Term
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Uncle Tom's Cabin
1852 |
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Definition
Shows quality of life/mistreatment of black Americans
Written by a white woman
Inspires abolitionists to begin taking action, ultimately precipitates Civil War |
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Term
Thomas Jefferson
Declaration of Independence
1776 |
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Definition
Reaction to oppression of American colonists by Britain
Declares independence from British Empire, leads to Revolutionary War |
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Term
Alfred Thayer Mahan
The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660-1783
1890 |
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Definition
Calls for a stronger American navy
Contributes to American imperialism at the end of the 19th century |
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Term
Thomas Paine
Common Sense
1776 |
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Definition
Portrays the idea of liberty from the British Empire as "common sense"
Leads to Declaration of Independence and then the Revolutionary War |
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Term
Upton Sinclair
The Jungle
1906 |
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Definition
Calls for reform in the meat-packing industry
Leads to the passage of Pure Food and Drug Act and Meat Inspection Act |
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Term
Alexander Hamilton
The Report on Manufactures
1791 |
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Definition
Presents key economic changes - Hamilton's financial plan
Introduces protective tariffs and government funding for internal improvements
Incorporated in Henry Clay's American System later on |
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Term
Frederick Jackson Turner
The Significance of the Frontier in American History
1893 |
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Definition
Presents frontier theory of American imperialism
Predicts that once the "frontier" on the N. American continent was gone, American imperialist would expand into new areas |
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Term
Betty Friedan
The Feminine Mystique
1963 |
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Definition
Explores the domestic role of women in American society and how many women were unhappy with this role
Sparks feminist movement of the 1960s |
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Term
William Lloyd Garrison
The Liberator
1831 |
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Definition
Argues for immediate end to slavery
Manifesto of 1830s abolitionists - leads to increased action and ultimately the Civil War |
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Term
Helen Hunt Jackson
A Century of Dishonor
1881 |
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Definition
Criticized the government's treatment of Native Americans
Highlights injustices following the Indian Appropriations Act (1871)
Attempts to change government policies |
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Term
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay
The Federalist Papers
1787 |
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Definition
Document written by prominent Federalists, gives support to the Constitution
This and the Bill of Rights contribute significantly to ratification |
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Term
Andrew Carnegie
The Gospel of Wealth
1889 |
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Definition
| Calls for wealthy to support the poor, but in a sensible way (dislikes charitable giving, or leaving money to family) |
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Term
Henry David Thoreau
On Civil Disobedience
1849 |
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Definition
Written during the Spanish-American War
Criticizes that conflict and slavery as oppressive, calls for movement against government power
Influences later movements (MLK, Gandhi) |
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Term
John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath
1939 |
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Definition
Shows life of Okies fleeing the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression
Not completely accurate, but encourages sympathy and aid for these families |
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Term
Lincoln Steffens
The Shame of Cities
1904 |
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Definition
Muckraker work
Explores urban political corruption, encourages reform |
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Term
Michael Harrington
The Other America
1961 |
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Definition
Study on poverty in the US
Brought to the attention of JFK by a New Yorker review
Led to Johnson's anti-poverty programs |
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Term
Booker T. Washington
The Atlanta Compromise
1895 |
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Definition
Controversial argument against immediate desegregation
Focuses on self-sufficiency, better jobs, and cooperation
Part of the original civil rights movements, directly opposed to W. E. B. DuBois (contemporary) |
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Term
Herbert Croly
The Promises of American Life
1909 |
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Definition
Presents Progressive ideas against industrialism, in favor of large government (to combat poverty and "wage slavery")
Calls for government regulation by outside experts |
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Term
Henry George
Progress and Poverty
1879 |
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Definition
Written during an era of corrupt politics and economic depressions
Discusses the political economy (concerning natural law as it applies to the production and distribution of wealth/services) |
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Term
Alain Locke
The New Negro
1925 |
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Definition
Collection of essays, poetry, fiction written by blacks during the Harlem Renaissance
Shows the cultural rebirth going on in that time period |
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Term
Adam Smith
A Wealth of Nations
1776 |
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Definition
Explores what allows nations to build up wealth
Advocates a laissez faire economy and a free market - very important in American economy |
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Term
Edward Bellamy
Looking Backward
1888 |
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Definition
Utopian science fiction novel, meant to look back on the 1880s from the year 2000
Creates a political movement (Nationalism - centered around the nationalization of private property) and later influences many Marxists |
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Term
Jane Addams
Twenty Years at Hull House
1910 |
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Definition
Explores life at a settlement house (key Progressive reform, meant to educate the poor/immigrants
Written by a female reformer - first real political/social involvement of women |
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Term
Rachel Carson
Silent Spring
1961 |
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Definition
Environmental science, focusing on the problems caused by the widespread use of pesticides
Accuses chemical industry of misinforming commercial farmers
Also deals with conservation
Spurs a reversal of policy about pesticides and a ban on DDT |
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Term
Frederick Taylor
Principles of Scientific Management
1911 |
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Definition
Introduces ideas of industrial management that would improve efficiency and productivity
Helps with success of contemporary industries |
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Term
Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein
All the President's Men
1974 |
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Definition
| Explores the details and aftermath of the Watergate Scandal |
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Term
W. E. B. DuBois
The Souls of Black Folk
1903 |
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Definition
Collection of essays that explores race and the sociology of black people
Key early work in American sociology
Shows beginning of W. E. B. DuBois's transition from scholar to activist - has major influence on later civil rights movement |
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Term
Daniel Ellsberg
The Pentagon Papers
1971 |
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Definition
History of US involvement in Vietnam (1945-67) by the Dept of Defense
Demonstrate the lies told by the Johnson administration about the war (shows how large it had actually become - how far military actions spread)
Initially classified, later made public |
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Term
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Letter from Birmingham Jail
1963 |
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Definition
Letter to white clergy of Birmingham after King was arrested during a protest
Shows idea of nonviolent action |
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Term
Jacob Riis
How the Other Half Lives
1890 |
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Definition
Muckraker photojournalism
Explores the lives of the poor in urban slums
Calls for sanitation reforms, changes in living spaces (leads to new tenement designs) |
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