AMH2020 Exam 1

Reconstruction

The period after the Civil War when the US government attempted to reintegrate the Confederate states and address the rights of formerly enslaved people.

Martial Law

Military rule imposed on a civilian population, where military authority replaces civilian law enforcement.

Radical Republicans

A faction of the Republican Party that favored harsh punishments for the South and strong protections for the rights of African Americans during Reconstruction.

Wade-Davis Bill

A proposed Reconstruction plan (that ultimately failed) requiring a majority of white male southerners to pledge loyalty to the Union before readmission.

Black Codes/Jim Crow Laws

Laws passed in the South after the Civil War to restrict the rights of African Americans and enforce racial segregation.

Carpetbagger

A Northerner who moved to the South during Reconstruction, often seeking political or economic opportunities, typically used in a negative context.

Freedmen's Bureau

A federal agency established to assist formerly enslaved people in their transition to freedom, providing education, healthcare, and other resources.

Sharecroppers

A system of agriculture where a tenant farmer works land owned by someone else and pays rent with a share of the crops.

Redeemers

Southern Democrats who regained control of state governments in the South during the 1870s, often through violence and intimidation.

Compromise of 1877

A political deal that resolved the disputed 1876 presidential election and effectively ended Reconstruction.

The Lost Cause

A romanticized interpretation of the Confederacy that portrays the South as noble and the Civil War as a fight for states' rights, not slavery.

Credit Mobilier Scandal

A corruption scandal in the 1870s involving the Union Pacific Railroad and bribes paid to government officials.

Cooping

A form of electoral fraud where people were kidnapped and forced to vote multiple times for a particular candidate.

Trust

A large business entity that controls a significant portion of an industry, often used to stifle competition.

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

A law passed in 1890 to break up monopolies and trusts that were seen as hindering free trade.

The Mann Act

A law passed in 1910 that made it illegal to transport women across state lines for 'immoral purposes,' often targeting prostitution.

Settlement Houses

Community centers established in urban areas to provide social services, education, and support to immigrants and the poor.

National American Woman Suffrage Association

An organization that advocated for women's right to vote.

Women's Christian Temperance Union

An organization that advocated for the prohibition of alcohol.

New Woman

A term used to describe women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries who challenged traditional gender roles.

Political Party Machines

Organizations that controlled local politics through patronage, corruption, and the mobilization of voters.

The People's Party/Populist Party

A political party formed in the 1890s to represent the interests of farmers and workers.

Manifest Destiny

The belief that the United States was destined to expand its territory across North America.

Honolulu Rifles

A volunteer military company in Hawaii that played a role in the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy.

Committee of Safety/Hawaiian League

A group of businessmen and politicians who plotted to overthrow the Hawaiian monarchy and annex Hawaii to the United States.

Maine Incident

The sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor in 1898, used as a pretext for the Spanish-American War.

Treaty of Paris (1898)

The treaty that officially ended the Spanish-American War and resulted in the US acquiring Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

Teller Amendment (1898)

An amendment to the US declaration of war against Spain indicating the US would not annex Cuba post-war.

Platt Amendment

An amendment that limited Cuba's independence and gave the US the right to intervene in Cuban affairs.

Annexation

The act of adding territory to an existing country or state.

Yellow Journalism

A style of journalism emphasizing sensationalism and exaggeration to attract readers.

Dollar Diplomacy

The use of economic power and investment to influence foreign policy.

Theocracy

A government ruled by religious leaders and based on religious law.

Secularism

The separation of government institutions and religious institutions.