APUSH UNIT 3

Mechanical Reaper and combine harvester

Inventions that significantly increased agricultural productivity in the 19th century by allowing farmers to harvest crops more efficiently.  Production soared.

Problems facing farmers -railroads, banks

Farmers in the 19th century faced numerous challenges including high shipping costs imposed by railroads and banks driving down prices farmers received for crops, affecting profits.

Greenback Party

A political party formed in the 1870s with agrarian roots that sought an expansion to currency supply. Advocated issuing paper money not backed by silver or gold

The Grange

An organization of farmers founded in 1867 that aimed at improving their social and economic conditions. Sought to reduce the power of railroads and monopolies.

Granger Laws

State laws passed that regulated freight rates and made certain abusive corporate practices illegal

Wabash v. Illinois

Court ruling that reversed the Granger Laws. Court ruled that individual states could not regulate railroads because they cross state lines

Land grants to railroads/purpose

Government encouraged the building of railroad lines because they connected the far reaches of the country, sped up the movement of goods, and expanded markets.  Gave railroad companies lots of land for rail lines.  Pacific railway act of 1862 sped up process

Telegraph

First transatlantic cable laid in 1858, telegraph company came under the control of Jay Gould in 1879

Western Union

Jay Gould was the head, purpose was to connect U.S. with telegraph lines.

Alexander Graham Bell

Invented the telephone, established the Bell telephone company.  By the end of 1880, almost 50,000 telephones used across the U.S.

Bell Telephone Company

Founded in 1877 by Alexander Graham Bell. First telephone company, commercialized the telophone.

Government policies and westward expansion

Government promoted western settlement, and continued extending land to individual farmers that it had begun with the Homestead Act of 1862

Homestead Act of 1862

Original homestead act not successful because land grants were too small. Land was free, farmers needed to pay for homes and tools, congress increased the plot of land size.

Transcontinental Railroad

Network of rail lines connecting the far reaches of the country, making travel and shipping faster and cheaper.

Comstock Lode

Major silver discovery in Nevada in 1859 that attracted thousands of miners and investors, bringing wealth to the region.  Helped finance other parts of the U.S. economy.

Mining’s impact on western population

Mining attracted settlers, immigrants, and businesses to the west, creating boomtowns which often grew into permanent communities.  These areas developed local economies, services, and infrastructure.  

Chinese Immigration

Initially drawn to North America by the Gold rush in California, and spread throughout the U.S. Whites pushed for laws excluding Chinese immigrants

Chinese Exclusion Act

First discriminatory federal law targeted at a particular national group.  Banned Chinese Immigration, with the exception of a small number of job categories for 10 years.  

Mining boomtowns

Towns that quickly grew near mining sites during gold or silver rushes, and many were abandoned once the mines ran out.  

Cowboys

Drove large herds of cattle across open plains. Many were African American and Mexican. Herded cattle to seasonal grazing areas,then to railroad stops, then shipped for slaughter in chicago.

Barbed Wire

Large ranchers began to enclose grazing areas with this, and ended the era of driving herds across plains.  Cowboys replaced by wage-earning hired hands, working under managers on ranches.

Sodbusters

First generation of pioneers drawn to the Great Plains.  Cut through the thick layer of sod to get to the top soil needed for farming.

Farming on the plains

Farmers purchased land from railroad or speculators, and family farms of the prarie gave way to large-scale agri-business.  Cost of mechanization and irrigation drove many farmers into debt

American bison

Railroad workers and passengers went on killing sprees, shooting buffalo for food and sport. industrial uses for the hides of buffalo put pressure on their numbers

Battle of Little Big Horn

Fought between U.S. led by Colonel George Cluster vs. several Native American tribes. U.S. gov. wanted to force Natives onto reservation after gold was found on their lands, but Natives resisted.  Custer’s entire force was killed. 

