New Federalism This refers to the conservative political philosophy espoused by Richard Nixon in which state governments were given greater powers- and monies- to address social issues.
New Frontier This was the name of Kennedy's domestic and foreign programs, including civil rights, minimum wage, the Peace Corps and the space program.
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New Jersey Plan This plan was in response to the Virginia Plan. It proposed that each state should have one vote for equal power between large and small states in the national government.
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New South This was the term given to the reconstruction of southern states after the Civil War.
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New York Journal This was the major newspaper owned by William Randolph Hearst in the late-1800s and a practitioner of "yellow journalism."
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New York World This was one of the primary newspapers owned by Joseph Pulitzer and a major practitioner of "yellow journalism."
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Ngo Dinh Diem He was the anti-Communist, pro-American leader of South Vietnam until he was overthrown in a U.S. sanctioned coup in late 1963.
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Niagara Movement This was an organization of black intellectuals led by W.E.B. Du Bois calling for full political, civil, and social rights for black Americans.
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Nineteenth This amendment guaranteed that all women in the United States would have the right to vote.
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Nisei This term describes a Japanese American who is a first generation native-born U.S. citizen.
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Nixon He was President from 1969-1974 and resigned from office due to the Watergate scandal.
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NLRB This was a U. S. government agency charged with administering the National Labor Relations Act (1935).
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Non Aggression Pact This was the agreement made between Germany and the Soviet Union in August 1939 in which both sides agreed to stay neutral in the event either were attacked by a third party.
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Nonviolence This is a form of social action which was widely used during India's quest for independence in the early 20th century and the American Civil Rights movement in the 1960s.
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Normandy Invasion This is another name for Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of western Europe that began on June 6, 1944.
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North Korea This country is a communist dictatorship that was established after World War II and has the city of Pyongyang as its capital.
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North Vietnam This country was led by Ho Chi Minh from 1945 to 1954, but then took over the territory to the south in the 1970s.
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Northwest Ordinance This was an Act of Continental Congress which initially organized the first United States territory and was to be the basis for governing how the United States would expand westward.
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Northwest Territory This is the name given to the lands that would eventually become all or parts of the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
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NOW This is an American feminist group founded in 1966 that seeks to advance women to equal standing with men.
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Nuclear This type of commercial power is produced by using fission to heat water, which produces steam that is then used to generate electricity.
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Nullification This was the principle that a state government can declare a law of the national government invalid within the borders of the state.
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Nuremburg War Trials Nazi World War II criminals were tried during these before an international tribunal.
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OAS This is the name of a group of countries in the Western Hemisphere that was created after World War II to strengthen cooperation on democratic values, defend common interests and debate the major issues facing the region and the world.
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Obstruction Of Justice This is a criminal offense in which an elected or governmental official attempts to use his/her position to illegally affect a legal matter.
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Okies This is a slang term for a person from Oklahoma. It is sometimes used, generically, to refer to migrants who settled in California during the Great Depression.
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OPEC This is an international cartel developed in 1965 to stabilize international oil prices, oversee petroleum imports and investments.
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Open Door Policy This is a U.S. foreign policy that all countries should have equal access with China.
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Open Range This is the term for how the cattle industry organized and raised their cows, which existed until the late-1800s.
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Oregon Boundary Dispute A dispute in 1844 between British and American interests in the Pacific Northwest. The U.S. originally wanted the boundary to be at latitude 54°40'N. This matched the American Manifest Destiny and expansionist agenda. However, a compromise was reached to set the boundary at current day 49th parallel.
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Oregon Trail This was a major U.S. route from Missouri to the Northwest in the 19th century.
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Oregon This territory was at the center of an 1840s controversy that almost lead to a war with Britain. This is also when the popular War Hawk slogan "Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!" spread throughout the United States
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Organized Crime This was the movement in the early 1900s which resorted to violent crime.
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Osama Bin Laden This Saudi Arabian man was the organizer of the September 11th attacks and was the head of the Al-Qaeda terrorist group.
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Override This is the power of a the Legislative branch of government to vote a bill into law even though it has been vetoed by the head of the Executive branch.
