US History: Intermediate (50 Cards)

50 cardsEnglish → EnglishIntermediate~25 minUpdated May 15, 2026

50 intermediate-level flashcards on American history, bridging foundational knowledge and advanced analysis. Topics include Manifest Destiny, the Reconstruction period, industrialization and the Gilded Age, the World Wars, the Great Depression, and the Civil Rights era. Designed for high school students, college freshmen, and anyone building a solid understanding of American history beyond the basics.

This is a free, public flashcard deck on Memor More containing 50 cards about History & Geography, covering history, humanities for learning English from English. Estimated study time: 25 min. Designed for spaced repetition — review with the Memor More iOS app for optimized recall.

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Cards in this deck

#1

Q:How did mercantilism shape the British colonies?
A:Colonies supplied raw materials and bought British goods; trade rules helped spark colonial resentment.

#2

Q:What was the Albany Plan of Union (1754) and why does it matter?
A:Ben Franklin’s plan for colonial cooperation; failed then, but previewed later unity.

#3

Q:How did the French and Indian War change British colonial policy?
A:Britain gained territory but debt led to new taxes and tighter control in North America.

#4

Q:What was the significance of the Stamp Act crisis (1765)?
A:First major unified colonial protest; raised the representation issue and taught boycott tactics.

#5

Q:Why were the Federalist Papers written?
A:To persuade New Yorkers to ratify the Constitution and to explain constitutional design.

#6

Q:What was the “Great Compromise” at the Constitutional Convention?
A:Bicameral Congress: House by population, Senate with equal state representation.

#7

Q:What is the Elastic Clause and why is it powerful?
A:Congress may pass laws “necessary and proper,” expanding implied powers.

#8

Q:What was Hamilton’s financial plan?
A:Assumption of state debts, a national bank, and support for manufacturing to build credit.

#9

Q:What did Washington’s Farewell Address warn about?
A:Permanent alliances and factional party conflict; early foreign-policy caution.

#10

Q:What was the significance of the Louisiana Purchase constitutional debate?
A:Raised strict vs loose construction: could the president buy territory without explicit power?

#11

Q:How did the Market Revolution change U.S. life?
A:Transportation and factories expanded markets; boosted urbanization and wage labor.

#12

Q:What was the Second Great Awakening’s political impact?
A:Fueled reform movements like abolition, temperance, and women’s rights.

#13

Q:What did the Seneca Falls Convention (1848) demand?
A:Women’s rights, including suffrage; Declaration of Sentiments echoed 1776 language.

#14

Q:What was the Compromise of 1850?
A:A package: California free, harsher Fugitive Slave Law, popular sovereignty in some territories.

#15

Q:Why was the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) explosive?
A:Used popular sovereignty and repealed the Missouri Compromise line; led to violence and new parties.

#16

Q:What did Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) rule?
A:Black people not citizens and Congress couldn’t ban slavery in territories; intensified sectional conflict.

#17

Q:What were the main goals of Radical Reconstruction?
A:Protect Black civil rights and reshape southern politics, using federal power and amendments.

#18

Q:How did sharecropping shape the postwar South?
A:Debt-based farming system that trapped many Black and poor white farmers in dependency.

#19

Q:What was the Compromise of 1877?
A:Informal deal ending federal Reconstruction enforcement; opened the door to Jim Crow expansion.

#20

Q:How did the Populist movement define key economic grievances?
A:Attacked railroad power and tight money; called for regulation and more democratic reforms.

#21

Q:What was the difference between “old” and “new” immigration (c. 1880–1924)?
A:Older: mostly Northern/Western Europe; Newer: Southern/Eastern Europe and more diverse languages/religions.

#22

Q:What did Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) establish?
A:“Separate but equal” doctrine that legalized segregation for decades.

#23

Q:What was “muckraking”?
A:Investigative journalism exposing corruption and social problems; helped fuel Progressive reforms.

