Top 150 Things to Know About U.S. History for the Regents Exam

Colonial Period and Early American History (Unit 1)

The Mississippi River is important for trade around the United States

The Virginia House of Burgesses and the Mayflower Compact were early forms of self-government or representative government

Mercantilism was the economic policy which Great Britain used to limit manufacturing in the colonies. The Colonies were forced to sell raw materials to GB at a low price, and buy back manufactured goods at a high price.

The Proclamation Line of 1763 was put in place by the British to limit conflict between the Colonists and the Native Americans

John Locke’s Enlightenment ideas of the “Natural Rights Theory” and the “Social Contract Theory” influenced the writing of the Declaration of Independence

The Social Contract Theory states that if the government does not protect the citizen’s natural rights, the citizens have the right to overthrow the government

The Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776 and led directly to the Revolutionary War

The Articles of Confederation was the first attempt at the Constitution of the United States and it created a weak Central Government to make sure it wasn’t like the British Monarchy

Under the Articles of Confederation there was only one branch of the national government – the Legislative Branch, and they could not: Tax, Coin Money, Declare War or Fund an Army

Accomplishments of the Articles of include the Northwest Ordinance (1785) which created method to add new states and the Land Ordinance (1787) which created method for giving out land

The Constitution (Unit 2)

From 1787-1789 the Articles of Confederation was rewritten as the Constitution

There are Three Branches of government: Legislative (Writes the Laws), Executive (Enforces the Laws), Judicial (Judges the Laws)

Executive = President/Vice President; Legislative = Congress (Senate/House of Representatives); Judicial = Supreme Court/Federal Courts

President’s roles/powers: Commander-In-Chief, Chief Diplomat, Chief Executive; Can appoint Judges and Ambassadors, Veto (Deny) laws from Congress

Congress Roles: Declare War, Pass Laws, Override a president’s Veto with 2/3 vote

o Senate (elected every 6 years) – Approve presidential appointments, Ratify (approve) treaties

o House (elected every two years) – Begin “revenue” (budget) laws, Impeach the President

Supreme Court Roles: Decide if a law that is challenged is unconstitutional (“Judicial Review”)

Compromises of the Constitution:

o “Great Compromise” -- about how states will be represented in Congress

New Jersey Plan – Small States, want equal representation

Virginia Plan – Big States, wants representation to be based on state population (proportional)

Final Compromise: One part of Congress will be Equal Representation (The Senate) and the other part will be based on population (House of Representatives), and a law must pass both houses

o “Three-Fifths Compromise” – When counting the population a state has, or how much a state owes based on population for taxes, slaves will be counted as 3/5 of a person

o The Federalists v. Anti-Federalists –

Federalists believed in stronger national government

Anti-Federalists believed in stronger state and individual rights

o “Bill of Rights Compromise”

The Bill of Rights is the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution that give more individual rights and liberties

1st: Individual Freedoms (Speech, Religion, Press…)

4th: Protection illegal searches (warrants)

5th: Due process of the law

8th: No cruel and unusual punishment

10th: Any rights not given to national govs, given to state govs

What was the Compromise? The Anti-Federalists would vote to ratify (approve) the Constitution only if the Bill of Rights was added, so they added it.

Checks and Balances: Ways the constitution makes sure that no one branch has too much power (i.e. President can Veto a law from Congress, Supreme Ct can declare a law unconstitutional, Senate must approve any presidential appointments)

Separation of Powers: Different branches have different powers/roles to make sure no one branch has too much power

Federalism: A government in which powers are shared by the National and State governments

Unwritten Constitution: Traditions and Customs followed as a government, but not actually in the constitution, such as: The President’s Cabinet, Political Parties, Lobbying, Term Limits

The New Nation and Westward Expansion (Unit 3)

Alexander Hamilton financial plans included creating a National Bank and Paying Off National Debt to stabilize the new nation

In Washington’s Farewell Address he warns against getting involved in foreign affairs and against political parties

The Louisiana Purchase (1803) was important because it doubled the size of the U.S., full control of the Mississippi River, Control of the Port of New Orleans and Increased Trade

Thomas Jefferson had to change his Strict Constructionist view in order to buy the Louisiana Territory

The Supreme Court (SC) case of Marbury v. Madison established the idea of Judicial Review, which means the SC can declare laws unconstitutional.

