People

US History Regents Overview

Enlightenment Thinkers

Thomas Paine

Henry Ford

John D. Rockefeller

Andrew Carnegie

Abraham Lincoln

Andrew Jackson

Thomas Jefferson

Alexander Hamilton

George Washington

Herbert Hoover

Langston Hughes

Sacco and Vanzetti

Theodore Roosevelt

Woodrow Wilson

JacobRiis

Upton Sinclair

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Richard Nixon

Lyndon B. Johnson

John F. Kennedy

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Harry S. Truman

Regents Questions

Enlightenment Thinkers

• John Locke– People have natural rights: life, liberty, property– If the government doesn’t protect those rights,

the people can overthrow the government• Baron de Montesquieu– Separation of powers

• BOTH men’s ideas influenced the Constitution

Thomas Paine

• Wrote Common Sense• Stressed logical thought• Wanted action by the common man in the

colonies• His text increased support for colonial

independence from England– Cause of the Revolutionary War

George Washington

• Leader of the American forces during the Revolutionary War

• First president of the United States• Supported a strong federal government• Unwritten Constitution: policies and procedures for the

running the government that weren’t written down but became traditions– The Cabinet: the President’s support– The Two-Term tradition

• Proclamation of Neutrality– Washington’s precedent that say the US should stay out of

alliances with foreign powers

Alexander Hamilton

• First Secretary of Treasury– Washington’s Cabinet

• Hamilton Financial Plan: US needed economic stability and needed to pay war debts– Formed the Bank of the United States– Excise taxes: tax aimed at specific products• Whiskey Rebellion: happened because of the excise tax

on corn

– Assumption: Hamilton wanted the government to pay off all debt to build good credit

Thomas Jefferson

• Wrote the Declaration of the Independence• Authorized the Louisiana Purchase• Embargo Act: banned trade with other

countries (eventually repealed)

Andrew Jackson• War of 1812: General Jackson won a battle at New Orleans and became

a hero• Spoils system: gave government jobs to people who supported him in

the election• Vetoed more than all the previous presidents combined• The Bank War: Jackson vetoed funds for the national bank, causing it to

fold– Supported state banks (Wildcat Banks)

• Nullification Crisis: the battle of a state’s right to NOT obey a federal law– Response to the Tariff of 1828 (tax on imports)– South Carolina refused to pay – Jackson compromised by lowering the tariff

• Indian Removal Policy– Forced Indians to move west along the Trail of Tears– Ignored the Supreme Court’s decision in Worcester v. Georgia

Abraham Lincoln

• 16th President• His election caused southern states to start

seceding from the Union• Passed the Emancipation Proclamation– 1863: Freed all slaves– Turned the focus of the Civil War from reuniting the

states to slavery• Gave the Gettysburg Address• Plan for Reconstruction: do not punish the South• Assassinated by John Wilkes Booth (1865)

Andrew Carnegie

• Big business owner: steel industry• Vertical integration: combining production

steps to cut costs– Bought mines and quarries– Had the lowest prices

• Philanthropist: gave away millions of dollars– Believed the wealthy had an obligation to society

John D. Rockefeller

• Big business owner: oil industry• Horizontal integration: merging companies

that produce the same product– Formed monopolies then trusts when monopolies

became illegal• Singled-minded and goal oriented– His son tried to get him a more positive image

Henry Ford

• Big business owner: automobile industry• Revolutionized the industry• Used the assembly line to produce more

affordable cars

Upton Sinclair

• Muckraker during the Progressive Movement• Wrote The Jungle– Exposed unsanitary conditions in the meat-

packing industry• His writing led to reforms in the production of

food

Jacob Riis

• Muckraker during the Progressive Movement• Wrote How the Other Half Lives– Revealed the terrible living conditions of the urban

poor• His writing led to new laws and policies

concerning building codes and sanitation

Theodore Roosevelt• President from 1901-1909• Conservationist: started national park system• Trust-Buster: worked to end any type of monopoly in

business• Roosevelt Corollary

– Interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine– Allowed the US to act as an “international police force” in Latin

America• “Big Stick” Diplomacy

– US would “walk softly and carry a big stick” concerning issues in Latin America

– Great White Fleet: sent 16 battleships and escorts around the world to show the US’ naval power

– Panama Canal: negotiated the right to build a canal to gain a sea route to the Pacific Ocean

Woodrow Wilson• New Freedom: progressive domestic policies

– Reduced the tariff on imported goods– Reformed the national banking system– Strengthened the Sherman Anti-Trust Act

• World War I: presented the US as a neutral nation while he privately supported the allies– 1916: US enters the war on the allies’ side

