US History: Westward Expansion and Gilded Age Politics

Flashcards reviewing key concepts, proper nouns, dates, and historical events covered in the lecture on Westward expansion, Native American assimilation, agricultural challenges, and Gilded Age politics.

Which anti-obscenity campaigner brought about the prohibition of material he considered unacceptable?

Anthony Comstock.

Which local labor leader organized a mass demonstration at the Haymarket that eventually snowballed into a violent altercation?

Albert Parsons.

Who authored 'Progress and Poverty' and blamed the lack of economic opportunity on the lack of land?

Henry George.

Who authored the utopian book 'Looking Backward', in which the main character wakes up in the year 2000?

Edward Bellamy.

What happened to Sitting Bull when federal authorities attempted to arrest him on the reservation in 1890?

He was shot and killed during the arrest attempt by a Native American police officer.

Which U.S. military unit surrounded and killed predominantly women and children at the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890?

The 7th Cavalry.

What multi-barreled weapon did Black Elk mention hearing during the morning of the Wounded Knee Massacre?

A wagon gun (Gatling gun).

What major official announcement was made by the Census Bureau in 1890 alongside the occurrence of the Wounded Knee Massacre?

The Census Bureau declared that the American frontier was closed.

What was the official name of the Dawes Act, and what was its core legislative goal?

Officially named the Indian Allotment Act (sponsored by Henry Dawes), its goal was to assimilate Native Americans into tax-paying, land-owning U.S. citizens.

How did institutions like Native American boarding schools enforce forced assimilation on children?

They removed children from their families, cut their hair, prohibited native languages under punishment, dictated Western attire, and enforced Christian worship.

Who was the superintendent of the Carlisle School in Pennsylvania who delivered the famous 1892 speech line 'Kill the Indian, save the man'?

Richard Henry Pratt.

Which popular traveling show reenacted frontier battles and briefly featured Sitting Bull in its performances?

Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show.

What thesis did historian Frederick Jackson Turner present regarding the conquest of the American West?

He argued that the conquest of the frontier gave America its unique national character and rugged individualism.

Which 1881 book by Helen Hunt Jackson documented the history of broken treaties and promises between the U.S. government and Native Americans?

'A Century of Dishonor'.

What were the two statutory conditions required under the Homestead Act of 1862 to claim 160 acres of Western land?

Settlers had to cultivate the land for at least 5 years and show an improvement on the land, such as constructing a house, barn, or well.

Which three industrial products made agricultural life viable on the Great Plains?

Windmills (to pump groundwater), John Deere steel plows (to break dense soil), and barbed wire (for fencing without scarce wood).

What was the famous nickname of barbed wire salesman John Gates, earned due to his penchant for high-stakes bets?

John 'Bet a Million' Gates.

What primary economic crisis continually faced Western farmers in the late 19th century?

Overproduction: growing too many crops caused crop prices to drop, while expenses like industrial tools and railroad rates remained high.

Why did political views on tariffs split sharply between Republicans and Southern/Western Democrats?

Republicans favored high tariffs to protect domestic manufacturing; Democrats and farmers opposed high tariffs because they artificially raised consumer prices on manufactured goods.

What was the 'disappearing quorum' parliamentary tactic used by minority Democrats in the House of Representatives?

Democratic members would remain physically present in the chamber but refuse to answer during roll call, preventing a quorum from being recorded so votes could not proceed.

How did Speaker of the House Thomas Brackett Reed eliminate the 'disappearing quorum' in 1890?

He directed the clerk to record silent congressmen present in the chamber as 'present' for quorum counts, establishing the 'Reed Rules'.

Which railroad magnate and California governor was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1885 while maintaining his corporate interests?

Leland Stanford.

What was the political 'spoils system'?

The practice of political victors awarding government jobs and patronage positions to friends and party loyalists regardless of job qualifications.

What reform legislation established merit-based testing for government jobs to eliminate corruption from the spoils system?

The Pendleton Civil Service Act.

Which U.S. President, despite his past connections to New York's corrupt Tammany Hall machine, signed the Pendleton Civil Service Act into law?

Chester A. Arthur.

Who was the first Democrat elected President after the Civil War (1884), whose election campaign survived a personal scandal involving a child born out of wedlock?

Grover Cleveland.