of raising revenue, previous taxes were seen as trade taxes and tolerated by colonial residents. Opposition to the tax was widespread as it represented an infringement on their rights. -
The Act imposed import duties on 72 items including paint, tea, glass and paper. The revenue raised from it was to provide for the salaries of colonial officers and its administration. It also authorized the Supreme Court to issue writs of assistance for violators, established the American Customs Board and expanded Admiralty Courts. Protests against the Townshend Acts led to the Boston Massacre. -
The Boston Massacre was a bloody confrontation between the angry colonists and the British troops stationed there. The Bostonians threw snowballs, stones, and sticks at the redcoats, whom did not find it amusing. The British soldiers shot into the mob and killed around 10 people. This was a significant diplomatic event because the American hatred for Britain grew even stronger. -
During the Tea Act, the British continued to try to sneak tea in to maintain their act. However, a group of artisans and laborers sneaked onto the Dartmouth ship dressed as Mohawk Indians. The angry colonists poured about $800,000 worth of tea into the harbor. In an extreme act of defiance and rebellion against the British, the colonists together in a new nationalistic light. This changed the culture of the colonists. -
The Coercive Acts were a series of harsh and grudging laws constructed by the British in response to the Boston Tea Party. These laws intended to make Massachusetts pay for it's resistance, damage, and destruction of tea by closing down the Boston Harbor. In response to the Coercive Acts, Patriot leaders assembled to try to come up with ways to deal with the British. They were political because the British were able to regain control and exercised their authority and power over the colonists. -
First major battle of the Revolutionary War. After a bloody battle in which many British redcoats were killed, the Americans were forced to withdraw after running out of ammunition, and Bunker Hill was in British hands. Significance: the Americans could hold their own, but the British were not easy to defeat. (Note: The battle actually occurred on Breed's Hill, not Bunker Hill.) -
A pamphlet written in 1776 that was one of the most potent publications ever. It called for the colonists to realize their mistreatment and push for independence from England. Paine introduced ideas such as the fact that nowhere in the universe did a smaller heavenly body control a larger, which was why there was no reason for England to have control over the vast lands of America. The pamphlet was high-class journalism as well as propaganda and sold 120,000+ copies within a few months. -
An agreement among the thirteen original states, approved in 1781, that provided a loose federal government before the present Constitution went into effect in 1789. There was no chief executive or judiciary, and the legislature of the Confederation had no authority to collect taxes. -
Encampment where George Washington's poorly equipped army spent a long, freezing winter. Hundreds of men died and over a thousand deserted. Reflected the main weakness of the American army: lack of stable supplies and munitions. -
The Treaty of Paris of 1783, was a peace treaty negotiated between the United States and Great Britain that officially ended the revolutionary war and recognized the independence of the thirteen states. Because the war did not officially end with the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. The British still held Savannah, Charleston and New York. It took almost a year and a half for King George III to finally come around and sign a treaty to recognize the states and end hostilities. -
Shays Rebellion was a rebellion by debtor farmers in western Massachusetts, led by Revolutionary War Captain Daniel Shays, against Boston creditors. It began in 1786 and lasted half a year, threatening the economic interests of the business elite and contributing to the demise of the Articles of Confederation. It highlighted the need for a strong national government just as the call for the Constitutional Convention went out. -
A compromise between the Southern and Northern states reached during the Philadelphia Convention of 1787. Determined that each slave would be counted as three-fifths of a person for the purpose of apportioning taxes and representation. Delegates opposed to slavery wanted to only count the free inhabitants of each state, while supporters of slavery wanted to count slaves in actual numbers. The compromise granted disproportionate political power to Southern slave states. -
The 1787 Northwest Ordinance defined the process by which new states could be admitted into the Union from the Northwest Territory. The ordinance forbade slavery in the territory but allowed citizens to vote on the legality of slavery once statehood had been established. The Northwest Ordinance was the most lasting measure of the national government under the Articles of Confederation. The primary goal was to create the Northwest Territory as the first organized territory of the US. -
The Great Compromise of 1787 was an agreement between the small and large states reached in the Constitutional Convention of 1787. In part, it defined the legislative structure and representation that each state would be entitled to in the US Constitution. The bicameral legislature and proportional representation in the lower house was retained, but the upper house was required to be weighted equally between states. Main contribution was appointment of the senate and congress. -
