Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments drafted by James Madison
Interstate Highway Act
Eisenhower, on June 29th, 1956, authorized $25 billion to construct a 41,000-mile interstate and defense highways
Knights of Labor
The first major national organization in the US
Iron Curtain
The boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas
Panama Canal
A waterway built in 1904-1914, cutting through the Isthmus of Panama
MayFlower Compact
The first document of Plymouth Colony establishing a civic body politic
White collar/Blue collar
Terms developed in the early to mid-20th century to categorize workers based on their jobs
Progressive Amendments
16th- Levy a federal income tax 17th- Direct elections of US senators by popular votes 18th- Established prohibition 19th- Granted the right for women to vote
What does HUAC stand for?
House Un-American Activities Committee
War bonds
Debt securities issued by the Treasury Department to finance military operations
Enlightement
An intellectual movement emphasizing rationalism, empiricism, and science over tradition and superstition
Rust belt/Sun belt
The movement of industry, population, and political power from the industrial Northeast/Midwest to the southern and western regions
Haymarket Riot
A violent confrontation on May 4, 1886, in Chicago
McCarthyism
A period of intense anti-communist suspicion in the US, around 1947–1954, characterized by reckless, unsubstantiated accusations and demagogic attacks on political opponents, named after Senator Joseph McCarthy.
Good neighbor policy
US foreign policy under Franklin Roosevelt in 1933 emphasized mutual cooperation
US Constitution
The supreme law of the United States
What did the GI Bill do?
To help World War II veterans transition to civilian life.
Name three political machines
Timothy Sullivan, Israel Durham, and Christopher Magee
What did the 26th Amendment do?
Lowered the legal voting age from 21 to 18 nationwide.
Isolationism/Interventionism
Two opposing philosophies regarding America's role in global affairs
Magna Carta
A foundational document from 1215 sealed by King John of England to limit royal power and protect feudal rights
Explain the exponential growth of the Suburbs
The term Suburbanization is the post-World War II population shift around 1945–1990 from city centers to residential areas on the outskirts. Fueled by the GI Bill, cheap mortgages, and mass-produced housing, this movement created car-dependent communities like Levittown.
What is Industrialization?
The transition from a rural, agrarian economy to a manufacturing-based economy
Nuclear race
Intense competition for nuclear weapons between the US & USSR
Neutrality Act's
A series of U.S. federal laws passed by Congress between 1935 and 1939, driven by intense isolationist sentiment to prevent the nation from being drawn into foreign wars