Colonizing The United States: Unit One Week One Lecture

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts from the lecture on the colonization of the United States, particularly focusing on land policies, impacts on Native Americans, and the situation of African Americans in the post-Civil War era.

Homestead Act

Legislation passed in 1862 allowing US citizens to claim 160 acres of land in the West if they improved it and lived on it for five years.

Morrill Land Grant Act

Legislation that established federal funding for colleges and universities, leading to the creation of agricultural colleges.

Bonanza Farms

Large farms in the West that operated like factories due to mechanization and aimed at producing food for the market rather than for personal use.

Wounded Knee Massacre

A tragic event in December 1890 where the US Army killed approximately 250 to 300 Lakota, marking a significant repression of native resistance.

Jim Crow Laws

Laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States, leading to systemic oppression of African Americans after the Civil War.

Plessy v Ferguson (1896)

A Supreme Court case that upheld Jim Crow laws under the separate but equal doctrine, legalizing racial segregation in the US.

Ghost Dance

A religious movement among Native Americans that prophesized the return of ancestors and the end of white oppression, leading to government fear and repression.

Frederick Jackson Turner

Historian who presented the frontier thesis in 1893, arguing that the end of the frontier would lead to economic collapse.

Arapaho and Cheyenne

Native American tribes that faced brutal treatment from the US Army, particularly during the Sand Creek and Washita River Massacres.

Robber Barons

Wealthy industrialists and business owners who used exploitative practices to amass fortune, especially in the railroad industry.

Bureau of Indian Affairs

US government agency responsible for managing relations with Native American tribes, known for its exploitative treaty practices.

Custer's Last Stand

The defeat of General Custer and his men at the Battle of Little Bighorn in June 1876 by Native American forces led by Sitting Bull.