United States History Unit I (Topics 2 & 3) Study Guide

Comprehensive question-and-answer study guide flashcards covering the American West, industrialization, immigration, urbanization, Gilded Age politics, and late 19th-century civil rights.

What mineral did the Comstock Lode contain?

Silver

What type of mining used simple tools like picks, shovels, and pans?

Placer mining

What type of mining digs deep shafts where miners go underground to extract minerals?

Quartz mining

What was the vast area of grassland owned by the federal government called, and what were ranchers allowed to do there free of charge?

It was called the open range, where ranchers could graze their cattle free of charge.

What invention ended the era of the open range?

Barbed wire

What rights were granted to Hispanos under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and what did many lose when Congress struck down Article X?

They were allowed to retain their property and civil rights and become American citizens. When Article X was struck down, they lost their land grants.

Who were the vaqueros?

Cowboys

What hardships did settlers on the Great Plains face, and what did explorers call this region?

Settlers faced extreme weather, had to drill wells for water, and dealt with destroyed crops. Explorers called the region the "Great American Desert".

What were the provisions of the Homestead Act?

Settlers were able to acquire ownership of land.

Which Native American tribe launched a rebellion in 1862 that killed hundreds of settlers?

The Dakota tribe

Who attacked Black Kettle's camp at Sand Creek and killed hundreds of Cheyenne?

Colonel John Chivington

Who proposed creating two large reservations on the Plains in 1867, one for the Sioux and another for southern plains tribes?

Congress - Indian Peace Commission

Who encouraged the killing of buffalo in order to force Native Americans onto reservations?

The Army

What battle was the greatest victory ever for Native Americans, wiping out Lt. Col. George Custer and the 7th Cavalry on June 25, 1876?

The Battle of Little Bighorn

What three outcomes were supposed to happen when the Ghost Dance was performed?

The buffalo would return, the dead would return, and the white people would leave.

How did the Dawes Act divide reservation land into allotments, and did it achieve its goals?

It allotted 160 acres to each head of household, 80 acres to each single adult, and 40 acres to each child. It failed to achieve its goals.

What act granted citizenship to all Native Americans in 1924, and what 1934 law reversed the Dawes Act?

The Citizenship Act granted citizenship in 1924, and the Indian Reorganization Act reversed the Dawes Act in 1934.

Which country was the leading industrial nation by the early 1900s, and what drove its industrial success?

The United States; its industrial success was driven by vast natural resources.

Why was petroleum in high demand prior to the automotive age?

It could be refined into kerosene to be used as fuel for stoves and lanterns.

Whose company invented the phonograph, lightbulb, and motion pictures, and what is that company called today?

Thomas Alva Edison; the company is called General Electric (GE) today.

Who invented the telephone, and what was his company called?

Alexander Graham Bell; his company was called AT&T.

What did corporations do with capital raised from selling stock, and what advantages did large corporations hold?

They invested in new technologies, hired large workforces, and purchased machines. Advantages included producing goods at lower costs and remaining open during poor economic periods.

Under laissez-faire theory, what regulates wages and prices?

Competition with other businesses

What are agreements between companies to maintain prices at a fixed level called?

Pools

What is the difference between vertical and horizontal integration, and why was Carnegie Steel an example of vertical integration?

Vertical integration involves owning all businesses required for an operation, while horizontal integration merges competing firms of the same type into one. Carnegie Steel was vertically integrated because owning the supply chain saved money.

What was the primary marketing focus of chain stores?

Offering low prices

Which two companies dominated the mail-order catalog industry?

Montgomery Ward and Sears, Roebuck and Co.

When was the Pacific Railway Act signed, which two railroad companies were created, and where did their lines meet?

Signed in 1862; the Union Pacific and Central Pacific were created, and they met at Promontory Summit, Utah.

From which country was the Central Pacific railroad company forced to recruit laborers?

China

According to laissez-faire economic theory, when is government intervention in the economy justified?

Only to protect property rights and maintain peace

Which nation constituted one of the largest free-trade areas in the world during the late 19th and early 20th centuries?

The United States

Why was the Interstate Commerce Commission formed, and on which Supreme Court decision was it based?

It was established to regulate railroads and prevent large corporations from abusing power; it was based on Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railway Company v. Illinois.

