United States History - Milestones Study Guide – Georgia Standards of Excellence

DOMAIN I - COLONIZATION TO CONSTITUTION

SSUSH1 - COLONIAL ERA (EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT OF NORTH AMERICA DURING THE 1600’S)
a. Mercantilism and Tran-Atlantic Trade
 Mercantilism – An unbalanced trade system in which the European countries took economic advantage of their American colonies
by cheaply importing the raw materials from the colonies and exporting expensive manufactured goods back to the colonies.
 Trans-Atlantic Trade – Colonies were founded to harvest and export to Europe the abundant natural resources of the Americas.
 Triangle Trade – A trans-Atlantic trade route that started in England, shipped finished products to Africa in exchange for slaves,
shipped slaves from Africa to the Americas, then shipped raw materials back to England, creating a trade path like a large triangle.
b. Southern Colonies – Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas, and Georgia (1607)
 Southern colonies were founded for economic reasons, with economies based on cash crops like tobacco. Long growing seasons,
warm climate, and fertile soil combined with labor intensive crops led to the use of slave labor. Jamestown, Virginia (the Virginia
Colony) was the first successful English colony.
 Tropical climate and swampy land lead to a very high mortality [death] rate due to sickness, often from contaminated water.
 Had an ok relationship with the American Indians (Powhatan) which degraded to warfare as colonist claimed their lands.
c. New England Colonies – Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire (1620)
 Founded for religious reasons - thin, rocky soil prevented farming, but forest and coastal areas led to an economy based on ship
building, fishing, and whaling - good harbors also drove trade, making New England merchants key movers of trans-Atlantic goods.
 Puritans wanted to “purify” the Church of England – Pilgrims were called “separatists” because they permanently left it.
 Religious tension with Puritans led Roger Williams to found Rhode Island, creating a more tolerant alternative to Massachusetts.
 Initially friendly toward American Indians, the settler’s relationships with them collapsed due to expansion, leading to King
Phillip’s War and the Pequot Wars – These wars nearly destroyed New England but ended any future threats from American
Indians.
d. Mid Atlantic Colonies – New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware (1614)
 New Netherlands was established by the Dutch as a private money-making venture based on trade. The port city of New
Amsterdam was between England’s New England colonies and Southern colonies. The English captured the Dutch colony and
renamed it New York.
 Economic mix: Good ports and river mouths from the interior made it a major commercial hub, it also had good food crop farming.
 Very diverse in religion and culture due to its transition from Dutch to English.
 Pennsylvania was founded by a Quaker, William Penn – It was religiously tolerant and friendly to American Indians.
 Fur trade instead of farming, working alliances, and Quaker influences led to generally peaceful relations with American Indians.
SSUSH2 - ECONOMY & SOCIETY IN COLONIAL NORTH AMERICA
a. European Cultural Diversity
 Scottish settlers immigrated in large numbers after Scotland and England joined in 1707 – They settled in the mountain back-
country away from English authority and created the unique speech patterns and music of the Appalachian region.
 German immigrants fled constant rival-state warfare in their homeland – Many were recruited by William Penn to settle in
Pennsylvania – their reports drew more immigrants, who influenced American with ideas of recreational days and public
education.
 Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, and French brought their own cultural influences on language, food, and architecture.
 New England brought strict religious practices, while Maryland was established by Catholics and passed the first religious freedom
law, the Acts of Toleration in 1649 – Rhode Island and Quaker Pennsylvania were also tolerant of other faiths.
b. Middle Passage and African Contributions
 The labor demands of cash crops led a need for inexpensive labor – at first indentured servants (men who worked for up to seven
years in exchange for land) were used, but West African slaves became the preferred source of labor because they were easier to
control than indentured servants and there were no worries about freeing them and then having them revolt later (see Bacon’s
Rebellion)
 The Middle Passage was the brutal trans-Atlantic leg of the triangle trade, from West Africa to the Americas, in which 1 in 5 slaves
died from inhumane conditions like “tight packing.”
 While West African slaves were from many cultural groups, their slavery created a unique, blended “Black” culture.
 Food like okra, watermelon, yams, rice, and grits have been attributed to African American cultural blending, along with language
patterns like Creole and Gullah, as well as architecture influences via shotgun houses and “wattle and daub.”
c. Colonial Self-Government in the Period of Salutary Neglect
 Salutary Neglect was the 1721 English government’s position of not strictly enforcing colonial policies and restrictions like the
Navigation Acts as long as colonial wealth was flowing to England.
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  In Jamestown, Virginia, the House of Burgesses became the first representative legislative government in North America - The
upper house consisted of nobility selected by the governor, the lower of popularly elected citizens
 New England had Town Hall Meetings that allowed the public to vote on issues, though in many colonies only men could vote
 Bacon’s Rebellion – Colonist Nathaniel Bacon felt like not enough was being done by wealthy coastal elites to protect the
backwater colonist (ex-indentured servant and freed slaves) from Native Americans. He led them in revolt against Jamestown,
establishing the idea that government should work for all citizens, not just the wealthy.
d. The Great Awakening (1730)
 The Great Awakening was a religious revival that spread across the colonies in the 1730s. It was started by Jonathan Edwards
with his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” but was spread far and wide by the dynamic public speaker
George Whitefield.
 The Great Awakening contributed to public education and literacy by creating a desire to read scripture, contributed to civil rights
by being preached to all people regardless of social status or ethnicity, and contributed to the American Revolution by creating a
shared experience across the colonies and popularizing the idea of natural rights.
SSUSH3 - CAUSES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
a. French & Indian War, 1763 Treaty of Paris
 The French & Indian War was the North American part of the “Seven Years War,” in which French and American Indians fought
British soldiers and colonial militia over rights to rich farmland in the Ohio River valley, west of the Appalachian Mountains.
 After British victory, the Treaty of Paris (1763) gives all French land east of the Mississippi to England, including Canada.
 The war costs England a great deal of money, leading them to explore new tax revenues from colonies and end salutary neglect.
b. Proclamation of 1763, Stamp Act, Intolerable Acts, Revolutionary Organizations
 The Proclamation of 1763 restricts settlement to east of the Appalachian Mountains. Meant to appease the Native Americans, it
instead outraged the colonists, who felt that they had the right to settle the land they won in the French and Indian War.
 Stamp Act – Required most printed paper to have a paid government stamp. This first direct tax on the colonists creates outrage.
 Colonists formed the Committees of Correspondence to secretly coordinate matters of concern and organize boycotts.
 Sons of Liberty – Led by Samuel Adams, they used violence to maintain boycotts of British good and intimidate stamp officials.
 Daughters of Liberty – Wove fabrics and created other products to provide alternatives for boycotted goods.
 When England coordinated with the British East India Company to expand their tea monopoly, colonist dumped three ship’s worth
of tea in Boston Harbor in what became known as the “Boston Tea Party.”
 The British responded harshly with what the colonists called the “Intolerable Acts,” which included closing Boston Harbor, forcing
residents to quarter British soldiers in their homes (Quartering Act), and placing Massachusetts under British military control.
c. Common Sense
 Thomas Paine’s best-selling booklet, Common Sense, effectively argued that the U.S. should and could defy British rule, leading
many undecided colonists to support American independence – It also shifted blame from British Parliament to King George III.
SSUSH4 – THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
a. Declaration of Independence - 1776
 Among those chosen to write the Declaration (the Committee of Five), Thomas Jefferson was the primary author – He was heavily
inspired by philosopher John Locke, whose writings defined “Life, Liberty, & Property” as our “unalienable” natural rights.
 The opening states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and are endowed by their Creator
with certain unalienable rights.” The second half lists grievances against King George III. The last part is a statement of
independence.
 The Social Contract Theory justified independence – People give the government power in exchange for protection of natural
rights. If the government doesn’t protect the people’s natural rights, the people can alter or replace the government.
b. Diplomacy in the American Revolution
 France became America’s best ally during the war, supplying guns, supplies, troops, and most importantly, a navy. They also
helped to weaken British control of American resources and created European access to North American trade.
 Benjamin Franklin, as ambassador to France, was a key figure in creating the alliance.
 John Adams, as ambassador to the Netherlands, secured a key loan from the Dutch that helped finance the new United States.
c. George Washington and Military Leadership
 George Washington was not the most skilled tactical commander, but his strong leadership skills generated respect and support.
 The continental army spent the winter in Valley Forge, enduring bitter cold and disease. While a low point in the war, the colonial
military emerged as a capable military force due to the boot-camp-like training program created by Baron von Steuben.
 The Marquis de Lafayette also helped with training and was a critical link between the colonial forces and the French military.
d. American Revolution Battles
 The Battle of Trenton was the Continental Army’s first victory under the military leadership of George Washington. It was a
midnight sneak attack, crossing the Delaware and defeating the Hessians (mercenary troops hired by the British). The victory was
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 an important moral boost for the Continental Army. Geographically, the Hessians thought the Delaware River protected them, but
it was in fact a weak point.
 In the Battle of Saratoga, the Continental Army under Gen. Gates used high ground, rough terrain, and the Hudson River to trap
the British army under Gen. Burgoyne. The colonial victory convinced the French that the Americans could win large battles. From
that point, France began to provide much needed naval support.
 The Battle of Yorktown was the deciding battle of the American Revolution. The Continental Army pursued the British Army to the
coastal town of Yorktown, Virginia.–There, trapped on a peninsula, under bombardment by French and American forces, and
blocked from a sea escape by the French navy, British General Charles Cornwallis was forced to surrender his army.
e. Women, American Indians, and Free Blacks in the American Revolution
 Women known as “camp followers” would wash, sew, cook, and nurse wounded soldiers. Few women participated in fighting,
though some women functioned as spies.
 Western American Indians sided with the British in hopes that their land would be protected. In the east they were evenly divided.
 Some free and enslaved blacks fought for the colonies in hopes of realizing the promise of “all men are created equal.” Crispus
Attucks was killed in the “Boston Massacre.” However, many more fought for the British, who promised them freedom.
f. The Treaty of Paris
 In the Treaty of Paris 1783, America received its independence from England and took possession of all British lands south of
Quebec and east of the Mississippi.
SSUSH5 – THE CONSTITUTIONAL ERA
a. Articles of Confederation – Strengths
 The Land Ordinance of 1785 divided new territory west of the Appalachians into six-square-mile townships, which were divided
into one-square-mile plots and auctioned. Money from every 16 th plot funded public education, the rest helped pay off war debts.
 The first territory after the original states was the Northwest Territory (Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana), created
by the Northwest Ordinance. The ordinance defined the pathway to statehood (at pop. 60,000) and set the Ohio River as a
boundary between free states to the north and slave states to the south. All new states were equal members with the original
thirteen.
b. Articles of Confederation – Weaknesses
 The Articles of Confederation was our first constitution, but it was made deliberately weak to prevent another monarchy. States
held more power than the central government, which could not even tax.
 The weakness of the confederate government under the Articles was evident in Shays’ Rebellion. Farmers who were deep in war
debt and losing their property rebelled against heavy taxes, and the confederate government lacked the ability to stop the revolt.
 After Shays’ Rebellion, George Washington saw the need for a stronger central government and organized the Constitutional
Convention in 1787 to explore the creation of a new constitution.
c. Key Features of the Constitution
 The constitution was heavily influenced by the writings of Baron Charles de Montesquieu, who believed that a system of Checks
& Balances and Separation of Powers would keep the government from abusing its power.
 Three branches were created: Legislative (Congress), Judicial (The Supreme Court), and Executive (The President). Each branch
shared power and had the ability to overrule (or check) another branch. Power was also split between state and federal
government.
 A government under rule of law and restricted by checks and balances and separation of powers is known as Limited
Government.
 The Great Compromise: In the legislative branch, states with small populations wanted an equal number of representatives for
each state (New Jersey Plan). States with large populations wanted representation based on population (Virginia Plan). The Great
Compromise created two congressional houses (called a bicameral legislature): One based on population (House of
Representatives) and one with two representatives per state (Senate), which satisfied both sides.
 Since population determined the number of members in the House of Representative, free states felt it was unfair for slave states
to count slaves as part of their population. In the 3/5th Compromise, only 3 of every 5 slaves were counted toward representation.
d. Ratification of the Constitution (1788)
 Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, supported the Constitution’s strong central government. James Madison, Hamilton, and
other Federalists wrote The Federalist Papers, a series of essays in explaining the government’s need for the Constitution.
 Anti-Federalists, led by Thomas Jefferson, feared that the federal government would be too powerful and individual and state
rights wouldn’t be protected. This conflict between Federalist and Anti-Federalist led to the first political parties.
e. The Bill of Rights
 To help convince all states to ratify (sign into law) the constitution, Federalists promised to add a Bill of Rights to the Constitution
that would protect individual and state rights. Madison added these first ten amendments in 1792.

