AMH2020

Compromise of 1877

Resolved the contested U.S. presidential election of 1876, marking the end of Reconstruction as federal troops withdrew from the South.

Plessy v. Ferguson

A Supreme Court case (1896) that upheld racial segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine, legitimizing Jim Crow laws.

13th Amendment

Ratified in 1865, this amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the U.S., except as punishment for a crime.

14th Amendment

Enacted in 1868, it grants birthright citizenship and equal protection under the law, underpinning civil rights movements.

15th Amendment

Passed in 1870, it prohibits racial discrimination in voting, though Southern states undermined it with barriers to voting.

New South

A post-Reconstruction ideology focused on economic modernization, maintaining racial segregation and an exploitative labor system.

Convict Leasing

A system post-Civil War where incarcerated individuals, often Black men, were leased to private businesses, functioning as forced labor.

The Readjuster Party

A biracial political coalition in the 1870s-1880s that sought to reduce state debt and improve services, temporarily disrupting white control.

Transcontinental Railroad

Completed in 1869, it connected East and West coasts, accelerating growth and migration, contributing to Indigenous culture decline.

Gilded Age

A period (1870s–1900) of rapid industrialization and economic growth, marked by wealth disparities and political corruption.

John D. Rockefeller

Founder of Standard Oil, a monopoly that pioneered business practices and became a major philanthropist, influencing regulations.

Bessemer Process

An efficient method for mass steel production invented in 1856, revolutionizing construction and industrialization.

Great Railroad Strike of 1877

The first major nationwide labor conflict in U.S. history, sparked by wage cuts for railroad workers and federal military intervention.

Great Migration

The mass movement of African Americans from the rural South to urban North and West (1916-1970), reshaping racial dynamics.

Jacob Riis

A journalist whose work exposed urban poverty and tenement conditions, influencing Progressive reforms in housing.

Ida B. Wells

An anti-lynching activist and co-founder of the NAACP, she used investigative journalism to combat racial violence.

Knights of Labor

One of the first major labor unions, advocating for workers' rights and inclusivity, but declined after the Haymarket Riot.

William Jennings Bryan

A prominent leader advocating for free silver and government regulation, known for his 'Cross of Gold' speech.

Sherman Antitrust Act

The first U.S. law to curb monopolies, later enforced against major corporations to promote competition.

Homestead Act

Passed in 1862, it gave 160 acres of land to settlers who farmed it for five years, promoting westward expansion.

George Custer

U.S. Army officer known for his role in the Indian Wars, notably defeated at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876.

Ghost Dance

A late 19th-century Indigenous movement seeking restoration of lands, seen as a threat leading to increased U.S. military actions.

Wounded Knee Massacre

In 1890, U.S. troops killed hundreds of Lakota, symbolizing the brutal suppression of Native American resistance.

Dawes Act

An 1887 law that aimed to assimilate Native Americans by allotting individual land parcels, undermining tribal sovereignty.

Gavrilo Princip

Assassin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary, triggering World War I through his actions.

Preparedness Movement

A campaign for military buildup in the U.S. prior to World War I, leading to significant military expansions.

Food Administration

Led by Herbert Hoover during WWI, it managed food supplies and conservation, shaping government resource policies.