-A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
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Allied Expeditionary Forces (Eisenhower): Official name of the American armed forces during the battles of World War II.
American Revolution (Jefferson), 1775-1783: Era of conflict and struggle in which the American colonies successfully ended British rule. Prompted the start of the Revolutionary War, creating the United States of America.
Amistad (Q. Adams), 1841: Rebellion staged aboard the slave ship Amistad in which captured Africans killed the ship’s crew and attempted to sail the ship back to Africa. The ship was captured in U.S. waters and the Africans were subsequently imprisoned. Former President John Quincy Adams successfully defended them before the Supreme Court, winning their freedom.
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Battle of New Orleans (Jackson), 1815: U.S. victory led by General Andrew Jackson against Great Britain in the War of 1812. Although a treaty had been signed in Ghent, Belgium before the battle began, the news did not reach the troops in time and the battle ensued.
Battle of Tippecanoe (Harrison), 1811: Battle fought in Ohio between the U.S. Army (led by General William H. Harrison) and the Shawnee Indians. Led to the surrender of Shawnee land to the U.S.
Battle of Trenton (Monroe), 1776: Key Revolutionary War battle against the British. General George Washington’s troops crossed the Delaware River, surprising the British and eventually occupying British-held land in Trenton, New Jersey.
Berlin Wall (Bush) 1961-89: Barrier erected around West Berlin to keep it separate from East Berlin and the rest of communist East Germany. the wall was intended to prevent citizens from defecting from the east side of the country to the west.
Bill of Rights (Various): The first 10 amendments to the Constitution of the United States; the Bill of Rights was created to fully explain and protect the rights of American citizens.
Board of War and Ordinance (Adams), 1776: Organization created by Congress to administrate war and supply troops to the military.
Boxer Rebellion (Hoover) 1900: Peasant uprising in China that attempted to push all foreigners out of the country. “Boxer” was the term given to a secret Chinese society who feared that Europeans and Americans were out to destroy Chinese culture.
Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (Clinton) 1993: Law that requires a five-day waiting period on handgun sales to allow for background checks.
Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka (Eisenhower) 1954: Landmark U.S. Supreme Court case which ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Allowed for the integration of all races into public schools.
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Cabinet (Various): Group of advisors selected by the President that administers the nation’s federal programs from agriculture policy to transportation.
Civil Aeronautics Act (Truman) 1938: Act that placed air transportation under governmental control. Also established the Civil Aeronautics Authority, responsible for the certification of private and commercial aircraft.
Civil Rights Act of 1957 (Eisenhower): Act aimed at increasing the number of registered African-American voters. Also authorized court injunctions against any practices that deprived citizens of these voting rights.
Civil War (Various), 1861-65: War between the U.S. government and 11 Southern states fighting for the right to separate from the Union.
Cold War (Various) 1945-91: Term given to competitive years of conflict between the U.S. and the Soviet Union following World War II. The conflict began in the mid 1940’s over how postwar Europe should operate, particularly due to the Soviet takeover of Eastern Europe. Lasted until 1991 when the massive Soviet Union dissolved into many smaller countries.
Compromise of 1850 (Fillmore): Actions passed by Congress to resolve several remaining slavery issues between the North and the South and avoid the collapse of the Union. Important sections called for the admittance of California as a free state and more precise regulations on the return of runaway slaves (the Fugitive Slave Act).
Communism (Various): System of government in which the economic system is controlled by the state. Abolishes any private ownership and believes that all goods should be equally shared by the people.
Confederate States of America (Various), 1861-65: Government formed by the Southern states after their secession from the Union.
Congress (Various): Established in 1789 under the Constitution of the United States, it is the legislative branch of the government composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Constitution of the United States (Various): Written in 1787 and ratified in 1789, it is a document crafted by the founding fathers outlining the structure and powers of the government.
Constitutional Convention (Madison), 1787: Conference to create a new form of government. Resulted in the drafting and creation of the Constitution of the U.S.
Continental Congress (Various): Established in 1774, it was the federal legislature of the original 13 Colonies. It was an organization of delegates who spoke and acted jointly for the people of the American Colonies.
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Declaration of Independence (Various), 1776: Formal declaration approved and adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which finalized the separation of the original 13 Colonies from the rule of Great Britain. Resulted in the creation of the United States.
Democratic Party (Various): Political party founded by Andrew Jackson in the 1830’s. At its formation, the Party was a collection of Southern agrarians (who favored equal distribution of land) and other influential politicians of the South who supported slavery in the territories.