Pres. Andrew Jackson created the Spoils System where he gave his supporters government job

“Trail of Tears”: Jackson passed the Indian Removal Act (1830) and forcibly removed the Native American from their land to West of the Mississippi River

The Seneca Falls Convention was the beginning of the Women’s Rights Movement and was led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott

Slavery developed in the South and not in the North because the Geography of the South is better for big plantations (Farms)

The Missouri Compromise, The Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act are examples of compromises over Slavery

Manifest Destiny is the idea that the U.S. has the God given right to expand from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean

The Louisiana Purchase (1803), The Annexation of Texas (1845) and the Mexican Cession (1848) Were all examples of Manifest Destiny

Popular Sovereignty is the idea that the people in a state can vote on whether they want to be a slave state or free state

“Bloody Kansas” refers to when Pro-Slavery and Anti-Slavery people moved into Kansas to vote on whether it would be a slave or free state, and they ended up getting into a number of little battles

The Dred Scott v. Sanford case ruled that Congress cannot prohibit slavery in a state, that a slave cannot sue because they are not a citizen, and that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional

The term “Sectionalism” refers to the division that developed between the

The Civil War and Reconstruction (Unit 4)

When Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860 seven southern states seceded (left) the United States to form the Confederate States of America

The Civil War lasted from 1861-1865, was fought between the Union (North) and the Confederacy (South) over the issue of States Rights and the North Won

The Northern Advantages Included having better transportation, more industry, and more human resources.

Lincoln’s Goal at the start of the Civil War was to Preserve the Union (Keep the United States together)

The Emancipation Proclamation was issued by Lincoln in 1863 and it stated that all slaves in states rebelling against the Union were free, and purpose was to help the Union win the civil war

During the Civil War, Lincoln expanded presidential powers by suspending “Habeas Corpus”

The time period after the Civil War (1865-1877) is called the Reconstruction Era

There were two plans proposed for Reconstruction in the South:

o Lincoln/Johnson (Lincoln’s VP): Try to heal the United States, give the south Amnesty, bring the country back together quickly

o Radical Republicans: Punish the South for starting the Civil War, make it difficult to come back together

The 13th (1865), 14th (1868) and 15th (1870) Amendments are called the Reconstruction Amendments because they were passed during Reconstruction to give Freed Slaves/African-Americans more rights

o 13th Amendment – Freed all slaves

o 14th Amendment – Gave all people “equal protection of the law”

o 15th Amendment – Gave African-American men the right to vote

Black Codes were laws passed in the South to limit the effectiveness of the Reconstruction Amendments, and to limit African-American rights (ex. Poll Taxes)

Jim Crow Laws are laws that Segregated Blacks and Whites in the South (i.e. Separate schools/water fountains)

The Homestead Act (1862) and the Transcontinental Railroad (1862) were both ways to encourage people to move and settle in the West (Led to conflict with Native Americans as well)

Plessey v. Ferguson (1896) confirmed that “Separate But Equal” facilities were constitutional

Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois both had the same goal of Civil Rights for African-Americans but Washington wanted to wait while DuBois Demanded more immediate rights

Industrialization and Labor (Unit 5) – 1870-1920

Industrialization means that the economy is changing to have more factories

Urbanization is when people migrate to cities for factory jobs

A Monopoly or Trust is when one business tries to control all of one industry and to eliminate the competition

The heads of big businesses were called “Robber Barons,” because they used ruthless (harsh) methods to get rid of their competition

Some examples of Robber Barons were Rockefeller (oil), Carnegie (steel), Morgan (finance) and Vanderbilt (Railroads)

Lassiez-Faire (Capitalism) economics is when the Government does not regulate businesses

Social Darwinism is the idea that in the business world it is survival of the fittest

Both Social Darwinism and Lassiez-Faire capitalism justified monopolies for Robber Barons

Labor Unions are groups formed by workers to fight for more worker rights – such as better hours, wages and conditions

During the late 19th Century (1800’s) Labor Unions were unsuccessful because the Government supported the side of Big Business – Ex. The Pullman Strike

The Grange Movement formed in the late 1800’s to fight for farmers rights

The Populist Party was a important because their ideas that they were fighting for – such as the Direct Election of Senators and the National Income Tax – later became Amendments (16th/17th)

Immigration and Reform (Unit 6) – 1880-1920

“New Immigrants” came between 1880-1920 and were from Southern and Eastern Europe

Most “New Immigrants” came to find factory jobs, in the northeast cities, doing unskilled labor

A Nativist is someone who dislikes immigrants

Labor Unions didn’t like immigrants because they thought they would work for cheaper wages and take people’s jobs

Nativists influenced the government to pass laws restricting immigration, such as the Gentleman’s Agreement (Japanese), the Chinese Exclusion Act (Chinese) and Quota Laws (S/E Europe)

