US HIST-2313 Study Guide 1

Antisemitism

 Hatred or discrimination against Jewish people.

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

A law that stopped most Chinese immigrants from coming to the U.S.

Sweatshops

Factories with long hours, low pay, and unsafe working conditions.

Robber barons

Very rich business leaders who were seen as greedy and unfair.

Conspicuous consumption

Spending a lot of money to show off wealth.

Andrew Carnegie

Steel tycoon who used vertical integration and later gave away much of his fortune.

Vertical integration

When a company controls every step of making a product.

Horizontal integration

When a company buys or merges with competitors to control an industry.

John D. Rockefeller

 Oil tycoon famous for using horizontal integration to dominate the industry.

J. Pierpont Morgan

Powerful banker who reorganized businesses and helped shape modern finance.

Homestead Act (1862)

 Law giving free land to settlers willing to farm it.

Agribusiness

Large, industrial farming focused on profit and efficiency.

Chisholm Trail

Route used to drive cattle from Texas to railroads in Kansas.

Sand Creek Massacre (1864)

U.S. Army attacked a Cheyenne and Arapaho village, killing many, mostly women and children.

Little Bighorn (1876)

Battle where Sioux and Cheyenne defeated General Custer’s army.

Ghost Dance

Native American religious movement that promised the return of their lands and way of life.

Wounded Knee Massacre (1890)

U.S. Army killed hundreds of Lakota Sioux, ending major Native resistance on the Plains.

Dawes Severalty Act (1887)

Law dividing Native American land into individual farms to encourage assimilation, causing many to lose land.

Gilded Age

Time of great wealth and industrial growth, but also poverty and corruption.

Henry George

Writer who criticized inequality and proposed taxes on land to reduce poverty.

Progress and Poverty

 Henry George’s book arguing that progress made the rich richer but left the poor behind.

Third Party System

 U.S. political era (1850s–1890s) dominated by Republicans and Democrats.

Trusts

Large business combinations that limited competition and controlled prices.

Free silver

Political idea to allow silver to be used for money to help farmers and debtors.

Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883)

Law requiring some government jobs to be given based on merit, not politics.

Classical liberalism

Belief in limited government, free markets, and individual freedom.

Contract labor theory

Idea that workers under contract were responsible for their own conditions, often used against immigrant labor.

Social Darwinism

 Belief that society works like natural selection, where the strongest succeed and the weak fail.

Charles Darwin

Scientist who developed the theory of evolution.

On the Origin of Species

 Darwin’s book explaining natural selection and evolution.

Herbert Spencer

Thinker who applied Darwin’s ideas to society.

Survival of the fittest

 Idea that only the strongest in society survive and succeed.

Reform Darwinism

Idea that society can improve by helping the weak, not just letting them fail.

Social Gospel

Movement urging Christians to help the poor and fix social problems.

Salvation Army

Religious group providing aid and services to the poor.

YMCA, YWCA

Organizations offering social, educational, and fitness programs for men and women.

New South

Idea that the South should industrialize and modernize after the Civil War.

Jim Crow

 Laws enforcing racial segregation in the South.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Supreme Court case that legalized “separate but equal” segregation.

Booker T. Washington

African American leader who promoted vocational education and patience with segregation.

Accommodationism

Strategy of accepting segregation temporarily to gain education and economic progress.

Up from Slavery

Booker T. Washington’s autobiography.

W. E. B. Du Bois

African American leader who demanded immediate civil rights and higher education for the talented few.

The Souls of Black Folk

Du Bois’s book arguing for civil rights and leadership by educated African Americans.

Talented Tenth

 Du Bois’s idea that 10% of educated African Americans should lead the race.

Great Railway Strike of 1877

Major strike by railroad workers protesting wage cuts, violently suppressed.

Knights of Labor

 Early labor union open to all workers, pushed for broad reforms.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

 Labor union focusing on skilled workers and practical workplace gains.

Homestead Strike

1892 steel strike at Carnegie’s plant, ended violently.

Populist / People’s Party

Political party representing farmers and laborers in the 1890s.

Omaha Platform

Populist Party’s plan calling for government control of railroads, free silver, and direct elections.

William Jennings Bryan

Populist/Democratic politician famous for advocating free silver.

“Cross of Gold” speech

Bryan’s famous 1896 speech supporting free silver and criticizing gold standard.

William McKinley

 Republican president who supported the gold standard and led the U.S. in the Spanish-American War.

New imperialism

Late 1800s policy of expanding U.S. influence overseas through colonies and military power.

Yellow journalism

Sensationalized news to sell papers and influence public opinion.

Spanish-American War

1898 war where the U.S. defeated Spain and gained territories like the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

Admiral George Dewey

U.S. naval officer who won the Battle of Manila Bay in the Spanish-American War.

Philippine-American War

Conflict after the U.S. took the Philippines, with Filipinos fighting for independence, following the Spanish-American War.

White man’s burden

Idea that it was the duty of white nations to “civilize” non-white peoples.

Open Door Policy

U.S. policy promoting equal trade with China and opposing colonial monopolies.

Jane Addams

 Social reformer who helped immigrants and poor people in cities.

Settlement houses

Community centers providing education, childcare, and help to immigrants.

Hull House

Famous settlement house founded by Jane Addams in Chicago.

Woman suffrage

Movement to give women the right to vote.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Early women’s rights leader who helped start the suffrage movement.

Susan B. Anthony

Suffragist who fought for women’s right to vote.

Frances Willard

 Leader of temperance and women’s reform movements.

