Period 9: Glossary (College Board AP® US History): Study Guide

Themes in Period 9

• Work, Exchange and Technology (WXT)

• Migration and Settlement (MIG)

• Politics and Power (PCE)

• America in the World (WOR)

Contextualizing Period 9

Modern America – During this period, the U.S. faced changing politics, technology, and global challenges

Globalization era – Economic and cultural connections became more international

Reagan and Conservatism

Conservatism – A political movement that favored limited government, strong defense, and traditional values

Reaganomics – An economic program focused on tax cuts, deregulation, and supply-side growth.

New Right – A coalition that supported conservative politics in the late twentieth century

The End of the Cold War

Cold War ends – The Soviet Union collapsed, and the long U.S.-Soviet rivalry ended

Unipolar moment – The U.S. emerged as the dominant global power (superpower) in the early 1990s

A Changing Economy

Deindustrialization – Manufacturing jobs declined in many regions

Technology revolution – Computers and the internet changed work, communication, and culture

Service economy – More jobs shifted into services, information, and technology

Migration and Immigration in the 1990s and 2000s

Immigration debate – Americans argued over border policy, reform, and citizenship

Demographic change – New immigration reshaped the population and culture of the U.S.

Sunbelt growth – Population continued shifting toward the South and West

Challenges of the 21st Century

9/11 – Terrorist attacks reshaped foreign and domestic policy

War on Terror – The U.S. launched military and security responses to terrorism

Polarization – Political parties and voters became more divided

Globalization – Economic interdependence brought both new opportunities and new tensions