Peterson final review

Popular Sovereignty

the principle that a government's power comes from its people, who hold the ultimate authority

Bleeding Kansas

A period of violent conflict (1854–1859) in Kansas between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers after popular sovereignty was applied there.

Missouri Compromise (1820)

A law that admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state

Redeemers (Post–Civil War)

White Southern Democrats who regained political control after Reconstruction and worked to reverse Reconstruction reforms and limit Black political power.

Samuel gompers

A labor leader who founded the American Federation of Labor and focused on improving wages, hours, and working conditions for skilled workers.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

A national labor union formed in 1886 that organized skilled workers and pushed for practical economic reforms rather than radical change.

Isaac Singer

An inventor and businessman who improved the sewing machine and used mass production and installment plans to sell products widely.

Charles Goodyear

The inventor who developed vulcanized rubber making rubber stronger and more useful for industrial products like tires.

John Deere

An inventor who created the steel plow which made farming easier on the tough soil of the Great Plains.

Cyrus McCormick

The inventor of the mechanical reaper which greatly increased farm productivity and helped expand agriculture.

Cornelius Vanderbilt

A powerful industrialist who built a transportation empire through steamboats and railroads; a major “captain of industry.”

J. P. Morgan

A banker and financier who created large corporations by merging businesses and helped stabilize the U.S. economy during financial crises.

Dialectical Materialism

Karl Marx’s theory that history is driven by economic conflict between social classes over control of material resources. Thesis, antithesis, synthesis

Marxism

An economic and political theory developed by Karl Marx that argues capitalism exploits workers and should be replaced by a classless socialist system.

Waves of Immigration

Large periods of immigration to the U.S.-Old immigrants (before 1880): Northern and Western Europe New immigrants (after 1880): Southern and Eastern Europe and Asia

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

The first U.S. law to ban immigration based on nationality; it prohibited Chinese laborers from entering the country.

Alien Land Act

Laws that prevented immigrants (especially Asian immigrants) from owning land in certain states

Miners’ Strike

Labor strikes by miners demanding safer conditions

Pullman Strike (1894)

A nationwide railroad strike triggered by wage cuts and high rents in company housing; federal troops were used to break the strike.

Scabs (During Industrialization)

Workers hired to replace striking workers; often viewed negatively by unions because they weakened strikes.

Recall Elections

A political process that allows voters to remove an elected official from office before their term ends.

Initiative Process

A democratic process that allows citizens to propose and vote on laws directly

Sherman Antitrust Act (1890)

The first federal law aimed at breaking up monopolies and preventing businesses from restraining trade.

NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)

A civil rights organization founded in 1909 to fight racial discrimination and promote equality through legal action.