Act that established a federal district court in each state and three circuit courts to hear appeals from the districts, with the Supreme Court having the final say. Also specified that cases arising in state courts that involved federal laws could be appealed to the Supreme Court. This provision ensured that federal judges would have the final say on the meaning of the Constitution. -
The Bank of the United States was first chartered by the US Congress on February 25, 1791 after being proposed by Alexander Hamilton (Secretary of the Treasury) in 1790. The purpose for the bank was to handle the financial needs and requirements of the new central government of the newly formed United States. This is significant as previously the 13 colonies each had their own banks, currencies, financial institutions, and policies. Set for a 20 year charter. -
The cotton gin, invented by Eli Whitney, provided a much faster way to gather and pull apart cotton from the cotton plant. This provided a huge impact on slavery, because it made work faster, but it also provided for a huge boom in the cotton industry. With cotton being used as the main source of fabric (linen used to be used more common, but cotton gained in popularity especially with this machine) then there was a big push for estates with cotton plantations. -
In 1794, farmers in Pennsylvania rebelled against Hamilton's excise tax on whiskey, and several federal officers were killed in the riots caused by their attempts to serve arrest warrants on the offenders. In October, 1794, the army, led by Washington, put down the rebellion. The incident showed that the new government under the Constitution could react swiftly and effectively to such a problem, in contrast to the inability of the government to deal with Shay's Rebellion. -
A 1798 diplomatic episode occurring during the administration of John Adams that Americans interpreted as an insult from France. The Federalist Party used the national anger to build an army and pass the Alien and Sedition Acts to undermine the Democratic Republican Party. The event started with 3 French diplomats (X,Y,Z) who demanded major concessions from the US just to hold bilateral peace negotiations. The French demanded much money and a formal apology by President John Adams. -
The Acts were 4 bills passed in 1798 by Federalists in the 5th Congress in the aftermath of the French Rev's reign of terror and the Quasi-War. The government could deport or imprison foreign citizens and prosecute those who spoke out against the government. Theses acts were made to ensure no post-Revolution anarchy could occur; and America almost fell apart over the Federalist/Anti-Federalist issue. Democratic-Republicans saw the Acts as unconstitutional. -
Revolving around the "Midnight Judges" that John Adams tried to have approved before his Presidential term ended in 1801, this case is more important for John Marshall's titanic precedent then by the outcome of the decision. In his ruling, Marshall declared that this "inferior" third branch of government had "judicial review", or the power to determine if a law was constitutional or not. This court case elevated the judicial branch to equal footing with the executive and legislative branches. -
The purchase by the United States from France of the huge Louisiana Territory in 1803. President Thomas Jefferson ordered the purchase negotiations, fearing that the French, then led by Napoleon, wanted to establish an empire in North America. The Louisiana territory was bought from France in 1803 for $15 million. The purchase secured American control of the Mississippi river and doubled the size of the nation. -
An especially ill-fought and divisive war; with no burning national anger, the American people were divided and apathetic towards the war. The army was ill-trained, ill-disciplined, and scattered, and the offensive strategy was poorly conceived. Nevertheless, despite the unimpressive outcome, Americans emerged from the war with a renewed sense of nationalism. It demonstrated America's willingness to defend its interests militarily, earning the nation new found respect among the European nations. -
Recognized after the battle of New Orleans, which made Jackson a hero. The treaty reflected the lack of a clear winner in the war. Status quo ante bellum, meaning that no territory changed hands. Border and trade disputes that had helped spark the war were resolved later in talks. This treaty is significant because it ended the pyrrhic War of 1812. -
This institution was chartered in 1816 under President Madison and became a depository for federal funds and a creditor for state banks. It became unpopular after being blamed for the Panic of 1819, and suspicion of corruption and mismanagement haunted it the charter expired in 1836. Jackson fought against this institution throughout his presidency, proclaiming it to be an unconstitutional extension of the federal government and a tool that rich capitalists used to corrupt American society. -
The Panic of 1819 was the first major financial crisis in the United States. It featured widespread foreclosures, bank failures, unemployment, and a slump in agriculture and manufacturing. It marked the end of the economic expansion that had followed the War of 1812.