Department of the Interior (Polk): Established in 1849, it is the federal department that assumes responsibility of domestic matters and aides with internal developments of the U.S.
Dingley Tariff (McKinley) 1897: Tariff that allowed the president to lower U.S. trade duties on foreign goods in return for lowered duties on American products.
Dred Scott Decision (Buchanan), 1846: Case involving a slave, Dred Scott, taken by his master from a slave state to a free state where slavery was prohibited by law. Upon the master’s death, a court battle ensued for Scott’s freedom, arguing that residence in a free state ended his bondage. The Supreme Court denied his freedom and ruled slavery legal in all states and territories.
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Electoral College (Various): Group of electors in the U.S. government that select the president and vice president. The number of electors per state is equal to the combined number of senators and representatives. To win, the candidate must receive a majority of votes from the Electoral College.
Emancipation Proclamation (Lincoln), 1863: Decree issued by President Abraham Lincoln freeing all slaves from the Confederate states of the Union.
Enlightenment (Various): A movement and an intellectual phase in history during the 18th century. Believers felt rational, scientific thought could be used to reduce ignorance and superstition and build a better world.
Environmental Protection Agency/EPA (Nixon): Established in 1970. Agency that ensures and safeguards environmental protection, with a primary focus on pollution control.
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Fourteenth Amendment (Johnson): Amendment to the Constitution that gave citizenship to those born or naturalized in the U.S., granting them equal protection under the law.
Fifteenth Amendment (Hayes): Ratified in 1870, this amendment to the Constitution states that persons cannot be denied voting rights based on account of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
First Hundred Days (F.D. Roosevelt) 1933: Initial group of Roosevelt’s presidential policies in which more than a dozen legislative projects were launched including banking, agricultural and economic programs.
Free Soil Party (Van Buren): Political party that rose to prominence in the late 1840s. Was founded on the opposition of slavery in territories newly acquired from Mexico, but merged into the new Republican Party in 1854.
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Hoover Commission (Hoover) 1947-49, 1953-55: Committee appointed to reduce the number of governmental departments but still maintain or increase the government’s effectiveness. Employed during the post-war eras of World War II and the Korean War.
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Gettysburg Address (Lincoln), 1863: Famous speech delivered by President Abraham Lincoln at the dedication ceremony of a Civil War battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
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Impeachment (Various): Criminal investigation of a public official by a legislative body. In the U.S. government, impeachment hearings begin with the House of Representatives while the Senate acts as a judge. A guilty verdict results in the individual’s removal from office.
Independent Treasury System (Van Buren): System established in 1846 to retain government funds in the National Treasury. It ran independent of national banks and other financial systems.
Iran-Iraq War (Reagan) 1980-88: War between Iraq and Iran over issues such as land ownership and military weaknesses. Resulted in Iraq’s use of chemical weapons and attempt to takeover Kuwaiti oil reserves. Ended in 1988 after the United Nations mandated an immediate cease-fire.
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Joint Chiefs of Staff (Kennedy): Assembly of the four heads of each branch of the military, the chairman (secretary of defense) and the vice chairman. These members advise the president on matters of national security.
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Kansas-Nebraska Act (Various), 1854: Law in which the Nebraska and Kansas territories were established. It included a provision for “popular sovereignty” where all questions on the legality of slavery were decided by the settlers of the new territories as opposed to by Congress.
Korean War (Various) 1950-53: War fought between communist North Korea (aided by China) and South Korea (aided by the U.S.). Ended inconclusively after American bombing raids devastated North Korean land.
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League of Nations (Various) 1920-46: Association of countries created to promote international cooperation and possibly prevent future wars. It was created after World War I, but dissolved following World War II. Predecessor to the United Nations.
Louisiana Purchase (Various), 1803: U.S. purchase of more than 828,000 square miles of land from the French. The territory extended from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, which doubled the size of the United States at the time.
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McCarthyism (Various): Term that describes an era of American history in which the country feared the infiltration of communists into the American government. Also refers to the witchhunt of possible U.S. communists launched by Wisconsin senator Joseph McCarthy. In the end result, many high standing figures were dismissed from offices and jobs in fear of their possible connection to communism.
Meat Inspection Act (T. Roosevelt) 1906: Created to regulate the unsanitary conditions of the meat industry. Established systematic inspections to check the quality of food and conditions of meat factories.
