Dec Mocks - US History

What were some forces holding back US expansionism until 1865?

• American exceptionalism

• Avoidance of 'foreign entanglements', esp w/ 'Old Europe'

• Need to reconcile nation after Civil War

• Stabilising relations w/ Mexico and Canada

What was Monroe Doctrine and why was it significant?

1823

Policy declaring opposition to European colonisation in the Americas

Monroe Doctrine became the foundation of US foreign policy and underpinned isolationism.

How did Monroe Doctrine impact France and Austria's actions in Mexico?

It's application (1866) and protests led to diplomatic pressure (not military action) which ultimately resolved the crisis.

What was Seward's foreign policy approach?

Ambitious and interventionist, but pragmatic

E.g., avoiding open conflict w/ France and Austria (1863-67)

Alaska Purchase (1867)

What were the key US territorial acquisitions before 1865?

Louisiana Purchase (1803)

Texas annexation (1845)

What role did the Oregon Trail play in expansion?

Enabled settlers to migrate to Pacific Northwest, supporting continental expansion.

How did National Myth portray Native Americans, and what was the reality?

Myth: 'noble savages' blocking progress

Reality: diverse nations with distinct cultures. Displaced through war, treaties and gov't policies.

What was the Treaty of Medicine Lodge?

1867

Established borders for Indian territory to control white encroachment, signed w/ Comanche, Apache and Cheyenne nations

How did Grant's Native American policy evolve?

Shifted from treaties to reservations/assimilation, appointing Quaker agents to reduce corruption (they were ineffective)

What were the outcomes of conflicts like Red Cloud's War, Nez Pearce War?

Native victories (like Red Cloud's War) were temporary.

US Army ultimately suppressed resistance, (e.g., Nez Peacre surrender 1877)

What were the Fenian Raids, and how did they impact Canada?

Irish-American militias attacked Canada (1866-71) to pressure Britain into giving Ireland independance.

Prompted Canadian Confederation for unity against US annexation threats.

How was Alaska Boundary Dispute resolved?

Peacefully settled in 1903, solidifying US-Canada border.

Why did British Columbia join Canada instead of US?

Canada promised a transcontinental railway (completed 1886), linking the province to the nation.

What was 'Seward's Folly' and why did perceptions change?

Alaska Purchase 1867

Attitiudes shifted due to the eventual widespread recognition of its economic value.

What was the significance of the Oklahoma Land Rush?

1889

Demonstrated white settlers' land hunger, as 2 million acres of Indian Territory were opened to them.

This marganalised Natives further

1867

Alaska Purchase

How many immigrants arrived in America 1860s-90

10 million

Black Hills Gold Rush

1874-1877

Gold Rush in Sioux Indian Territory; triggered war between the U.S. and Sioux/Lakota tribes

Buffalo extermination

Destruction of Native American life.

Buffalo population of 65 million in 1800 dropped to only a few hundred by 1900.

'America First'

Slogan used by Nativists, trying to preserve American values from foreign influences

Grange Movement

1867

Supported farmers with loans and solidarity

Knights of Labour

Advocated for workers' rights. Denounced industrial capitalism.

What were the main economic pull factors for immigration to the U.S. (1860s-90)?

Empty Land

Expanding industries in need of labour force

'Land of the free' ideal

How did mass immigration transform American society (negatively)?

Exacerbated social divisions

Fueled Nativist backlash

What was the Chinese Exclusion Act?

1882 (Hayes)

Barring Chinese immigrants from enterning US and American citizenship

Why did nativists target Chinese workers?

Feared job competition ('Yellow Peril')

Racial prejudice

Undercutting wages (subsequent to Panic of 1873)

What caused Great Railroad Strike 1877?

Wage cuts; led to violent clashes and federal troop intervention

What were the Orange Riots?

1870-71

Violent clashes in NYC between Irish Protestants and Irish Catholics

How did Chicago's population change between 1860-90?

Grew 10x

What issues did the Temperance Movement focus on?

Alcohol restrictions

Abolition of slavery

How did 'New South' differ from Old South?

Reinforced racism/segregation

Modernisation and technological advances

Disillusionment and violence against African Americans

Why did settlers ignore Native American treaties? (e.g., Fort Laramie)

Gold rushes (e.g., Black Hills) and desire for land

What was Granger Movement's goal?

1867-1880s

Support farmers through loans, cooperatives and political advocacy

How were African Americans disenfranchised in the South?

Sharecropping, literacy tests, lynching, and segregation ('Jim Crow')

What was Booker T. Washington's role?

Promoted African American eduction (Tuskegee Institute) and economic self-reliance

How did US government destroy Native American way of life?

Buffalo extermination

Forced reservations

Land seizures

Nativists

U.S. born citizens hostile to immigrants

What were carpetbaggers?

Northerners accused of exploiting the post-Civil War South

What was 'Yellow Peril'?

Racist fear of Asian immigration/dominance

What was the impact of the Homestead Act (1862) on US agriculture?

Encouraged westward settlement by offering 160 acres of free land to farmers - boosting agricultural expansion

Why were farmers vulnerable to the Panic of 1873?

They had little control over crop prices, relied on external markets, and faced high transportation costs set by railroad monopolies

Name 1 technological advance that transformed agriculture in the late 1800s.

Barbed wire

How did railroads benefit Northeast agriculture?

Expanded markets in cities but also led to monopolies that set high freight rates

Why did Southern economy struggle after the Civil War?

Relied heavily on cotton; small farmers (black and white) faced tenant farming, debt, high interest rates and exploitation by big businesses

What was the Oklahoma Land Rush (1889)?

Congress opened 2 million acres of Indigenous land for homesteading

6000 claims were registered in 2 months

How did the Bessemer process revolutionise steel production?

Enabled mass production

Output growth soared up to 60 million tons in 1900

Why was Rockerfeller called a 'robber baron'?

He dominated oil refining (Standard Oil controlled 85% of the market) and crushed competitors (e.g., Cleveland Massacre)

What role did Vanderbilt play in railroads?

Dominated NY railroads

Protective tariff

High taxes on imports to shield domestic industries from foreign competition