Fourth Party System

U.S. political era (1896–1932) dominated by Republicans and progressive reforms.

Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)

Law requiring honest labeling of food and medicine.

Meat Inspection Act (1906)

 Law ensuring meat was processed safely and inspected.

Theodore Roosevelt

President, progressive reformer, trust-buster, and conservationist.

William Howard Taft

 Roosevelt’s successor, also pursued trust-busting and reforms.

Progressive Party

Political party led by Roosevelt in 1912 promoting reforms and government regulation.

Muckrakers

Journalists exposing corruption and social problems in the Gilded Age.

Upton Sinclair

Author who exposed poor working conditions and unsafe food.

The Jungle

Sinclair’s novel exposing the meatpacking industry.

Ida B. Wells (Barnett)

Journalist and activist who fought against lynching and racial injustice.

Jacob Riis

 Photographer who exposed poverty and poor living conditions in cities.

How the Other Half Lives

Riis’s book showing the harsh conditions of urban poor.

Describe the changes of the industrial age in the late 1800s: industrialization, urbanization, technology and inventions, immigration.

• Industrialization: Factories and machines replaced hand labor, and mass production increased.

• Urbanization: People moved from farms to cities for factory jobs, causing cities to grow quickly.

• Technology and inventions: New inventions like electricity, railroads, and the telephone improved work, travel, and communication.

• Immigration: Millions of immigrants came to the U.S. for jobs and better lives, especially in cities.

 What led to a Nativist reaction?

This happened because many immigrants came to the U.S., and some Americans worried they would take jobs and change American culture.

Describe how the “class society” of the late 1800s was stratified.

society was divided into classes: the rich industrialists at the top, the middle class of professionals and managers in the middle, and the working class and poor at the bottom. Wealth and power were very unequal.

Describe the social problems of late nineteenth century.

people faced many social problems, like crowded cities, dirty living conditions, low wages, long work hours, child labor, and political corruption.

What was the role of wealthy business magnate in the late 1800s?

ran big companies, made huge profits, controlled industries, and often influenced government and politics. Some also gave money to charity.

 Describe how the West was developed in the late nineteenth century (mining, agriculture, ranching). In what ways did the West reflect patterns in the United States as a whole?

developed through mining for gold and silver, farming on the Great Plains, and ranching cattle. Like the rest of the U.S., it had boom-and-bust economies, new technology, and growing markets.

Describe the life of the historical cowboy. How does it compare to the legend of the cowboy?

The real cowboys worked hard, had low pay, and often faced danger. Many were Black, Mexican, or Native American. The legend made cowboys seem like lone, heroic white men who roamed the Wild West freely.

Describe women’s economic options in the West. How did they differ from the East?

Women in the West could run farms, stores, or businesses and sometimes own property or vote, while women in the East mostly worked as domestic servants, teachers, or factory workers and had fewer opportunities.

Describe the conflict between Native Americans and American settlers in the late nineteenth century. What was the impact of U.S. policy toward Native Americans during this period?

Native Americans fought settlers who took their land. The U.S. government forced them onto reservations, broke treaties, and tried to force them to adopt American ways, which hurt their culture and way of life.

Why was the “Gilded Age” given this name? Does the negative label fit the age?

The time looked wealthy and successful on the outside, but underneath there was poverty, corruption, and inequality. The negative label fits because many people faced hard lives while a few became very rich.

What were the dominant political issues of the late 1800s?

were big business and monopolies, workers’ rights and labor strikes, government corruption, and civil rights for African Americans after Reconstruction.

Describe the leading social and religious ideas of the late 1800s. How was Darwin’s theory of evolution applied to society?

His theory was applied through Social Darwinism. Some people used Darwin’s idea of evolution to say that rich people were naturally stronger and poor people were weaker. Religion, like the Social Gospel, taught people to help the poor and make society better.

What were some of the conflicting ideas over sexuality, “birth control,” and eugenics?

some people wanted to control birth and promote eugenics to improve society. Others thought these ideas were wrong or immoral. There were debates about women’s rights, sexual behavior, and who should be allowed to have children.

How did a new culture of entertainment develop in the late 1800s?

cities grew and people had more free time, so new entertainment appeared. This included vaudeville shows, amusement parks, sports, newspapers, and magazines. People could enjoy more leisure activities than before.

Describe the vision of the “New South.” In what ways was this vision implemented?

The “New South” wanted to modernize by building factories, railroads, and cities instead of just farming. Some industries grew, but most of the South stayed poor and still relied on farming.

Describe conditions for African-Americans in the South in the late 1800s.

faced segregation, were often poor, worked as sharecroppers, and could not vote because of laws and unfair tests. They also faced violence and discrimination.

What was the Plessy v. Ferguson decision (1896)?

said that segregation was legal as long as facilities were “separate but equal.” This made racial segregation official in schools, transportation, and public places.

How did Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois differ in their ideas about “racial uplift”?

Booker T. Washington believed African-Americans should focus on learning trades and getting jobs to improve their lives slowly. W. E. B. Du Bois believed African-Americans should get a full education and fight for civil rights immediately.

Describe the conflicts between employers and workers and the growth of labor unions in the late 1800s. How did government officials and the public respond to organized labor?

In the late 1800s, workers wanted better pay, shorter hours, and safer jobs. Unions grew to help them, but the government and many people usually supported employers and sometimes stopped strikes with force.

Why did populism develop in the West and South? What was the platform of the Populist Party?

Populism started in the West and South because farmers were poor, in debt, and upset with banks and railroads. The Populist Party wanted free silver, fair taxes, government control of railroads, and direct election of senators.