President Grant’s peace policy

Main pillar was assimilation.  Shift involved a move away from negotiating treaties with different American Indian nations.  Individual Indians would become “wards of the state” and become “civilized” nations

Assimilation

U.S. government’s effort to make Native American Indians adopt white culture and abandon their traditional ways of life. Included sending children to boarding schools and breaking up tribal lands through the Dawes Act

“A century of dishonor”

Written by prominent reformer Hunt Jackson in 1882, chronicled the abuses of the U.S. government committed against Native people. Aimed to raise awareness and push for fairer treatment and reform

Dawes Severalty Act (1887)

Also known as the General Allotment Act, abandoned the reservation system and divided tribal lands into individually owned plots of land.  Goal of policy was for American Indians to assimilate into white culture

Indian boarding schools

Established by the bureau of Indian affairs in the 1870s.  Designed to assimilate American Indian children into white culture by stripping them of their culture

Carlisle institute

Established in 1879, model for other schools. Students were forced to cut their hair and rid themselves of traditional clothing.  Also had to practice christianity and train in menial tasks.  “kill the indian, save the man” -colonel Richard Henry Pratt

Wounded Knee (1890)

“Last” battle of the Indian wars. massacre at the Lakota reservation in South Dakota in 1890. U.S. forces attempted to peacefully disarm a group of Lakota Sioux Indians. More than 200 Lakota men, women, and children were killed

The New South

Hoped southern industrialists could join forces with northern businessmen and bankers. Henry Grady was the New South’s most prominent spokesperson.  Wanted to move away from the single-crop plantation agriculture of the old south

Sharecropping system

System where landowners provided tools and seeds, while workers (share croppers) farmed land in return for share of the crop  Often stayed in debt because they had to buy supplies on credit and were only paid after the harvest

Tenant farming

System where farmers rented land from the landowner and kept the crops they grew, paying rent in cash or crops.  More independence than sharecroppers since they often owned their own tools and animals. 

Jim Crow Laws

Segregated public facilities such as railroad cars, restrooms, and schools. Further relegated African Americans to second-class status in the south. Any gains made during reconstruction for blacks slowly eroded

Slaughterhouse cases (1873)

Supreme court ruled the 14th amendment applied only to national citizenship right, such as the right to vote in national elections and to travel between states. Weakened protection for African Americans

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Supreme court decided that racial segregation did not violate the equal protection of the 14th amendment. Established “Separate but equal”

Separate but equal

Meant racially segregated facilities were considered constitutional as long as they were supposedly equal in quality, established by Plessy v. Ferguson. Legalized segregation in public places

Ida B. Wells

Former slave, becomes school teacher. Devoted her life to get the federal government to declare lynching a federal crime.  0 prosecutions for lynching

Booker T. Washington

Important Gilded Age activist, encouraged African Americans to gain training in vocational skills.  First leader of the Tuskegee Institute.  

Wilmington Coup and Massacre

In NC, white supremacists violently overthrew the city’s elected, biracial government.  Attacked black residents, burned their businesses, and killed many.  

Andrew Carnegie/Bessemer Process

Quickly turns iron into strong steel. Carnegie used the process to build his large steel empire, making steel production faster, cheaper, and more efficient

Changes in state corporate laws

During the Gilded Age, many states revised their corporate laws to make it easier to form corporations, limit liability for investors, and allow corporations to raise capital more easily.

Managerial revolution

Large corporations developed management systems that separated top executives from managers.  New class of middle managers emerged.

Industrial capitalism/changes

Factory system, living standards of working class showed signs of growth, consumption changed, many products like clothing moved from home production to commercial production

National chain stores

Retail businesses with multiple locations across the country, helped standardize products, prices, and shopping experiences.

Department stores

Large urban stores offering a wide variety of goods under one roof. Made shopping more convenient and encouraged mass consumption (Macy’s)

Sears/Montgomery ward

Major mail-order companies. Connected rural customers to national markets, helping spread industrial products.   Catalogs

Installment plans

A way for consumers to buy goods by paying over time instead of all at once. Allowed more people to afford new consumer goods.

Labor supply/changes

Immigration and rural-urban migration brought more workers to cities and factories.  More women and children entered work force.  Supported industrialization, urbanization, and economic expansion

3 major industries of the Gilded Age

Railroads, steel, oil

Small local businesses gave way to large corporations and trusts that would dominate entire industries

Andrew Carnegie and Vertical Integration

Attempt to control as many stages of production as you can. Control mines, factories, labor, manufacturing, sales, distribution.  