What is the distinction between a blacklist and a strikebreaker?

A blacklist is a roster of workers who attempted to organize a union, whereas strikebreakers were replacement workers hired to take the jobs of striking employees.

Who was Karl Marx, and which two social classes did he argue were in conflict?

A theorist who argued that anti-unionism was un-American; he asserted that society was characterized by a struggle between workers and owners.

Which United States President ordered federal troops to intervene during the Great Railroad Strike of 1877?

President Rutherford B. Hayes

What primary reasons caused European immigrants to leave Europe for the United States?

Religious freedom, escaping poverty and war, and seeking more job opportunities

Through which processing stations and locations did most European and Asian immigrants arrive?

Most Europeans entered through Ellis Island in New York; most Asian immigrants entered through Angel Island in California.

From what regions of Europe did the majority of immigrants originate prior to 1890, and from where did they come after 1890?

Prior to 1890, most arrived from Western Europe; after 1890, the majority originated from Eastern and Southern Europe.

What was the largest single religious denomination in the United States by the early 1900s?

Catholicism

Which groups became the primary targets of nativism by the late 1800s?

Asians, Jews, and Eastern Europeans

Why did organized labor unions oppose immigration in the late 19th century?

They believed immigrants undermined American workers by accepting lower wages.

Name two prominent anti-immigrant organizations of the late 19th century, their targets, and any notable founders.

The American Protective Association discriminated against Catholics; the Workingmen's Party of California was established by Denis Kearney to oppose Chinese immigration.

What were the primary terms of the Chinese Exclusion Act?

It barred Chinese immigration for 10 years.

Which statute initiated federal oversight and regulation of immigration?

The Immigration Act of 1882

Why did many immigrants to the United States maintain an optimistic outlook despite urban hardships?

There was no widespread famine, war, or rebellion occurring in the United States during these years.

How did major cities like Chicago, New York, and Boston alleviate severe urban congestion?

They utilized new technologies and built upwards instead of outwards.

Who typically resided in "streetcar suburbs," and what professions did they hold?

Middle-class individuals, including doctors, lawyers, engineers, managers, and teachers.

What hazards plagued urban residents, and which diseases caused major epidemics?

Crime, pollution, and disease; typhoid fever and cholera were major killer epidemics.

What essential services did urban dwellers need, what did they trade for them, and who led the political machine Tammany Hall?

They needed jobs, housing, food, heat, and police protection, which they traded votes to political bosses to receive. Tammany Hall was led by William Tweed.

What theory did Herbert Spencer apply to human society, and how did industrial leaders utilize it?

Social Darwinism; industrial leaders used it to justify laissez-faire capitalism.

Who was the chief proponent of the "Gospel of Wealth"?

Andrew Carnegie

Which literary and philosophical movement challenged Social Darwinism by showing people failed due to circumstances beyond their control, and which authors were associated with it?

Naturalism; represented by authors such as Stephen Crane, Jack London, and Theodore Dreiser.

What reform movement sought to improve urban conditions using biblical tenets of charity and justice?

The Social Gospel movement

What reform was instituted by the Pendleton Act?

It required that certain civil service jobs be awarded through competitive written examinations rather than political patronage.

What did the Supreme Court rule in Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railway Company v. Illinois, and what did the Interstate Commerce Act do?

The court ruled that only the federal government could regulate interstate commerce. The Interstate Commerce Act capped railroad rates to reasonable levels and established the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC).

What political party was founded in Omaha in 1892, what was its platform, and which of its goals were later enacted?

The People's Party (Populists); their platform advocated unlimited coinage of silver, federal ownership of railroads, and a graduated income tax. Proposals enacted later included the 8-hour workday, immigration restrictions, and a graduated income tax.

What legal doctrine was established by the Supreme Court in the 1896 case Plessy v. Ferguson?

The doctrine of "separate but equal"

What methods did Southern states implement in the late 1800s to disenfranchise African American voters?

Literacy tests and voting charges (poll taxes)

Between 1890 and 1899, approximately how many individuals were lynched each year, and who led an anti-lynching crusade?

An average of 187 to 188 people were lynched annually; Ida B. Wells spearheaded the anti-lynching crusade.