TAKS Review Information Sheet

Colonial America:

  1. 1607 - founding of Jamestown; 1st permanent BR colony in N Am.
  2. Early settlers often populated river valleys where they found fertile farmland
  3. British gov't adopted mercantilism in which colonies provide BR w/ raw materials in order to enrich the BR economy
  4. Triangular Trade (Colombian Exchange, transatlantic trade) provided Am colonies w/ African slaves in exchange for guns, tools, clothes, rum, etc.

American Revolution (1776-1783)

  1. Causes of Rev = unfair taxes, king's abuses, and demand for Parliament representation (Grievances) No Taxation w/o Representation
  2. Colonists effectively used boycotts (stopped buying BR goods) to have some acts repealed
  3. Jefferson authored the Declaration of Independence (DOI) in 1776; Independence declared b/c colonists felt they had the right to revolt against a gov't which had become oppressive.
  4. DOI stated idea that Am would be ruled by the "Consent of the Governed" - gov't in which the people have the power
  5. Unalienable rights - right that no one, including the gov't, can take away (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness)
  6. Member of the 1st Continental Congress believed they could reconcile with BR
  7. George Washington was the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and became 1st President of the US
  8. Am won independence from BR and now owned land to the Ohio River and MississippiRivers

United States Constitution (1787)

  1. 1787 Constitutional Convention (Philadelphia) revised the Articles of Confederation (which didn't have a strong central gov't). Articles were trashed and new document authored by James Madison
  2. Great Compromise at Const. Convention established a 2-house legislature system
  3. President elected by the Electoral College – founders feared voters would not chose wisely.
  4. Federalism - relationship b/w national (central) gov't and state gov'ts
  5. Separation of Powers - created 3 separate branches w/ separate functions (Executive - enforces laws; Legislative - makes laws; Judicial interprets laws)
  6. Checks and Balances - powers of each branch are equal
  7. Magna Carta & English Bill of Rights gave Am the idea that all citizens possess basic rights, trial by jury, and that the president's (leader's) power is limited
  8. Bill of Rights - 1st 10 Amendments to the Constitution protect individual liberties. 1st Amendment = freedom of expression (speech and press); all opinions are protected by the 1st Amendment. (Leads to an open gov’t)
  9. Representative Gov't - people are the source of the power

Civil War (1861-1865)

  1. Nullification - theory that states have the right to void (nullify) a federal law they disagree with
  2. States' Rights - Southern states believed they had the right to nullify (void) fed. laws and tariffs and secede (leave) the US after Lincoln was elected in 1860
  3. Abraham Lincoln's goal during the Civil War was to restore the Union; “A house divided against itself cannot stand”
  4. 1863 - Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves in the rebelling southern states. Northern slaves had to wait for the 13th Amendment for freedom
  5. Although the US (North) had more casualties (killed and wounded) than the Confederacy (South), the US won the war
  6. Major Result of War - federal gov't increased its power over state gov'ts.
  7. Abolitionist – opposed slavery

Reconstruction

  1. 13th Amendment FREEfreed all slaves in the United States
  2. 14th AmendmentCITIZENSguaranteed citizenship for former slaves and native-born
  3. 15th AmendmentVOTEguaranteed voting rights to freed male slaves
  4. These 3 Amendments would later aid the Civil Rights Movement (1950-1960s)
  5. Poll taxes, literacy tests, grandfather clause (Jim Crow Laws or Black Codes), and the KKK all were intended to prevent African Am from exercising their right to vote (15th Amendment)
  6. Despite Reconstruction Amendments, African Am found it difficult to achieve equality
  7. 1877 - Reconstruction officially ends
  8. Plessy v. Ferguson - Sup Ct. case that promoted segregation with the "separate but equal" philosophy
  9. Solid South emerges - southerners as a whole voted for the Democratic Party

Inventions and Urbanization

  1. Printing press helped to spread the Renaissance ideas throughout Europe
  2. Thomas Edison (nickname: Wizard of Menlo Park) best known for inventing the light bulb, motion picture camera, and phonograph
  3. Alexander Graham Bell - invented the telephone
  4. Telephone increased business by increasing communication
  5. Many technological innovations led to an increase in industrialization
  6. Industrialization increased the standard of living for Americans
  7. Rural (farm) populations decreased as many Am moved to urban(city) areas for industrial jobs
  8. Growing urban areas resulted in a demand for the conservation of natural resources
  9. Effect of large numbers of poor factory workers living in cities was the growth of tenements and slums

The West

  1. Native Am rights are guaranteed by treaties (rather than by the Bill of Rights)
  2. Native Ams were forced to live on reservations in the mid-1800s to make room for whites
  3. Geography = dry, flat, treeless Great Plains (Great Plains have scarce rainfall)
  4. Buffalo – source of food, clothing, and shelter
  5. Farm production increases while the # of farmers decreases due to technological inventions.
  6. Homestead Act of 1862 leads the Great Plains to be settled as farming communities.