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The Monroe Doctrine is a U.S. doctrine which, on December 2, 1823, stated that European powers were no longer to colonize or interfere with the affairs of the newly independent states of the Americas. The Monroe Doctrine is important because it set the precedent for foreign policies for the United States. -
A political scandal that arose when the Speaker of the House, Henry Clay, allegedly met with John Quincy Adams before the House election to break a deadlock. Adams was elected president against the popular vote and Clay was named Secretary of State. -
A canal between the New York cities of Albany and Buffalo, completed in 1825. The canal, considered a marvel of the modern world at the time, allowed western farmers to ship surplus crops to sell in the North and allowed northern manufacturers to ship finished goods to sell in the West. -
The bill favored western agricultural interests by raising tariffs or import taxes on imported hemp, wool, fur, flax, and liquor, thus favoring Northern manufacturers. In the South, these tariffs raised the cost of manufactured goods, thus angering them and causing more sectionalist feelings. -
Law passed by Congress in 1830 and supported by President Andrew Jackson allowing the U.S. government to remove the Native Americans from their eastern homelands and force them to move west of the Mississippi River. The act stated they would be moved to an "Indian Territory" where they would be "permanently" housed. Many tribes signed treaties and agreed to voluntary removal. -
The Battle of the Alamo was fought between the Republic of Texas and Mexico from February 23, 1836 to March 6, 1836. It took place at a fort in San Antonio, Texas called the Alamo. The two weeks Santa Anna spent in San Antonio gave Texas time to organize a government and an army. However, the Mexicans won the battle, killing all of the Texan soldiers inside the fort, but the defeat made Texas even more determined to win the war. -
This treaty was negotiated by the chief clerk of the State Department, Nicholas P. Trist, after a few failed attempts at an armistice. The treaty was very successful, giving America claim to Texas, and all of the land west of Texas stretching up to Oregon, including California. The U.S. paid $15 million for the land, which increased the size of the country by about 1/3.
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The meeting took place in Seneca Falls, New York on July 19th and 20th 1848. It was put together in order to promote women's suffrage and the reform of martial and property laws. 300 Women and 40 men went to the second day to discuss the rights of women. They wrote the Declaration of Sentiments, which among other things, tried to get women the right to vote. -
A set of five separate bills passed through Congress in 1850. This was made to end the conflict over the slavery status issues in the last four years. (1)Forestalled the Civil War by instating the Fugitive Slave Act, (2)banning slave trade in DC, (3)admitting California as a free state, (4)splitting up the Texas territory, and (5)instating popular sovereignty in the Mexican Cession -
Law that allowed for popular sovereignty (people living in an area could decide if slavery would be allowed or not; devised by Stephen Douglas) in the Kansas and Nebraska territories. Kansas would be slave and Nebraska would be free, but this overturned the Missouri Compromise. Many in the north were upset that the Missouri Compromise was being overturned which helped lead to the creation of the Republican Party.