Mexican War (Grant), 1846-48: Conflict between the United States and Mexico over the U.S. occupation of Texas. Ended when Mexico ceded two-fifths of its territory to the U.S.
Missouri Compromise (Monroe), 1820: Measure passed by Congress to temporarily end a conflict over the extension of slavery in the Louisiana Purchase area. Banned slavery from the Louisiana Purchase at the 36 degrees 30 minutes north latitude mark and above, except in the state of Missouri.
Monroe Doctrine (Monroe/ T. Roosevelt), 1823: Originally created by James Monroe, it called for an end to all European intervention in the Americas and established the United States as the protector of the Western world.
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration/NASA (Eisenhower): Established in 1958. Agency that researches and explores scientific and technological aspects of the solar system.
New Deal (Various) 1933-41: Term for the domestic plan of Franklin D. Roosevelt which focused on the nation-wide recovery from the Great Depression and the implementation of new social and economic policies for relief.
North American Free Trade Agreement/NAFTA (Clinton): Signed in 1992, but not ratified until 1993. Agreement that most tariffs and trade barriers between the United States, Mexico and Canada would gradually be eliminated on products passing between the three countries.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization/NATO (Various): Formed in 1949. Organization of Western nations to act as allies in the event of a Soviet invasion.
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (Kennedy) 1963: Treaty signed in Moscow between the U.S.S.R., Great Britain and the U.S. to end above-ground nuclear weapons testing.
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Panama Canal Treaty (Carter) 1977: Treaty between the U.S. and Panama that relinquished full control of the Panama Canal back to Panama starting in December 1999.
Pan-American Conference (Harrison) 1826-1889: A series of meetings between some or all nations of the Western Hemi-sphere to confer over problems of common defense and act as a distributor of justice among the nations.
Pan-American Exposition (McKinley) 1901: Located in Buffalo, NY. A grand collection of lights, rides and display booths that took place during a time of fascination with world fairs and carnivals. The precursor to the modern-day amusement park and the site of President McKinley’s death.
Paris Peace Conference (Wilson) 1919-20: Meeting that established the international settlement of World War I and created the Treaty of Versailles. Led to the devel-opment of the League of Nations.
Payne-Aldrich Act (Taft) 1909: Act that promised to open foreign markets to American goods and provide the U.S. with cheap raw materials for production.
Progressive Party or Bull Moose Party (T. Roosevelt): Established in 1912. Supported what was known as the “new nationalism,” including the women’s suffrage movement, a national tariff reduction and child labor laws. Eventually absorbed by the Republican Party in 1916.
Protective Tariff (Various): A tax levied on imported goods for the primary purpose of reducing domestic consumption of foreign-produced goods.
Pure Food and Drug Act (T. Roosevelt) 1906: Act that demanded producers place food labels that provided the company’s name, product name and ingredients on all products.
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Radical Republicans (Johnson): A branch of the Republican Party dedicated to the emancipation of slaves during and after the Civil War, and later to equal rights for freed slaves.
Reconstruction (Johnson) 1865-77: Period during and after the Civil War in which the government tried to address the social, political and economic problems of re-admitting 11 Southern states to the union.
Reconstruction Finance Corporation (Hoover) 1932: Agency created to assist economic activity by lending money to many institutions during the Great Depression.
Republican Party (Various): Swiftly replaced the Whigs as the opposing party to the Democrats in the 1850s. At its formation, the party was a collection of many politicians of the North and former Whigs opposing the existence of slavery.
Revolutionary War (Adams), 1775-83: Series of battles fought by the 13 Colonies to win independence from Great Britain.
Russo-Japanese War (T. Roosevelt) 1904-05: War fought between Japan and Russia over the territories of Korea and Manchuria. The Japanese defeated the Russian army for control of the land.
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Secretary of State (Various): Head of the United States Department of State, responsible for the implementation of American foreign policy. Highest-ranking member of the cabinet.
Second Bank of the United States (Jackson): Founded in 1816. Institution that acted as the federal government’s sole financial negotiator. Operations were subject to supervision by Congress and the president, but finally ended when President Andrew Jackson vetoed the renewal contract.
Seminole Wars (Tyler), 1817-18, 1835-42: Armed conflicts in Florida between the Seminole Indians and the American government over occupation of land.
Sherman Silver Purchase Act (Various) 1890: Act that required U.S. government to purchase nearly twice as much silver as before and add substantially to the money already in circulation.
Social Security Act (F.D. Roosevelt) 1935: Act that created a fund for the elderly and unemployed by imple-menting an additional federal tax from most payroll checks.
