histoey ch5 - ch8

Great Plains

A vast grassland region in central North America where many Native American tribes lived and where westward expansion occurred.

Treaty of Fort Laramie

1868 treaty promising the Sioux the Black Hills; later broken after gold was discovered.

Sitting Bull

Sioux leader and holy man who resisted U.S. government policies; key figure at Little Bighorn.

George A. Custer

U.S. Army officer defeated and killed at the Battle of Little Bighorn.

assimilation

Forcing a minority group to adopt the culture of the dominant group.

Dawes Act

1887 law breaking up reservations and giving land to individual Native Americans to encourage assimilation.

Battle of Wounded Knee

1890 massacre of over 300 Sioux; ended the Indian Wars.

longhorn

Hardy breed of cattle common in the West.

Chisholm Trail

Major cattle trail from Texas to Kansas railheads.

long drive

Cowboys’ overland cattle transport to railroad centers.

Homestead Act

1862 law offering 160 acres of free land to settlers who improved it for 5 years.

exoduster

African American migrant who moved from the South to Kansas after the Civil War.

soddy

A home built from blocks of prairie turf.

Morrill Act

1862 law providing land grants to states for agricultural and mechanical colleges.

bonanza farm

Large, single-crop commercial farms.

Oliver Hudson Kelley

Founder of the Grange.

Grange

Farmers’ organization promoting cooperation, education, and political reform.

Farmers’ Alliances

Regional farmer groups seeking lower railroad rates and better loans.

Populism

Movement aiming to help farmers/workers through political and economic reforms.

bimetallism

Monetary system using both gold and silver to back currency.

gold standard

Currency backed only by gold.

William McKinley

Republican president in 1896 who supported the gold standard.

William Jennings Bryan

Populist/Democratic candidate known for the “Cross of Gold” speech.

Edwin L. Drake

First to successfully drill for oil using a steam engine.

Bessemer process

Innovative method for producing strong, inexpensive steel.

Thomas Alva Edison

Inventor of the light bulb, phonograph, and electrical power systems.

Christopher Sholes

Inventor of the typewriter.

Alexander Graham Bell

Inventor of the telephone.

transcontinental railroad

First rail line connecting the East and West; completed in 1869.

George M. Pullman

Industrialist who built sleeper railcars and a company town.

Crédit Mobilier

Scandal involving a fake construction company stealing government railroad funds.

Munn v. Illinois

1877 case allowing states to regulate railroads and grain storage rates.

Interstate Commerce Act

1887 law establishing federal regulation of railroads.

Andrew Carnegie

Steel magnate who used vertical integration to control production.

vertical and horizontal integration

Vertical—control all steps of production; Horizontal—merge or buy out competitors.

Social Darwinism

Belief that natural selection applies to business; strongest businesses survive.

John D. Rockefeller

Founder of Standard Oil; used trusts and horizontal integration.

Sherman Antitrust Act

1890 law banning monopolies and trusts that restrain trade.

Samuel Gompers

Leader of the American Federation of Labor.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

Union for skilled workers seeking better wages, hours, and working conditions.

Eugene V. Debs

Labor leader who founded the American Railway Union.

Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)

Radical union that welcomed all workers and advocated overthrowing capitalism.

Mary Harris Jones

Labor organizer known as “Mother Jones.”

Ellis Island

Main immigration station for Europeans in New York Harbor.

Angel Island

Immigration station for Asians in San Francisco with harsher processing.

melting pot

Idea that immigrants blend into one American culture.

nativism

Favoring native-born Americans over immigrants.

Chinese Exclusion Act

1882 law banning Chinese immigration.

Gentlemen’s Agreement

1907 U.S.–Japan deal limiting Japanese immigration.

urbanization

Growth of cities due to industrialization and immigration.

Americanization movement

Programs designed to help immigrants assimilate into American culture.

tenement

Overcrowded, unsafe city apartment buildings.

mass transit

Public transportation systems such as streetcars and subways.

Social Gospel movement

Religious movement promoting social reform to address poverty and inequality.

settlement house

Community center providing assistance to immigrants and the poor.

Jane Addams

Founder of Hull House, a leading settlement house.

political machine

Organization controlling local politics through patronage and voter influence.

graft

Illegal use of political influence for personal gain.

Boss Tweed

Corrupt leader of NYC’s Tammany Hall political machine.

patronage

Giving government jobs to political supporters.

civil service

Merit-based system for government employment.

Rutherford B. Hayes

19th president who pushed for civil service reform.

James A. Garfield

20th president; assassinated, sparking support for reforms.

Chester A. Arthur

21st president who supported and signed the Pendleton Act.

Pendleton Civil Service Act

1883 law creating merit-based civil service exams.

Grover Cleveland

22nd and 24th president; fought corruption and opposed high tariffs.

Benjamin Harrison

23rd president; supported high tariffs and big business policies.