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An Presidential Election that tasked Republican Lincoln against democrats Douglas and Breckinridge along with a Constitutional Union candidate John Bell. Lincoln won the election, but there was a sectional electoral split between the North and South. This was most likely due to the topic of slavery, which led to Southern secession in December of 1860. -
Built following the War of 1812, and still not completely finished by 1861, the fort is located in Charleston Harbor, SC. Fort Sumter is best remembered for the Battle of Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the civil war were fired. Once the Confederate States of America took control of Charleston Harbor, they soon aimed costal guns on the fort, and fired. After the battle, 4 more states seceded, and their was more support for military action. -
Fought in 1862, fought near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, the battle was the first to take place on Northern soil and the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with over 23,000 casualties. The Union was commanded by George B. McClellan and the Confederacy by Robert E. Lee. Ended as a strategic Union victory. The battle gave Lincoln enough confidence to announce the Emancipation Proclamation, which discouraged the British and French from plans to recognize the Confederacy. -
An executive order issued in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln using his war powers, it proclaimed the freedom of 3.1 million of the nation's 4.1 million slaves, and immediately freed 50,000 of them. The rest would be freed as the Union Army advanced. The former owners of the slave were not compensated and the ex-slaves were not made citizens. In addition to re-union, the war was also made abolition a main goal, which made anti-slavery forces energized and motivated. -
A bill proposed by Radical Republican senators Benjamin Wade and Henry Winter Davis that declared that the Reconstruction of the South was a legislative matter. It was an attempt to weaken the power of president Lincoln. Proposed far more demanding and stringent terms for reconstruction; required 50% of the voters of a state to take the loyalty oath and permitted only non-confederates to vote for a new state constitution; Lincoln refused to sign the bill, pocket vetoing it. -
The 13th amendment passed in 1865. It freed all slaves and abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States. -
This federal bureau was an intervention by the federal government that aided ex-slaves during the transition from war to peace, and slavery to freedom. It was given direct federal funding and its agents were authorized to investigate the mistreatment of blacks. -
Declares that all persons born in the U.S. are citizens & are guaranteed equal protection of the laws, meaning citizenship by birth & naturalization. It prohibited state gov. from infringing on equal rights and gave black Americans citizenship & legal equality. Yet it still allowed the North to prohibit black suffrage.
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The 15th amendment quickly passed by Republicans that forbade either the federal government or the states from denying citizens the right to vote on the basis of race, color, or "previous conditions of servitude". Set up the foundation for future equal opportunity laws. -
Also known as the Enforcement Acts, they were created in an attempt to stop the Klan and other violence against Blacks in 1870, under the Grant administration. The acts authorized federal prosecutions and military intervention to prevent such terrorism, and it was also important because it showed that the Federal Government still had power over the South and that it was more powerful than that of the locals. -
Political cartoonist whose work exposed the abuses of the Tweed ring, criticized the South's attempts to impede Reconstruction, and lampooned labor unions. Created the animal symbols of the Democratic and republican parties. One of his most known political cartoons of Tweed is known as the "American River Ganges." -
On May 4, 1886, a demonstration in Chicago's Haymarket Square to protest the slayings of two workers during a strike turned into a violent riot after a bomb explosion killed seven policemen. Although the bomb thrower was never found, the incident was blamed on labor "radicalism" and resulted in public condemnation to the demise of the Knights of Labor. -
A house where immigrants came to live upon entering the U.S. At Settlement Houses, instruction was given in English and how to get a job, among other things. The first Settlement House was the Hull House, which was opened by Jane Addams in Chicago in 1889. These centers were usually run by educated middle class women. The houses became centers for reform in the women's and labor movements. -
Passed in 1890, the Sherman Antitrust Act was the first major legislation passed to address oppressive business practices associated with cartels and oppressive monopolies. The Sherman Antitrust Act is a federal law prohibiting any contract, trust, or conspiracy in restraint of interstate or foreign trade. -
Central figure in the steel industry; Scottish immigrant who worked way up from modest beginnings & in 1892 opened his own steelworks in Pittsburgh. Cut costs & prices by striking deals w/RRs & bought out rivals who couldn't compete w/him. Bought coal mines & leased part of Mesabi iron range in MN, operated fleet of ore ships on Great Lakes, & had RRs; controlled steel from mine-market. Created giant US Steel Co w/ others; controlled almost 2/3 of steel production in the US. -
