1900-1945 at Home
Jazz Age
a vibrant American cultural period during the 1920s (roughly 1918–1929) characterized by the mainstream popularity of jazz music, rapid social change, economic prosperity, and youthful rebellion.
Nuclear Race
The nuclear arms race was a, 1945–1991, Cold War competition between the U.S. and USSR for nuclear superiority, initiated by the U.S. Manhattan Project and Soviet spying
Spanish-American War
A brief, transformative conflict between the U.S. and Spain, triggered by Cuba's struggle for independence and the sinking of the USS Maine
Declaration of Independence
The formal document announcing that the thirteen American colonies considered themselves sovereign states, no longer under British rule.
Industrilaziton
the historical process of transforming an agrarian, handicraft-based economy into one dominated by machine manufacturing, factories, and mass production.
Prohibtion
a nationwide constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages, authorized by the 18th Amendment. Driven by the temperance movement, it aimed to reduce crime and corruption, but instead spurred organized crime, speakeasies, and widespread corruption. It was repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933.
HUAC
The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was a standing U.S. House of Representatives committee (1938–1975) established to investigate alleged disloyalty, communist infiltration, and subversion. It famously investigated Hollywood, labor unions, and government employees during the Cold War-era Red Scare, often utilizing blacklists and pressure tactics, distinct from but preceding Senator Joseph McCarthy.
Victory Gardens
Civilian-grown vegetable gardens during World War I and II
July 4th, 1776
The Second Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence, marking the birth of the United States as an independent nation. It announced that the 13 colonies were no longer under British rule. Although the final, signed document was not approved until later, this date signifies the official adoption of the document outlining the nation’s separation
Urbanization
The study of how human populations shift from rural to concentrated urban settlements over time, driven by industrialization, economic development, and migration.
Dust Bowl
A massive ecological and economic disaster in the Great Plains, caused by severe drought and poor farming practices that stripped native grasses, allowing wind to blow away millions of acres of topsoil.
Containment
A United States foreign policy strategy adopted in the late 1940s to prevent the spread of communism and Soviet influence during the Cold War.
Neutrality Acts
series of U.S. Congressional acts passed between 1935 and 1939, driven by isolationist sentiment to prevent the nation from being drawn into foreign wars. They banned arms sales, loans, and travel on belligerent ships, shifting toward "cash-and-carry" in 1939 to support Allied powers while avoiding direct conflic
Enlightenment
an 18th-century European intellectual movement—the "Age of Reason"—that emphasized rationalism, individualism, and scientific empiricism over tradition, superstition, and religious authority.
Knights of Labor/AF of L
foundational American labor organizations
Consumerism
American consumerism emerged in the late 19th century, transitioning from agrarian self-sufficiency to mass consumption fueled by industrialization, department stores, and mail-order catalogs. It solidified in the 1920s with advertising and credit, exploded post-WWII (1940s-70s) due to suburban growth, credit, and televisions,
cuban missile crisis
A 13-day, direct, and dangerous confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was triggered by the U.S. discovery of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from Florida. The standoff brought the two superpowers to the brink of nuclear war
Isolationism/Interventionism
Isolationism and interventionism represent two opposing poles in the history of foreign policy, particularly within the United States, dictating how a nation engages with the world.
Locke/Hobbes/Rousseau
Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679), John Locke (1632–1704), and Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778) were pivotal Enlightenment philosophers who defined the "social contract" theory—the idea that government legitimacy stems from an agreement among the governed. Their history focuses on explaining the transition from a hypothetical "state of nature" to organized society.
Haymarket Riot
A violent confrontation on May 4, 1886, in Chicago, stemming from a labor rally for an eight-hour workday.
Saccro and Venzetti
Italian immigrants and anarchists executed in 1927 for a 1920 armed robbery/murder in Massachusetts.
McCarthyism
A practice of making reckless, unsubstantiated accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason, particularly accusing individuals of being communists, without proper evidence. Coined in 1950, it refers to the anti-communist paranoia led by Senator Joseph McCarthy from 1950–1954, which destroyed reputations and created intense fear in the U.S
Good Neighbor Policy
initiated by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, was a foreign policy aiming to foster friendly relations, mutual defense, and trade between the U.S. and Latin American nations. It prioritized non-intervention and non-interference, reversing decades of U.S. military interventionism in the region,
Bill of Rights
the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1791 to guarantee individual liberties and restrict federal power
Great Migration
The mass movement of approximately six million Black Americans from the rural South to the North, Midwest, and West, transforming American demographics and culture