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Palestine This is the name of a region in the Middle East whose people have been without a homeland since the formation of Israel after World War II.
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Palmer Raids These were assaults ordered by Attorney General Mitchell Palmer on suspected radicals after World War I. They were controversial because of the lack of evidence that was needed to carry them out.
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Pan Arabism This term refers to a political and social movement that calls for the unification of people in the Arab world.
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Panama Canal This connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through Central America.
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Panama This country is located in an isthmus between Central and South America.
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Paris Peace Conference This was the conference held in Paris at the end of WWI to negotiate the terms of peace.
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Parliament This is the name given to a legislative body- such as that in Great Britain- that is usually led by a Prime Minister.
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Patrick Henry He was an early colonial leader who, like Thomas Paine and John Adams, was opposed to British tyranny and supported republicanism.
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PATRIOT Act This is legislation passed in the aftermath of 9/11 that expanded law enforcement agencies authority for the purpose of fighting terrorism.
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Pearl Harbor This is the U.S. Naval base attacked by the Japanese 1in 1941 that brought the U.S. into WW II.
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Pendleton Act This is what established the United States Civil Service Commission which ended the spoils system and put federal employees on the merit system.
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Pentagon Papers When this was published by the New York Times in 1971, it not only chronicled the history of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, but it showed a systematic pattern of deception perpetrated by the U.S. Government in its involvement in Vietnam.
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Pershing This US General was in charge of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in World War I. He is known for his tough demeanor and his nickname, "Blackjack."
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Persian Gulf War This was a conflict in 1990-1991 between Iraq and the US-led coalition forces to liberate Kuwait after the Iraqi invasion.
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Philadelphia Convention This was a 1787 meeting called by Congress to amend the Articles of the Confederation.
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Philippine Annexation Pacific island nation that came under American imperial control after the Spanish-American War.
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Philippines This is a country in Southeast Asia that was under Japanese occupation during WWII but belonged to the United states.
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Plains This was a name for the tribes of Indians who were migratory and lived in the Midwest of the United States until the late 1800s.
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Plantation Economy An economy in which large raw material crops (e.g. cotton and tobacco) are grown and exported usually to Western Europe. The work is very labor intensive and many times involved slaves.
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Platt Amendment This amendment was a rider appended to the Army Appropriations Act in 1899, replacing the earlier Teller Amendment. The amendment stipulated the conditions for the withdrawal of United States troops remaining in Cuba since the Spanish-American War, and defined the terms of Cuban-U.S. relations until the 1934 Treaty of Relations.
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Plessy V. Ferguson This was a U.S. Supreme Court decision that established the legality of racial segregation so long as facilities were "separate but equal."
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Poland This country was invaded by Germany in the fall of 1939. This began WWII.
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Polish Corridor After World War I this strip of land left Danzig, in East Prussia, separated from the rest of Germany. This was one of the issues leading to the Second World War.
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Political Machine This term refers to a political structure in which a powerful 'boss' commands the support of followers who receive favors in exchange for their efforts.
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Political Parties This is an organization that seeks to attain and maintain power within government usually by participating in electoral campaigns.
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Poll Tax This payment was meant to keep certain groups of people (mainly former slaves and African-Americans) from being allowed to vote.
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Popular Sovereignty This is the belief that the ultimate power of the government rests on the will of the people themselves.
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Populist This was the movement that advocated state control of railroads and currency expansion.
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Potsdam Conference This meeting of the Allied leaders was held in the Summer of 1945 in Eastern Germany following the Nazi surrender, and determined the fate of post-war Germany.
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Poverty This is the economic situation in which one is poor.
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Powder Keg This was the nickname for the Balkan states during the early 20th century due to the overlapping claims of other imperialist nations.
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Proclamation Of 1763 This was issued by King George III at the end of the French and Indian War/Seven Year's War to organize Britain's new North American empire. It regulated trade, settlement and land purchases with the Native Americans. It gave Britain a monopoly on land purchased west of the Appalachians.
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Progressive This was a political reform movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to protect working class citizens.