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 1. Freedom of religion, 2. The right to 3. Government cannot 4. No unreasonable 5. Right not to
speech, press and public possess firearms require people to house searches or seizures incriminate yourself,
gathering to petition soldiers during peacetime right not to testify, right
government to due process
6. Right to a speedy trial 7. Right to trial by 8. Right to reasonable bail, 9. Rights not covered in 10. Powers not given to
and to a lawyer, right to jury in most civil no cruel or unusual the constitution belong the gov. belong to the
hear witnesses cases punishment to the people states or people

SSUSH6 – FIRST FIVE PRESIDENTS (1788 – 1824)

a. George Washington
 At the creation of the Constitution, George Washington became the first President. In that role, he set many traditions and
patterns [precedents] that future Presidents would follow. One precedent was Washington’s cabinet – a group of close advisors,
including Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton.
 The Whiskey Rebellion was an uprising of corn farmers upset at Hamilton’s taxes on alcohol. Because of the new Constitution,
Washington was able to use the military to quickly end the rebellion. Just as Shays’ Rebellion demonstrated the weakness of the
old confederate government, the Whiskey Rebellion demonstrated the strength of the new and stronger federal government.
 At the end of his second term, Washington stepped down, setting another precedent, that of a two-term limit.
 Washington penned a farewell address urging U.S. not to be involved in European affairs and to avoid political parties and
geographic sectionalism (loyalty to one’s party or region over loyalty to the nation as a whole).
b. John Adams
 John Adams, a Federalist, narrowly defeated Thomas Jefferson to become the second President. Jefferson had left Washington’s
cabinet to form an opposing part, the “Democratic-Republicans.”
 In support of Adams, Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts, which allowed the government to prevent Jefferson-leaning
immigrants from voting and made criticizing the President a crime. Jefferson and Madison responded with the Virginia and
Kentucky Resolutions, which said states could ignore (nullify) unconstitutional laws.
c. Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase
 His reputation damaged by the Alien and Sedition Acts, Adams was easily defeated by Jefferson in 1800, ushering in the first
presidential transition to a new political party – the “Revolution of 1800.” Jefferson believed in smaller government and felt that
the government could not do anything that was not explicitly stated in the Constitution (strict constructionist).
 The Louisiana Purchase, which stretched west from the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains, doubled the size of the United States
at the very low cost of $15 million. Jefferson sought to purchase New Orleans from Napoleon to protect the important Mississippi
River waterway. Instead, Napoleon offered to sell all of France’s American territory, and Jefferson’s administration accepted
before permission was granted by Congress, going against Jefferson’s own position of strict construction.
 Lewis and Clarke explored from the new territory in a 28-month, 8,000-mile expedition up the Mississippi and Missouri rivers,
across the Rockies, and to the Pacific. They were helped by a young female Native American, Sacagawea, who acted as a guide
and interpreter. The expedition also gave the United State claims to the Oregon territory, which was disputed by the British.
d. James Madison and the War of 1812
 As Jefferson’s secretary of state, James Madison easily won the election to become the fourth U.S. President.
 The War of 1812 was a second war against Britain. There were four causes: 1) British restrictions against trading with France – 2)
the British policy of impressment [kidnapping] of American sailors into British service – 3) Suspicion that the British were arming
the Native Americans in the Northwest – 4) The desire to conquer Canada and drive the British completely out of North America.
 The war, ending with the Treaty of Ghent, was more of a tie, but it concluded with a morale-boosting American victory at New
Orleans. The pride of fighting England to a draw created a spirit of national unity & identity that would be a defining aspect
American culture in the decades to come. Inability to import goods during the war also jump-started U.S. industrial production.
e. James Monroe
 Victory in the War of 1812 crushed the anti-war Federalist Party and left much of America unified under President James Monroe
in what was called the “Era of Good Feelings.”
 The Monroe Doctrine, a foreign policy that still exists today, warned Europe to avoid starting any new colonies the Western
Hemisphere and said the U.S. would stay out of European wars. The doctrine hoped to avoid unnecessary conflicts with Europe
but also sought to solidify American influence in Central and South America.