The Supreme Court ruled that since the Knight Company's monopoly over the production of sugar had no direct effect on commerce, the company couldn't be controlled by the government. It also ruled that mining and manufacturing weren't affected by interstate commerce laws and were beyond the regulatory power of Congress. It gave E. C. Knight a legal monopoly because it did not affect trade. Legal tender case. -
An American integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States, Canada, and Central Europe. J. P. Morgan and the attorney Elbert H. Gary founded U.S. Steel on March 2, 1901 (incorporated on February 25) by combining Andrew Carnegie's Carnegie Steel Company with Gary's Federal Steel Company and William Henry "Judge" Moore's National Steel Company. -
The 26th president of the United States, T.R. was one of the most popular to ever hold office. This Republican greatly expanded the powers of the presidency and was the youngest man to ever hold the office of the presidency at 42. Roosevelt had previously been a rancher, the NYC police commissioner, assistant Secretary of the Navy, and the commandeer of the Rough Riders, leading them in a heroic charge during the Battle of San Juan Hill as part of the Spanish-American War. -
It was an effort to limit the power of party and improve the quality of elected officials. The procedure first adopted by Oregon in 1910, which allowed voters to remove unfit or corrupt politicians from office by public petition or vote. Recalled a public official. Although the recall encountered a fair amount of opposition, a few states (such as California) adopted it. -
The Republicans were badly split in the 1912 election, so Roosevelt broke away forming his own Progressive Party (or Bull Moose Party because he was "fit as a bull moose..."). His loss led to the election of Democratic nominee Woodrow Wilson, but he gained more third party votes than ever before. -
In this election, the Democrats nominated Woodrow Wilson, giving him a strong progressive platform called the "New Freedom" program. The Republicans were split between Taft and Roosevelt's Bull Moose Party with its "New Nationalism" program. By the division of the Republican Party, a Democratic victory was ensured. Woodrow Wilson won. The Republicans were thrust into a minority status in Congress for the next six years. -
Set up a position, appointed by the president, to investigate activities of trusts. The goal would be to stop trade practices deemed unfair such as unlawful competition, false advertising, mislabeling, adulteration, and bribery. -
The Lusitania was a British passenger ship that was sunk by a German U-Boat and killed 128 American passengers. The unrestricted submarine warfare caused the U.S. to enter World War I against the Germans. -
A letter sent by German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmerman to Mexico, encouraging the nation to exact vengeance on America to take back lands like New Mexico and to form an alliance with Germany. This letter was intercepted by America in 1917 and was a component of why the U.S. joined the war as well as worsening the anti-German sentiment of the general public. -
Occurred when 156 black soldiers of the 24th all black regiment stole weapons from a camp depot and marched on the city of Houston. In essence a race riot began, which left 20 people dead. This was significant because it outlined the racial tensions that a result of the war and integration of blacks into the military. Also, during this time the military status of blacks emboldened them to stand for themselves, resulting in increased race riots as well as a rise of lynch mobs. -
Wilson gave this to Congress in 1918 in hopes it would secure lasting peace, self-determination, liberation of the seas, free trade, an end to secret agreements, a reduction of arms, and the League of Nations. Many Republicans and some Allied leaders opposed these proposals, but there was still support. This message encouraged the Allied powers to put a new energy into their war efforts while undermining the Central Powers by tempting their minorities with extravagant promises. -
A Supreme Court case which found Charles Schenck guilty of posing "clear and present danger" to the United States by publishing and distributing pamphlets which spoke out against the draft. The decision upheld the Espionage Act of 1917, but it was a violation of the First Amendment as the Supreme Court had convicted the man for exercising the right. -
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which extended the right to vote to women in federal or state elections. It granted women the right to vote; its ratification limited a movement for women's rights that dated to the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. Although women were voting in state elections in 12 states when the amendment passed, it enabled 8 million women to vote in the presidential election of 1920. -
One of Wilson' Fourteen Points and his "brainchild" that was intended to be an international organization which protected and assisted countries regardless of their size. Although it was America's idea, the U.S. did not join as neither Lodge or Wilson would compromise and so the proposition died and America did not sign the Treaty of Versailles. This coalition was going to control territories conquered in the war and continued the pattern of America having some level of influence in the world. -
An illegal bar where drinks were sold, during the time of prohibition. It was called a Speakeasy because people literally had to speak easy so they were not caught drinking alcohol by the police. Speakeasies caused continuous strings of crime to be committed, especially by certain mobsters such as Al Capone. -