#24

Q:How did the 1912 election reflect reform politics?
A:Split Republicans (Taft vs Roosevelt) let Wilson win; showcased Progressivism’s reach.

#25

Q:Why did the U.S. enter World War I?
A:Unrestricted submarine warfare, economic ties, and the Zimmermann Telegram shifted opinion.

#26

Q:What were Wilson’s Fourteen Points in broad terms?
A:Self-determination, freer trade/seas, and a League of Nations to prevent future wars.

#27

Q:What was the Harlem Renaissance?
A:1920s flowering of Black arts and thought; asserted cultural pride and challenged stereotypes.

#28

Q:How did the “Red Scare” of 1919–1920 affect civil liberties?
A:Raids and deportations targeted radicals; fear narrowed dissent and expanded policing.

#29

Q:What caused the 1929 stock market crash to become a Great Depression?
A:Bank failures, falling demand, global trade decline, and policy mistakes deepened the crisis.

#30

Q:Name two major New Deal “alphabet agencies” and their purpose.
A:CCC: jobs in conservation; TVA: regional development and electrification (others: WPA, SEC, SSA).

#31

Q:What did the Social Security Act (1935) create?
A:Old-age pensions, unemployment insurance, and aid programs; a new federal safety net.

#32

Q:How did WWII transform the U.S. economy and society?
A:Mass mobilization ended depression-level unemployment; migration and women’s industrial work expanded.

#33

Q:What did Executive Order 9066 do?
A:Authorized incarceration of Japanese Americans; later widely condemned as rights violation.

#34

Q:What was the GI Bill’s long-term impact?
A:Expanded college and homeownership; boosted middle class and reshaped postwar inequality.

#35

Q:What did Truman’s doctrine and the Marshall Plan signal?
A:A global U.S. commitment to resist Soviet influence using aid and alliances.

#36

Q:How did the Korean War shape Cold War patterns?
A:Set precedent for limited wars under UN banner; cemented containment in Asia.

#37

Q:What was McCarthyism?
A:Anti-communist accusations and investigations that chilled speech and damaged careers.

#38

Q:Why is the Supreme Court’s decision in Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) important?
A:Required states to provide lawyers to indigent defendants in serious cases; expanded due process.

#39

Q:How did the Freedom Rides (1961) test federal power?
A:Activists challenged segregation in interstate travel; forced federal enforcement against resistance.

#40

Q:What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964)?
A:Congressional authorization that expanded U.S. war powers in Vietnam without a formal declaration.

#41

Q:What did the “Southern Strategy” refer to?
A:Republican effort to win white southern voters amid civil-rights era realignment.

#42

Q:How did the 1973 oil crisis affect U.S. politics?
A:Stagflation, energy policy debates, and distrust of dependence on foreign oil rose sharply.

#43

Q:What was détente?
A:A Cold War easing of tensions (arms talks and diplomacy) mainly in the 1970s.

#44

Q:How did the Reagan era change economic policy?
A:Tax cuts, deregulation, and anti-inflation focus; supporters cite growth, critics cite inequality/deficits.

#45

Q:What did the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 change?
A:Ended national-origins quotas, increasing immigration from Asia, Latin America, and Africa.

#46

Q:What was the War Powers Resolution (1973)?
A:Limited presidential military action by requiring notification and time limits without Congress.

#47

Q:Why is NAFTA (1994) historically significant?
A:Deepened North American trade integration; debated for jobs, wages, and supply chains.

#48

Q:What did the USA PATRIOT Act expand after 9/11?
A:Government surveillance and investigative powers; sparked civil-liberties debates.

#49

Q:What was the Great Society?
A:LBJ’s 1960s agenda targeting poverty and inequality, including Medicare/Medicaid and education aid.

#50

Q:How did the Indian Removal Act (1830) reflect U.S. expansion policy?
A:It authorized forced relocation of Native nations east of the Mississippi, prioritizing white settlement and cotton expansion.