The Growth of Railroads

  1. Transcontinental Railroad = RR united the east and west coasts (met in Utah)
  2. US Gov't encouraged growth of RRs by giving them land grants to build their railroads
  3. RR's allowed the west to be settled
  4. RRs eventually take advantage of farmers on short hauls by overcharging them

Immigration

  1. Before 1880 - immigrants came from N & W Europe (Old Immigrants)
  2. After 1880 - immigrants came from S & E Europe
  3. Immigrants came to find jobs and became a source of cheap labor (differences leads to social tensions).
  4. Mainly settled in large NE cities and formed ethnic neighborhoods (retained their own language and religion)
  5. Nativism - Am hostility/resentment towards immigrants because they took away low paying jobs and appeared as though they didn't want to assimilate into Am society
  6. Immigrants lived in ethnic neighborhoods known as ethnic enclaves
  7. Result of immigration - growth of political machines, sweatshops, and tenements
  8. Biggest problem immigrants faced = language and religious differences

Unionization

  1. Unions formed to correct poor working conditions, reduce working hours, and an increase in pay
  2. Collective Bargaining = negotiations b/w labor and management
  3. Strikes (sometimes violent), boycotts, and picketing were used by workers against employers
  4. Early strikes unsuccessful b/c gov't supported Big Business and unskilled workers were easily replaced
  5. Union's successes in late 1800s led to better working conditions

Industrial Revolution (1860-1890)

  1. Darwin's Theory (evolution) used to provide "scientific evidence" rich were meant to be rich and the gov't's role was not to interfere in business
  2. Laissez-faire economy - very little gov't involvement in business activities
  3. Political Machines - dominated local/state gov'ts and maintained power by providing jobs to immigrants in return for votes
  4. John D. Rockefeller- oil robber baron - Standard Oil
  5. Andrew Carnegie - steel robber baron
  6. J. P. Morgan - banks robber baron (bought out Carnegie's company)
  7. Big Businesses formed monopolies, trusts, and pools to increase profits and cut competition
  8. Child labor desired b/c it was cheaper than adult labor, ends as progressives work for children to go to school
  9. Assembly lines = faster production (1920s - Henry Ford used to produce Model T)
  10. Sherman Anti-Trust Act – prevent the growth of monopolies
  11. Labor Unions wanted to improve working conditions
  12. US Gov't & public often opposed unions
  13. Corporations grew a lot in size and power during the late 1800s
  14. Population Growth =’s crowed cities, scarce resources, and air pollution

Populism (The Grange)

  1. Populist Party supported mainly by southern and western farmers
  2. 3rd Parties (like Populist Party) represent a voice of the political minority (present new ideas)
  3. RRs took advantage of farmers by increasing rates on short hauls and overcharging
  4. Populists worked for coinage of silver (increase money supply), gov't ownership of RRs, and income tax
  5. 1896 - nominated William Jennings Bryan as Populist candidate (Lion)
  6. Wonderful Wizard of Oz - by L. Frank Baum - metaphor for populist movement

Progressive Movement - People work for a more democratic process in society

  1. Progressives worked to improve social, economic, and political interests and were promoted by the populists, muckrakers, and social reformers.
  2. Famous Muckrakers - Upton Sinclair (The Jungle) and Ida Tarbell - outlined problems of workers living in the cities
  3. Worked for settlement houses which provided the poor w/ education and medical care, women's suffrage (vote), and direct election of senators
  4. 16th Amendment - graduated income tax
  5. 17th Amendment - direct election of senators (gave more power/control over gov't)
  6. 18th Amendment - prohibition of alcohol
  7. 19th Amendment - Women's suffrage (vote)
  8. Initiative - allows people to introduce legislation
  9. Referendum - allows the people to vote on initiative measures (rather than Congressional members)
  10. Recall - allows the people to remove political officials from office by voting to do so
  11. Susan B. Anthony & Elizabeth Cady Stanton worked for women's suffrage
  12. Booker T. Washington (Tuskegee Institute) promoted vocational and agricultural education for African Am - stressed self-reliance in getting ahead rather than handouts from others
  13. Robert LaFollette - Progressive Gov. from Wisconsin - state progressive reformer
  14. Jane Addams - famous settlement house - Hull House
  15. Pres. Theodore Roosevelt - supported conservation of our natural resources (forests, coal, etc), anti-trust, health, women's rights & Panama Canal project
  16. Bull Moose Party – 3rd Political Party – Teddy Roosevelt candidate in 1912.
  17. 17th , 18th Amendments, and direct primary election allow people to choose their representatives