Spanish-American War (Various) 1898: Series of battles fought between Spain and the U.S. that ended any Spanish rule in North America. Resulted in the U.S. gain of land in Latin America and the Pacific and Cuba’s independence.
Square Deal (T. Roosevelt): Domestic policy that stemmed from a labor dispute between miners and mine owners. Program pushed for a society with fair business competition and increased welfare.
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Teapot Dome Scandal (Harding) 1921: A scandal involving the U.S. Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall, who secretly leased U.S. Navy oil reserves to private companies in exchange for money. The conspiracy was revealed by the U.S. Senate in 1924 and Fall was convicted of bribery, fined and sentenced to prison.
Tenure of Office Act (Johnson), 1867: Act that forbade the president to remove any federal officeholder appointed by and with advice and consent of the Senate without their further approval.
Treaty of Versailles (Wilson) 1919: Treaty signed at the Palace of Versailles in France that marked the end of World War I.
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United Nations (Various): Established in 1945, immediately following World War II. Replaced the League of Nations as the global organization designed to maintain peace and economic and social security worldwide.
U.S. Civil Service Commission (T. Roosevelt): Established in 1883 by the Civil Service Act, the commission was responsible for creating and administering the rules and regulations of federal employees.
U.S. House of Representatives (Various): One of two houses of legislature in Congress, it was established in 1789 under the Constitution to represent the voice of the American people. Members serve two-year terms and the number of representatives are determined based on each state’s population count from the most recent federal census. Shares lawmaking duties with the Senate.
U.S. Senate (Various): One of two houses of legislature in Congress. Established in 1789 under the Constitution to serve as a check of power on the House of Representatives with whom it shares lawmaking duties. Two members are elected per state and each serve a six-year term.
U.S. Supreme Court (Various): Established under the Constitution, it is the highest court in the U.S. Consists of nine members (one chief justice and eight associate justices) who obtain office only through appointment of the President. Declares the final jurisdiction in all cases involving the Constitution, laws and other dealings.
U.S. Treasury Department (Van Buren): Department established in 1789 to oversee the collection of taxes and national funds. Duties have now expanded to managing government accounts and the public debt, producing all postage stamps, currency and coins, and employing the Secret Service.
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Virginia Secession Convention (Tyler), 1861: Symposium between the Virginia governor and the State Assembly. Voted on behalf of the state of Virginia to leave the Union and join the Confederacy.
Vietnam War (Various) 1954-75: War fought between South Vietnam (aided by the U.S.) and communist North Vietnam. Ended in a communist takeover of the nation.
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War of 1812 (Various), 1812-14: War fought between the U.S. and Great Britain over Britain’s refusal to stop capturing and seizing American trade ships.
Warren Commission (Ford) 1963: Commission appointed by President Lyndon Johnson to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Compiled all information and evidence regarding the crime and announced a findings report to the American people.
Washington Peace Conference (Tyler), 1861: Forum led in Washington, D.C. by former President John Tyler in an attempt to resolve the crisis among the Southern states wishing to secede from the Union.
Watergate Scandal (Various) 1973: One of a collection of scandalous acts committed by the Nixon administration — involved a break-in of the Democratic National Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Burglars were attempting to tap telephone wires and obtain information on the Democratic Party and presidential campaign.
Wheeler-Truman Act (Truman) 1940: Act that established new standards of regulation for the nation’s railroad, trucking and shipping industries.
Whig Party (Various): One of two dominant U.S. political parties in the second quarter of the 19th century. It believed in an agenda of national development but unraveled after a party decision on slavery could not be reached. Eventually merged into the Republican Party.
World War I (Various) 1914-18: War fought primarily in Europe between the Allies (Great Britain, France, Russia and the U.S.) and the Central Powers (Germany, Turkey and Austria-Hungary). Originally began as a conflict between Serbia and Austria-Hungary over the death of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, but escalated into a much larger battle of the world’s powers. Ended with the Treaty of Versailles.
World War II (Various) 1939-45: War fought in various battlegrounds worldwide between the Allies (Great Britain, Soviet Union and the U.S.) and the Axis (Germany, Italy and Japan). Conflict arose originally in response to militaristic governments in Germany, Italy and Japan and grew as nations joined the fight against the German Nazis and the Japanese. Ended in 1945 with the surrender of the Axis powers.
Artwork is for display purposes only and does not necessarily reflect specific items. Not responsible for typographical errors.