• Fourteen Points: Post WWI peace plan– Open diplomacy (no secret alliances)– Control of the arms race– Self-determination: nations must make their own political

decisions– Freedom of seas and removal of trade barriers– Largely ignored by the Treaty of Versailles

Sacco and Vanzetti

• Italian immigrants who were openly anti-government (anarchist)

• Convicted of a murder from a bank robbery– Weak evidence against them– They were executed– Many believed they were unfairly convicted

because of their personal beliefs– Happened during the Red Scare

Langston Hughes

• Poet and writer during the Harlem Renaissance– Wrote in the “black” dialect– Brought attention to African American life

• Harlem Renaissance– Growth in popularity of African American writers,

musicians, and artists– Centered in Harlem, NYC

Herbert Hoover

• President at the beginning of the Great Depression• Rugged Individualism

– Believed people should work hard and pull themselves up without government relief

– Volunteer agencies should help, not the government– Believed the economy would fix itself

• Hoovervilles: name given to make-shift, shanty communities built by homeless people

• Reconstruction Finance Corporation– An organization to make loans to banks, railroads, and farming

institutions– Supported the “trickle down” theory of economics

Franklin D. Roosevelt• President during Great Depression and WWII• New Deal: Roosevelt’s plan to end the Depression– Focus: relief for the people, recovery for the economy, and

reform to avoid future depressions– Relief: created many new jobs

• Many were designed to help improve the US

– Recovery: focused on industry, home ownership, and agriculture

– Reform: mostly aimed at banks, the Stock Exchange, and labor issues• Started social security, guaranteed workers could form unions,

banned child labor, set minimum wage

– “Creeping Socialism”—many were concerned about the increased role of the government in business

FDR Cont’d

• Impact of the New Deal– Expanded the president’s power– Set up a system to prevent future economic breakdowns– Strengthened the Federal Reserve System– Regulated securities and banks– Size of the federal government grew

• Court-Packing: the Supreme Court kept striking down New Deal legislation so FDR wanted to change the number of judges

• Third (and fourth) term: broke Washington’s precedent because he felt the nation needed stability

• Allied leader during WWII with Churchill and Stalin

Harry S. Truman

• President at the end of WWII• Made the decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and

Nagasaki• Attended the Potsdam conference where the allies divided up

Germany into 4 zones• Truman Doctrine: the US plan to stop the spread of communism

around the world– Containment

• Fair Deal: post-WWII economic policies– All Americans should expect a “fair deal” from the government– Increased hourly wage, spending on housing projects, number of

people eligible for social security– Congress did not pass Truman’s plan for civil rights, national health

insurance, aid to schools or famer subsidies

Martin Luther King, Jr.

• Montgomery, AL minister who urged local African-Americans to use non-violent methods to fight segregation

• Organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott• Wrote “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”

– Reasoned why non-violent resistance to unjust laws is justified– Pushed JFK into developing more civil rights actions

• Gave “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington (a rally to support JFK’s civil rights bill)

• Assassinated in 1968– Set off many race riots

John F. Kennedy• President during the Cold War/Vietnam War• The New Frontier: Kennedy’s foreign policy• Bay of Pigs Invasion

– CIA led an invasion of Cuba by anti-Castro rebels– 1400 rebels were defeated by 14000 Cuban soldiers– JFK took responsibility and said it was a costly mistake

• Cuban Missile Crisis– JFK told Soviets to get their missiles out of Cuba– USSR removed their missiles and the US removed some missiles in Turkey

• Race to Moon (during Cold War’s Space Race)– JFK promised in his inaugural address that the US would land on the moon by

the end of the 1960s– Money and support poured into NASA

• Assassination– Happened in Dallas in 1963, shot by Lee Harvey Oswald

Lyndon B. Johnson

• President during the Vietnam War• Great Society: name for Johnson’s war on poverty– Creation of our social welfare system– Over 206 pieces of legislation– Medicare, medicaid, food stamps, Elementary and Secondary

Education Act (created BOCES)– VISTA: Volunteers in Service to America– Approved JFK’s Civil Rights Act– Cost the US billions of dollars

• Asked Congress for more authority to fight in Vietnam after the Gulf of Tonkin

Richard Nixon• President during the Vietnam War/Cold War• Campaign promised: Troops will be pulled out of Vietnam (and

they were)• Increased trade and improved relations with Communist nations

– First US president to visit the USSR– Recognized The People’s Republic of China

• Watergate Scandal– Nixon supporters broke into the Democratic National Headquarters at

the Watergate Hotel and were caught– Nixon had suspected involvement in planning– Tapes were made of planning conversations but key ones were

missing• Nixon tried to avoid handing them because of “executive privilege”

– United States v. Nixon: Supreme Court case that resulted– Nixon resigned because he was afraid he would be impeached

