AMH2020H

Test 1

Thirteenth Amendment

Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude (except as punishment for crime). It was ratified on December 6, 1865, and marked a significant change in American law and society.

14th Amendment (1868)

Granted citizenship to all born or naturalized in the U.S.; guaranteed equal protection and due process. It also prohibits states from denying any person the equal protection of the laws.

15th Amendment (1870)

Prohibited denying the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. It aimed to secure the voting rights of African American men following the Civil War.

16th Amendment (1913)

Gave Congress power to levy a federal income tax. It authorized the federal government to collect taxes on individuals' earnings, thus enabling a more stable funding source for government operations.

17th Amendment (1913)

Established direct election of U.S. Senators by the people (instead of state legislatures). It aimed to make senators more accountable to citizens and reduce corruption in the election process.

18th Amendment (1919)

Prohibited manufacture, sale, and transport of alcohol (Prohibition). It aimed to address social issues related to alcohol consumption and promote public health.

19th Amendment (1920)

Granted women the right to vote.

Civil Rights Act of 1866

First federal law defining U.S. citizenship; aimed to protect rights of African Americans after the Civil War.

Interstate Commerce Act (1887)

Created the Interstate Commerce Commission; regulated railroads to ensure fair rates and practices

Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883)

Established merit-based hiring for government jobs; reduced corruption and “spoils system.”

Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890)

First law to outlaw monopolies and trusts that restrained free trade.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Upheld racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine; later overturned by Brown v. Board of Education (1954).

National Woman Suffrage Association

Group led by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, fought for women’s right to vote.

Black Codes

Southern laws restricting rights of freedmen after the Civil War.

Freedmen’s Bureau

Federal agency providing food, education, and aid to freed slaves and poor whites.

Sharecropping

Farming system where freedmen rented land for a share of the crops, often trapping them in debt.

Redeemers

Southern Democrats who regained control after Reconstruction and rolled back Black rights.

Compromise of 1877

Ended Reconstruction; Rutherford B. Hayes became president, federal troops withdrew from the South.

Great Railroad Strike of 1877

First major nationwide labor strike; violently suppressed by federal troops.

Knights of Labor

Early labor union; open to skilled/unskilled workers, advocated broad reform.

Haymarket Affair (1886)

Labor rally in Chicago turned violent; associated with anarchists, hurt labor’s reputation.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

Union led by Samuel Gompers; focused on skilled workers, higher wages, shorter hours. Advocated for better working conditions and collective bargaining.

Homestead Strike (1892)

Violent steel strike in Pennsylvania; defeat for unions.

Pullman Strike (1894)

Railroad strike led by Eugene Debs; broken up by federal troops.

Farmers’ Alliance

Organized farmers’ movement that pushed for economic reforms.

People’s Party (Populists)

Political party formed from Farmers’ Alliance; supported Free Silver, direct democracy, and labor rights.

William Jennings Bryan

Democratic-Populist leader, famous for “Cross of Gold” speech supporting Free Silver.

Free Silver

Movement for unlimited silver coinage to inflate currency and aid farmers/debtors.

Eugene Debs

Labor leader, founder of the American Railway Union and later Socialist Party presidential candidate.

Pacific Railroad Act (1862)

Authorized construction of the Transcontinental Railroad.

Homestead Act (1862)

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

Dawes Act (1887)

Broke up Native American tribal land; forced assimilation.

Ghost Dance

Native American religious movement; seen as threat by U.S. authorities.

Wounded Knee (1890)

Massacre of Lakota Sioux by U.S. Army; marked end of Indian resistance.

he Long Walk & Treaty of Bosque Redondo

Navajo forced relocation; ended with treaty allowing some return.

Transcontinental Railroad

Linked East and West; completed in 1869, fueled economic growth.

Ida B. Wells

Journalist and activist; led anti-lynching campaigns.

Machine Politics

Political organizations (like Tammany Hall) that controlled cities through patronage and corruption.

Henry Grady & the “New South”

Promoted industrialization and diversification of Southern economy post-Reconstruction.

Roosevelt Corollary (1904)

Addition to Monroe Doctrine; claimed U.S. right to intervene in Latin America to maintain stability.

American Interventions in Latin America

U.S. military and political actions in countries like Cuba, Panama, and the Dominican Republic.

U.S.S. Maine (1898)

Explosion in Havana harbor; catalyst for Spanish-American War.

Yellow Journalism

Sensationalist newspapers (Hearst & Pulitzer) that stirred war fever against Spain.

Spanish-American War (1898)

U.S. defeated Spain; gained Puerto Rico, Guam, Philippines, and influence in Cuba.

Panama Canal (1914)

U.S.-built canal connecting Atlantic & Pacific; symbol of U.S. global power.

Philippine-American War (1899–1902)

Brutal conflict after U.S. took Philippines from Spain; Filipinos resisted U.S. rule.

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

First U.S. immigration law targeting a specific group; barred Chinese laborers.

Triangle Shirtwaist Fire (1911)

NYC factory fire that killed 146 workers; led to stronger safety laws.

Trust-busting

Efforts (especially under Theodore Roosevelt) to break up monopolies and restore competition.

Progressive Movement

Reform movement (1890s–1920s) aimed at government accountability, social justice, and business regulation.

Muckrakers

Journalists who exposed corruption, unsafe conditions, and abuses (e.g., Upton Sinclair, Ida Tarbell).

Women’s Suffrage

Movement that led to the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote.