Unit 6 DE history flashcards

Homestead Act of 1862

Gave settlers 160 acres of free public land if they were 21 or head of a family, built a home, and farmed the land for five years.

Homesteader

A person who settled on government land granted by the Homestead Act.

Exodusters

African Americans who moved from the post-Reconstruction South to Kansas in search of better opportunities.

Soddy

A home built from blocks of prairie turf used by settlers on the Great Plains.

Transcontinental Railroad

A railroad completed in 1869 that connected the eastern and western United States.

Plains Indians Culture

Semi-nomadic Native American culture based on buffalo hunting using horses and guns.

Battle of Little Bighorn

1876 battle where Sioux and Cheyenne forces defeated General George Custer and U.S. troops.

Ghost Dance

A religious movement among Native Americans believing the return of buffalo and disappearance of white settlers would occur.

Wounded Knee Massacre (1890)

U.S. troops killed hundreds of Sioux while attempting to disarm them in South Dakota.

Dawes Act (1887)

Law that attempted to assimilate Native Americans by dividing tribal lands into individual plots.

Carlisle Indian School

Boarding school designed to assimilate Native Americans into American culture.

New Immigration (1870-1920)

Large wave of immigrants mostly from Southern and Eastern Europe.

Ellis Island

Main immigration processing station for immigrants arriving on the East Coast.

Angel Island

Immigration station in San Francisco where many Asian immigrants were processed.

Nativism

Anti-immigrant attitudes held by many native-born Americans.

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

Law that banned Chinese immigration to the United States.

Political Machine

A political organization that controlled city politics and rewarded supporters with jobs.

Boss Tweed

Leader of Tammany Hall political machine in New York City.

Bessemer Steel Process

Method of producing steel by removing carbon from iron using air.

Assembly Line

Manufacturing method where products are assembled step-by-step to increase efficiency.

Vertical Integration

A business strategy controlling all stages of production.

Horizontal Integration

A business strategy where companies merge with competitors to control the market.

Andrew Carnegie

Industrialist who built a powerful steel company using vertical integration.

John D. Rockefeller

Founder of Standard Oil who used horizontal integration to dominate the oil industry.

J.P. Morgan

Banker who bought Carnegie Steel and created U.S. Steel.

Cornelius Vanderbilt

Railroad and shipping magnate who built a transportation empire.

Robber Barons

Industrialists criticized for using unethical methods to build wealth.

Captain of Industry

Positive term describing industrialists who contributed to economic growth and philanthropy.

Gospel of Wealth

Andrew Carnegie's belief that the wealthy should use their money to benefit society.

Spoils System

Practice of giving government jobs to political supporters.

Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883)

Law that created a merit-based system for federal jobs.

Laissez-Faire Capitalism

Economic policy where government does not interfere with business.

Sherman Antitrust Act (1890)

Law that made monopolies and trusts illegal.

Clayton Antitrust Act (1914)

Law strengthening antitrust protections and exempting labor unions.

Muckrakers

Journalists who exposed corruption, poverty, and social problems.

Jacob Riis

Author of "How the Other Half Lives," exposing urban poverty.

Ida Tarbell

Journalist who exposed the business practices of Standard Oil.

Nellie Bly

Journalist known for undercover investigations including a mental hospital exposé.

National Labor Union

First large national labor organization formed in 1866.

Knights of Labor

Labor union advocating equal pay and improved conditions for workers.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

Labor union led by Samuel Gompers focused on collective bargaining.

American Railway Union

Labor union led by Eugene V. Debs representing railroad workers.

Haymarket Affair (1886)

Labor protest in Chicago that turned violent after a bomb exploded.

Homestead Strike (1892)

Violent strike between steelworkers and Carnegie Steel managers.

Pullman Strike (1894)

Nationwide railroad strike led by the American Railway Union.

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911)

Factory fire that killed 146 workers and exposed dangerous working conditions.

Jim Crow Laws

Laws enforcing racial segregation in the South.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Supreme Court decision establishing the "separate but equal" doctrine.

Great Migration

Mass movement of African Americans from the South to Northern cities in the early 1900s.

Booker T. Washington

Educator who believed African Americans should focus on vocational education and economic progress.

W.E.B. Du Bois

Civil rights leader who demanded full equality and higher education for African Americans.

Progressive Movement

Reform movement aimed at addressing problems caused by industrialization.

Initiative

Process allowing citizens to propose laws.

Referendum

Process allowing citizens to vote on laws directly.

Recall

Process allowing voters to remove elected officials from office.

17th Amendment

Established direct election of U.S. senators.

19th Amendment

Granted women the right to vote.

Theodore Roosevelt

Progressive president known for the Square Deal reforms.

Square Deal

Roosevelt's program focusing on control of corporations, consumer protection, and conservation.

Pure Food and Drug Act

Law regulating food and medicine safety.

Meat Inspection Act

Law ensuring sanitary conditions in meatpacking plants.

William Howard Taft

President who continued some progressive reforms and supported antitrust actions.

Woodrow Wilson

President who created the Federal Reserve System and Federal Trade Commission.

Federal Reserve Act

Law creating the Federal Reserve banking system.

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

Agency created to prevent unfair business practices.

Bull Moose Party

Third party formed by Theodore Roosevelt in the election of 1912.

William Howard Taft

President who continued antitrust policies; supported reforms like the income tax (16th Amendment) and direct election of senators (17th Amendment).

Woodrow Wilson

Progressive president who created the Federal Reserve and FTC; increased government control over the economy.

John Muir

Conservationist who advocated preserving natural lands; influenced creation of national parks.

Gifford Pinchot

Forester who promoted conservation and responsible use of natural resources; led U.S. forestry efforts.

Charles Guiteau

Assassin of President Garfield; his actions led to the Pendleton Civil Service Act and government reform.