History Final

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Federal Civil Rights Act of 1875

Law intended to guarantee African Americans equal access to public accommodations like hotels and theaters; poorly enforced and later declared unconstitutional, weakening Reconstruction efforts.

Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution

Constitutional guarantee that states must treat all individuals equally under the law; later used to challenge segregation and discrimination.

Scalawag

Southern white Republicans during Reconstruction who supported federal reforms and were often viewed as traitors by other white Southerners.

Carpetbaggers

Northerners who moved South after the Civil War, some to help rebuild, others to seek economic or political gain.

Lost Cause

Southern ideology that portrayed the Confederacy as noble and minimized slavery as a cause of the Civil War.

United Daughters of the Confederacy

Organization that promoted the Lost Cause through monuments, textbooks, and cultural influence.

Jim Crow Laws

State and local laws enforcing racial segregation and disenfranchisement of African Americans in the South.

Sharecropping

System where farmers rented land and paid with crops, often leading to cycles of debt and poverty for Black farmers.

Plessy v. Ferguson

1896 Supreme Court case that upheld segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine.

Lynching

Extrajudicial killings used to intimidate and control African Americans, especially in the South.

Cattle (Long) Drives

Movement of cattle from Texas to railroads in Kansas, helping expand the national beef market.

Frederick Jackson Turner/Frontier Thesis (1861-1932)

Argued that the American frontier shaped democracy, individualism, and national identity.

Buffalo

Central to Plains Native American life; their near extinction disrupted Native economies and culture.

Mechanization of Agriculture

Introduction of machines like tractors that increased efficiency but reduced need for labor.

Reservation system

Policy confining Native Americans to designated lands, often poor quality, limiting independence.

Battle of Wounded Knee

1890 massacre of Lakota Sioux by U.S. troops; symbolized the end of armed Native resistance.

Dawes Severalty Act (1887)

Law that divided tribal lands into individual plots to encourage assimilation, resulting in loss of Native land.

Chinese Exclusion Act

1882 law banning Chinese immigration and reflecting rising anti-immigrant sentiment.

Nativists

Individuals who favored native-born Americans and opposed immigration, especially from Asia and Southern/Eastern Europe.

Railroads

Major driver of industrial growth, enabling nationwide transportation of goods and people.

Homestead Act

Provided 160 acres of free land to settlers who improved it, encouraging westward expansion.

Morrill Act

Granted land to states to fund colleges focused on agriculture and mechanical arts.

Transcontinental Railroad Act

Funded construction of a railroad linking East and West, completed in 1869.

Pool

Agreement between companies to divide markets or fix prices to reduce competition.

Vertical Integration

Controlling all steps of production, from raw materials to distribution (e.g., Carnegie Steel).

Horizontal Integration

Merging with or acquiring competitors to dominate an industry (e.g., Standard Oil).

Trust

Business arrangement where companies combine under one control to limit competition.

Standard Oil Company

Rockefeller’s monopoly that used trusts and aggressive tactics to dominate oil refining.

Social Darwinists

Believed that economic success reflected “survival of the fittest” and justified inequality.

Sherman Antitrust Act

1890 law aimed at breaking up monopolies, though initially weakly enforced.

Gilded Age Labor Unions

Worker groups like the Knights of Labor and AFL advocating for better wages, hours, and conditions.

Australian Ballot

Secret ballot system that reduced voter intimidation and corruption.

Ticket System

Party-controlled ballots that made voter choices public and easier to manipulate.

“Floaters”

Voters who sold their votes to the highest bidder.

Political Machines

Organizations that controlled local politics by trading services for votes.

Spoils System

Practice of rewarding political supporters with government jobs.

“Repeaters”

Individuals who voted multiple times illegally in elections.

Tammany Hall

Powerful New York City political machine that helped immigrants but was highly corrupt.

William “Boss” Tweed

Leader of Tammany Hall who embezzled large amounts of public money.

Deflation

Decrease in prices that increased the real value of debt, hurting farmers.

National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry

Organization advocating for farmers’ economic interests, especially railroad regulation.

Populists

Political movement of farmers and workers advocating reforms like free silver and government regulation.

Pullman Strike

1894 nationwide railroad strike crushed by federal troops, showing government support for business.

William Jennings Bryan

Populist and Democratic leader advocating for bimetallism and farmers’ interests.

Cross of Gold

Speech attacking the gold standard and supporting silver coinage.

Initiative

Reform allowing citizens to propose laws directly on ballots.

“Trust busting”

Government action to break up monopolies and promote competition.

William Simon U’Ren

Reformer who led Oregon’s direct democracy movement.

Referendum

Process where citizens vote to approve or reject laws.

Progressive-era reforms

Efforts to reduce corruption, regulate business, and expand democracy.

City Commission

Government system where elected officials manage specific departments.

Representative democracy

System where citizens elect officials to make laws.

Recall

Process allowing voters to remove elected officials before their term ends.

19th Amendment

Granted women the right to vote nationwide.

Direct Democracy

System where citizens directly participate in lawmaking.

Salmon Laws

Oregon laws regulating fishing to protect natural resources.

Muckrakers

Investigative journalists exposing corruption and social issues (e.g., Upton Sinclair).

Elkins Act

Law regulating railroad rebates and unfair pricing.

Meat Inspection Act

Ensured sanitary conditions in meatpacking plants.

Pure Food and Drug Act

Required accurate labeling and safe food/drugs.

Trust Busting

Government efforts to break up monopolies under Roosevelt and others.

Federal Reserve Act

Created central banking system to stabilize the economy.

Clayton Antitrust Act

Strengthened antitrust laws and protected unions.

16th Amendment

Established federal income tax.

17th Amendment

Allowed direct election of senators.

18th Amendment

Prohibited alcohol (Prohibition).

Federal Trade Commission

Agency to prevent unfair business practices.

Theodore Roosevelt

Progressive president known for regulating big business and conservation.

William Howard Taft

Continued trust-busting but less charismatic than Roosevelt.

Woodrow Wilson

Progressive president focusing on banking and tariff reform.

Election of 1912

Split Republican Party allowed Democrat Wilson to win.