John D. Rockefeller and Horizontal Integration

Standard Oil. Dominates by merging with competitors, combining companies into one trust, and driving resisting companies out of business.  Controlled 90% of oil refining in the U.S.

JP Morgan

Bought Carnegie steel, created U.S. steel, makes 3/5 of all steel, helped stabilize U.S. economy

Philip Armour

American industrialist and meatpacking industry through assembly line production, refrigeration, and nationwide distribution.  Made food cheaper and widely available.

Changes in U.S. exports 1870-1900

Exports doubled from 1870-1880.  Several companies including standard oil and American tobacco had established branches in other countries.

Role of the Panic of 1893

Economic downturn encouraged businessmen to seek new markets abroad.  Perception that the American frontier had “closed”.

Frederick Jackson Turner

Wrote an influential essay “The significance of the frontier in American History”. Argued that the west was essential for American economic growth.  Argued next logical step for American economic expansion was foreign lands.  

Distribution of Wealth in 19th century

U.S. experienced unprecedented economic growth in the last decades of the 19th century.  A growing gap between the wealthy and poor emerged, and the working class expanded.  

The Gilded Age/ Wealthy class

Saw the growth of a well-to-do class that greatly surpassed the previous wealthy class in terms of money, cohesiveness, and power. Wealthy businessmen.

The Working Class

Wages for workers rose slightly, but were well below the levels that economist consider necessary for a minimum degree of comfort.  Vulnerable to seasonal nature of work.  Trends of the time made most goods and services available to working class people.

Improvement of standard of living

Individuals and families who had recently relocated to industrial cities and towns had unimaginable amounts of spending money in their former places of residence.  Wage increases were meager, but prices were falling for mass-produced goods. 

Women and children in the workforce (causes+effects)

Nature of work changed from skilled craftsmanship to unskilled tasks.  Incomes for working class men were low, so families often had to supplement incomes by joining the workforce.  

Effects of de-skilling

Workers saw their position and status erode during the Gilded Age period. Cutthroat competition and mechanization of the production processes worsened working conditions. Led to a loss of any sense of pride in one’s work.  

Collective bargaining

Process where employers and employees negotiate work conditions like pay, hours, and benefits. Tried to reach a fair agreement. Made possible by unions.

Strikes

Workers stop working to protest and pressure their employer to meet demands. Fought over better pay, hours, or conditions.

Lockouts

Management refuses to let employees work until they accept certain terms.  Terms include new wages, benefits, or work rules.  

Knights of Labor (goals/who could join)

Welcomed all members, regardless of race, gender, or level of skill. 

Improvements in wages and hours for their workers, social reforms such as better safety rules, and an end to child labor.

Great Railroad strike of 1877 (causes + effects)

The Baltimore and Ohio railroad announced a 10% pay cut for its workers.  Wages had already been falling since the Panic of 1873.  Involved more that 100k railroad workers and half a million other workers

Federal responses to Great Railroad strike 1877

President Hayes called out federal troop, may recently withdrawn from enforcing Reconstruction policies in the south.  Many observers thought a second civil war was unfolding.

Haymarket incident (1886) causes and effects

Unskilled workers at the McCormick works struck and their jobs were quickly given to scabs.  Striking workers attacked several scabs.  Police opened fire on strikers, killing and injuring 6 men.  Strikers called for a rally in Haymarket square.

The American Federation of Labor (goals/who could join)

Formed in 1886, differed from Knights of Labor in that it included only skilled workers. Didn’t permit unskilled workers of African Americans to join, and didn’t engage in political activities.  Goals included getting higher wages and better conditions.

Homestead Strike (1892) Causes/effects

Momentous labor battle took place at Andrew Carnegie’s steelworks in Homestead, Pennsylvania.  Carnegie announce he wouldn’t renew a powerful craft union under the AFL umbrella.  Henry Clay Frick made sure union workers couldn’t get back to work and a short battle occured.  Devastating blow for organized labor

The Pullman strike (1894) causes/effects

Wage cuts, high rent and prices for goods, poor working conditions, and union support led by Eugene V. Debs who organized a national boycott of Pullman train cars. 

Nationwide railroad shutdown, federal intervention, union defeat, legal impact, labor day.