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DOMAIN II - NEW REPUBLIC THROUGH RECONSTRUCTION (1824 – 1877)
SSUSH7 – THE AGE OF JACKSON
a. Jacksonian Democracy
 Jacksonian Democracy sought to strengthen the Executive Branch and weaken the Legislative and Judicial Branches – It also
expanded voting rights to all white males (universal male suffrage), not just male landowners. These millions of new voters
strongly supported Jackson, creating a new party – the Democratic Party.
 The Spoils System was based on the idea that only those loyal to the party should serve in government. Democrats rewarded
supporters of President Jackson with government jobs, sometimes leading to corruption and unqualified workers.
 The Nullification Crisis occurred when John C. Calhoun of South Carolina tried to nullify a Jackson tariff. After South Carolina
threatened to secede from the United States, Jackson threatened military force but also relaxed the tariff, and South Carolina
backed down. The crisis damaged the idea that states could nullify federal laws and led to distrust of the North in southern states.
 The Indian Removal Act: Jackson defied Justice Marshall and the Supreme court, forcing 45,000 Native Americas to move west of
the Mississippi River. Thousands of Cherokee Indians died in the relocation march, known as the Trail of Tears.
b. Industrial and Economic Expansion
 Henry Clay’s American System sought to unite the country geographically with national infrastructure like canals, roads, and
railroads, which would increase trade and America’s status in the world.
 The Erie Canal, 365 miles long, connected the Great Lakes to the New York’s Atlantic Ocean ports via the Hudson River. The canal
made New York City the largest and most prosperous city in the U.S. and helped unite new western regions to the eastern states.
 The Industrial Revolution introduced steamboats and trains, both of which greatly expanded travel and connected rural farms to
cities. The introduction of steam powered factories led to an increase in urban growth.
c. Second Great Awakening and Reform Movements
 The Second Great Awakening was a religious revival for all classes that spread across the country, leading to reform movements.
 Temperance – Sought to end the drinking of alcohol, which was cheap and germ-free, but led to many other social problems.
 Educational Reform – Mandatory but free public education, led by Horace Mann, who created the Common School movement.
 Women’s Rights – At the Seneca Falls Convention, organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the Declaration of Sentiments was
written. Drawn from the Declaration of Independence, it outlined equality for women, especially suffrage (the right to vote,
granted with the 19th Amendment in 1920). Stanton’s Declaration said, “All men and women are created equal.”
d. Abolitionism
 Eli Whitney’s invention of the Cotton Gin in 1793 made it far easier to de-seed cotton but also drastically increased the need for
slave labor in the south. Slavery also spread west as new lands were sought in which to grow cotton.
 Abolitionism was a movement to end slavery. Abolitionists made slavery an important political issue in the creation of new states.
 Frederick Douglass – Self-educated slave who published the paper North Star and became a famous for his fiery lecturers against
slavery and his autobiography, “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.”
 William Lloyd Garrison – White “radical” abolitionist and editor who published The Liberator – Wanted immediate end to slavery.
 The Grimke Sisters – Sarah and Angela grew up in the South, but lectured in the North about slave mistreatment on plantations.
 Nat Turner’s Rebellion, in which African American preacher Nat Turner led a slave uprising that killed 60 whites, unified
southerners out of fear. Many new laws were passed limiting slave activities and strengthening the institution of slavery.

SSUSH8 – CAUSES OF THE CIVIL WAR

a. The Missouri Compromise
 Missouri Compromise of 1820 kept the number of Senators from free and slave state equal. Missouri became a slave state;
Maine was created as free. Other than Missouri, states north of the 36°30′ line of latitude would be free, states south of it would
be slave.
b. James K. Polk and Manifest Destiny
 Manifest Destiny was the mid-1800s belief that in a God-given right to expand and settle westward from “sea to shining sea.”
 Three reasons for westward growth were inexpensive land, discovery of gold, and inexpensive, reliable transportation via rail.
 James K. Polk was elected in 1844. A believer in Manifest Destiny, he immediately annexed [added] Texas to the U.S.
 The 1846 Oregon Treaty gave half of Oregon to the Unites States, though Polk had campaigned for all of it with “54-40 or Fight!”
c. Mexican War
 The Mexican War happened in 1845 after Texas joined the U.S. (as a slave state). Polk put soldiers in disputed territory, then
declared war when they were attacked. Mexico was quickly defeated, and in the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, California and New
Mexico were added to the U.S. and the Rio Grande became the southern border of Texas.
 The Wilmot Proviso was attached to the treaty, stating the land won had to be free of slavery, but it was defeated as sectional
tension rose between pro and anti-slavery political forces.