The Dawes Act (1887)was passed to try and assimilate Native Americans to be more “American”

The goal of the Progressive Movement was to fix the problems caused by Industrialization

Muckrakers were journalists who tried to uncover problems in society

o Jacob Riis – “How the Other Half Lives” (About immigrant living conditions)

o Upton Sinclair – “The Jungle” (About working conditions and cleanliness of meat factories)

Book led Pres. Teddy Roosevelt to sign the Meat Inspection Act of 1906

The Progressive Movement ideas of Initiative, Referendum and Recall all were meant to Increase citizen participation in government

The 19th Amendment (1920) gave Women the Right to vote

During the Progressive Era, Anti-Trust laws were passed to Limit the power of big business and monopolies

Teddy Roosevelt was called a “Trustbuster” for going against the Monopolies

Woodrow Wilson started the Federal Reserve bank, whose purpose is to regulate the supply of money

Imperialism and World War I (Unit 7)

Imperialism is when a more powerful nation takes over a weaker nation to benefit themselves

The Primary reason for Imperialism is to gain Raw Materials and New Markets

The “Open-Door Policy” was made with China to secure trading opportunities

The Sp-Am War began as a result of exaggerated news called “Yellow Journalism”

The U.S. won the Sp-Am War, and gained Cuba, Puerto Rico, Philippines and Guam

Teddy Roosevelt’s “Big Stick” policy and the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine both were policies that led to Intervention in Latin America and to the U.S. acting as the Policeman of the Western Hemisphere

The Panama Canal was built to allow ships/navy to travel faster between oceans

At the start of WWI (1914) Woodrow Wilson had the United States remain Neutral

In 1917 the U.S. entered the war because of German Submarine Warfare and that Wilson wanted to “maintain freedom of the seas.”

During WWI, the Supreme Ct. ruled in Schenck v. U.S. that Freedom of Speech could be limited during times of war.

At the end of the war the U.S. wouldn’t ratify Wilson’s “Fourteen Points” or the Versailles Treaty since they were worried it would get them involved in another war.

The Roaring 20’s and the Great Depression (Unit 8) -1920’s and 30’s

The Great Migration was the mass movement of African-Americans from the South to the North looking for Factory Jobs after WWI

The goal of the Harlem Renaissance was to increase African-American pride through art and music

Langston Hughes and Duke Ellington were main figures of the Harlem Rennaisance

The Sacco and Vanzetti trial and execution showed how Anti-immigrant (nativist) Americans were in the 1920’s.

The Scopes “Monkey” Trial show the conflict between Religion and Science

Prohibition is the banning of drinking/selling alcohol in the U.S. (1919-1933)

The 18th Amendment began prohibition and the 21st Amendment ended prohibition

Some effects of prohibition include: 1) Rise in organized crime/mafia, 2) disrespect for the laws, 3) showed that it is hard to enforce unpopular laws

Flappers was the term for the “new” women of the 1920’s that were more modern

The 1920’s is known as the “roaring 20’s” because there was an economic boom and people enjoyed going out, partying, buying new things, being happy.

The major causes of the GREAT DEPRESSION included:

o Speculation on stocks

o Under consumption and overproduction of goods

o Uneven distribution of wealth

The major effects of the GREAT DEPRESSION:

o Unemployment rose

o Homelessness

o Collapse of the Banks

Shacks/shelters that the homeless built were called “Hoovervilles” because the people blamed President Hoover for the suffering of the poor

Causes of the “Dustbowl” in the 1930’s:

o Farmers lost their farms since crop prices dropped (overproduction)

o Drought (No rain)

o Nothing to hold down the soil

Effects of the “Dustbowl”

o Big Dust Storms across the southwest

o The Migration close to a million “Okies” who moved west to find work/safety

o John Steinbeck was an author who wrote about the Dustbowl

The “New Deal” was President Franklin Roosevelt’s (FDR) plan to bring the United States out of the Great Depression

FDR created Alphabet Organizations like the WPC, CCC, PWA to help the unemployed by giving them government work projects

FDR created the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) and the SEC (Securities and Exchanges Comission) to help give people confidence in the banking/stock system

Some major programs created by the New Deal are Social Security and Welfare

The reasons that people opposed the New Deal were:

o It raised the national debt

o It was too much like Socialism

o It was unconstitutional

World War II and the Start of the Cold War (Unit 9)

Before WWII the United States has a policy of Isolationism or Neutrality

The Neutrality Acts (1935-39) were passed to avoid the same mistakes that got the U.S. involved in WWI

In 1939-1941 the Lend-Lease act changed U.S. policy from Neutrality to Selling war materials to the allies

In 1941 the U.S. entered WWII because of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor

In the U.S. “War Bonds” were sold to help fund the war effort

In the U.S. there was “Rationing” which was when the government ordered the conservation of goods (food/metal) because it was needed for the war.

