US History and Government

US Government and History

• The first frame of the US government was known for limitations to federal power.
• The Continental Congress wrote a letter to the king in 1775 to attempt to avoid war.
• The Bill of Rights is the first 10 amendments to the US Constitution, which sealed its ratification.
• The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order changing the legal status of slaves in the Confederacy to free.
• The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a significant legislation passed during the Civil Rights Movement.

History of Slavery

• The Missouri Compromise prohibited slavery north of the 36-30 parallel in western territories of the US.
• The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order changing the legal status of slaves in the Confederacy to free.
• The 13th Amendment formally abolished slavery and involuntary servitude after the Civil War.

Supreme Court Decisions

• The Brown v. Board of Education decision was a landmark case in the Civil Rights Movement.
• The Plessy v. Ferguson decision established the "separate but equal" doctrine.

Wars and Military

• The Olive Branch Petition was a letter written by the Continental Congress to the king in 1775 to attempt to avoid war.
• The Fourteen Points were a set of principles outlined by President Woodrow Wilson for peace after World War I.
• The Lend-Lease Act was a policy that allowed the US to supply military aid to its allies during World War II.
• War bonds were papers sold to citizens during war to raise state funds, which were later bought back.
• The Selective Service System was a process of mandatory enlistment of people in military service, also known as a draft.

People

• George Washington was the Commander of the Continental Army in the Revolution and the first President of the US.
• Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and was the first Secretary of State and third President.
• Dred Scott was an enslaved man who lost a Supreme Court case for citizenship and freedom.
• Abraham Lincoln was a President of the US who played a key role in the abolition of slavery.
• Booker Washington was a prominent African American educator and activist.

Political Agreements and Legal Matters

• The Proclamation of 1763 was a British law that forbade colonists from settling west of the Appalachians.
• The Intolerable Acts were a series of laws that imposed a direct tax on the British colonies of America.
• The Articles of Confederation was an early constitutional document that governed the US during the American Revolution.
• The Antitrust Act prohibits monopolies and anticompetitive conduct among businesses.

Other Terms

• Xenophobia is a fear or hatred of foreigners or anything that is strange or foreign.
• A sit-in is a form of civil disobedience where people occupy a space to promote change.
• A tariff is a tax on imported goods.
• War guilt is a clause that requires a country to pay for damages caused during war.
• Diplomacy is a method of influencing foreign governments through dialogue and negotiation.
• Mobilization is the process of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war.
• Occupation is the temporary control exerted by a country's army over another territory.