Period 6 key terms and proper nouns

first transcontinental railroad

linked the existing eastern railway with the pacific coast, built by the union pacific and central pacific railroad companies. Completed in 1869

great american desert

1800s term for the great plains

american bison

buffalo that lived in the great plains but were largely killed off by white settlers

comstock lode

america’s first major silver discovery, found in nevada. spiked a silver rush. helped fund the union during the civil war.

boomtowns

cities experiencing rapid population and economic growth due to nearby discoveries of minerals or resources.

texas longhorn cattle

evolved from spanish cattle. very hearty. drove cattle trade into northern markets and helped create the iconic american cowboy image

long cattle drives

journeys primarily from texas to kansas railheads. moved free-roaming cattle north.

sodbusters

farmers who broke the tough grass of the great plains to plant crops

barbed wire

fencing with sharp barbs to keep in livestock

national grange of patrons of husbandry/granger laws

farmers organization that fought for regulated railroad rates to combat unfair spikes in price

munn vs illinois 1877

affirmed states powers to regulate private buisnesses in the intrests of the people. specifically upheld an illinois law regulating grain prices

farmers alliances

major economic movement to band together as farmers and combat economic hardship.

frederick jackson turner/frontier thesis

believed that america would loose it’s core values without the existence of a frontier

reservations

specified plots of land where the government forced natives to reside in

fetterman massacre 1866

us soldiers are ambushed on the great plains and slaughtered

george armstrong custer

civil war commander who died at the battle of little bighorn

battle of little bighorn 1876

natives defeated US military and raised demands to push natives into reservations

ghost dance movement

native american spiruital revival prophesying a new earth where white settlers vanished

sitting bull

lakota leader who led his people for years of resistance against the US government

wounded knee massacre 1890

300 lakota people killed by US soldiers.

helen hunt jackson/a century of dishonor

chronicled the experiences of native americans in the united states and argued the injustices they faced

assimilation/indian boarding schools

schools where native children were tought english and forcibly assimilated into white culture

dawes severalty act 1887

broke up tribal lands into plots to force assimilation by promoting farming and private property.

dr charles eastman

physician and author who spoke on indian affairs.

dakota 38/minnesota dakota war 1862

battles between dakota tribes and US. raids on minnessota towns

sand creek massacre 1864

US soldiers launched an attack on a peaceful village of cheyenne in southeastern colorado

chief joseph/flight of the nez perce

1800 mile retreat of the nez pierce people fleeing the US army led by chief joseph until their eventual surrender.

buffalo bill cody/wild west shows

traveling spectacle displaying the american frontier with cowboys and native americans.

new south

self sufficient economy and industrial growth after the civil war.

sharecropping

landlord provides land and seed in exchange for some of the produced crop

redeemers

southern conservatives

civil rights cases of 1883

five supreme court cases that collectively struck down the civil rights act of 1875. congress can’t prohibit racial discrimination in private buisnesses.

plessy vs ferguson 1896

declared that segregation did not violate the constitution

jim crow laws

laws that enforced racial segregation

literacy tests

discriminatory tools to prevent AA from voting.

poll taxes

fee required to vote used to prevent AA from voting

grandfather clauses

legal provision exempting situations from new law, allowing old rules to continue. white men could vote if their grandfather voted.

ida b wells

Black journalist who reported on racial injustice and documented lynching in the late 19th century.

exodusters

freed slaves who migrated from the south to the great plains

booker t washington

american educator and author who believed blacks should focus on their own economic advancement rather than civil rights.

tuskegee institute

founded by booker t washington as a school for teachers.

atlanta compromise

proposed by booker t washington. accepted racial segregation across most aspects of life

WEB du bois

demanded an end to segregation and contradicted washington. fought for civil rights

talented tenth

book by web du bois. term that designated a leadership class of african americans.

bessemer process

first method for mass producing steel creating it very quickly and cheaply. revolutionized industry

thomas edison

invented the light bulb

george westinghouse

created the railway air break and the alternating current for light and power.

gustavus swift

invented the refidurated railway car and shipped meat to the east

consumer economy/culture

spending money on goods and services is the main driver of growth

cornelius vanderbuilt

built a large fortune in the shipping and railroad industries. became the wealthiest man of the 19th century

jp morgan

dominated wall street in the gilded age and developed a multunational banking institution in new york city.

andrew carnegie

expanded the americans teel industry and became very rich

john d rockefeller/standard oil trust

revolutionized the petroleum industry and created a company called standard oil. controlled 90% of US oil

monopoly

single company dominating a market with no competition allowing for high prices and profits

trust

legal agreement where one person gives assets to another to hold and manage for the beenfit of the beneficiary

horizontal integration

company grows by merging with other companies at the same level of the supply chain in the same industry

vertical integration

company takes control of multiple stages of the supply chain, lowering costs

holding company

a parent entity that owns controlling stock in other companies but doesn’t produce it’s own goods/services. parent for a family of buisnesses

laissez faire capitalism

economic system with minimal government interference

adam smith

introduced laissez faire capitalism, known for the wealth of nations

social darwinism

ys that the fittest races will rise to power while the weak will decline. used to justify racism and imperialism

william graham sumner

believed social existence was a competitive struggle among induviduals posessing different traits. said that better traits succeeded while worse ones were in poverty

horatio alger

author who promoted the american dream and wrote about young boys rising to power from poverty. “self made man”