History 8 1st Semester Exam Study Guide Chapters 17-21

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering key concepts and events from U.S. history, focusing particularly on Reconstruction, the Westward movement, Industrialization, and the Progressive Era, leading up to World War I.

What was the main provision of the Military Reconstruction Act?

The South was divided into military districts and Union Generals were placed in charge.

What were the goals of the Freedmen’s Bureau?

To help freed people learn to read and write, track down lost family members, and find jobs.

What did the Compromise of 1877 agree upon?

Rutherford B. Hayes would be President and Reconstruction would end in the South.

Who were the Radical Republicans?

Republicans who wanted to punish the South and guarantee rights to African Americans.

What are Black Codes?

Laws that severely restricted the rights of African Americans.

Why was President Johnson impeached?

He violated the Tenure of Office Act.

What requirements did Southern states have to meet under Radical Reconstruction?

They had to write a new constitution giving African Americans voting rights and ratify the 14th Amendment.

What is impeachment?

The process by which a President is accused of a crime and possibly removed from office.

What did Jim Crow laws lead to?

Segregation of public facilities.

What was a common goal of Presidents Lincoln and Johnson for Reconstruction?

Allow a lenient way for Southern States to reenter the nation and provide amnesty.

What was the purpose of poll taxes and literacy tests?

To disenfranchise African Americans.

What were the constitutional amendments during Reconstruction intended to do?

Provide legal and political rights for African Americans.

What group used violence against Republicans to suppress votes?

The KKK.

Which amendment granted citizenship to all emancipated slaves?

The 14th Amendment.

Which amendment allowed all males to vote?

The 15th Amendment.

What was the name of the agency that assisted blacks and poor whites post-Civil War?

The Freedmen’s Bureau.

What laws segregated public facilities by race after Reconstruction?

Jim Crow Laws.

What ended Reconstruction?

The Compromise of 1877.

What was the significance of Plessy v. Ferguson?

It legalized segregation under 'separate but equal' doctrine.

How did the Homestead Act of 1862 affect westward expansion?

It awarded 160 acres of land to any settler who farmed it for 5 years.

What was the Dawes Act meant to do?

Assimilate Native Americans into American society by giving them individual land allotments.

What was the impact of sending Native Americans to government-run boarding schools?

It broke down Native American culture.

What changed the Native American way of life forever?

The destruction of the buffalo by western settlers.

What was the outcome of the Battle of Little Bighorn?

General George Custer and his cavalry were destroyed by the Sioux and Cheyenne.

What event was known for the massacre of around 350 unarmed Sioux?

The Massacre at Wounded Knee.

What establishment united two railroads into the transcontinental railroad?

The joining of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads.

What did many Plains Indians perform to hope for a return of buffalo and departure of settlers?

The Ghost Dance.

What was a criticism of the term robber baron?

It referred to big-business leaders' exploitative tactics.

How did labor unions benefit their members in the late 19th century?

By improving wages and hours.

Why did business leaders form monopolies after the Civil War?

To eliminate competition.

What is laissez faire?

An economic theory that advocates for minimal government interference in business.

What is the Melting Pot concept?

Different cultures meeting in the U.S. to form a new American culture.

What did the Chinese Exclusion Act and Gentlemen’s Agreement reflect?

Expressions of nativism.

What was a significant outcome of the Industrial Revolution in the U. S.?

Increased immigration.

What marked disputes between labor and management between 1865 and 1900?

Acts of violence on both sides.

What did the Progressive movement lead to?

Increased government regulation of business.

What does imperialism mean?

One nation taking control of another country's political or economic affairs.

What did Progressive Era reforms like initiatives and referendums aim to achieve?

Increase citizens' power in government.

What is Social Darwinism?

The application of 'survival of the fittest' to society and business.

What is a monopoly?

A business that completely controls a product or service.

Who was Jacob Riis?

An author and photographer who wrote about the harsh conditions in New York City tenements.

What political machine controlled New York politics?

Tammany Hall.

What are tenements?

Crowded multi-family apartments with poor sanitation and safety standards.

Who believed in the responsibility of the wealthy to help the poor?

Andrew Carnegie.

What is a trust in business?

A group of corporations that work together to regulate production and prices.

What did Booker T. Washington emphasize regarding equality?

Economic success over racial equality.

What was the Progressive Era's major goal?

To correct the abuses of big business.

Why did the U.S. seek imperialism?

For natural resources, new markets, and population growth.

What motivated muckrakers to publish their work?

To raise awareness of societal problems.