Age of Imperialism 1870 – 1914 – The US Becomes more involved in International Affairs (mostly in Latin America.)

  1. The US became expansionistic. (Setting their sites upon areas to expand US power) to sell overproduced goods from the Industrial Revolution, therefore the US looks to Latin America for new markets. (TRADE, TRADE, TRADE)
  2. Imperialism: the US began to excerpt control over other areas, ex. Hawaii, Philippines, Puerto Rico etc.
  3. USS Maine Explosion was the event that prompted the US to declare war on Spain.
  4. Yellow Journalism (fact plus fiction) was used to fuel news paper circulation. (Hearst “You furnish the pictures and I will furnish the war”)
  5. 1898 Spanish American War resulted in Cuba becoming a US protectorate.
  6. The US possessed an Empire after the SP-AM War including the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico along with previously acquired Alaska (from Russia) and Hawaii (by actual take over).
  7. Open Door Policy – US wants = trading rights with China.
  8. Pres. Taft uses Dollar Diplomacy and President Wilson uses Missionary Diplomacy in L. America.
  9. President Roosevelt was known for his Big Stick Policy, “Speak softly, but carry a Big Stick”. Roosevelt was quick to use military force to excerpt US force in Latin America. (Known as the Roosevelt Corollary.)
  10. Panama Canal – Roosevelt sends military support to help Panama gain independence from Columbia in order to build the canal. The Canal opens a trade route from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean and cuts travel time almost in half. CANALS INCREASE TRADE!
  11. T. Roosevelt wins the Nobel Peace Prize for ending the Russo-Japanese war in Asia.

World War I 1914 – 1918 (Us enters 1917 and fights in multiple nations.)

  1. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand is the immediate European cause of WWI.
  2. The US remains neutral at the onset of WWI. (Isolationist)
  3. 3 Causes for US Entry: Luisitania, Sussex, Zimmerman Note. (Two ships = unrestricted sub-warfare {After which the US sends warnings to leave us alone}; Zimmerman Note = a direct threat to US security.)
  4. President Wilson supported entry b/c he wanted to make the world “safe for democracy”.
  5. US presence in WWI turned the tide to favor the Allies. Us troops aided the Allied military on the Western Front.
  6. John J. Pershing – leader of the American Expeditionary Forces in WWI
  7. Major Fighting =’s Trench Warfare
  8. The Treaty of Versailles (1918) ends the war. US refused to sign the Treaty.
  9. President Wilson came up with the 14 points as a Peace plan to end WWI. President Wilson’s idea of the League of Nations14th point (goal = world peace b/c countries could go there to work out there problems) was approved by the House of Representatives but was rejected by the senate. The Senate rejection of a presidential proposal is an example of the checks and balance system and reverts back to isolationism--doesn’t want to be tied to “collective security” of the League.
  10. German immigration to the US was limited in 1914 b/c of WWI.
  11. African American migration north to fill vacant jobs leads to an in increase racial tensions.
  12. Women go to work in the factories in mass numbers
  13. Home front: Rationing and war bonds used to support the war effort.

1920s - Return to Normalcy and the Jazz Age

1. Improved transportation = automobiles = new industries such as gas/service stations and rubber to help fuel the

economy. Leads to the growth of suburbs.

2. Henry Ford revolutionized the industry with the assembly line which lowered price. “Model T”

3. Increased communications = telephone

4. Harlem Renaissance = celebration of African American cultures (Jazz a part of)

5. 18th Amendment = Prohibition; “eliminate alcohol”; leads to more organized crime.

6. 19th Amendment = Women suffrage (right to vote)

7. Great African American Migration = Movement of African Americans north between 1890-1920s to find jobs

8. Red Scare = fear of communism and anarchists (quotas set on immigration)

9. 1920s known for its free economy of high consumer spending.

