The U.S. since 1876 - midterm

What did Alexander Stephens claim led to the formation of the Confederate states in his "Cornerstone Speech"?

Alexander Stephens claimed that the immediate cause of secession was the preservation of African slavery and the foundational belief in racial inequality.

What did Lincoln do to start the process of Reconstruction in the South?

President Abraham Lincoln started Reconstruction by issuing the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction in 1863, which allowed Confederate states to reform Union governments once 10 percent of their voters took a loyalty oath.

What led to the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson?

President Andrew Johnson was impeached for violating the Tenure of Office Act after firing his Secretary of War without Senate approval during a bitter dispute over Reconstruction.

What developments led to the ending of Reconstruction of the South?

Reconstruction ended due to intense Southern white resistance and violence, declining Northern interest, and the Compromise of 1877, which removed federal troops from the South.

What were Black American leaders able to achieve as they took leadership in reconstruction governments in the South?

Black leaders successfully established the South's first public schools, passed anti-discrimination laws, removed voting property requirements, and funded public infrastructure.

What did the concept of Taylorism do to change American industry?

Taylorism revolutionized American industry by introducing scientific management, which broke jobs into standardized, micro-tasks to drastically increase factory productivity while reducing workers to repetitive, machine-like parts.

What was Social Darwinism? What did it argue? What did big business leaders do during industrialization to protect their money and interests?

Social Darwinism was an ideology arguing that society progresses through "survival of the fittest," meaning wealth is a sign of evolutionary superiority and the government should not regulate business or aid the poor. To protect their interests, industrial leaders built monopolies through trusts, crushed labor unions with private security, and used heavy political lobbying to secure favorable tariffs and block regulations.

What did big business leaders do during industrialization to protect their money and interests?

To protect their fortunes, big business leaders built monopolies through trusts, crushed labor unions with private security forces, and heavily lobbied politicians to secure high protective tariffs and block government regulations.

How many strikes were organized between 1880-1900?

22,793 strikes

How did big business leaders of the Gilded Age protect their money and capital?

Gilded Age business leaders protected their capital by forming monopolies and trusts to eliminate competition, utilizing limited liability corporate structures to shield personal wealth, and using political lobbying to block regulations and secure high protective tariffs.

What was the Populist Platform? What policies did it recommend?

The Populist Platform of 1892 was a manifesto protecting workers from corporate power by demanding the free coinage of silver, a graduated income tax, government ownership of railroads, and the direct election of U.S. Senators

What worker difficulties led to the Homestead Strike in Pennsylvania?

The Homestead Strike was triggered when management at Carnegie Steel demanded severe wage cuts, imposed grueling 12-hour shifts, and locked out the workforce in an aggressive effort to destroy their union.

What success did the Socialist Party achieve in the United States? How did they influence American politics?

The Socialist Party of America achieved success by electing over 1,000 public officials, winning 6% of the 1912 presidential vote, and forcing mainstream parties to adopt their ideas, including child labor laws, the eight-hour workday, and a progressive income tax.

Why did many workers join labor unions such as the Knights of Labor and the AFL during the Gilded Age?

Many workers joined labor unions during the Gilded Age due to poor working conditions, long hours, low wages, and a lack of job security. These unions sought to improve labor rights and advocate for better treatment of workers.

How did monopolies and trusts change the relationship between business, government, and consumers?

Monopolies and trusts led to increased concentration of economic power, often resulting in reduced competition and higher prices for consumers. They prompted government intervention and regulation to address corporate abuses and protect consumer interests.

Why did Eugene Debs refer to many American workers as victims of "wage slavery"?

Eugene Debs referred to many American workers as victims of "wage slavery" because he believed that they were exploited by employers, forced to work long hours for low pay with little control over their conditions, akin to a form of economic servitude.

What drove initial travelers out West? How did life in the West differ from economic structures back in Eastern cities?

The search for land, gold, and new economic opportunities motivated many to travel West. Life in the West was characterized by smaller, more self-sufficient communities and a reliance on agriculture and mining, contrasting with the industrial economy of Eastern cities.

Under the Homestead Act, how long was a resident required to occupy the land plot to acquire the deed for the land?

Under the Homestead Act, a resident was required to occupy and cultivate the land for five years to acquire the deed.

Native Americans and Americans clashed constantly in the West. Were there any trends that characterized the conflicts?

The conflicts were characterized by broken treaties to seize land for mining and railroads, forced relocation to resource-poor reservations, and U.S. military tactics that systematically destroyed bison herds to starve tribes into surrender.

How was the transcontinental railroad funded?

The transcontinental railroad was funded through a combination of government land grants, bonds, and private investment, providing significant financial support to encourage its construction across the country.

From what nearby culture did many American cowboys learn their

traditions?

Mexican culture

Why did the U.S. government pass the Dawes General Allotment Act?