The Sup. Ct. Case of Korematsu v. United States ruled the it was legal for Roosevelt to order all people of Japanese-American descent into “Internment Camps” because they were seen as a security threat and that during times of war civil liberties can be limited

The Manhattan project was the secret U.S. project to develop the atomic bomb

WWII ended in 1945 when the Pres. Truman dropped two atomic bombs on Japan

Post-WWII the U.S. became more involved in the world; joined the United Nations

Cold War to Modern Day (Unit 10) – 1950’s-Present

The Cold War was the period of conflict, tension and competition between the United States and the Soviet Union (led by Stalin KruschevGorbechev) and their allies from 1945 (after WWII) until the early 1990s. Throughout the period, the rivalry between the two superpowers was played out in Multiple Wars (Korea and Vietnam), Arms Race (Nuclear Weapons), Technology (Space Race, Weapons)

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was an alliance during the Cold War called for “collective security” of Democratic nations against the Soviet Union

“Containment” was the U.S. policy of limiting the spread of communism

The Marshall Plan (1947) gave $13 Billion dollars to help rebuild Western Europe so that they so that they would contain communism from spreading (containment)

The Truman Doctrine provided Economic Aid to Greece and Turkey to prevent them from falling to Communism

West Berlin/Germany was Democratic while East Berlin/Germany was Communist

The Soviet Blockade of West Berlin (1949) was stopped by the U.S. with the Berlin Airlift

In the U.S. in the 40’s and 50’s there was a “Red Scare” which was the domestic fear of communist influence in the U.S. Government

Senator Joseph McCarthy and Pres. Truman began accusing government employees, actors and professors of being communist, without evidence

A reckless accusation without evidence is known today as “McCarthyism”

After WWII, the GI Bill gave economic and educational help to veterans of WWII

The Baby Boom was a large increase in the number of births after WWII

During the 1950’s there was a suburban migration of people from the cities to the suburbs, using the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System

John F. Kennedy (1960-63) began the Peace Corps to send volunteers to help developing nations

After the Soviet launch of Sputnik (1957) Kennedy announces the U.S. will put a man on the moon – beginning the “Space Race” as a competition of the Cold War

Kennedy’s biggest foreign policy failure was the Bay of Pigs Invasion where the U.S. failed to remove the communist leader – Fidel Castro – from power in Cuba

Kennedy’s biggest foreign policy success was the Cuban Missile Crisis where Kennedy convinced the Soviets to remove Nuclear Missiles from Cuba

The main goal of the Civil Rights Movement was to gain more rights for African-Americans, including getting rid of Jim Crow Laws for Segregation

The Sup. Ct. Case of Brown v. Board of Education (1954) ruled that segregated schools were illegal, and it overturned the decision in Plessey v. Ferguson (1896)

President Eisenhower sent Federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas to enforce the desegregation decision in Brown v. Board

Martin Luther King Jr. led the Civil Rights Movement using non-violent methods and the idea of civil disobedience

The goal of President Johnson’s “Great Society” was to provide programs to help minorities and the poor (Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start…)

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 tried to reduce racial and gender discrimination

The Vietnam War was a part of the Cold War since the U.S. was supporting South Vietnam to contain communism

Many Americans opposed the Vietnam War since they believed the war was unjust

The goal of Pres. Nixon’s Foreign policy of Détente was to reduce tension with the Soviet Union

As a result of Nixon’s Watergate Scandal people lost trust in the government and from U.S v. Nixon we learned that the President isn’t above the law

Pres. Carter helped bring peace in the middle east by working to sign the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt

Pres. Reagan wanted to cut taxes on individuals and businesses as part of his conservative “Supply-Side” economics policy

Pres. George Bush Sr. sent troops to the Persian Gulf to get Iraq/Sadaam Husain out of Kuwait and to keep Oil flowing from Kuwait to the U.S.

Under Pres Clinton (1992-2000), the economy shifted to get rid of manufacturing jobs, and have more service oriented jobs (Teachers, Fast Food, Retailers…)

In the 2000 Election of Bush v. Gore Bush won lost the popular vote but won the electoral vote

After September 11, 2001 the United States created the Department of Homeland Security to help prevent more terrorist attacks and fight the “War on Terror”