US History Final Review

Compromise of 1850

Agreement settling free/slave state tensions; California entered free, stricter Fugitive Slave Law passed.

Free Soil Party

Political party opposing slavery's expansion into western territories, increasing North-South tensions.

Underground Railroad

Secret network of routes/safe houses helping enslaved people escape to free states or Canada.

Fugitive Slave Law

Law requiring citizens and officials to help capture and return escaped enslaved people.

Dred Scott Decision

Supreme Court ruling that African Americans were not citizens and Congress couldn't ban territory slavery.

John Brown and Harpers Ferry

Raid on federal arsenal to start slave rebellion; Brown was captured and executed.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

Series of debates about slavery's expansion that helped Lincoln gain national attention.

Election of 1860

Lincoln elected president without Southern support, leading Southern states to secede.

Lincoln's views on slavery

Opposed expansion into new territories and believed slavery was morally wrong.

How slavery led to violence

Caused conflicts such as Bleeding Kansas and John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry.

Why the South seceded

Feared Lincoln would limit slavery and threatened their economy and way of life.

Anaconda Plan

Union strategy to defeat Confederacy by blockading Southern ports and controlling Mississippi River.

Emancipation Proclamation

Lincoln's declaration freeing enslaved people in Confederate territory, changing war's purpose.

Battle of Gettysburg

Major Union victory in Pennsylvania; considered turning point of Civil War.

Gettysburg Address

Lincoln's speech emphasizing preserving the Union and honoring fallen soldiers.

Total War and Sherman's March

Union march through Georgia destroying railroads and supplies, weakening Southern resistance.

Union advantages/disadvantages

Advantages: population, economy, factories. Disadvantage: had to conquer the South.

Confederacy advantages/disadvantages

Advantages: familiar land, strong military leaders. Disadvantages: fewer resources, factories, people.

Role of women in Civil War

Served as nurses and managed farms and businesses.

Role of African Americans in Civil War

Served in the Union Army and supported the war effort.

13th Amendment

Abolished slavery in the United States.

14th Amendment

Granted citizenship to all born/naturalized in US; guaranteed equal protection under law.

15th Amendment

Gave African American men the right to vote.

Freedmen's Bureau

Government agency helping formerly enslaved people with food, education, medical care, and jobs.

Radical Republicans

Congress group wanting tougher Reconstruction and stronger protections for formerly enslaved people.

Scalawags

White Southerners who supported Reconstruction and the Republican Party.

Carpetbaggers

Northerners who moved to the South during Reconstruction.

Tenant Farming

System where farmers rented land and paid rent with cash or crops.

Sharecropping

System where farmers worked land for a share of crops, often leading to debt.

Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

Secret organization using violence and intimidation against African Americans and supporters.

Radical Republicans' goal

To punish the South and protect the rights of formerly enslaved people.

Downfall of Reconstruction politics/economics

Political scandals and the Panic of 1873 caused decline in support.

Why Reconstruction ended

Northern support declined and Compromise of 1877 removed federal troops from South.

Assimilation (Native Americans)

Process of forcing Native Americans to adopt American culture, language, and customs.

Homestead Act

Law giving settlers Western land if they lived on and improved it.

Dawes Act

Law dividing tribal lands into individual plots, causing Native Americans to lose land.

US vs Plains Indians conflicts

Settlers took Native American lands and resources, leading to battles.

Government assimilation methods

Used laws like Dawes Act and boarding schools to encourage American customs.

Transcontinental Railroad

Railroad connecting East and West US; increased trade, travel, and settlement.

Andrew Carnegie

Leader of the steel industry who built a massive steel company.

John D. Rockefeller

Founder of Standard Oil who controlled much of the oil industry.

J.P. Morgan

Powerful banker and financier who controlled major businesses and railroads.

George Pullman

Industrialist who built luxury sleeping cars and owned a company town.

Social Darwinism

Belief that success came through competition and hard work; used to justify wealth disparities. Said that the poor are lazy and dumb

Great Strike of 1877

Nationwide railroad strike over wage cuts; showed worker-owner tensions.

Haymarket Riot

Chicago labor protest that turned violent after a bomb; hurt union support.

Homestead Strike

Violent strike at Carnegie's steel plant ending in defeat for workers.

Pullman Strike

Railroad strike over wage cuts and high rents; ended by federal troops.

Railroad impact on society

Connected East/West, boosted trade, encouraged settlement, and grew economy.

Goal of Industrial Era unions

To improve wages, working conditions, and hours for workers.

Boss Tweed

Leader of Tammany Hall famous for corruption and political influence.

Political Machine

Organization exchanging jobs and services for votes and political support.

Nativism

Belief that native-born Americans were superior to immigrants.

Chinese Exclusion Act

Law banning most Chinese immigration to the United States.

Gentleman's Agreement

Agreement between US and Japan limiting Japanese immigration.

How the Other Half Lives purpose

Jacob Riis exposed poor tenement living conditions to encourage reform.

Old vs New Immigrants

Old: Northern/Western Europe. New: Southern/Eastern Europe, facing greater discrimination.

Political machines' influence

Provided jobs/services for votes, controlling local elections and government offices.

Who wrote “How the Other Half Lives?”

Jacob Riis