US History Chapter 17

Transcontinental Railroad

• A continuous rail line that reached the entire width of the continent

• Completed on May 10, 1869

• First one built by Union Pacific and Central Pacific

Union Pacific

• One of two railroads that received a charter to build the first transcontinental railroad. 

• Began in Omaha, Nevada and built westward

Central Pacific

• One of two railroads that received a charter to build the first transcontinental railroad. 

• Began in Sacramento, California and built eastward

Pikes Peak Gold Rush

• One of the earliest gold strikes after California

• In 1859

• Resulted in the settlement of Colorado

Comstock Lode

• One of the largest and richest mines

• In Nevada

• Named after early prospector, Henry Comstock

• More than half the ore eventually mined was silver and the rest was gold

cattle drive

• Name for the process by which cattle were brought overland to northern railroad terminals

• Glamorized element of the American West

• Grueling and dangerous because of stampedes, cattle “rustlers” (thieves), Indian attacks, and lack of water

cowboys

• Drove herds of cows to railroads

• Were tough and hard working, but were shrouded by myth

• Drove longhorns

Open Ranges

• Unfenced public lands where cowboys herded cattle

• Allowed the cows to feed there

Homestead Act

• Provided 160 acres of land to any settler who would live on the land for five years and “improve” it by building a dwelling on it and farming there

• Was a tremendous success and by 1900 nearly a million settlers had filed for homestead under that law

Oklahoma Land Rushes

• Exception to the gradual influx of homesteaders

• When the government decided to open large sections of Indian Territory (Oklahoma) to white settlement, it decided to do so in five large blows called runs

• Other lands were offered by a lottery or auction

• Violated treaties made with Southern Indian tribes and led to renewed conflicts with them

Great Plains

• The region between the Mississippi River Valley and the Rocky Mountains, stretching north to south from Canada to southern Texas

Soddies

• Houses built of blocks and earth and sod that many early pioneers lived in due to a lack of trees on the plains

barbed wire

• Two twisted strands of wire studded with sharp metal barbs at measured intervals

• Ideal invention for fencing plains

• Created by Joseph Glidden of Illinois in 1870s

Plains Indians

• Indians that inhabited the Great Plains region before settlers came

• Tribes such as the Cheyenne, Comanche, and the Sioux

• Relied on buffalo for survival

Reservations

• Special tracts of land set aside for the Indians were they could theoretically live in peace

• The goal of American government during Indian Wars was to force tribes onto reservations

Sioux War

• Occurred in 1867-77 and was also called the Second Sioux War or the Great Sioux War

• It was the last great Indian War and involved Colonel George Armstrong Custer, Sitting Bull, and Crazy Horse

• Climax of the Indian Wars

George Armstrong Custer

• Rash, dashing, and self-centered army officer

• Served as major general during Civil war and later was reduced to colonel after the war

• Became a renowned Indian fighter

• Known for Battle of Washita River in Oklahoma when he divided his forces and attacked an Indian camp to surprise them. 

• He was very racist against Indians. 

Sitting Bull

• Sioux chief that was primarily a political leader of the Sioux forces

• He provided moral inspiration to the Indians and led negotiations with the American government

Crazy Horse

• Sioux chief that acted primarily as the commander of the Sioux warriors

• Under his leadership, the Sioux fought one of the most unified, best organized Indian campaigns in history, the Battle of Little Bighorn in the Sioux War

Custer’s Last Stand

• Another name for the Battle of Little Bighorn

• Custer divided his forces and launched what he thought was a surprise attack

• The Indians surprised him and fought him with overwhelming numbers

• All of Custer’s forces died including himself in less than an hour

Wounded Knee Massacre

• Occurred on December 29, 1890 near Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota

• An army tried to disarm and capture a band of Sioux who had fled the reservation

• In the process, someone fired a host

• Fighting began and 25 soldiers and 150+ Indians were killed

• It was a horrific conclusion to the Indian Wars

A Century of Dishonor

• Written by Helen Hunt Jackson in 1881 and portrayed the governments ruthless and dishonorable dealings with Indians

• This combined with the decreasing threat of Plains Indians inspired some belated sympathy for Indians’ plight

Chief Joseph

• A leader of one of the Nez Perce tribe

• Conducted a military campaign and march so brilliant that newspapers compared him to Napoleon