The U.S. government passed the Dawes Act of 1887 to force the cultural assimilation of Native Americans by breaking up communal tribal lands into individual private farms, which allowed the government to sell off millions of acres of "surplus" land to white settlers.

What impacts did the growth of American railroads have on the growth of American industry?

The growth of railroads accelerated American industry by creating a unified national market that slashed shipping costs and by generating massive commercial demand for raw materials like steel, coal, and lumber.

Why was the Ghost Dance movement viewed as a threat by many American officials and settlers?

American officials viewed the Ghost Dance as a threat because they feared its prophecy of white settlers disappearing would trigger a violent tribal uprising and unite different tribes to resist federal reservation control.

What factors contributed to the destruction of the American bison population during western expansion?

The bison population was destroyed by a deliberate U.S. military strategy to starve Native Americans onto reservations, a commercial market for industrial leather, and railroad expansion that introduced mass sport hunting.

How did immigration populations moving into the U.S. between 1870-1920 differ from earlier migrant groups? How did they factor into the development of American industry?

Unlike earlier waves from Northern and Western Europe, 1870–1920 immigrants came primarily from Southern and Eastern Europe, settling in cities and providing the massive supply of cheap, unskilled labor that powered America's heavy industries and factories.

What type of American community increasingly offered a perceived middle ground between living in the hectic city center and the peaceful countryside?

Unlike earlier waves from Northern and Western Europe, 1870–1920 immigrants came primarily from Southern and Eastern Europe, settling in cities and providing the massive supply of cheap, unskilled labor that powered America's heavy industries and factories.

What was the New South? How did its leaders envision the future of southern industry?

The "New South" was a post-Reconstruction slogan and ideology promoted in the late 19th century that envisioned transforming the American South from an impoverished, agrarian society into a modernized, industrial capitalist economy modeled after the North.

What limitations did Jim Crow laws place on Black Americans in the South? How did Black American activists deal with increased inequality?

Jim Crow laws stripped Black Americans of basic rights through legal segregation, voting barriers like literacy tests, and economic entrapment, which Black activists combated by founding national civil rights organizations, launching legal challenges, and publishing anti-lynching journalism.

What was the Lost Cause idea?

The "Lost Cause" was a Southern myth that falsely framed the Confederacy as a heroic defense of states' rights rather than slavery, romanticizing the plantation era to justify post-war Jim Crow laws.

What was Nativism? How did White Americans voice their concerns with immigrant and minority groups?

Nativism was an ideology favoring native-born citizens over immigrants, which white Americans voiced by creating anti-immigrant organizations, passing discriminatory laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act, and using racial violence or employment discrimination.

How did Southerners "reform" their voting systems? In what ways did Southern laws reflect the region's values for racial and social order and control?

Southerners "reformed" their voting systems by enacting poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses to disenfranchise Black citizens, creating laws that enforced strict racial segregation and exploitative labor contracts to maintain white supremacy and a rigid social order.

What legal precedent did the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court case establish?

The Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court case established the legal precedent of "separate but equal," which ruled that racial segregation did not violate the U.S. Constitution as long as the facilities provided for Black and white citizens were equal.

What were the differences in the ideologies of progress held by Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois?

The core difference between the two leaders was that Booker T. Washington advocated for incremental progress through economic self-reliance and vocational education, whereas W.E.B. Du Bois demanded immediate political equality, civil rights, and advanced higher education for Black Americans

Why did the Chinese Exclusion Act represent a significant turning point in American immigration policy?

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was a significant turning point because it was the first federal law in American history to restrict immigration based entirely on race and nationality, shifting the United States from an open-door nation to a gatekeeping regulatory state.

What role did Ida B. Wells play in challenging racial violence in the South?

Ida B. Wells challenged racial violence by launching a fearless investigative journalism campaign against lynching, publishing empirical data that exposed white terror as a deliberate economic and political tool to suppress successful Black Americans rather than a response to crime.

What was the Open Door Policy in China?

The Open Door Policy was a U.S. diplomatic initiative in 1899 that called for equal commercial trading rights for all nations in China to prevent European powers from carving the country into exclusive imperial monopolies.

What was the Guano Islands Act of 1856? What did it lead to?

The Guano Islands Act of 1856 was a federal law allowing American citizens to seize unclaimed islands containing seabird droppings, which led to the first major wave of U.S. overseas imperial expansion through the annexation of nearly 100 global islands for agricultural fertilizer.

Why were American troops sent to Veracruz, Mexico, in 1914?

to block a German arms shipment destined for Mexican dictator Victoriano Huerta

Who were "Yellow Journalists"? What impact did they have on the Spanish-American War?

Yellow Journalists were newspaper publishers in the late 1890s—most notably Joseph Pulitzer of the New York World and William Randolph Hearst of the New York Journal

What areas of the world did the United States gain control of following the Spanish-American War?

