Social Studies 8 Benchmark 1 Assessment

Quarter 1 Test

Major Geographic Features of the US-From west to east:

Rocky Mountains ——> Great Plains ——> Mississippi River ——> Appalachian Mountains

Primary Source

A first-hand account from the time period.

Importance of Geography to Culture

Where you live determines how you live.

Buffalo & Native Americans

Buffalo were a source of food, shelter, clothing, and tools.

Reservations

Between 1820-1890 the US government removed Native american Indians from their tribal lands and relocated them here.

Westward Expansion

Americans justified this based on a belief in Manifest Destiny.

California Gold Rush

Many people “rushed” to CA in the 1840’s to search for gold.

Cattle Trails

Were used to bring herds to railroad lines, where they would be shipped to market.

Homestead Act

Offered 160 acres of land for free for those willing to farm it for 5 years.

Barbed Wire & Sod Houses

Were solutions to problems that farmers experienced on the Great plains during the late 1800’s.

Railroad Expansion

Began to outpace canal expansion after 1830.

Industry that triggered the IR

Railroads

Handmade to Machine Made

After the Civil War, more machinery was used to make goods.

J.D Rockefeller

Made his fortune in the oil industry.

Supply and demand

High supply, low demand = low prices Low supply, high demand = high prices

Corporation

Becoming a corporation (selling shares) is a way for a business to raise capital (money for investment)

Advantage of Corporations

They have stockholders who invest money.

Monopoly

One producer has control of an entire industry.

Trust

Two or more companies agree not to compete and share a Board of Directors.

Monopolies and Trusts

Both increase profits by eliminating competition.

Share of Stock

The part of a business that the public can purchase.

Edison’s Inventions

Motion picture projector, phonograph, light bulb, etc

Sherman Antitrust Act

Prevented the formation of business monopolies.

Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

Led to the passage of laws that created safer working conditions.

Led to Laws Protecting Factory Workers

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.

Strike

Workers walk off of their jobs until their demands are met.

Boycott

When people refuse to buy a particular product or service.

Collective Bargaining

When labor and management try to negotiate a new contract.

Settlement Houses

Neighborhood centers, in poor areas, staffed by professionals and volunteers who offered food, clothing, shelter, and education.

The New Colossus

Poem on the base of the Statue of Liberty that welcomes immigrants.

The Statue of Liberty

Became a welcoming symbol of freedom and opportunity for immigrants from around the world.

Ellis Island

Opened by the US government in 1892 to process immigrants arriving from overseas.

Famine

A severe shortage of food.

Low skill jobs

Most immigrants who came to the US in the late 1800’s took low skill jobs, which meant low pay.

Sanitation

Keeping things clean and healthy.

Tenement

A rundown, crowded apartment building.

Where Factory Jobs Were Located

Large cities in the eastern US.