APUSH ~ Unit 6

"Waving the Bloody Shirt"

A Republican tactic reminding voters of the Civil War to discredit Democrats.

Civil Rights Act of 1875

Banned racial discrimination in public places but was later overturned.

Tweed Ring

A corrupt political group led by Boss Tweed that stole millions from NYC.

Sharecropping

A system where farmers worked land for a share of the crops, trapping many in debt.

Crédit Mobilier Scandal

A railroad company bribed politicians to secure government contracts.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Supreme Court ruling that upheld segregation under “separate but equal.”

Jim Crow Laws

Laws enforcing racial segregation in the South after Reconstruction.

Panic of 1873

An economic crisis caused by overinvestment in railroads, leading to bank failures.

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

Banned Chinese immigration, the first major U.S. immigration restriction.

Gilded Age

A period of economic growth but also political corruption and inequality.

Pendleton Act (1883)

Ended patronage by requiring government jobs to be merit-based.

Patronage

Giving government jobs to political supporters, common in the Gilded Age.

Homestead Strike (1892)

A violent labor strike at Carnegie Steel over wage cuts.

Compromise of 1877

Resolved the 1876 election; Hayes became president, and troops left the South.

Grandfather Clause

A law restricting Black voting by requiring ancestors to have voted before 1867.

Jay Gould

A corrupt railroad tycoon known for stock manipulation.

Grover Cleveland

The only president to serve two non-consecutive terms, opposed corruption.

Horace Greeley

Newspaper editor and 1872 presidential candidate; supported reform.

Thomas B. Reed

Powerful Speaker of the House known for strengthening Congress.

Rutherford B. Hayes

President who ended Reconstruction and promoted civil service reform.

Tom Watson

A Populist leader who initially supported Black farmers but later became racist.

James A. Garfield

President assassinated in 1881; led to civil service reform.

William Jennings Bryan

Populist leader, famous for the “Cross of Gold” speech on silver.

Chester Arthur

Became president after Garfield’s assassination; supported civil service reform.

J. P. Morgan

A powerful banker who helped stabilize the economy and led corporate mergers.

Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railroad Company v. Illinois

Supreme Court case limiting state regulation of railroads, leading to federal oversight.

Interstate Commerce Act

Law creating federal regulation of railroads to ensure fair rates.

Vertical Integration

Business strategy controlling all production stages to reduce costs.

Horizontal Integration

Merging with competitors to monopolize an industry.

Trust

A business arrangement where companies unite under one management to limit competition.

Standard Oil Company

John D. Rockefeller’s monopoly that dominated the oil industry.

Interlocking Directorates

The practice of placing the same executives on multiple company boards to control industries.

Social Darwinists

Believers in "survival of the fittest" to justify wealth and competition.

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

Law banning monopolies and unfair business practices, though initially weak.

National Labor Union

Early labor union advocating for better wages and hours but declined after the 1870s.

Knights of Labor

Inclusive labor union that fought for workers' rights but collapsed after the Haymarket Riot.

Haymarket Square

A labor protest in Chicago that turned violent after a bomb exploded, harming the labor movement.

American Federation of Labor

A skilled workers’ union focused on wages, hours, and working conditions.

Closed Shop

A workplace that only hires union members to protect labor rights.

Cornelius Vanderbilt

Railroad tycoon who built a vast transportation empire.

Alexander Graham Bell

Inventor of the telephone, revolutionizing communication.

Thomas Edison

Inventor of the lightbulb and phonograph, advancing modern technology.

Andrew Carnegie

Steel magnate who pioneered vertical integration and philanthropy.

John D. Rockefeller

Oil tycoon who dominated the industry using trusts and monopolies.

Mary Harris "Mother" Jones

Labor activist who fought for workers’ and child labor rights.

Samuel Gompers

Founder of the AFL, advocating for better wages and working conditions.

New Immigrants

Southern & Eastern Europeans arriving in the U.S. post-1880, faced discrimination.

Settlement Houses

Community centers helping immigrants adjust to American life (e.g., Hull House).