10. Scopes Monkey Trial - evolution vs. creation (Bible vs science) of the origin of man.

11. Clarence Darrow - defense attorney for Scopes; William Jennings Bryan - prosecutor in the Scopes trial.

12. Charles Lindbergh - 1st to fly from New York to Paris in an airplane known as “The Spirit of St. Louis”

13. Flappers - young women who “bobbed” their hair and wore short skirts and make up

Great Depression and New Deal

1. The Great Depression was a time in which the economy collapsed and millions of Americans became

unemployed.

2. Causes: easy credit (1920s), buying on margin, falling agricultural prices, and the 1929 stock market crash

(known as Black Tuesday) which made stocks basically worthless. People thought they would make a lot of money and then would be able to repay their debts.

3. Characteristics: banks failed, starvation rampant, migration from farms to CA increased to find jobs

4. President Hoover’s philosophy “rugged individualism” made him anti-relief. What help was given came “too little

and too late.”

5. Hoover is replaced as President by Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) who offered the American public a “new deal”

6. FDR took action by expanding the power of the government by starting relief, recovery, and reform programs.

7. Two most lasting programs are Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and Social Security.

Background to World War II:

1. 1939, Germany invades Poland starting World War II

2. 1939 the US remained neutral but became the “arsenal of democracy” offering free war supplies to nations in

need against Germany’s aggression.

3. FDR persuades the US to enter World War II after Japan attacks Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941

4. US enters WWII as an Allied country against the Axis nations of Germany, Italy, and Japan.

WWII 1939 - 1945 (US enters in 1941)

  1. Depression in Europe leads to the Rise of Dictators (Italy and Germany, Japanese military)
  2. December 7, 1941= Pearl Harbor Day.
  3. US, GB, FR, USSR = Allies GR, IT, JP = Axis
  4. African Americans and women serve in non-combat roles at war and in factory jobs at home.
  5. "Rosie the Riveter" embodies the role women played during WWII by filling jobs left vacant by soldiers.
  6. Operation Torch = N. Africa, Operation Overlord =Europe (D-Day is part of Overlord)
  7. The invasion of Normandy (D-Day) is significant because it opened a 2nd major front. USSR wants a second front open in order to force some GR troops out of the USSR.
  8. Pacific Front – Midway important b/c it crushed the Japanese Navy & breaks JP communication code
  9. Einstein’s belief that uranium could be turned into energy lead the government to build an atomic weapons program = Manhattan Project

Cold War

  1. The Cold War and the arms race with the Soviets lead to increased defense spending in 1950-1960.
  2. The Cold War – A war of nerves between the Soviets and the USA in which neither country faces the other directly on the battle field.
  3. Capitalism –private citizens control economic activities.
  4. Communism – government controls all economic activities.
  5. Truman Doctrine – Main goal is to stop the spread of communism and to spread democracy. “It is the policy to support free people resisting subjugation”
  6. Containment – to control the spread of communism
  7. Berlin symbolizes a place of freedom.
  8. House Un-American Committee – Investigated communism is Hollywood.
  9. After both the USSR and the USA had A-bombs. The race for the H-bomb began.
  10. NATO is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which established a military alliance between many free nations including the USA.
  11. The Warsaw Pact was a military alliance between communist countries including the Soviet Union.
  12. Nikita Krushchev claimed leadership of the USSR after Stalin’s death.
  13. Benefits of the GI Bill of Rights include low interest rates and education opportunities.
  14. McCarthyism is an unfair tactic of accusing people of disloyalty w/o evidence. Joseph McCarthy, through unfair accusations, tried to limit free speech.

Korean War

  1. The Communist North Koreans invade S. Korea with hopes of a united communist Korea.
  2. The commander all UN troops during the Korean War was MacArthur. He was eventually fired because he openly criticized the Presidents unwillingness to invade China.
  3. The Korean War ends where it began with the 38th parallel dividing North and South Korea.

1950’s

  1. The Eisenhower Doctrine was a warning to the Soviets to stay out of the Middle East.
  2. The Baby Boom occurs between 1945 and 1960.
  3. During the 1950’s manufacturing jobs decrease while service jobs increase.
  4. Homes in the 1950’s are built mostly in the suburbs. = tract housing (model = Levittown)
  5. Television becomes the primary source of entertainment and information.

Civil Rights