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d. Compromise of 1850
 The Compromise of 1850 addressed the issue of slavery in lands acquired from Mexico. New Mexico would be carved out of
Texas, with voters deciding on slave or free, and California admitted as a free state. A strict fugitive slave law was created that
ended the slave trade in Washington D.C. but legally required all citizens to apprehend fugitive slaves, enraging northern
abolitionist.
e. Kansas-Nebraska, Scott v Sanford, John Brown, and Lincoln’s Election
 The Kansas-Nebraska Act gave citizens a vote on whether their territories would be slave or free, called “popular sovereignty.” It
overturned the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850, and pro and anti-slavery forces flooded into Kansas, sparking
a violent conflict called “Bleeding Kansas.” The act also divided and weakened northern and southern Democrats.
 The Dred Scott Case, Scott v Sanford, was an 1852 attempt by the slave Dred Scott to sue for his freedom after his owner took him
into the Illinois Territory, where slavery was illegal. Scott lost the case because the Supreme Court defined him as property, but
the Supreme court went even further, ruling that the concept of free states itself was unconstitutional.
 In response, abolitionist John Brown raided the Harper’s Ferry, Virginia federal armory, hoping to start a slave uprising. He was
caught and hanged for treason. Brown was seen as a terrorist by the South and a martyr by the North.
 Republican presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln promised in his campaign to replace the Scott v Sanford Justices. Running
against a divided Democratic Party, he easily won, but southern states immediately began to secede (leave) the United States,
starting with South Carolina, beginning the Civil War.
SSUSH9 - THE CIVIL WAR (1861 – 1865)
a. Economic Differences Between North and. South
 North: Industrial economy with extensive railway system, larger population, strong central government, and powerful military.
 South: Agrarian economy with little industry, minimal railway system, a smaller population that included many slaves who could
not fight, powerful state governments but weak confederate government, better military leadership, but no navy.
b. Lincoln’s War Efforts
 Lincoln used his congressional war powers to suspend habeas corpus – the right to be notified of charges and given a speedy trial,
and he suspended freedom of the press to suppress southern sympathizers, especially in northern border states like Maryland.
 The Emancipation Proclamation, issued immediately after Antietam, ended slavery in the Confederacy but was not enforceable
without Union (United States) control of an area. Lincoln used the proclamation to turn the war from a political battle national
unity into a moral and religious battle, increasing popular support for the war.
 Lincoln dedicated the Gettysburg battlefield as a national cemetery in his Gettysburg Address, which called for the Union to
strengthen its resolve by remembering the sacrifices of the dead – “Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth…”
 Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, shortly after Atlanta’s fall, called for reconciliation – “malice toward none, charity toward all.”
c. Civil War Military Leaders
 Abraham Lincoln – U.S. president / Commander-in-chief of military until his assassination in 1865 by John Wilkes Booth.
 Ulysses S. Grant – Commanding General of U.S. forces after his success at Vicksburg, Mississippi.
 William Tecumseh Sherman – Union general known for his capture of Atlanta and his “March to the Sea” in Georgia, burning
every city from Atlanta to Savannah and bringing the war to a close in 1864.
 Jefferson Davis – Confederate President during the Civil War. He had far less control of military than Lincoln.
 Robert E. Lee – Overall Confederate commander throughout the Civil War, known for his legendary tactical ability.
 Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson – Brilliant Confederate general under Lee - He was killed by friendly fire during night combat.
d. Civil War Battles
 Fort Sumter – The war officially began when South Carolina bombarded and then captured this federal island fort.
 Antietam – Lee invaded Maryland, hoping to convince it to secede. It was the bloodiest single day battle of the Civil War. When
Lee withdrew to the south, Lincoln used news of the retreat as an opportunity to announce the Emancipation Proclamation.
 Vicksburg – After a 6-week siege by Ulysses S. Grant, this city on the Mississippi River was captured, cutting off Arkansas,
Louisiana, and Texas from the rest of the Confederate South as part of the “Anaconda Plan.”
 Gettysburg – This 3-day battle was the bloodiest battle of the war. It ended in defeat for Lee after he tried to take heavily fortified
hill locations and lost 1/3 of his army. Along with Vicksburg, it marked a turning point the war.
 Atlanta – Sherman’s siege and capture of Atlanta and his destructive march to Savannah ended the Confederate ability to wage
war and helped Lincoln win reelection.
SSUSH10 - RECONSTRUCTION – THE REBUILDING & REUNITING OF AMERICA (1865 – 1877)
a. Presidential Reconstruction vs. Congressional Reconstruction
 Lincoln and Vice President Andrew Johnson led Presidential Reconstruction. It sought to readmit southern states into the Union
as quickly as possible. Lincoln demanded 10% of southern states swear allegiance, and each state had to ratify the 13 th
Amendment.
 Few confederates were prosecuted, and thousands were pardoned. This was viewed as too lenient on the South by many
northerners, especially after Lincoln was assassinated.
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  Republican led Congressional Reconstruction, (sometime called “Radical Republican Reconstruction”) sought to punish the South.
However, Andrew Johnson interfered with the Congressional Reconstruction, vetoing many bills, including the first civil right acts.
 House Republicans impeached President Andrew Johnson, but he was found not guilty in the Senate by one vote. Republicans
were then able to pass laws that allowed freed slaves to be voted into southern state governments.
b. Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands
 Congress created the Freedmen’s Bureau to help former slaves make the transition to freedom and citizenship by providing
education, job training, and social integration services. It also provided aid to poor whites and American Indians.
 There was an effort to redistribute land in the South among former slaves, but it failed because seizing the land violated the 5 th
Amendment. However, the Freedmen’s Bureau did help some former slaves get lands that had been abandoned.
 Morehouse College was founded by a minister and two former slaves in Atlanta in 1867 as the Augusta Institute.
c. Constitutional Amendments (Reconstruction Amendments)
 13th Amendment: Abolished slavery in the United States.
 14th Amendment: Defined U.S. citizenship as including all persons born in the United States, including African Americans, and
guaranteed that no citizen could be deprived of his or her rights without due process – equal protection under the law.
 15th Amendment: Removed restrictions on voting based on race, color, or ever having been a slave and granted voting rights to
all male U.S. citizens over the age of 21.
d. Resistance to Reconstruction
 Black Codes were laws by which the South continued to treat African Americans as second-class citizens and to take advantage of
them in ways that made it seem as if slavery had not been abolished – Many were forced to work for former owners.
 The Ku Klux Klan was formed to resist reconstruction This secret society used murder, arson, and the threat of violence as a
means of controlling African Americans and supporters. It was suppressed by Federal troops but reignited after Reconstruction
ended, helping shape the “New South.”
e. End of the Reconstruction
 In the controversial Presidential Election of 1876, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes technically lost the election to Democrat
Samuel Tilden, but Tilden offered 20 disputed electoral votes to Hayes in exchange for the removal of Federal troops from the
South. This deal, called The Compromise of 1877, ended Reconstruction and Republican-controlled state governments in the
South, beginning the disenfranchisement of southern African Americans and the era of “Dixie Democrats.”

DOMAIN III - INDUSTRIALIZATION, REFORM, AND IMPERIALISM

SSUSH11 – POST RECONSTRUCTION INDUSTRIALISM, BUSINESS, AND INVENTION
a. Effect of Railroads on Steel, Oil, and Other Industries
 The United States went from 35,000 miles of track in 1865 to 193,000 miles of track in 1900.
 Demand for steel railroad tracks led to dramatic growth in the steel industry, forcing the steel industry to develop quicker,
cheaper methods to make steel (like the Bessemer Process), driving the price down.
 Railroads boosted other industries, increasing demand for coal to fuel the train engines. Pullman sleeping railroad cars required
wood, cloth, and glass. Transportation of oil from to remote locations to cities became a major role for the railways. Time zones
were also introduced to coordinates railway schedules.
 As smaller railroad companies were purchased by larger ones, railroads became dominated by powerful corporations.
b. Rockefeller, Carnegie, and the Rise of Trusts and Monopolies
 Powerful men came to control entire industries. Because of this, they were able to manipulate prices and supplies of goods to
create massive wealth. These men were sometimes called “Robber Barons” (negative) or “Captains of Industry” (positive).
 Control of an entire industry by one person or company is known as a monopoly. Trusts were agreements between companies
that helped created monopolies.
 John D. Rockefeller dominated the oil industry via the Standard Oil Company. He used “vertical integration,” buying every part of
the manufacturing process, from lumber for barrels to pipelines to transport, to reduce costs. Rockefeller also used “horizontal
integration” – buying competing companies to create a massive trust. He eventually controlled 90% of U.S. oil production.
 Andrew Carnegie used the Bessemer process to cheaply produce steel, and along with vertical integration, he dominated the steel
industry. He is also known for his philanthropy, giving away most of his fortune to establish more than 3,000 libraries and schools.
c. New Technologies
 Samuel Morse invented the telegraph 1832, which allowed instant communication over wires with “Morse Code.”
 Alexander Graham Bell created the first marketable telephone in 1876.
 Thomas Edison was the most famous inventor of the 20th century – His inventions include:
o First practical light bulb – Huge impact on society, allowing productivity to continue after dark in homes and factories.
o Motion pictures – An invention called the Kinetoscope was the first step in revolutionizing social entertainment.
o Phonograph – This early record player helped spread and mix musical styles, influencing new styles of music.
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  Electrical motors based on Edison’s work soon replaced humans as the primary source of power in household appliances and
steam as the primary source of power in factories. The resulting rise in industrial output led to increased migration to cities.
d. New Immigration
 In the last half of the 1800s, low wages, unemployment, disease, and religious persecution drove many southeastern Europeans to
immigrate to the U.S. – Previous immigrants had been from northeast Europe
 These “new immigrants” were often poor and worked as unskilled laborers in cities – they did not blend in like earlier immigrants.
 Problems grew, including overcrowded cities, crime, and disease. However, their immigration helped spur economic growth.
 Immigrants introduced new cultural items – art, food, and literature, including opera, polkas, hamburgers, hotdogs, and spaghetti.
 Ellis Island was the east coast immigration center in New York Harbor. It processed mainly poorer European immigrants, who had
to undergo health and welfare tests. Angel Island processed immigrants, primarily Asian, on the west coast.
e. Samuel Gompers / AFL
 Immigrant workers often faced harsh and unsafe work conditions. Some banded together to form labor unions, where they could
use the power of collective bargaining.
 Samuel Gompers started the AFL (American Federation of Labor) which used strikes (work stoppages) to force employers to give
workers shorter workdays, better working conditions, and higher wages.
SSUSH12 – SOCIAL CHANGES AND UNREST
a. Transcontinental Railway
 The Transcontinental Railroad, funded by the Pacific Railway Act, connected the east and west coasts, fulfilling Manifest Destiny.
The railway was completed at Promontory Point, Utah in 1869. Construction used low wage immigrant Chinese labor in the west,
where 1,500 of 15,000 would be killed while blasting through the Sierra Nevada Mts. In the east, construction used Irish
immigrants and Civil War veterans.
 The U.S. government granted land to railway investors, 10 miles wide on each side of the track, which helped settlement of the
West by creating a source of cheap land available to settlers, along with reliable transportation of goods and people.
b. Mid-west Settlement
 Along with cheap railroad land, the government enacted the Homestead Act – 160 acres to all who could farm it for 5 years.
 The steel plow made it easier to till the deep sod of the plains, and the railroad transported goods to markets.
 Wild Spanish cattle were rounded up by cowboys and herded to train stations in cattle drives. Inexpensive barbed wire made it
easy to ranch or keep cattle out of farms, though the fencing also restricted Plains Indian’s movement, leading to conflict.
c. Conflict with Plains Indians
 As people looking for rural lifestyles moved further west, conflict with western American Indians increased.
 Chief Sitting Bull wiped out General Custer’s small 200-man U.S. Army unit with 3,000 warriors at the Battle of Little Big Horn but
was forced to flee into Canada. Facing starvation, the Sioux agreed to settle on a reservation.
 The 1887 Dawes Act attempted to carve up Sioux land and dilute their culture. Sioux Indians, under the influence of the Ghost
Dance religious movement, resisted, resulting in a confrontation at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. As the army was confiscating
weapons, a shot was fired, leading to the killing of as many as 300 Sioux men, women, and children by machine gun fire. 31 U.S.
soldiers were also killed.
SSUSH13 – SOCIAL REFORMS IN THE PROGRESSIVE ERA
a. Muckrakers
 Journalist who investigated and exposed political corruption, child labor, slum conditions, and other social issues were called
Muckrakers. The most famous muckrakers were Upton Sinclair and Ida Tarbell
 Upton Sinclair’s novel The Jungle exposed the tremendously unsanitary conditions in the meat packing industry, leading to a
boycott and the creation of federal regulation agencies. The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) inspected meat
processing, and the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) regulated food products and medicines and forced the use of ingredient
labels. One of the first meat packing regulation laws was the Meat Inspection Act.
 Ida Tarbell exposed political corruption in New York, Chicago, and other cities, and criticized Standard Oil Company’s unfair
business practices. Her findings, published as The History of the Standard Oil Company, angered the public and led to the break up
the Standard Oil Company trust
 Jacob Riis used flash photography to expose the filthy, overcrowded New York City tenement housing in How the Other Half Lives,
leading to the creation of municipal [city] housing codes and the creation of modern sanitation and water services.
b. Women Reform Movements
 Jane Addams founded the Hull House, a social agency that helped recent immigrants and working-class citizens learn about home
economics, basic medical care, the English language, legal rights, and other topics . She also helped found the NAACP.
 Other reform movements headed by women included temperance [anti-alcohol], women’s suffrage, and educational reform.