Liberal Protestants

Adapted Christianity to modern ideas, supporting social reform.

Tuskegee Institute

Booker T. Washington’s school promoting vocational education for Black students.

Land-Grant Colleges

Universities funded by the Morrill Act to promote agriculture & science.

Pragmatism

A philosophy emphasizing practical problem-solving over fixed ideologies.

Yellow Journalism

Sensationalized, exaggerated news to attract readers (e.g., Pulitzer, Hearst).

NAWSA

Fought for women's suffrage, led by Carrie Chapman Catt.

WCTU

Women's group advocating for temperance and social reform.

Realism

Focused on everyday life, rejecting romanticized depictions.

Naturalism

Showed how environment & heredity shaped human lives.

Regionalism

Captured local cultures, dialects, and settings in literature.

City Beautiful Movement

Urban design movement promoting parks and grand architecture.

World’s Columbian Exposition

1893 fair in Chicago showcasing U.S. progress & innovation.

Jane Addams

Founded Hull House; helped immigrants & the poor.

Charles Darwin

Developed the theory of evolution by natural selection.

Booker T. Washington

Advocated for Black education & economic self-sufficiency.

W. E. B. Du Bois

Demanded immediate civil rights for Black Americans.

Joseph Pulitzer

Newspaper magnate; pioneered yellow journalism.

William Randolph Hearst

Media tycoon; used sensational news to sway public opinion.

John Dewey

Education reformer emphasizing learning by doing.

Carrie Chapman Catt

Led the women’s suffrage movement.

Horatio Alger

Wrote rags-to-riches stories promoting hard work.

Mark Twain

Author of Huckleberry Finn, satirized society.

Henry James

Explored psychological depth in novels.

Winslow Homer

Realist painter, known for maritime scenes.

Augustus Saint-Gaudens

Famous sculptor of Civil War monuments.

Frederick Law Olmsted

Designed Central Park & other urban landscapes.

Reservation System

Forced Native Americans onto designated lands to open land for settlers.

Battle of Little Bighorn

1876 battle where Sioux & Cheyenne defeated General Custer.

Battle of Wounded Knee

1890 massacre of Lakota Sioux, ending Native American resistance.

Dawes Severalty Act

1887 law breaking up tribal lands to force Native assimilation.

Mining Industry

Gold & silver rushes fueled Western expansion & economic booms.

Mechanization of Agriculture

New farming technology increased production but hurt small farmers.

Populists

Farmers’ party demanding reforms like silver currency & direct elections.

Pullman Strike

1894 railway strike crushed by federal troops under Cleveland.

Fourth Party System

New era of Republican dominance (1896

Gold Standard Act

1900 law making gold the sole currency backing U.S. money.

Frederick Jackson Turner

Historian who argued the frontier shaped American democracy.

Jacob S. Coxey

Led Coxey’s Army, a protest march for public works jobs.

William McKinley

25th U.S. president, supported business, expansion, & gold standard.

Marcus Alonzo Hanna

Political boss who helped McKinley win the presidency.

Big Sister Policy

U.S. policy to rally Latin America under American leadership.

Foraker Act

1900 law granting limited self-government to Puerto Rico.

Great Rapprochement

U.S.-Britain diplomatic reconciliation, leading to closer ties.

Insular Cases

Supreme Court rulings that U.S. territories didn't get full constitutional rights.

McKinley Tariff

1890 tariff raising import taxes, hurting Hawaiian sugar planters.

Platt Amendment

Gave U.S. control over Cuban affairs, including Guantanamo Bay.

Maine

U.S. battleship that exploded in Havana, sparking the Spanish-American War.

Boxer Rebellion

1900 Chinese uprising against foreign influence, crushed by international forces.

Insurrectos

Cuban rebels fighting Spanish rule, later aiding the U.S. in war.

U.S. Global Influence

Open Door Note

U.S. policy to ensure equal trade rights in China.

Teller Amendment

U.S. promise not to annex Cuba after Spanish-American War.