Chapter 21-22 vocabulary

• Bank holiday - a day on which banks were closed, and observed by government officials
• Federal Emergency Relief Administration- provided state assistance to the unemployed and their families, created unskilled jobs in local and state governments, and provided projects for professionals
• Dust Bowl- given to the Great Plains where a severe drought hit, killing all crops in the region, topsoil turned to dust and wreaked havoc on the farmers who stayed
• 21st Amendment- the transportation or importation into any state, territory, or possession of the IS for delivery or use of intoxicating liquors is prohibited
• United States v Butler- 1936 case in which the Supreme Court ruled that processing taxes created under the 1933 Agricultural Adjustment Act was unconstitutional
• Congress of Industrial Organizations(CIO)- proposed by John L. Lewis in 1932, a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the US and Canada from 1935-55
• United Auto Workers (UAW)- In the early and mid-1930s, there was little progress in winning recognition from corporations, workers employed a new technique for challenging opposition, the sit-down strike
• Huey Long - governor of Louisiana from 1928-32 and was senate in 1930, radical populist, sponsored many reforms, more radical than FDR. “Share our wealth”- no household should make more than $1 million a year, and pensions for the elderly
• Rural Electrification Agency(REA)- made electricity available at low rates to farm families in areas that private power companies refused to service
• Workers Progress Administration(WPA)- Massive work relief program that funded projects ranging from construction to acting; disbanded by FDR during WWII
• Wagner Act- 1935; established National Labor Relations Board; protected the rights of most workers in the private sector to organize labor unions, engage in collective bargaining; and took part in strikes and other forms of concerted activity in support of their wants
• National Labor Relations Board(NLRB)- created by the Wagner Act in the 1930s by Congressman Wagner, gave laborers the rights of self-organization and collective bargaining
• Social Security Act of 1935- signed into law by FDR on August 14, 1935, created a social insurance program that paid retired workers 65 or older a continuing income after retirement
• Welfare State- a system where the government accepts to protect the health and well-being of its citizens, mainly those in financial or social need, laid by FDR
• Aid to Dependent Children- 1935-1996, created by the Social Security act, gave financial aid to kids of single parents or families of low income
• “Fireside Chats” - an influential series of radio broadcasts in which FDR used the media to present his ideas to the public directly, redefined the relationship between the president and the people
• Court-packing plan- FDR’s proposal in 1937 to change the Supreme court by appointing an additional justice for every justice over the age of 70, resulted in the major New Deal laws and FDR believed that it was out of date
• Eleanor Roosevelt- FDR’s wife and new deal supporter, great supporter of civil rights and opposed the Jim Crow laws, advocated for birth control and better working conditions for women
• Indian Reorganization Act of 1934- June 18, Wheeler-Howard Act, Indian New Deal, decreased government control of American Indian affairs, encouraged written constitutions, self-government, and a credit program to foster land purchases, education and tribal organization
• Beer and Wine Revenue Act- legalized the sale of beer and wine with an alcohol content less than 3.2% and raised much-needed tax revenue, amended the National Prohibition Act and relaxed alcohol laws
• Popular Front- the radicals of the American Communist party that worked to gain more support through supporting the new deal and appearing less radical, improved the reputation and effect of the communist party, ended in 1939 by orders of Moscow
• “Scottsboro Boys” - 1930s, nine black youths, ranging from 12-19 that were accused of raping 2 white women, one late rejected
• National Prohibition Act was amended and alcohol laws were relaxed to generate much-needed tax revenue
• Popular Front consisted of radicals of the American Communist party who worked to gain more support through supporting the new deal and appearing less radical, improved the reputation and effect of the communist party, ended in 1939 by orders of Moscow
• Un-American Activities Committee was created in 1938, investigated the alleged disloyalty and rebel activities of private citizens, public workers, and organizations suspected of having communist ties
• Four Freedoms


  • Freedom of speech
  • Freedom of worship
  • Freedom from want
  • Freedom from fear
• The US used the Four Freedoms to enter WWII, symbolized America’s war goals and gave hope to the people for the future in the following years of war
• Good Neighbor Policy promoted non-intervention and interference in the domestic affairs of South and Latin American countries, reinforced the idea that the US would be a good neighbor and engage in reciprocal exchanges with Latin American countries
• Neutrality Acts (1935-1937) were passed by Congress to keep the US out of war, making it illegal to sell or transport weapons or militant items that would threaten nations
• “Cash and Carry” policy allowed Britain and France to pay cash for American-made supplies and then move them on their own ships
• Lend-Lease Act, passed on March 11, 1941, created the system that allowed the US to lend or lease war supplies to any nation deemed important to the defense of the US
• Attack on Pearl Harbor occurred on Dec. 7, 1941, a surprise aerial attack on the US naval base in Pearl Harbor on Oahu Island, Hawaii by the Japanese that led the US into WWII
• Bataan Death March in April 1942 was the forced march of 70,000 US and Filipino prisoners of war captured by the Japanese in the Philippines during WWII
• Battle of the Coral Sea (May 4-8, 1942) was a WWII naval and air engagement in which the US fleet repelled a Japanese invasion force heading to Port Moresby in New Guinea, the first naval battle
• Battle of Midway in June 1942 was a pivotal five-day naval battle between the US and Japanese forces in the Pacific Ocean during WWII, leading to a US victory
• General Dwight D. Eisenhower was a former general who led the Allied Forces in D-day during WWII and later became the Republican candidate for president in the election of 1952 with the slogan “I like Ike”
• 1. D-Day on June 6, 1944, was the day that combined the Allied forces to lead an invasion on the beaches of Normandy, France, leading to the liberation of France and the end of WWII
• The Holocaust was a methodical plan created by Hitler to ensure Germans were the superior race, calling for the elimination of Jews and non-conformists, gays, non-Aryans, mentally/physically disabled
• War Production Board was a WWII American federal agency established in 1942 to control the creation of supplies and materials for war
• Office of War Information (OWI) was created by the government to encourage patriotism and keep Americans united through WWII