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c. Civil Rights Reforms
 Jim Crow laws required separate public and private facilities for African Americans. They resulted in inferior education, health
care, and transportation systems for African Americans, and restricted participaion in government, including voting.
 In 1896, Supreme Court decision Plessy v. Ferguson ruled that Jim Crow laws did not violate the constitution and defined the
“separate but equal” doctrine that racial segregation was legal. Opponents noted that separate was never equal.
 After Plessy v. Ferguson, there was widespread increases in violence against African Americans, including lynching, where a person
is murdered by citizens before the judical system can act.
 In response, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) was formed – an organization dedicated to
removing these injustices in American society. Founders included Ida B. Wells, who fought against lynching, and W. E. B. DuBois.
d. Reform in Voting, Labors Laws, and Conservation
 Voter Empowerment included the initiative (allowing the people to propose laws), referendum (putting issues or laws to a public
vote), and recall (voting to removing a politician from office), as well as the direct election of Senators (17th Amendment).
 Reform of Labor laws instituted the 40-hour work weeks, overtime and worker’s comp, minimum wage, and ended child labor.
 President Roosevelt led the Conservation Movement with the creation of 150 million acres of national parks and forests to
preserve natural habitats and resources. He also created the Yellowstone and Yosemite national parks.
SSUSH14 – SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR, EXPANSIONISM, PANAMA CANAL, AND THE ROOSEVELT COROLLARY
a. The Spanish-American War
 The Spanish-American War took place in the Philippines & Cuba (Spanish territories) over Spain’s refusal to grant independence
to Cuban revolutionaries. It started after the battleship Maine blew up in Havana harbor in 1898, which was blamed on Spain.
 America won quickly, and Cuba became an independent country, while Puerto Rico and the Philippines became American
territories. The first unit of African American “Buffalo soldiers” gave an outstanding performance. Teddy Roosevelt also led the
“Rough Riders” to fame.
 The Philippine-American War was a result of the Spanish-American War. When the U.S. purchases the Philippines as an American
territory, the Filipinos revolted in costly guerilla warfare that lasted three years.
 Hawaii was taken in 1898, Puerto Rico and Gaum also become territories. The new territories led to a debate over American
Expansionism: Was it spreading democracy or was it imperialism - the use of power to increase territory and influence?
b. America and Latin-America
 The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine stated that the United States had the right to intervene in Latin American
countries on behalf of European powers. For example, the U.S. would collect debts owed to Europeans to maintain the Monroe
Doctrine
 The Roosevelt Corollary was part of Roosevelt’s “Big Stick” policy, where negotiations were backed by military force – but U.S.
intervention in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Haiti angered Latin American countries.
 The building of the Panama Canal extended American’s influence in the Western Hemisphere as a part of the Roosevelt Corollary.
It allowed the U.S. Navy to operate in both the Atlantic and Pacific and project power into Latin America.
 The canal was a massive engineering project - 48 miles through tropical forest and difficult terrain. When it opened in 1914, a
voyage from San Francisco to New York was cut from 14,000 miles to 6,000 miles.
 To obtain the rights to build the Panama Canal, Roosevelt helped start and supported a revolution in Columbia, in which Panama
broke away to become an independent country. Incidents like this increased resentment toward the U.S. in Latin America.

DOMAIN IV - ESTABLISHMENT AS A WORLD POWER

SSUSH15 – WORLD WAR I
a. The End of American Isolationism
 American Isolationism or neutrality [not taking a side] in world affairs began to change due to Germany’s unrestricted submarine
warfare, which resulted in the sinking of the passenger ship Lusitania and the death of many Americans.
 Still, America did not join the war until the interception of the Zimmerman Telegram in 1917, sent from Germany to Mexico. It
promised Mexico a return of territory taken during the Mexican-American War if Mexico would declare war on the U.S.
b. Domestic Impact of World War I
 As white males joined the military, northern industrial jobs became available. The promise of jobs, combined with repressive laws
in the South, led to the Great Migration, a mass movement of 500,000 African Americans to the North between 1916-1919.
 The Espionage Act made it a crime to communicate information that could interfere with U.S. military operations or aid its
enemies. The Sedition Act went further and made it a crime to speak against military operations. In Schenck v U.S., Chief Justice
Oliver Wendell Holmes ruled speech could be restricted if it presented a “clear and present danger.”
 Labor leader Eugene Debs, a socialist presidential candidate, was imprisoned for speaking against military recruits and the draft.