Following the Spanish-American War, the United States gained control of Puerto Rico and Guam in the Caribbean and Pacific, purchased the Philippines from Spain for $20 million, and established a dominant military protectorate over Cuba.

What was the Roosevelt Corollary? What did it declare?

The Roosevelt Corollary was a 1904 addition to the Monroe Doctrine that declared the United States had the right to act as an "international police power" in the Western Hemisphere, authorizing unilateral military intervention in Latin America to block European interference.

Why did many Americans support overseas expansion at the end of the nineteenth century?

Many Americans supported overseas expansion due to economic desires for new foreign markets to sell industrial surpluses, a strategic push to build a powerful navy with global coaling stations, and cultural ideologies like Social Darwinism that framed expansion as a duty to "civilize" other nations.

Why did some Americans join the Anti-Imperialist League and oppose overseas expansion?

Some Americans joined the Anti-Imperialist League because they believed overseas expansion violated the core democratic principle of "consent of the governed" laid out in the Declaration of Independence

Who were the "Muckrakers"? How did they influence the Progressive Era United States?

Muckrakers were investigative journalists who exposed corporate corruption and urban poverty, profoundly influencing the Progressive Era by galvanizing public outrage to force landmark government reforms like the Pure Food and Drug Act and the breakup of monopolies.

Theodore Roosevelt prided himself on being a "trust-buster." Which monopoly did he target first?

Muckrakers were investigative journalists who exposed corporate corruption and urban poverty, profoundly influencing the Progressive Era by galvanizing public outrage to force landmark government reforms like the Pure Food and Drug Act and the breakup of monopolies.

What was the main cause for the large casualty count in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire? Why did so many fall victim to the tragedy?

The main cause for the large casualty count in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire on March 25, 1911, was that factory management had intentionally locked the exit doors and stairwell exits to prevent employee theft and unauthorized breaks, trapping the workers inside the burning building.

How did Jane Addams and Hull House attempt to improve life for urban Americans?

Jane Addams and Hull House attempted to improve life for urban Americans by establishing a settlement house that provided vital social, educational, and healthcare services directly to immigrant and working-class communities in Chicago

What were the major goals of the Women's Suffrage Movement during the Progressive Era?

The major goals of the Women's Suffrage Movement during the Progressive Era were to secure the constitutional right to vote for all women, pass laws protecting women and children in the workplace, and eliminate discriminatory property and guardianship statutes.

Which nations formed the Triple Entente?

Great Britain, France, and Russia

Before WWI, what did Americans care about most in issues of foreign policy?

Before World War I, Americans cared most about maintaining neutrality and avoiding European military conflicts

What specific event sparked the First World War?

The specific event that sparked the First World War was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife Sophie by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, planned by the Black Hand.

What was the Zimmermann Telegram?

The Zimmermann Telegram was a secret German diplomatic proposal intercepted in 1917 that offered a military alliance to Mexico against the United States, promising them the return of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona in exchange for invading America, which ignited public outrage and pushed the U.S. into World War I.

Why did many Americans initially favor neutrality during World War I?

Many Americans initially favored neutrality during World War I due to a long-standing tradition of isolationism from European conflicts, deep demographic divisions among millions of European immigrants with competing homelands, and a widespread belief that the war was a purely imperialistic struggle that did not threaten vital United States interests.

How did the Committee on Public Information help generate support for the war effort?

The Committee on Public Information (CPI) generated support for World War I by launching a massive, unprecedented government propaganda campaign that utilized media, art, and public speakers to unite public opinion and demonize the enemy.

What were Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points designed to accomplish?

Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points were designed to prevent future global conflicts by establishing a democratic post-war order based on open diplomacy, free trade, national self-determination, and the creation of a League of Nations to guarantee collective security.

What role did Albert Fall play in the Teapot Dome Scandal?

As Secretary of the Interior, Albert Fall was the mastermind behind the Teapot Dome Scandal, secretly leasing emergency federal naval oil reserves to private corporations in exchange for over $400,000 in bribes, making him the first U.S. cabinet member in history to be sent to prison.

What did A.C. Dixon's The Fundamentals argue was needed in American religion and society?

A.C. Dixon’s The Fundamentals argued that American religion and society needed to return to a literal, orthodox interpretation of Christian scripture to combat the corrupting influences of modernism and theological liberalism.

What was the "Garveyism" movement? How did it argue for the empowerment of Black Americans?

Garveyism was a global Black nationalist and Pan-Africanist movement founded in the 1910s by Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). It argued that true empowerment could only be achieved through complete racial self-reliance, economic independence, and the ultimate unification of the African diaspora to build a sovereign nation in Africa.

How did the KKK go about reaching its peak in the 1920s? What reflections on broader American culture did that present?

The Second Ku Klux Klan reached its peak of 3 to 5 million members in the mid-1920s by hiring professional publicists who marketed the organization as a mainstream, fraternal civic group operating openly across the Midwest and West, rather than just the South.