Sacco and Vanzetti were two Italian immigrants convicted for a crime with very little evidence. Sacco and Vanzetti's guilty verdict reflected the anti-immigrant and anti-radical attitude of American citizens, being sentenced to death only because they were anarchists & of the Italian origin. Worldwide protests happened as a result. -
A bribery incident which took place in the United States in 1922-1923, during the administration of President Warren G. Harding. Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome to private oil companies, without competitive bidding, at low rates. In 1922 and 1923, the leases became the subject of a sensational investigation. This scandal set in motion one of the most significant investigations once discovered on April 15th. -
Was signed by the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Japan, and a number of other states. The pact renounced aggressive war, prohibiting the use of war as "an instrument of national policy" except in matters of self-defense. -
The president of the United States from 1929 to 1932 He was a republican who ran on a campaign of prohibition and prosperity. The early years of his presidency brought about a great deal of prosperity for the United States. Many people blamed him for the stock market crash. -
The steep fall in the prices of stocks due to widespread financial panic. It was caused by stock brokers who called in the loans they had made to stock investors. This caused stock prices to fall, and many people lost their entire life savings as many financial institutions went bankrupt. -
Hoovervilles were shanty towns which sprung up during the Great Depression. Because Hoover and the government were unable to provide relief, Hoovervilles were nicknamed in spite of President Herbert Hoover, as well as hoover blankets (newspapers used as blankets by the homeless) and hoover flags (pockets turned inside out). Many Democrats coined the terms Hooverville, Hoover Blankets, and Hoover Flags to blame the Republican Hoover for the Depression. -
Often referred to by his initials FDR, was the thirty-second President of the United States. Elected to four terms in office, he served from 1933 to 1945, and is the only U.S. president to have served more than two terms of office. He was a central figure of the 20th century during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war. Overcame polio to become President; his New Deal attempted to solve the economic problems of the Great Depression; he was a symbol of hope, courage, and optimism. -
An independent federal government agency responsible for protecting investors, fair and orderly functioning of securities markets, and facilitating capital formation. In 1933, during the peak year of the Depression, Congress passed the Securities Act of 1933. Together with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the legislation was designed to help investors feel comfortable about putting their money back into the stock market.
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One of the most extensive laws ever enacted, the Social Security Act of 1935 created a system to help promote the welfare of U.S. citizens. It was part of Roosevelt's second New Deal. Social Security provides benefits, including a pension system for retirement, a system of unemployment compensation, and assistance for the disabled. These benefits are subsidized by income tax with holdings. -
The case discussed if certain provisions of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 conflicted with the constitution. In the act, a tax was placed on the processors of farm products and the proceeds were paid to farmers who would reduce output of their farms. It was ruled the Agricultural Adjustment Act and its taxes were unconstitutional because payments to farmers were unlawful and oppressive coercive contracts and the proceeds were reserved farmers complying to a set of conditions. -
Roosevelt's proposal in 1937 to "reform" the Supreme Court by appointing an additional justice for every justice over age of 70; following the Court's actions in striking down major New Deal laws, FDR came to believe that some justices were out of touch with the nation's needs. Congress believed Roosevelt's proposal endangered the Court's independence and said no. -
The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) was an investigating committee which investigated what it considered un-American propaganda. This congressional Committee investigated Communist influence inside and outside the US government after WWII. These investigations done by HUAC help to set Americans at ease, considering Communist influence was considered life-threatening. -
The G. I. Bill of Rights or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 provided for college or vocational education for returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as GIs or G. I.s) as well as one-year of unemployment compensation. It also provided loans for returning veterans to buy homes and start businesses. -
A doctrine developed by Truman in accordance with the containment policy that promised economic aid to those fighting communists. The doctrine would later drag the U.S into more conflicts such as Vietnam and Korea. -
William J. Levitt led in the development of postwar suburbia with his building and promotion of Levittown. Policies of the Federal government in the post-World War II era, such as the building of an efficient network of roads, highways and superhighways, and the underwriting of mortgages for suburban one-family homes made suburbs grow. In effect, the government was encouraging the transfer of the middle-class population out of the inner cities and into the suburbs. -