REGENTS PRACTICE QUESTIONSAugust 2011 and August 2010

Which protection in the Bill of Rights is most directly related to the 1735 trial of John Peter Zenger?1. Freedom of the press2. Right to bear arms3. Ban on unreasonable searches4. Freedom from double jeopardy

Why?Zenger was arrested for writing about the corrupt practices of NY’s governorHe won his case because what he wrote was TRUEEstablished freedom of the press

In the publication Common Sense, Thomas Paine argued that1. Foreign nations would reject an independent American government2. The British government would be impossible to overthrow3. America was dependent on British trade and protection4. The American colonies should break away from England

Why?Paine’s pamphlet was intended to gain support for declaring independence from Britain. He talked about the rights of the COMMON man. Common Sense caused many people to join the Patriots’ side.

Alexander Hamilton’s proposal to create a national bank and Thomas Jefferson’s proposal to purchase the Louisiana Territory were criticized because both actions would1. Place too much power in the hands of Congress 2. Violate protection in the Bill of Rights3. Increase foreign influence in the United States4. Require a loose interpretation of the Constitution

Why?Loose interpretation: letting the federal government do things that are not mentioned in the Constitution (ex. buying land or forming a national bank)Strict interpretation: only doing what the Constitution says is allowedJefferson and Hamilton were Federalists (wanted a strong federal government) so they favored a loose interpretation because it gave the federal government more power.

“…And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country…” –President Kennedy, 1961Which action by President John F. Kennedy was most consistent with the challenge included in this statement?1. Forming the Peace Corps2. Negotiating the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty3. Supporting the Bay of Pigs invasion4. Visiting the Berlin Wall

Why?Peace Corps: an organization whose members help others (the only option where people would help their country)Nuclear Test Ban Treaty: an international treaty that banned nuclear testsBay of Pigs: a failed US invasion of CubaBerlin Wall: part of the Cold War

President George Washington set a precedent for all future presidents by1. Appointing a career soldier to be Secretary of State2. Choosing a friend to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court3. Campaigning actively for office4. Creating a cabinet of advisors

Why?Washington’s Secretary of State: Thomas Jefferson (not a career soldier)Washington’s Chief Justice: Three different men were Chief Justice while Washington were presidentCampaigning: Washington won the first election unanimously without campaigningCabinet: Washington established a Cabinet of advisors (Secretaries of War, State, and Treasury), which set a precedent

A major reason President Thomas Jefferson authorized the Lewis and Clark expedition was to1. Claim California for the United States2. Explore a route to the Pacific Ocean3. Remove British outposts from United States land4. Establish settlements in the Southwest

Why?Manifest Destiny: the US was destined to expand from coast to coast, so we had to figure out how to get to the Pacific

In his first inaugural address, President Abraham Lincoln stated his main goal for the nation was to?1. Use the vote to resolve the conflict over slavery2. Free all slaves in the United States3. Uphold the Dred Scott decision4. Preserve the Union

Why?A vote was never going to solve the slavery problem.Lincoln did free all slaves, but not until 1863 with the Emancipation Proclamation.The Dred Scott decision said slaves are property, which was against Lincoln’s beliefs.Lincoln’s goal was to preserve the Union (getting the Southern states to rejoin or stay part of the United States). That was also the North’s initial purpose in fighting the Civil War.

Jacob Riis, Ida Tarbell, and Margaret Sanger are best known for their efforts to1. Create awareness about social problems2. Gain support for the women’s movement3. Expand the rights of Native American Indians4. Win equal treatment of African Americans

Why?Riis and Tarbell were muckrakers. Riis wrote about the urban poor and Tarbell exposed John D. Rockefeller’s methods for gaining his wealth.Sanger led the movement to introduce women to family planning options (birth control).

Which action did Franklin D. Roosevelt take that helped organized labor gain strength during the New Deal?1. Requiring the American Federation of Labor to admit skilled workers2. Allowing women to work in government agencies3. Signing the National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act)4. Selecting John L. Lewis as his Secretary of Labor

Why?National Labor Relations Act: guaranteed workers the right to form unions and use collective bargaining

President Harry Truman changed the United States military after World War II by1. Allowing women to serve in combat roles2. Establishing an all-volunteer army3. Banning racial segregation in the military4. Withdrawing all military forces from Europe

Why?This is a good one to use process of elimination:Women are still not always allowed in combat.The US military is not volunteer (you get paid).A US presence remained in Europe. The Cold War was starting so we weren’t going to leave.So…he must have ended racial segregation!

The policy of détente by President Richard Nixon was an effort to1. Increase foreign aid to African nations2. Maintain access to East Asian markets3. Reduce conflict with the Soviet Union4. End trade barriers among Western Hemisphere nations

Why?Détente: a warming of relations between the US and the USSR toward the end of the Cold War