American Foundations
#1
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in
1776. This document listed grievances against the King as reasons
for independence. The founding fathers gathered and wrote the
weak and inadequate Articles of Confederation. To replace the
weak Articles, men from the different states met in convention in
1787 in Philadelphia to write the Constitution. The Constitution
established a government where the states and the federal
government share the power. The federal government has three
separate branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. Many
people were worried that they were not given enough rights so a
Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments, was added to the
Constitution. This Bill of Rights protects individual freedoms,
specifies the rights of the accused and establishes the relationship
between the federal and state governments. The Constitution can
be amended so that it remains a “flexible” document.
Identifications
* Popular Sovereignty
* 1st Amendment
* 14th Amendment
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* due process
* 13th Amendment
* 15th Amendment
#2
Expansion West
In the years from around 1860-1900 many Americans looked
West for new opportunities. The abundant cheap land and the
possibility of discovering gold and silver attracted those willing to
brave the frontier. The government encouraged people to make
this move by offering discounts on land. They wanted people to
develop this land and make it profitable. Also, the government
wanted people to both build, and then ride railroads that would
connect the East with the West. The railroads now allowed beef to
be transported throughout the country causing the ranching
business to boom and the birth of the American cowboy. With his
birth came the death of the life most Native Americans had
known. Expansion was fast and furious causing the frontier to
virtually close by 1900.
Identifications
* Dawes Act (1887)
* Reservations
* Transcontinental Railroad
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* Homestead Act of 1862
* Populism
* William Jennings Bryan
Gilded Age/Urbanization/Industrialization
(1870-1900)
#3
Technology and innovation brought the Industrial Age to life –
telegraph, telephone, electric light bulb, Bessemer Process. Men like Andrew
Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller financed the industrial boom, especially in
oil and steel. The Industrial Age led to a great imbalance in the distribution
of wealth – a few wealthy and very many who were poor. Fueled by this
imbalance and corruption and scandal, the Gilded Age brought an enormous
change in American society. During this period, both women and unskilled
workers looked for more respect, while skilled workers contributed to a large
growth in the labor union population. The unions led strikes and labor
disputes, which brought government weakness and political corruption into
the light. However, cheap labor was needed in mass amounts due to the new
technology that was contributing to both the fast growth of major cities as
well as urban political machines. Blacks, escaping the Jim Crow laws of the
south migrated north to fill these jobs, along with immigrants and children.
The cities became overcrowded. The development of public transportation
allowed those who could afford it to move to the suburbs.
Identifications
* Political machines
* Sherman Anti-trust Act
* Samuel Gompers
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* Gospel of Wealth
* Social Darwinism
* monopoly
* Philanthropists
* Ida Tarbell
* Jane Addams
#4
Immigration
(1880-1910)
Unlike early (Old) immigrants, those of the late 1800’s (New)
came from Eastern European countries such as: Greece, Poland,
Russia, Turkey, and China. Most of the immigrants were looking
for religious/economic freedom and to make a permanent
settlement in a new land, although some just came as migrant
workers eager to help their families. Unlike the old immigrants,
the new immigrants held on tight to their native language and
customs. In contrast to previous travelers, a majority of the
immigrants were illiterate and non-Protestant in their beliefs.
New immigrants went through rigorous inspection and tests to
allow them into the U.S. at Ellis Island in New York. The number
of immigrants let into America caused hostility among Americas
who feared job competition as well as the new cultures they
attempted to integrate into contemporary society.
Identifications
* Nativism
* Jacob Riis
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* Angel Island
* tenements
*assimilation
*Social gospel Movement
#5
Imperialism
(1890-1914)
Using an imperialistic policy in government affairs, the U.S.
became a world power at the turn of the 20th century; the
purchase of Alaska, Monroe Doctrine in Latin America, along with
both economic and religious motivations in the Pacific. After the
explosion of the battleship Maine and the Spanish-American War
(1898), congress voted to annex Hawaii, the U.S. found itself a
protectorate of Cuba, in possession of Puerto Rico, and in a fight
regarding Philippine independence. While the U.S. would not
challenge Japan in Asian expansion, it did favor an Open Door
policy in China. The need for quicker routes to all of the expanded
markets led to the building of the Panama Canal (1904-1914)
connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The U.S. also acquired
the Pacific islands of Guam, Samoa, and Midway to be used as
refueling stations.
Identifications
* Imperialism
* Monroe Doctrine
* Henry Cabot Lodge
* Open Door Policy
* Dollar Diplomacy
* Alfred Thayer Mahan
* Yellow Journalism
* Roosevelt Corollary
USS Maine
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Progressive Era
(1900-1917)
#6
Seeking social, political, and economic change, the
Progressive Era ushered America into a new century. The labor
abuses and poor distribution of wealth from the Industrial and
Gilded Ages led many to demand reforms. Reform started on the
local level, changing food production and distribution along with
working conditions for the common citizen. On the state level,
voters were given new ways to participate in the political process.