American railway union

Founded by Eugene V. Debs, one of the first industrial unions representing all railroad workers. Supported Pullman workers during the strike by boycotting trains carrying Pullman cars.

Eugene V. Debs

Leader and founder of the American Railway Union, advocated for workers’ rights and industrial unionism.  Urged peaceful protest but was arrested for defying a federal court order to end the strike

Federal response to Pullman strike

President Cleveland viewed the strike as a threat to interstate commerce and mail delivery.  Federal troops sent to Chicago to break the strike, which led to riots and the deaths of several workers.  Harsh response showed the federal government support for business interests over labor at the time

White collar employees

Office of workers who performed administrative, managerial, or professional tasks rather than manual labor. Became essential to the successful functioning of industrial capitalism.

Secretarial work (change)

Had been seen as men’s work prior to the civil war. Women started to fill white collared roles.

Rise of newspapers and magazines

Literate women learned to type and were hired to perform office duties. Printing costs went down and literacy rates rose.  Dramatically covered events.

Public parks movement

Part of a strategy to provide an alternative to dirty streets and alleyways.  Healthful recreation was encouraged, and environment played a significant role on health.

Frederick Law Olmsted and Central Park

Sought to create a democratic meeting place where the city’s different classes could congregate and enjoy the benefits of nature.  

Gospel of Wealth

Andrew Carnegie asserted in his essay “Wealth” that the Rick have a duty to live responsible, modest lives and give back to society. Asserted that successful entrepreneurs should distribute their wealth for a good cause

Henry George

Critical of the persistence of poverty in a nation of such technological and industrial progress.  “Progress and Poverty” -his bestselling book.  Criticized vast resources like land controlled by the wealthy

Women’s club movement

Investigated and advocated around issues of poverty, working conditions, and pollution.  Organized the umbrella organization- The general Federation of Women’s Clubs.  Used the rhetoric of domesticity to justify their activism outside of the home

Maternalism

Dual role of women as mothers and as special activists

WCTU

Mass organization under the leadership of Frances Willard.  Advocated the populist movement and the progressive movement

Panic of 1893 impact on farmers

Graduated income tax, regulation of railroads, currency reform.  Crop prices fell, farmers dealt with debt.  Railroad failures hurt farmers’ ability to ship crops and raised railroad prices

Populist party (what did they want/omaha platform)

Able to harness growing discontent in Panic of 1893, insisted that the amount of currency in circulations was insufficient.  Omaha platform written at their founding convention 1892, called for free and unlimited coinage of silver.  

Election of 1896 candidates

William McKinley- republican, appealed to banking and business interests

William Jennings Bryan- Democrat, Endorsed the call for free and unlimited coinage of silver

Election of 1896 issues/results

Economy experiencing a downturn after the panic of 1893. What backing should US currency have? Silver should be coined without limit.  McKinley’s win devastated the populist party, which had supported Bryan

Civil service reform

Aimed to stop gov. jobs from being given through the spoils system. Wanted to award gov. jobs based on merit, created exams

Pendleton Act

Exam scores required, established the civil service commission.  Banned campaign contributions from civil servants.

Chester A. Arthur

Signed the Pendleton Act into law, approved funding for the U.S. navy’s first steal-hulled vessels.  Signed treaty with Hawaii obtaining the rights to use Pearl Harbor as a port in 1884

Democrats vs Republicans Late 19th-early 20th century

Democrats-political base was southern south, Northern big cities, immigrant vote, political machines, Catholic, Jewish, Lutheran, anti-temperance, rural

Republicans- political base was industrial, reformers, northeast, pro-temperance, pro-businesses, pro-high tariffs, middle class, white protestants, African Americans

Boss Tweed

Most infamous leader of Tammany Hall, promised services to new immigrants in exchange for their votes. Collected city contracts, courts, and elections, enriching himself.

Tammany Hall

Best known machine, brought down by Thomas Nast cartoons.  Controlled local gov. and politicians by trading favors and services for voters

Political machines

Provided secretarial services for urban poor who voted the “right way”. Pocketed tax dollars meant for public funds, election fraud common, existed in most cities.

Thomas Nast

Political cartoonist that used cartoons to expose corruption. Led to Tweed’s downfall