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c. Political Impact of World War I
 In October 1918, Germany requested an armistice – a halt in conflict to discuss peace. The Treaty of Versailles ended the war, but
with conditions so harsh on Germany that it would eventually lead to the rise of Hitler and WWII.
 President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points included plans to prevent future world wars. It sought to create the League of
Nations, a peace-keeping organization like the United Nations, but the Senate would not approve America’s entry into the league.
SSUSH16 – THE RED SCARE, SUFFRAGE, AND SOCIAL CHANGES IN THE EARLY 1900’S
a. The First Red Scare
 With the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, Americans begin to fear the rise of communism, socialism, and anarchy. Known as the
Red Scare (the communist flag was red), this period of hysteria (panic) led to anti-immigrant, anti-Jewish, and anti-Catholic
protests, including the rise of the Ku Klux Klan in the north.
 Immigration restrictions like the National Origins Act of 1924 limited immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe with quotas
to prevent communists and anarchists from entering the country.
b. The 18th and 19th Amendments
 The 18th Amendment was a victory for prohibition, which outlawed the creation, transportation, and sale of alcohol.
 Bolstered by women’s economic contribution during the war (which included working in factories and raising money and food
through social outreach) and riding momentum from passing the 18 th Amendment, women won the passage of the 19th
Amendment which gave them the right to vote (Suffrage). These events led to greater independence for women and a gradual
shift in the ideas of gender roles.
c. Mass Production, Advertising, and Consumerism
 Henry Ford pioneered mass production via assembly line with the introduction of the Model T automobile. Mass production
made cars more affordable to the masses.
 Lower prices plus advertising of cars and new household appliances via radio, magazines, and movies create a consumer culture.
d. Movies and Radio, Modernism, and the Harlem Renaissance
 Commercial radio and movies grew dramatically during the 1920. These forms of mass media helped created a common cultural
experience as Americans listened to and watched the same programs.
 The Modernists Movement focused on impressionistic works. as skyscrapers became common, the art deco movement
popularized the use of glass, aluminum, and plastic in construction. Literature featured themes of alienation and disillusionment.
 The Harlem Renaissance was a significant artistic movement that celebrated African American culture through literature, art, and
music. It included poet Langston Hughes, who wrote poetry about the lives of working-class African Americans, set to a blues or
jazz rhythm, and trumpet player Louis Armstrong, one of the most famous jazz players ever.
 Popularized by the Harlem Renaissance, Jazz combined themes and note patterns developed by enslaved African Americans with
the rhythms of musicians in New Orleans and the South. It was an original American art form and became very popular in the
1920s, and is still popular today.

SSUSH17 - THE GREAT DEPRESSION

a. Causes of the Great Depression

 Stock Market Crash of 1929 – The beginning of the crash was called Black Thursday, the final and worst day of the crash was
called Black Tuesday. It ushered in a more than decade long economic crisis known as the Great Depression.
b. The Dust Bowl
 The Dust Bowl was an ecological disaster in which a combination of poor farming practices and drought led to an erosion of
topsoil, which wind turned into huge dust storms. The Soil Conservation Act was later passed to encourage smarter farming.
 More than 1/3 of the farmers in the mid-west left moved to the west coast – these migrants were called “Okies.”
c. Social and Political Impact of the Great Depression
 Mass immigration of farmers to cities changed the American culture from primarily agrarian (farming) to urban (city).
 In 1932, unemployment was greater than 25%. Women and minorities were often fired first. Huge shanty and tent villages, nick
named Hoovervilles (after President Hoover, who they blamed), sprang up to shelter the homeless.

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  Though he created work projects like the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge, images of Hoovervilles and a perception that
Hoover wasn’t helping the common people led to his presidential loss to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932.
SSUSH18 – ROOSEVELT’S NEW DEALS
a. First New Deal
 President Franklin D. Roosevelt created a series of programs called the New Deal that would hopefully reboot the economy. One
of the programs was the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The TVA attempted to control flooding and create hydro-electricity
for rural Americans via the construction of dams. It also created many jobs.
 The New Deal also created the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which employed at least 2.5 million young men in flood control,
reforestation, park creation, and other projects
 A third project was the Public Works Administration (PWA), which provided money to states for the construction of roads,
bridges, and dams
 The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) boosted confidence in the banks with federal insurance savings. The
Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA), helped recover crop prices by paying farmers to cut production. The Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC) was created to regulate the Stock Market by limiting some types of stock speculation
b. Second New Deal
 When it became apparent that the first New Deal wasn’t fixing the depression, Roosevelt created the Second New Deal. It
included the Wagner Act of 1935, which increased labor union abilities to address workplace problems, and the Works Progress
Administration (WPA), which constructed buildings and roads and created employment for artists.
 The 2nd New Deal also passed the Social Security Act, which is still in effect today. It provided government assistance for the
elderly and disabled and introduced unemployment benefits. The 2 nd New Deal also directly addressed the needs of minorities and
women.
c. Political Challenges
 Roosevelt’s biggest critic was Senator Huey Long of Louisiana. Long ran against Roosevelt with his “Share the Wealth” income
redistribution plan. Nicknamed “The Kingfish,” he became even more popular than Roosevelt but was assassinated in 1935.
 After the Supreme Court overturned some of Roosevelt’s programs, he introduced the “court-packing bill,” a law that would allow
him to add six of his supporters to the Supreme Court. The bill was dropped after heated criticism from even his own party.
d. Eleanor Roosevelt and Women’s Rights
 Roosevelt’s wife, Eleanor, was very influential in improving social conditions. She traveled extensively to keep the President
informed as to the state of the nation. She also convinced Roosevelt to appoint more women to government positions.
 Eleanor’s work with minorities, along with social programs of the New Deal, began a shift of Black-American voters from support
of Republican candidates to support to support of Democratic candidates. She is also credited with changing the role of First
Ladies from that of passive spouses to women who use their position of influence to address societal issues.
SSUSH19 – WWII
a. Lend-Lease Act, Pearl Harbor Attack
 To prevent Roosevelt from involving America in WWI, Congress passed a series of Neutrality Acts to make it illegal to sell arms or
make loans to nations at war. The fourth act relaxed some restrictions as many saw that war was unavoidable.
 The Lend-Lease Act allowed the U.S. to support its allies while neutral, sending them war materials as an “arsenal of democracy.”
 After the Japanese invasion of China, the U.S. stopped supplying oil to Japan. The Japanese, sensing increased U.S. opposition to
their expansion, bombed the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor in a surprise attack, hoping to cripple U.S. ability to intervene in the South
Pacific. The attack forced the U.S. to enter the war, not only against Japan, but against Axis Powers Germany and Italy as well.
b. Pacific Theater
 The Battle of Midway was the first major American victory in the Pacific. The sinking of four Japanese aircraft carriers marked a
turning point in the war against Japan. After the defense of Midway, the U.S. was able to begin capturing strategic islands from
Japan, a process called Island Hopping. Airstrips were built on these islands to support the advancement and overcome
geographical supply difficulties due to distances in the Pacific.
 The Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, New Mexico, was a massive and secret effort to develop nuclear weapons. Led by Robert
Oppenheimer, it resulted in the creation of the first atomic bomb. After Roosevelt’s death, President Truman made the decision
to use the bomb on Japan, forcing Japan to surrender in September of 1945.
 Nuclear technology created a new source of electrical power for ships and cities, gave the U.S. increased economic status in
foreign markets, and allowed the development of new medical imaging technology. However, Russia quickly developed its own
atomic bomb, marking the beginning of the Cold War.
c. European Theater
 D-Day was the Allied invasion of Nazi occupied France and marked a change from defense to offense in Europe. The landing
enabled the Allies to maintain a permanent beach head in Europe, allowing easier supply of troops across the Atlantic Ocean.
 The Battle of Berlin was the last major battle of WWII, in which Germany’s capital city fell to Russian and U.S. troops.

