APUSH Social Darwinism and Reform

Why did northern investors view the business atmosphere of the south immediately following the Civil War?

Access to opportunity, few rules, low prices on cotton wnd tobacco, new work force

What was the problem with the sharecropping system? Why did so many sharecroppers remain in poverty?

How is the growth of railroads connected to the growth of cities in the south?

Industries opened around railroads to receive materials and transport goods. Homes were built around jobs. Merchants set up near homes.

Explain the long term impact of forms of legalized discrimination on disenfranchisement of African American voters in the south.

The south is then more likely to continue passing discriminatory laws. States were not allowed to pass such laws, but court had thought that segregation was separate from the 14th amendment (all born in U.S are citizens and deserve the same rights)

How do new forms of energy change life in American cities over time?

It saved time for jobs and chores and allowed people to stay up later without sunlight (electricity)

How do many people who already live in the U.S react to the increase in immigration in the late 1800s?

With suspicion and discrimination

Describe the impact of new forms of transportation on cities.

People could live farther from their jobs, with the invention of electric streetcars and trains.

Make a connection between the availability of factory jobs and the rise of consumer society.

The majority of manufacturing took place in cities at the end of the Civil War, causing african americans and unmarried women from rural areas to move to the cities. The economy grew, along with the people's ability to make and spend money. U.S transitions from a producer economy to a consumer economy.

How did the government change in response to the changes in society in the late 1800s?

The government began to take more responsibility for regulating society.

Use an example to demonstrate the political positions of democrats and republicans in the late 1800s.

Republicans: wanted higher tariffs, wanted foreign items to be more expensive so more U.S things would be sold.
Democrats: wanted lower tariffs, didn't have access to the jobs in the cities because they were strong in the south, had to stretch their money more.

Explain how the collapse of just one railroad could lead to an economic depression.

Other businesses are halted, and money flow is backed up.

Explain the argument over currency standards in the late 1800s. What did each side want and why?

Democrats and populists favored the free silver movement (gov. should buy as much silver as possible to back the new currency supplies) : this benefits the poor because it's easier to pay debts and get loans. Republicans favored the gold standard, believed it was more stable and that silver risked inflation, loss of jobs, and currency collapse.

What is the imperialism of righteousness?

Why we're nations interested in building empires?

Economic expansion - new markets for goods and raw materials
Nationalism - national pride
Humanitarian - spread christianity and western culture
Military factors - new technology made western militaries so far advanced that war seemed low risk

What did the Boxer Rebellion have to do with the "Open Door" trade policy with China?

America wanted to keep China open to the market for U.S goods, so 5,000 troops were sent to Beijing to put down the rebellion and to maintain that "open door" to U.S. trade.

social darwinism

the fittest and wealthiest survive, the weak and poor perish, and government action is unable to alter this "natural process"

sharecropping

system of farming in which a farmer tends some portion of a planters' land and receives a share of the crop at harvest time as payment

tenant farming

pay money to rent the land, keep what they grow. Much more freedom than sharecropping. but still difficult to prosper.

Crop lien

result of the downside to sharecropping, where sharecroppers and tenant farmers often end up in debt after a bad harvest, tying them to the land.

Enforcement act of 1870

Banned the use of terror or force to keep people from voting (aka Klan Act). Necessary in the Jim Crow south.

Jim Crow Laws

state laws instituting legal segregation in nearly every aspect of life: schools, parks, transportation, hospitals, etc

Plessy v. Ferguson

1896 supreme court case that created the "separate but equal" standard. They thought segregation was separate from 14th amendment. (all born in U.D are citizens and deserve rights)

Poll tax

a fee paid to get permission to vote. Greatly impacted the poor, led to disenfranchisement.

patent

licenses that give an inventor the exclusive right to make, use, or sell an invention. they incentivize invention and investment.

Edwin Drake

set up America's first oil well in Titusville, PA. his drilling technique made drilling for oil economically viable. the use of oil in homes allowed for indoor lighting, longer work hours, etc.

Thomas Edison

makes the light bulb from a bamboo filament, created DC power (direct current), brought power generation to cities.

Samuel Morse

invented the telegraph, developed a method of communicating via code across vast distances

Alexander Graham Bell

invented the telephone, made communication across vast distances less expensive.

Transcontinental Railroad

rail line stretching from coast to coast. dropped cross-country travel time to less than a week. Huge impact on business, migration.

Bessemer Process

new method of producing steel more efficiently, allowing for less expensive sky scrapers and bridges.

Naturalization

process of becoming a U.S citizen

tenements

crowded, poorly constructed homes with poor sanitation and safety

restrictive covenants

agreements among homeowners not to sell to certain groups of people.