• Won the most sympathy from the American public

• Refused to fight a savage war and forbade the killing of women and children

• Surrendered to General Oliver O. Howard in 1877

• Died “of a broken heart”

Dawes Act

• An attempt by Congress to try to undo some of the damage of the war with the Indians

• Allowed Indian lands to be parceled out to individual Indian families to use and develop as they liked

• Broke down the unity of the tribes and many Indians sold their lands to whites and became more impoverished than before

Maximilian I

• Austrian nobleman installed by Bonaparte as the Mexican ruler in 1864

• Lost support of the French and a Mexican firing squad executed him 

Treaty of Washington

• Settled matters between US, Britain, and Canada by setting up international tribunals to deal with each question

• awarded the US more than $15 million in damages from Britain

• Awarded possession of the islands off Vancouver to the US

• US required to pay Canada more than $5 million for special fishing privileges

• Paved the way for greater friendship and cooperation between these nations

Matthew Perry

• Commodore commissioned to take a small squadron of warships to Japan and negotiate with Japan’s rulers in 1853

• Japanese agreed to the Treaty of Kanagawa and this opened ports to American trade

  • Was a major step in allowing western influences in the country 

Pan-Americanism

• A movement favoring greater cooperation and unity among the nations of the Western Hemisphere

• Advocated by James G. Blaine

• Wanted to reduce trade barriers like tariffs among the nations

Open Door Policy

• Proposed by Secretary of State John Hay

• Called for all trading in China to refrain from interfering with one another and to allow free trade in China

• Succeeded because it suited the inclinations of the major powers

Boxer Rebellion

• Antiforeign movement in 1900 in China because of the Open Door Policy

• Chinese rioters destroyed anything foreign, killed missionaries, diplomats, foreign merchants, and Chinese converts to Christianity

• Crushed by international military force 

Imperialism

• The extension of power by one people or country over another people or country

• Negative effects

  • Exploitation of weaker nations by the stronger nations

  • Weaker nations lost its land, independence, and identity

  • Economy was restructured for benefits

  • Quick to claim superiority

• Positive improvements

  • Better medical treatment

  • Development of natural resources

  • Improvements in education

  • Better roads, bridges, and railroads

  • Missionaries spreading the gospel

Alaska

• The single largest American acquisition after the Civil War

• Purchased from Russia in 1867

• Known as “Seward’s Folly”

• Proved much value through gold and oil discoveries

• Became the 49th state in 1959

Hawaii

• The most important Pacific addition to the US

• Important supply for whalers, merchant ships, and warships

• Also known as the Sandwich Islands 

• Became the 50th state in 1959

Denomination Boards

• Tied directly to a major denomination

• Collected money from its member churches and paid salaries to the missionaries 

Faith Boards

• Independent mission boards that have no guaranteed income

• Missionaries visit local churches directly and solicit support for their work

• One of the first was the Christian and Missionary Alliance

Yellow Journalism

• Sensationalized news reporting aimed more at attracting readers than at reporting the truth

• Became very popular in America and fanned American hatred of Spain

• Would report shocking stories focused on boosting sales 

de Lome letter

• Stolen letter written by the Spanish ambassador in Washington, Enrique Dupuy de Lome

• Denounced McKinley as weak and bitter

• Caused Spanish-American relations to worsen

USS Maine

• Battleship sent to Havana to protect American interests on the island

• Exploded and sank in the harbor killing 260 Americans

• Resulted from an accident inside the ship’s coal bunkers

Spanish-American War

• Began on April 20, 1898

• War fought between the US and Spain

• Fought mainly in Cuba and the Philippines

George Dewey

• Commodore that led America’s Pacific fleet into Manila Bay

Battle of Manila Bay

• Destroyed Spanish sea power in the Pacific and left the Philippines in the hands of the US

• America’s Pacific fleet left Hong Kong and fought the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay- the main harbor of the Spanish controlled Philippine Islands

Rough Riders

• Led by Theodore Roosevelt and Leonard Wood

• Fought in the Battle of San Juan Hill

• Stormed Spanish fortifications

• Volunteer cowboys, miners, college students, and adventurers from the West

Battle of Santiago Bay

• Battle at which the Spanish fleet dried to escape but suffered defeat

• American fleet blockaded the harbor and government decided to send the army into Cuba