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d. The War at Home
 Rationing, or the restricted sale of certain products, helped preserve supplies for the war effort.
 Wartime conservation preserved resources like fuel, rubber, and metals for the military industrial system.
 The Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps was formed to fill noncombat positions, freeing up the men for frontline duty.
 18 million women replaced men in factories while the men fought overseas. Rosie the Riveter is a famous symbol of their efforts.
 In 1941, A. Philip Randolph, the founder of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, proposed a march of African Americans on
Washington, D.C., to protest employment discrimination in the military and in the war industry.
e. Executive Actions
 Before Randolph’s March on Washington could take place, Roosevelt issued an executive order that called on employers and
labor unions to cease discrimination in hiring practices in industries related to defense. Randolph then cancelled the march.
 War fear led Roosevelt to issue Executive Order 9066, which forcibly moved 110,000 Japanese American citizens, as well as some
Italian and German citizens, to military internment camps. This violation of civil rights cost many their homes and businesses.
SSUSH20 – Truman and Eisenhower – The Cold War
a. Cold War Policies and the Korean War
 After WWII, Russia kept military control of Eastern Europe. The growth of Russia’s Soviet Union (USSR), the spread of communism,
and an increase in nuclear weapons led to a period of extreme tension between the USSR and the U.S., known as the Cold War.
 The Marshall Plan gave $17 billion to the rebuilding of Europe. Hoping to avoid the mistakes of WWI, it demonstrated U.S.
commitment to European stability and sought to promote democracy while reducing anarchy and communism.
 The Truman Doctrine was a foreign policy in which America pledged to finance any nation fighting against Communism.
 The Truman Doctrine was a part of Containment, a multi-pronged strategy which opposed the spread of communism.
 The Domino Theory was the idea that if a country fell to communism surrounding countries would fall as well.
 In 1950, the U.S. supported South Korea against a North Korean invasions in the Korean War, fighting to a stalemate at the 38th
parallel against North Korean and Chinese troops. 36,500 U.S. soldiers were killed, along with one million Chinese and Korean
soldiers. No peace treaty was signed, and hostilities continue to the present.
b. Domestic Issues During the Cold War
 The G.I. Bill of Rights gave veterans low interest loans for homes and grants to attend college. It created a large housing and
consumer boom, greatly boosting the U.S. economy and creating the first suburbs, including Levittown in New York.
 In 1956, Congress passed the National Interstate and Defense Highway Act, creating the “Eisenhower Interstate System.”
Designed as a strategic network to transport troops and supplies, it connected every major city in America and was one of the
largest public works projects ever. It also changed population patterns, bypassing rural communities and increasing urbanization.
 After the fall of North Korea, anti-communist hysteria in the U.S. allowed Senator Joseph McCarthy to gain power in the 2nd Red
Scare. He used a series of “red scares” and a hidden list of supposed communists to create a “witch hunt” in the U.S. known as the
“McCarthy Era.” After destroying hundreds of careers, he was finally removed from his position by President Eisenhower and a
Senate investigation. “McCarthyism" became a mocking term for the false accusations and badgering used to intimidate citizens.
 In 1948, Pres. Harry Truman signed an executive order ending segregation in the armed forces. Military desegregation broke
down many stereotypes and helped pave the way for the Civil Rights movement.
 In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that the “separate but equal” ruling from Plessy v. Ferguson
(1869) violated the 14th Amendment’s equal education clause. President Eisenhower used the military to force a school in Little
Rock, AK to integrate when the state governor used the National Guard to resist the desegregation order.
 In 1957, the USSR launched the first man-made satellite, Sputnik I, into orbit, marking the beginning of the Space Race. Fearing
the U.S. would be left behind, Eisenhower responded with the formation of NASA (National Aeronautics & Space Administration)
and increased government spending on science and mathematics education and military defense programs, leading to advances in
ballistic missile technology, personal computers, and the development of the internet.

DOMAIN V – MODERN ERA

SSUSH21 – KENNEDY AND JOHNSON PRESIDENCIES (1961 – 1969)
a. Cuban Missile Crisis, Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
 In 1956, Fidel Castro overthrew Cuba’s government in the Cuban Revolution. At first, he had U.S. support, but shortly after he
took power, he allied himself with the Soviet Union, suspended all elections, and named himself president-for-life.
 In 1961, 1,500 Cuban exiles, armed and trained by the CIA, staged an invasion at Cuba’s Bay of Pigs. However, newly elected
President John F. Kennedy refused to provide air cover, and the small force was crushed, causing the U.S. gov. international
embarrassment and causing Castro to request military support from the Soviet Union.
 The Soviet Union began installing nuclear missiles in Cuba, a serious threat to U.S. security. During the 13-day Cuban Missile
Crisis, President Kennedy blockaded Cuba and threatened to invade. On the brink of nuclear war, the Soviets agreed to remove
the missiles if the U.S. would remove its missiles in Turkey and Italy and promise never to invade Cuba.

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  In the 1960s, conflict erupted between North Vietnamese Communists and a South Vietnamese guerilla military called the
Vietcong. As part of containment, the U.S. provided military support to South Korea. In 1964, a perceived attack on U.S. Navy ships
in the Gulf of Tonkin led Congress to issue the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution to President Johnson, in effect giving him a “blank check”
to wage war. In 1965, Johnson put U.S. troops in Vietnam, up to 500,000 by 1968. Supported by the Soviet Union and China, North
Vietnam resisted, dragging the conflict out into a long, brutal war.
b. Johnson and the Great Society
 In 1963, the assassination of President Kennedy took place in Dallas, TX. The killing showed that American government was
resilient and gave the new president, Lyndon B. Johnson, the political momentum to push progressive laws through congress. The
Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed major forms of discrimination against Blacks and women, along with racial segregation of
schools, places of work, and facilities that served the public. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 made it illegal for Black voters to be
disenfranchised through unfair voter registration rules like literacy tests. Johnson also launched “War on Poverty” legislation.
 Johnson called this vision for American the “Great Society.” Its programs sought to raise the standard of living, create
opportunities for all, and improve education, the environment, and immigration policies.
 The Great Society included programs like Medicare, which extended and improved Roosevelt’s Social Security Act by providing
health insurance for all people over 65. It also created Head Start, a program for disadvantaged preschoolers, and the National
Endowment for the Arts and the Humanities. Medicaid provided health care for the poor.
c. Impact of Television
 The 1960 national election campaign featured the first televised presidential debate, between Kennedy and Nixon. Nixon sounded
more knowledgeable to radio listeners, but to television viewers, Kennedy looked more confident and energetic. The debate
helped Kennedy win the presidency and led to radical changes in the way presidential candidates campaigned.
 TV coverage of the civil rights movement helped expose many otherwise oblivious Americans to the abuses endured by African
Americans during civil right protests, turning their sympathies toward ending segregation.
 Vietnam War TV coverage also gave momentum to the U.S. anti-war movement.
 Live TV footage of Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planting an American flag on the Moon after their sucessful Moon
landing on July 20, 1969 symbolically ended the Space Race in American victory.
d. The Civil Rights Movement (1960’s)
 The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was started by Dr. Martin Luther King and other leaders and used non-
violent methods like marches, protests, and demonstrations in the South to end the treatment of African Americans as second-
class citizens.
 The Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was founded by African American college students. Their tactics
included sit-ins, in which they would sit at segregated lunch counters and refuse to leave, registering African Americans to vote in
hopes of forcing a voting rights legislation, and Freedom Rides, bus trips into southern states to see if states would enforce laws
against segregation in public transportation. In later years, questions about the effectiveness of non-violence led to whites being
banned from participating and saw increased violence based on “black power” and African American pride.
 Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1963 “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” defended non-violence and addressed fears that he was moving too
quickly toward desegregation. His “I Have a Dream” speech during the 1963 March on Washington called for racial harmony. It is
one of the most famous speeches in U.S. history and solidified King’s role as the leader of the non-violent civil rights movement.
 Latinos also used non-violent protests to gain civil rights. Their leader was César Chávez, an American of Mexican descent. He
founded the United Farm Workers’ movement. In 1965, he started a nationwide boycott of California grapes, forcing grape
growers to negotiate a contract with the United Farm Workers, giving farmworkers higher wages and other benefits.
e. Social and Political Turmoil in 1968
 In January of 1968, the Vietcong and Soviet Union supported North Vietnamese Army launched the Tet Offensive, a simultaneous
attack on cities all over South Vietnam. While the offensive failed badly, televised scenes of fighting in cities previously considered
secure severely damaged President Johnson’s credibility, as he had claimed the U.S. was near victory. In March, Johnson
announced that he would not run for re-election.
 In April of 1968, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. caused riots in more than 100 cities.
 In June of 1968, the assassination of Robert Kennedy, President Kennedy’s brother, disheartened those looking for social reform
and the end of the Vietnam War. He was campaigning for the democratic presidential nomination when killed.
 In August 1968, the Democratic National Convention in Chicago was the scene of massive riots that pitted police against anti-war
protestors. Broadcasted on live TV, it severely damaged the Democratic Party’s image.
 Republican candidate Richard Nixon claimed he represented the “silent majority” of conservatives who were tired of liberal
excesses and violence. He wanted to replace President Johnson’s Great Society programs with what he called the New Federalism.
This conservative initiative would take away some federal government powers, such as social welfare, and give them to state and
local governments. With the Democratic Party in disarray, Nixon easily won the election in November.