There was also a demand for increased funding to public
education. Teddy Roosevelt began to implement presidential
reforms by challenging big business, supporting improvements in
working conditions, and funding conservation efforts.
Identifications
* Muckraker
* 16th Amendment
* 17th Amendment
* The Jungle
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* Election of 1912
* William Howard Taft
* Woodrow Wilson
* John Muir
#7
World War I
(1914-1918)
As two opposing alliances struggled for power in Europe,
America remained isolated across the Atlantic Ocean. While the
shooting of an Austrian prince, Archduke Ferdinand, by a Serbian
nationalist in 1914, led to the start of war in Europe, it was not
until 1917 that the U.S. entered the conflict. Pushed to the limit
by German U-boats practice of unrestricted submarine warfare
and the Zimmerman Note to Mexico, the U.S. joined the Allies in
France. The stalemate caused by the use of trench warfare on the
Western Front that had existed was turned around quickly. The
Allies claimed victory over the Central Powers, and Europe
struggled to regain peace. At home in the U.S. women gained
jobs and political power, while African Americans found the
promise of jobs enough to migrate North and West. Along with
the Versailles Treaty, Wilson outlined his Fourteen Points. The
Senate rejected any binding commitments to peace and also U.S
involvement in the League of Nations.
Identifications
* Nationalism
* Great Migration
* Reparations
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* League of Nations
* Wilson’s 14 Points
* Treaty of Versailles
* propaganda
* isolationism
* Alvin York
1920’s
(1920-1929)
#8
In 1920, Republicans returned to the White House and Presidents
Harding, Coolidge and Hoover supported laissez-faire policies with minimal
government interference in business activities. Through the manufacture of
the automobile and advertising, the “Roaring Twenties” became a time of
great prosperity in America. The radio created a unique American culture
and broadcast all the new consumer goods for sale. Flappers challenged the
current stereotypes and roles of women. Suburbs grew as Henry Ford
introduced an affordable, mass-produced automobile. African Americans
searched for new opportunities led by the independent stand of Marcus
Garvey. The KKK saw their highest membership, while the sale/manufacture
of alcohol was stopped during Prohibition. Prohibition led to the rise of
organized crime and speakeasies making men like Al Capone very rich.
Women gained the right to vote, while farmers continued to struggle
economically. The strikes of four million workers in 1919 left the labor
movement shaken, and teaching the theory of evolution in the Scopes Trial
brought the rights of individual states into question. Anti-immigrant
attitudes were high as the fear of communism spread.
Identifications
* Red scare
* American Civil Liberties Union
* 18th Amendment
* Henry Ford
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* 19th Amendment
* Harlem Renaissance
* Clarence Darrow
*Assembly Line
#9
Great Depression
(1929-1941)
The prosperity of the 1920s had led to an amazing
confidence in the economy by average Americans. However when
the stock market crashed on October 29, 1929 (Black Tuesday),
the weakening economy, debt, and the banking crisis were all
causes of a depression that affected all segments of the
population. The Depression worsened after 1929 and Americans
struggled to survive. Farm land experienced a massive drought
and dust storms resulting in the Dust Bowl. Families made due
with less, while minority groups and women faced a variety of
discrimination in both the workplace and society. Americans,
especially WW I veterans, became hostile with both big business
and President Herbert Hoover. Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected
in the election of 1932 as the leader to solve the great American
crisis of the time with his promise of a New Deal for America. The
Depression will last until the outbreak of WW II.
Identifications
* Hoovervilles
* Dorthea Lange
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* John Steinbeck
* Bonus Army
*Father Coughlin
*speculation
#10
New Deal
Franklin D. Roosevelt set out in his first 100 days of office to
reassure the troubled and depressed nation. His relief program to
end the Great Depression was entitled “The New Deal”. The New
Deal included two parts. The first New Deal programs attempted
to reform and revive American industry, regulate banks and the
financial markets, and find jobs for the unemployed. In the
Second New Deal, new programs of work relief were created, as
well as the Social Security Act. The New Deal slowed down after
1937. The programs had a limited effect on rural poverty,
minorities and women, but had a lasting effect on American
Institutions. Ultimately, the New Deal created the modern
welfare state by expanding the role of government and saying for
the first time in our history that it is the government's
responsibility to take care of its citizens.
Identifications
* Securities and Exchange Commission
* Social Security Act of 1935
* Court Packing Plan
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* FDIC
* Huey Long
*21st Amendment
#11
World War II (1939-1945)
In the 1930’s, in the aftermath of WW I, economic
depressions caused many in Europe to support dictators. As Hitler
became more aggressive the United States moved from Isolation
to concern and began to support the Allies with weapons and
supplies. The United States declared war on the Axis powers after
Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. The Allied powers
battle plan focused on Europe first and the Pacific second. The
Allied invasion of Germany forced the Nazis to surrender. The
geography of the Pacific led to an island hopping strategy in the
Pacific. The Japanese were forced to surrender after the bombing
of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. WWII stimulated the American
economy and Americans perceived new global responsibilities.