Chinese Exclusion Act

(1882) prohibited Chinese laborers from entering the country. Had to prove they had a valid reason for entry other than labor. in place until 1943. passed to appease nativists, labor unions

Immigration Restriction Act of 1921

put quotas on immigration from specific countries in asia and europe. From the nativist movement.

Gilded Age

late 19th century america, referring to the shallow display and worship of wealth characteristic of that period.

Conspicuous consumption

highly visible displays of wealth.

Interstate Commerce Commission

created order between state laws and regulated trade between the states.

Spoils system

system in which election winners often added to the "spoils" of office through payoffs, bribes, and patronage.

Tammany Hall

run by william "boss" tweed, democratic party machine in nyc. Helped immigrants and the poor, expected their votes in return.

Populist movement

major third party of the 1890s, formed on the basis of the southern farmer's alliance and other reform organizations

Great Uprising of 1877

first nationwide strike when VA gets 10% cut in wages, spread from railroad town to railroad town. businesses are halted and money flow is backed up.

Homestead Strike

carnegie steel- workers strike to protest a wage cut, carnegie outlasts the union

Pullman Railcar strike

pullman cuts wages by 50%, leaves rent the same, workers strike. President Cleveland breaks the strike with the army.

Imperialism

stronger nations attempt to create empires by dominating weaker nations- politically, economically, culturally, or militarily.

Boxer Rebellion

1898, chinese nationalists attempt to overthrow dynastic government. U.S sends 5,000 troops to beijing to help put down the rebellion in order to keep the chinese market for U.S goods.

Elaborate on the workplace discrimination of african americans.

Workplaces remained segregated, despite the end of slavery. African americans were typically blocked from the highest paying jobs and paid less for the same work.

Describe the effect of sharecropping/tenant farming on farming in the south.

Farmers gave between 1/3 to 1/2 of the crop, often paid more in rent for housing. Fell into debt. trapped in the land.

What were the limits of growth in the southern industry?

southern factories did the early stages of production, while northern factories made the finished products and kept the money in the north.

Elaborate on forms of legalized discrimination.

Him Crow Laws: required in nearly all aspects of life: hospitals, schools, parks, transportation, etc. Plessy v. Ferguson: they thought segregation was separate from 14th amendment

Describe the impact of the transcontinental railroad in businesses.

It was a faster, more practical way to ship goods, with higher speeds, and can transport more goods than by water. Lower cost of production- can sell more goods at a lower price.

What push and pull factors impacted immigration?

Push: land shortages, crop failures (europe),-> potato famine
pull: job opportunities in factories, good schools for children (america)

Describe the impact of immigration in American cities.

It was easier to get beat out for jobs with immigrants in the area, they accepted jobs for less pay.

What were causes of growth of the industrial city?

African americans were leaving the south, unmarried women were leaving rural areas, and immigrants: all headed to cities.

What were the downsides to living in an industrial city?

Sanitation was poor, pollution from sewage and coal burning, rapid spread of diseases.

What were problems facing southern farmers post-Reconstruction?

growing overseas competition, high interest rates from banks (needed loans for land and equipment), railroads overcharged farmers.

What was the Southern Farmers' Alliance?

organization of farmers in the south, in response to falling price of cotton, worked together to maintain crop prices, advertise together, and use combined purchasing power to lower their costs. (labor union for small farmers)

What was the Grange Movement?

national organization of farmers- way for them to organize and spread information over rural areas. wanted what city-dwellers received from the gov: schools, hospitals, representation.

What were the long term results of historical strikes?

Lessons are learned about how companies can outlast unions if they've prepared properly, and the lack of representation of the working class in Washington.

What was the purpose and impact of the Social Gospel Movement?

Called for reform on the dangerous working conditions with little pay, called for the end of political machines and the end of child labor.

How did alaska and hawaii become US territories?

Alaska: purchased from russia for 7.2 million dollars (seward's folly; seen as a waste of money)
Hawaii: American sugar businesses dominated the islands, overthrow the king, Queen Lili gives herself more power, military is called to invade and protect businesses. Business-friendly government is installed after disposal of Queen Lili.

What was the role of yellow journalism in the spanish american war?

They played a major role in public sentiment through exaggerated news (meant to increase readership), leading directly to invasion.

What was the outcome of the Spanish American War?

US takes control of Cuba, spain gives up the Philippines as well, US (to filipino disappointment and anger) colonizes Philippines (Filipino rebel insurgency occurs). In the end spain cedes cuba, philippines, and puerto rico.