A 1948 Supreme Court decision that outlawed restrictive covenants on the occupancy of housing developments by African Americans, Asian Americans, and other minorities. Because the Court decision did not actually prohibit racial discrimination in housing, unfair practices against minority groups continued until passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968. -
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty. This alliance is the agreement that if one of the countries is attacked, all countries will respond and defend it. The Korean War outbreak in 1950 raised the threat of all Communist countries working together, and forced NATO to develop military plans. In 1952, NATO brought hundreds of ships and thousands of personnel for Korea, and turned down the Soviet Union's attempt to join. -
He was a former high-ranking member of the State Department. Whittaker Chambers (a former communist) told the committee that this man had passed classified information through him to the Society Union. When he sued Chambers for slander, Chambers produced microfilms of the documents. However, he could not be tried for espionage due to the statute of limitations. Later on, Richard Nixon and the rest of HUAC helped to convict him on grounds of perjury. -
Notorious among those who had allegedly leaked atomic data to Moscow were two American citizens, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. They were convicted in 1951 of espionage and sent to the electric chair in 1953—the only people in American history ever executed in peacetime for espionage. -
Emmett Till was a fourteen year old boy that was from Chicago visiting his family in Mississippi. He was murdered for whistling at a white woman. Emmett Till was brutally murdered by some white men that heard about his behavior towards the white woman, then the horrific murder grabbed the immediate attention of local blacks and whites. The tragedy created made an immense impact on society as it drew the attention of the brutality of racial violence, leaving many blacks in fear of violence. -
NAACP member who initiated the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 when she was arrested for violating Jim Crow rules on a bus. Her action and the long boycott that followed became an icon of the quest for civil rights and focused national attention on boycott leader Martin Luther King, Jr. -
Popularly known as the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act, was enacted on June 29, 1956, when a hospitalized Dwight D. Eisenhower signed this bill into law. Appropriating $25 million for the construction of 40,000 miles of interstate highways over a 10-year period, it was the largest public works project in American history to that point. -
MLK formed the SCLC in 1957 to mobilize the vast power of the black churches on behalf of black rights. Blacks were taking the civil rights movement into their own hands, mostly with nonviolent protest -
The Affluent Society is a 1958 (4th edition revised 1984) book by Harvard economist John Kenneth Galbraith. The book sought to clearly outline the manner in which the post-World War II United States was becoming wealthy in the private sector but remained poor in the public sector, lacking social and physical infrastructure, and perpetuating income disparities. -
The Other America, a book by Michael Harrington, was an influential study of poverty in the United States, published in 1962 by Macmillan. A widely read review, "Our Invisible Poor," in The New Yorker by Dwight Macdonald brought the book to the attention of President John F. Kennedy. The Other America argued that up to 25% of the nation was living in poverty. Many believe that this book is responsible for President Lyndon B. Johnson's "War on Poverty." -
The Cuban Missile Crisis was an incident where Soviet missiles were placed in Cuba as a response for help. The event greatly increased tensions between the Soviets and the Americans. As a result, a hotline was established between the two nations to avoid any accidents. The Cuban Missile Crisis started on October 16th, 1962 and ended on October 28th, 1962. -
U.S. Baptist minister and civil rights leader. A noted orator, he opposed discrimination against blacks by organizing nonviolent resistance and peaceful mass demonstrations. The SCLC aimed to mobilize the vast power of the black churches. -
Passed under the Johnson administration, this act outlawed segregation in public areas and granted the federal government power to fight black disfranchisement. The act also created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to prevent discrimination in the work place. This act was the strongest civil rights legislation since Reconstruction and invalidated the Southern Caste System. -
Civil rights marchers headed east out of Selma on U.S. Highway 80. The march was led by John Lewis of SNCC and the Reverend Hosea Williams of SCLC, followed by Bob Mants of SNCC and Albert Turner of SCLC. The protest went according to plan until the marchers crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge and entered Dallas County, where they encountered a wall of state troopers and county posse waiting for them on the other side. 17 marchers were hospitalized and 50 treated for lesser injuries -
This was passed as a Great Society program under the Johnson administration. It prohibited the use of literacy tests as a part of the voter registration process which were initially used as a method to control immigration to the United States during the 1920s. The act enabled federal examiners to register anyone who qualified in the South, giving the power of the vote to underrepresented minorities.
