American History and Government: Essential Vocabulary: American History II

In the United States, industrialization rapidly increased in the late 19th and early 20th century. Iron and steel production, shipbuilding, and railroad expansion were all central industries in the U.S. economy.

During the Progressive Era, more and more people settled in cities to find work. Urbanization often led to poor living and working conditions for workers.

Tenements were homes for low-income workers in cities. They were usually overcrowded and unsanitary.

In the early 1900s, journalists called muckrakers exposed appalling working and living conditions in large cities.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, labor unions were established to protect workers' rights.

Union members organized strikes to protest poor working conditions, unfair pay, and grueling work schedules.

The Standard Oil Company was one of the biggest monopolies in the United States, controlling almost 90 percent of oil. Congress passed laws in order to break up monopolies and encourage competition.

In the years leading up to World War I, many European nations increased their armies and developed new weapons, a process defined as militarism.

As European states expanded their imperial possessions and increased the size of their armies, they developed a sense of nationalism — devotion to and pride in their nations. Historians believe this nationalism was one of the causes World War I.

When World War I broke out in 1914, the United States maintained a policy of neutrality. However, when Germans sunk and killed American passengers on a British ship and plotted with Mexico against American interests, the United States formally entered the conflict and declared war on Germany in 1917.

During World War I, Britain, France, Japan, Italy, and Russia formed an alliance. When the United States entered the war, it joined this alliance. These Allied Powers fought against the Central Powers, including Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire.

Once the United States entered World War I, the government began to publish propaganda to boost support for the war. Posters were one popular form of war propaganda.

An epidemic is an outbreak of disease contained within a certain area or country, while a pandemic spreads throughout the world.In 1918, a deadly influenza virus broke out in the United States and quickly spread to other parts of the world. The pandemic lasted until 1920.

From 1920 to 1933, the United States government constitutionally banned the sale and consumption of alcohol. This time period is known as the Prohibition Era.

In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. The amendment granted suffrage to women.

In the 1920s, many investors engaged in speculation, which raised the prices of stocks beyond their actual value.

On October 29, 1929, the U.S. stock market crashed. The crash contributed to a decade of economic hardship for millions of Americans.

During the Great Depression, many Americans faced unemployment, eviction, and hunger. The depression lasted from 1929–1939.

Employment rates dipped dramatically during the Great Depression. At its worst, 25% of the work force was unemployed, and workers who were employed faced cuts to their working hours.

During the Great Depression, many Americans were pay back loans taken out on their homes. The resulting foreclosures left millions of people homeless.