Identifications
* D-Day
* Holocaust
* Omar Bradley
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* Neutrality Acts
* Battle Midway
* Appeasement
* Vernon Baker
* Tuskegee Airmen * Executive Order 9066
#12
Cold War (1945-1991)
At the end of WWII, the biggest challenge facing Truman
and the United States was the growing hostility toward the Soviet
Union that developed into the Cold War. The United States
adopted the policy of “containment” in their battle against the
spread of communism and Soviet influence. The US believed in
self-determination and the Soviets wanted a buffer to protect
them against further invasion. The United Nations proved to be
ineffective in the early stages of the Cold War. This forced the
western democracies to form NATO in order to deal with Russia.
America became involved in both the Korean War and Vietnam
War in order to stop the spread of communism in Asia. This period
included the largest peacetime military buildup our country had
ever seen. The Cold War lasted from 1945 to 1991.
Identifications
* Marshall Plan
* 38th Parallel
* arms race
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* NATO
* McCarthyism
* deterrence
* Truman Doctrine
* Berlin Airlift
* Iron Curtain
#13
1950’s Post War Prosperity
Consumers and the Cold War sparked a post-WW II
economic growth. The fear that a second great Depression would
occur after WWII did not happen. The G.I. Bill helped many
returning veterans obtain a college education, expanding the
sector of white-collar workers, and low interest mortgages.
Expanding educational opportunities and better jobs helped the
nation enjoy a high standard of living. The TV impacted the
American family providing the most popular source of
entertainment. The growth of suburbs created new values,
customs and an overall way of life for Americans. In order to
reach their suburban homes most Americans owned cars. Certain
groups were unhappy with the conformity of the 1950s and
yearned for individualism.
Identifications
* Sputnik
* NASA
* baby boom
* Beatniks
* GI Bill
* House Un-American Activities Committee
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#14
Civil Rights
When African Americans returned from fighting in WWII
they realized that the whole world was not segregated. This
knowledge along with an expanding educated African American
middle class resulted in a demand for rights denied since the
abolition of slavery. In the case of Brown v. Board of Education of
Topeka, which overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court
desegregated schools. Many activists chose passive resistance,
while others preferred more confrontational approaches. The
influence of the struggle for civil rights still continues today, and
has benefited minorities other than African Americans.
Identifications
* Martin Luther King
* Malcolm X
* Civil Rights Act of 1964
* Cesar Chavez
* Selma March
* Voting Rights Act of 1965
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* Affirmative Action
* 24th Amendment
* Title IX
#15
1960’s
Kennedy narrowly defeated Nixon in the election of
1960. Kennedy’s charisma captured America’s hearts. His
domestic New Frontier programs met little success. To meet
Communist threats in the Third World, the Kennedy
administration developed options through the flexible
response approach to foreign policy. The most critical
challenges involved the Soviet Union in 1961 with the Berlin
Wall and in 1962 with the Cuban Missile Crisis. When
Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, Lyndon B. Johnson
assumed the role of President. LBJ’s domestic policy, the
Great Society, was an extension of the New Frontier. The
Great Society plan included the passing of Medicare,
Medicaid and the creation of the Department of Housing and
Development as well as a War on Poverty. LBJ was also very
concerned with the Third World nations, which ultimately led
to the US becoming increasingly involved in Vietnam.
Identifications
* Bay of Pigs
* Peace Corps
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* Counterculture/Hippies
*Woodstock
* Earl Warren
Vietnam
#16
American involvement in Vietnam grew out of the Cold
War and fears that Southeast Asia would become dominated
by Communist governments. United States’ foreign policy
subscribed to the domino theory that if one nation fell to
communism, its neighbors would follow. The legacy of the
Vietnam War began when President Eisenhower sent about
675 military advisers to aid South Vietnam in their struggle
against North Vietnam. President Kennedy pledged support
and sent more advisors. Feeling threatened by Communist
advances, President Johnson persuaded Congress to pass the
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which expanded US involvement in
Vietnam. Anti-war protests grew in response to growing
causalities and intensified bombings. The Vietnam War
dragged on until 1973 when the US agreed to withdraw its
troops. In 1975 the last US officials rushed to leave as North
Vietnam completed its conquest of South Vietnam. US
involvement in Vietnam and events like the Watergate
scandal created a distrust of the federal government.