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SSUSH22 – NIXON, FORD, AND CARTER ADMINISTRATION (1969-1981)
a. International Policies and Actions
 Nixon hoped to end the Vietnam conflict in “peace with honor,” increasing bombings and expanding the war into Cambodia,
hoping to force the North Vietnamese to negotiate. His actions were met with widespread protests in the U.S., including Kent
State, where the Ohio National Guard killed four rioting students.
 Nixon’s visit to China in 1972 took advantage of a 10-year standoff between China and the Soviet Union, creating trade and
science agreements and forcing the Soviet Union to negotiate with the U.S. to prevent a U.S. alliance with their communist rival.
 The “thaw” removed Chinese and Soviet support from the North Vietnamese, who agreed to peace in 1973. After U.S. troops
withdrew, Congress passed the War Powers Act, which limited presidential ability to wage war without congressional permission.
 The Soviet Union also signed the SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty) agreements, which reduced nuclear weapon stockpiles.
 Jimmy Carter, who became President in 1977, based his foreign policy on human rights. In the 1978 Camp David Accords, he
negotiated the first ever peace agreement between the Egypt and Israel at the presidential Camp David retreat in Maryland.
 In 1979, Islamic fundamentalist overthrew a U.S. backed government in the Iranian Revolution. During the revolution, Iranian
students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Iran, taking 52 Americans hostage. The Iranian Hostage Crisis lasted 444 days, only ending
when Reagan became President and the hostages were released. The crisis was one of the major reason Carter lost reelection.
b. Domestic Issues
 In 1970, Rachel Carson’s book about the dangers of pesticides, Silent Spring, led to the first Earth Day and creation of the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by Nixon. The EPA was tasked with protecting the air, land, and water, provided for
environmental research, and assisted in cleanup of polluted sites. This was the birth of modern environmentalism (being “green”).
 The National Organization of Women (NOW) sought to extend civil rights equality to full equality, including equality in
employment, pay, social situations, and politics. NOW also contributed to the formation of the modern feminist movement.
 After being re-elected in 1972, Nixon was implicated in the Watergate scandal, when his re-election team bugged the offices of
the Democratic Party in the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. and then tried to cover it up. Facing impeachment, he
resigned in 1974. The scandal left Americans cynical about politics in general.
 Nixon was succeeded by his vice president, Gerald Ford, whose 2-year presidency was damaged by his pardon of Nixon. Ford’s
domestic policies didn’t stop growing inflation and unemployment and America experienced its worst economic recession since
the Great Depression. In 1975, North Vietnam violated the peace agreement and attacked South Vietnam. Congress would not
give Ford permission to defend South Vietnam, which fell to communism later that year. In 1976, Ford was easily defeated by
Jimmy Carter.
 Having lost faith in the government, far fewer American voted in 1976 than in previous elections. However, the turmoil showed
the importance of checks and balances and freedom of the press.

SSUSH23 – REAGAN, BUSH, CLINTON, BUSH, AND OBAMA ADMINISTRATIONS (1981-2017)

a. Reagan Administration and Bush Administration
 Ronald Reagan was President for much of the 1980s. His “supply-side” economic policy, nicknamed Reaganomics, was defined by
de-regulation of businesses to allow increased competition, budget cuts (including cutting social welfare programs), tax cuts, and
increased defense spending.
 The Iran-Contra affair happened when the Reagan administration sold weapons to moderate elements in Iran and then used the
money to fund Contra rebels in Nicaragua. The legality of this was questionable, but Reagan claimed to have not known about it
 The beginning of the collapse of the Soviet Union also occurred during the Regan Administration. After years of economic
stagnation, the Soviet Union was unable to match the huge spending Reagan had allocated for defense. Reagan also cultivated a
working relationship with the Soviet leader, Gorbechev. After an attempted takeover by communist elements of the Russian
military in 1991, Gorbechev announced the end of the Soviet Union, ending the Cold War.
 Reagan’s Vice-President, George H. W. Bush, was elected in 1988. In 1991, following Iraq’s invasion of oil-rich Kuwait, Bush led an
international coalition of military forces in the Gulf War. The U.S. forces quickly and surgically destroyed Iraq’s forces and forced
Iraqi President Saddam Hussain to leave Kuwait.
 With a slowing economy and a broken campaign promise of “no new taxes,” George H. W. Bush lost his reelection bid to the
Democratic Candidate, Bill Clinton, in 1992.
b. Clinton and Bush Administrations
 Bill Clinton’s presidency included the ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which created a free-
trade zone between Mexico, the U.S., and Canada. Driven by tax revenue from the dot-com boom, Clinton was able to balance the
national budget for the first time since 1969 and saw almost 8 years of economic growth.
 Clinton became the second president in U.S. to be impeached by the House of Representatives, primarily for lying under oath
about a sexual relationship with an intern. However, he was acquitted by the Senate and allowed to finish his second term.
 During the Clinton administration, both the House and Senate came under Republican control. Much of Clinton’s administration
was defined by the power struggle between Congress and the Executive Office.
 In the 2000 presidential election, Clinton’s vice president, Al Gore, faced George W. Bush. In one of the closest elections in U.S.
history, Gore won the popular by less than ½ a percent, but Bush won the electoral vote and the presidency after the Supreme
court ruled against further recounts in Florida, a state Bush won by less than 600 votes.

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  On September 11, 2001 (9/11), the terrorist organization al-Qaeda staged a devastating attack on the U.S., destroying the World
Trade Center towers and severely damaging the Pentagon. Bush responded by signing the Patriot Act, which made it easier to tap
international phone calls and allowed foreign suspects to be held for 7 days without being charged for a crime. He also created the
Department of Homeland Security to prevent future attacks.
 One month after 9/11, Bush authorized Operation Enduring Freedom, the invasion of Afghanistan in order to destroy the Taliban
government, which protected and trained al-Qaeda networks.
 In 2003, Bush expanded the “War on Terror” by invading Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The mission was to search for Weapons
of Mass Destruction (WMDs) and capture Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. While no WMDs were found, Saddam was captured,
convicted, and in 2006, executed.
c. Technological Changes
 Personal computers began to multiply in the 1970s and 80s, marking the beginning of the information revolution. The internet
was started by DARPA, a U.S. defense agency. In the mid-1990s, email radically changed the way that people communicated.
 Social media rapidly became a source for news and instant information, decreasing the use of traditional media like newspapers
and magazines, but issues like lack of privacy, cyber-security, the accuracy of news, and cyber-bullying have sparked conversations
about negative side-effects of social media technology.
d. The Obama Administration
 In the 2008 election, Barak Obama became the first African American to be elected President of the United States. The election
was marked by record turnouts among minorities and heavy use of social media as a campaign tool.
 The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) was a controversial healthcare reform bill that made health insurance mandatory. It passed
during Obama’s second year of presidency.
 In 2011, a Navy Seal team killed Osama bin Laden, the orchestrator of the September 11 attack. Obama authorized the team to
conduct the raid in Pakistan without that country’s knowledge, a move necessary to prevent Osama bin Laden from being warned.
 A growing conservative movement that increasingly opposed liberal legislation resulted in a deep political divide in the U.S. that
pitted Democrats and Republican in bitter campaigns for state and national elections.

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