How did yellow journalism influence the Spanish-American War?

By sensationalizing events like the sinking of the USS Maine.

What would the Panama Canal ensure?

Easy U.S. access to Atlantic and Pacific Oceans for commerce and defense.

What did the 18th Amendment prohibit?

The making, selling, and transporting of alcoholic beverages.

What was Roosevelt’s Corollary?

A declaration that allowed U.S. intervention in Latin American affairs.

What was significant about Upton Sinclair’s book, The Jungle?

It led to federal meat inspection reforms.

Who is William Gorgas?

The person who worked to eradicate yellow fever and aided the Panama Canal completion.

What illustrates the impact of The Jungle on U.S. legislation?

Passage of laws requiring federal meat inspections.

What were President Taft’s key achievements?

Expanding national forests and prosecuting trusts.

Why was Theodore Roosevelt seen as the first modern President?

He used presidential powers to bypass Congress.

What major goal was achieved by the women's rights movement during the Progressive Era?

The right for women to vote.

What were President Roosevelt’s views on conservation?

Wilderness areas should be protected.

What event resulted in stricter building codes in New York City?

The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire.

What does the 16th Amendment refer to?

Congress's power to collect taxes.

What does the 17th Amendment state?

Direct election of senators by the people.

What was the purpose of the Federal Trade Commission?

To investigate companies for unfair business practices.

Who was the first president to hold regular press conferences?

Woodrow Wilson.

What were Roosevelt's trust-busting policies aimed at?

Encouraging competition in business.

What was the League of Nations?

An organization formed after WWI to prevent future wars.

What document supported free trade with China?

The Open Door Policy.

What was the Pure Food and Drug Act designed to outlaw?

Misleading labels and dangerous chemical preservatives.

What two acts did Roosevelt sign after The Jungle was published?

The Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act.

What defines muckrakers?

Journalists who exposed societal issues and big business abuses.

What are progressives?

People advocating for political and social improvement through action.

What is a sphere of influence?

Areas where a foreign nation claims exclusive rights to trade.

Who were the Rough Riders?

A volunteer cavalry group led by Theodore Roosevelt in the Spanish-American War.

What was the U.S. Navy known as during the Progressive Era?

The Great White Fleet.

What legislation was designed to help injured workers?

The Workmen's Compensation Act.

What were U-boats?

Small German submarines used for attacking ships in WWI.

Who were the Bolsheviks?

A group in Russia that established a Communist government.

What was the Black Hand?

A Serbian nationalist group responsible for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

What event triggered the first declaration of war in WWI?

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

What was Wilson's plan for peace after WWI called?

The Fourteen Points.

What was the consequence of the U.S. not joining the League of Nations?

It weakened the League's power.

What prompted Mexico to attack the U.S. according to the Zimmermann telegram?

A suggestion from Germany to ally against the U.S.

What motivated Gavrilo Princip to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand?

Nationalism.

Who were the 'carpetbaggers'?

Northerners who moved to the South during Reconstruction to seek financial or political gain.

What was the 'Square Deal'?

Theodore Roosevelt's domestic program focused on conservation, consumer protection, and corporate control.

What did the 19th Amendment establish?

The right for white women to vote in the United States.

What was the primary purpose of the Sherman Antitrust Act?

To prevent monopolies and promote fair competition in business.

Who founded the NAACP?

A group of civil rights activists including W.E.B. Du Bois and Ida B. Wells-Barnett.

What was 'Big Stick' diplomacy?

Roosevelt's policy of negotiating peaceably while using the threat of military power.

What was 'Seward's Folly'?

The 1867 purchase of Alaska from Russia, which many Americans initially thought was a mistake.

What was the impact of the 13th Amendment?

It officially abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States.

What was 'No Man's Land' in WWI?

The dangerous, unoccupied territory between the opposing trenches of enemy armies.

Who was Ida Tarbell?

A muckraker whose investigative journalism exposed the corrupt practices of the Standard Oil Company.

What was the Great Migration?

The mass movement of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North and West.

What was the Selective Service Act of 1917?

A law requiring all men between the ages of 21 and 30 to register for the military draft.

What did the 1906 Hepburn Act do?

It gave the ICC the authority to set maximum railroad rates, increasing government regulation.

Who were the 'scalawags'?

White Southerners who supported the Republican party and Reconstruction efforts.

What was the Lusitania?

A British passenger ship sunk by a German submarine in 1915, moving the U.S. closer to WWI.

What was the purpose of the War Industries Board during WWI?

To coordinate the production of war materials and manage resources for the military.