Identifications
* Tet Offensive
* War Powers Act
* Vietnamization
* Credibility gap
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* Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
* 26th Amendment
* Silent majority
* Tinker v Des Moines
#17
The 70’s
The Vietnam War continued to divide the country, even after
there was an end to U.S. military participation in the war. Women
expanded their involvement in politics, as well as African-Americans.
The rising divorce rate left more women to be sole breadwinners for
their family. Roe v. Wade legalized abortion. Affirmative action
became a controversial policy as minorities and women asserted their
rights to jobs and quality education. Key achievements of the Nixon
administration was the creation of the Environmental Protection
agency, reopening relations with China and following détente with the
USSR.
In 1972, Republican agents burglarized Democratic headquarters
at Watergate. SALT I is signed by the US and Soviets.
Vice President Agnew resigned amid charges of corruption, and is
replaced by Ford. Ford then becomes president after Richard Nixon,
facing impeachment charges due to the Watergate scandal, becomes
the only president to ever resign. Ford’s accomplishments as president
were overshadowed by his pardon of Nixon. He lost the election to
Jimmy Carter, a peanut farmer from Georgia who was an outsider to
Washington. Due to high inflation, the energy crisis, and an ongoing
hostage situation at the US Embassy in Iran, Carter lost the presidency
to Ronald Reagan, an optimistic conservative. Carter’s best-known
achievement was the treaty known as the Camp David Accords that
negotiated peace between Egypt and Israel.
Identifications
* Salt I
* OPEC
* Watergate Scandal
* Iran hostage scandal
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* Richard Nixon
* Camp David Accords
* Three mile Island
* Détente
#18
1980’s
The 1980’s saw the rise of a new right, a coalition of social and political
conservatives who vowed to return America to fiscal responsibility and what
they viewed as traditional values.
The Revolution in Computers and consumer electronics shifted the
American Economy away from manufacturing jobs to high tech industries in
the 1980’s. The Era was characterized by lots of wealth and consumer
spending. Women also began to reach the top of the corporate ladder and
the decade even saw the first woman in space.
Politically the decade was characterized by Reaganomics which
was Ronald Reagans theory of trickle-down economics simply put meant if
you take care of the wealthy the wealth will trickle down to the others. He
also had his share of foreign policy issues with the Iran Contra Scandal and
marines in Lebanon. Reagan also gave his speech tear down this wall speech
in 1987 demanding the removal of the Berlin Wall.
Identifications
* Iran Contra Scandal
*Phyllis Schlafly
*Sandra Day O’Connor
* Heritage Foundation
*Moral Majority
*Ronald Reagan
* Barry Goldwater *Peace through Strength *National Rifle Association
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1988-2000
#19
George H.W. Bush won the election 1988 and during his presidency he
battled the economy and passed the Americans with Disabilities Act. In
foreign affairs he saw the fall of the berlin wall and the end of the Cold war.
The US involvement in the Gulf War greatly enhanced American prestige in
the Middle East and led to peace talks between Israel and its Arab neighbors
in late 1991
Bill Clinton won the election of 1992 and once in office he attempted to
enact a comprehensive health care reform but failed to do so. Reduced
defense spending coupled with the computer industry made the 1990s a
time of general prosperity. Impeachment charges were brought against
President Clinton for lying about an affair he had with a White House intern.
Attempts to convict him of these charges failed in the Senate. Clinton helped
negotiate a peace in Bosnia and afterwards superheaded the use of NATO
air strikes against Serbia to stop attacks in Kosovo. He was also able to
successfully push NAFTA through Congress.
Identifications
* Contract with America
* Oklahoma City Bombing
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* H. Ross Perot
* World Trade Organization
st
21 Century
#20
Under Presidents George W. Bush and Barrack Obama, America faced
challenges to its security and economy.
Bush won the Election of 2000 (even though Al Gore won the popular
vote) when the Supreme Court stopped a recount of votes in Florida. On
9/11/01 terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. In
response, Bush declared a Global War on Terror, created the Department of
Homeland Security, and sponsored the USA Patriot Act. The War in Iraq
started when U.S.-led coalition forces invaded Iraq. Saddam Hussein was
removed from power. The Financial Crisis of 2008 occurred when the
housing market crashed and set off a sharp economic decline.
Obama won the election in 2008 and became the first African American
elected President. He pushed health care reforms, banking and credit
reforms through Congress. He also appointed Sonia Sotomayor (the first
Hispanic Justice) to the Supreme Court.
The 21st Century is considered a global age, with many changes in
technology such as the computer revolution. Many demographic changes
have also taken place, such as an increase in immigration and the growth of
the Sun Belt. The U.S. has had a role in the global economy, with many
companies doing business all over the world. American culture has also
spread globally through music, movies, TV, and the internet.
Identifications
* Osama bin Laden
* Al-Qaeda
* Guantanamo Bay
* John McCain
* Hurricane Katrina
* Weapons of Mass Destruction *American Recovery & Reinvestment Act
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