AICE U.S. History Key Terms for Midterm

Homestead Act

Enacted in 1862, this law provided 160 acres of free public land to settlers who lived on and improved the land for five years. It encouraged westward expansion in the United States.

Freedman’s Bureau

Established in 1865, this agency provided assistance to freed slaves and impoverished whites in the South after the Civil War. Services included food, housing, education, and legal support.

W.E.B. Dubois

An influential African-American intellectual and co-founder of the NAACP, Dubois advocated for civil rights, higher education, and immediate equality for African Americans.

Booker T. Washington

An African-American leader who emphasized vocational education and economic self-reliance as a means for African Americans to gain equality. Founder of the Tuskegee Institute.

13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments

• 13th: Abolished slavery (1865).

• 14th: Granted citizenship and equal protection under the law (1868).

• 15th: Guaranteed voting rights regardless of race (1870).

Enforcement Acts

Laws passed in the 1870s to combat Ku Klux Klan violence and protect African Americans' voting rights during Reconstruction.

Manifest Destiny

The 19th-century belief that the U.S. was destined to expand across the North American continent, driving westward expansion and displacement of Native Americans.

Populist Party

A political party formed in the late 19th century that represented farmers and laborers. It supported reforms like free silver, government control of railroads, and direct election of senators.

Monopolies

Large corporations that dominated markets, eliminating competition. Examples include John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil and Andrew Carnegie's steel empire.

Reservation System

A system that forcibly relocated Native Americans to designated lands, often poor in quality, as settlers expanded westward.

Interstate Commerce Act

Passed in 1887, it regulated railroad practices and sought to prevent unfair practices like rate discrimination, establishing the Interstate Commerce Commission.

Sharecropping

An agricultural system in the post-Civil War South where farmers worked land owned by others in exchange for a share of the crops, often leading to cycles of debt.

Tenements

Overcrowded, poorly built urban apartment buildings where many immigrants and low-income families lived during industrialization.

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

Passed in 1890, it aimed to break up monopolies and prevent anti-competitive business practices, marking the beginning of federal antitrust regulation.

Great Migration

The large-scale movement of African Americans from the rural South to northern cities in the early 20th century, seeking jobs and escaping segregation.

John D. Rockefeller

Founder of Standard Oil, he was a leading industrialist whose practices helped define monopolies and trusts during the Gilded Age.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

A labor union founded in 1886 by Samuel Gompers, focusing on skilled workers, better wages, hours, and working conditions.

Social Gospel Movement

A late 19th-century movement applying Christian ethics to social issues like poverty, labor rights, and education, emphasizing social justice.

Henry Flagler

A key figure in the development of Florida, Flagler was a co-founder of Standard Oil and built railroads and hotels, promoting Florida as a tourist destination.

Assembly Line

Revolutionized industrial production by reducing costs and increasing efficiency. Popularized by Henry Ford in the automobile industry.

William Jennings Bryan Cross of Gold Speech

A famous 1896 speech advocating for the free coinage of silver to benefit farmers and the working class, opposing the gold standard. It helped secure Bryan's nomination as the Democratic candidate for president.