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Prohibition This was the outlawing of the sale, production, or transportation of alcoholic beverages.
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Promontory Point A location in Utah where the first Transcontinental Railroad was completed on May 10, 1869. Union Pacific built the rail from the West and Transcontinental Railroad came from the East. The ceremony included the driving of a Golden Spike.
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Propaganda This term refers to a method of influencing a community in favor of or against some cause. This method of communicating often is, by definition, biased and leaves out selective information.
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Proprietary Colony One of three types of British Colonies. These colonies were granted to individuals who were granted land and ruling rights.
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Protective Tariff This is a tax on imported goods designed to prevent domestic companies from having to compete with foreign goods of lower price or superior quality.
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Public Works Administration This New Deal program allowed money to be spent on the construction of public works to provide employment to out of work Americans, improve the public welfare, and contribute to a revival of American industry.
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Puerto Rico This is a commonwealth owned by the United States whose inhabitants were granted U.S. citizenship during WWI.
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Pulitzer He was a powerful newspaper publisher, known both for helping create "yellow journalism" and, later, for the prize created in his name that honors excellence in journalism.
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Pullman Car This is a type of train car that can accommodate all its passengers in beds. The factory where they were made was the site of a major labor strike.
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Pure Food And Drug Act This law was passed in 1906 during the Progressive Era, giving the Federal government the authority to inspect meat and other edible goods, as well as monitor what is put into medicines.
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Puritans Radical protestant followers of John Calvin seeking purity of church and doctrine. Many emigrated to North America from 1620-1640s to separate themselves from the Church of England and its tolerance of Roman Catholic practices.
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Pyongyang This is the capital of North Korea and its largest city with over 2.5 million people.
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Quakers "Society of Friends" founded in England in the 17th century by George Fox. They find elaborate church organizations unnecessary and that each individual is responsible to God.
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Rachel Carson Her 1962 book "Silent Spring" is credited with helping to start the environmental movement of the 1960's and 70's.
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Radical Republicans This is the term used to describe politicians after the Civil War who opposed Lincoln's conciliatory attitudes towards the south, opting to punish the region and those responsible for the war.
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Radio This communication medium became popular in the early-Twentieth Century, providing people with both information and entertainment.
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Reagan He won Presidential elections in 1980 and 1984, and is credited by many with bringing hope and optimism back to the United States.
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Reaganomics This was the term used to refer to the Presidential economic policies of 1981-1989; its two main principles are lower taxes and smaller government.
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Recall This is the process the people use to remove an elected official from office.
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Recession This is a decline in a country's GDP for two or more successive quarters. It is usually characterized by a significant decline in economic activity.
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Reconstruction This was the first phase of returning the Southern states to the Union (1863-1866) and was led by Lincoln and Johnson. Its goal was to reunite quickly and moderately.
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Red Scare This was the period after each world war which saw massive upheaval in the U.S. and fear of many foreigners. It was characterized by widespread fears of Communist influence on U.S. society and Communist infiltration of the U.S. government.
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Redeemers This was the name given to a group of Southern Democrats who worked to break the power of Republicans in the South during the Reconstruction era.
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Referendum This is when citizen are allowed to directly vote on whether to accept or reject a proposed law.
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Remember The Maine This was the rallying cry during the Spanish-American War because of the sinking of this ship in Havana on February 15, 1898.
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Republic This is a form of government run by elected leaders.
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Reserved Powers These are powers that are held for the states to execute, not for the federal government.
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Rhineland This area along the German/Belgian border was demilitarized following World War I and was a focal point of Adolf Hitler's expansionistic goals in the years leading up to World War II
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Ribault He was the Huguenot who, in 1562, founded the first French settlement at Charlesfort in what is now South Carolina.
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Roanoke This English colony earned the nickname "The Lost Colony" after all of its inhabitants disappeared between 1585 and 1587.
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Robber Barons American capitalists of the latter part of the 19th century who became wealthy through exploitation (as of natural resources, governmental influence, or low wage scales).
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Robert E. Lee A graduate of West Point and commanding General of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War.
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