Review of Lecture Notes

Flashcards of key vocabulary

Three Major Periods of Written History

Ancient, Medieval, and Modern History

Examples of Written Sources of History

Letters, official documents, diaries, newspapers, books, legal records.

Examples of Unwritten Sources of History

Oral traditions, folklore, songs, artifacts, monuments, and art.

Sharecropping

A labor system where landowners allowed tenants to farm their land in exchange for a share of the crops.

Crop Lien System

A system that allowed farmers to get supplies and credit from merchants in exchange for a portion of their future crop.

Black Codes

Laws passed by Southern states after the Civil War to restrict the freedom of African Americans.

Presentism

Judging the past by today’s standards or beliefs.

Reconstruction (1865–1877)

The period after the Civil War when the U.S. tried to rebuild the South and integrate freed African Americans into society.

Accomplishments of Reconstruction

Ending slavery, citizenship rights, and voting rights.

Failures of Reconstruction

Rise of white supremacist groups, the Black Codes, and economic oppression of freed people.

Exodusters

African Americans who migrated from the South to Kansas and other Western states after the Civil War.

Poll Taxes and Literacy Tests

Methods used to prevent Black men from voting.

Plessy v. Ferguson

The Court ruled that racial segregation was legal as long as facilities were "separate but equal."

Resources that Attracted Anglo-Americans to the West

Gold, silver, land, timber, and cattle.

Reservation System

Forcing tribes to live on specific lands.

Assimilation Policies

Trying to absorb Native Americans into white culture, mainly through education and land division.

Dawes Severalty Act of 1887

Divided tribal lands into individual plots for Native families to farm, aiming to turn them into private landowners.

Two-Tiered Labor System in the West

White workers usually got better jobs, pay, and treatment; nonwhite workers often did lower-paid, more dangerous work with fewer rights.

The Transcontinental Railroad

Connected the coasts, boosting trade and migration.

Perspective of White Government Officials Concerning Native-White Relations

Emphasized “civilizing” Natives and focused on assimilation and control.

Perspective of Native Leaders Concerning Native-White Relations

Expressed pain, resistance, and frustration over broken treaties, land loss, and cultural destruction.

Population Diversity of the West in the Late Nineteenth Century

Included whites, African Americans, Chinese immigrants, Mexicans, Native Americans, and European settlers.

How the Federal Government Enabled the West to Be Settled and Developed

The government gave land grants, funded railroads, and provided military support against Native resistance.

Change in U.S. Indian Policy in the Nineteenth Century

Shifted from removal and reservations to assimilation.

Groups That Migrated to the Far West in the Nineteenth Century

African Americans, Chinese immigrants, Mexicans, Europeans, and Easterners.

Challenges and Hardships Women Faced in the West

Women faced isolation, hard labor, limited rights, and few services.

Reforms Western Women Pursued

Suffrage, education, temperance, and property rights.

What Helped the United States Pass Several European Countries in Industrial Development by 1900?

Natural resources, a large labor force, new inventions, and government support for business.

Andrew Carnegie’s Career

Made a fortune in steel using vertical integration; considered both a Captain of Industry and a Robber Baron.

Occupation Increasingly Feminized in the Late Nineteenth Century

Office and clerical work.

Weapons Employers Used Against Workers in the Late 19th Century

Blacklists, lockouts, and private security forces.

Knights of Labor

Accepted women, immigrants, and Black workers.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

Organized skilled workers into craft unions and focused on practical issues.

Significance of the Haymarket Square Riot (1886)

Led to a backlash against labor unions.

How Courts Used the Sherman Antitrust Act to Favor Businesses

Courts often used it against labor unions by claiming strikes were illegal “restraints of trade.”

Changes in Cities During Urbanization

Cities became more crowded, diverse, and industrialized; infrastructure improved, but slums and poverty also grew.

Leisure Time Activities in the Late 1800s

People visited amusement parks, theaters, baseball games, and vaudeville shows, or read newspapers and books.

Growth of Large-Scale Business Enterprises in the Late 1800s

Driven by technological innovation, railroads, corporate investment, and government policies favoring business.

Changing Nature of Work and Workplace Hazards

Work became repetitive, dangerous, and factory-based.

Roles of Women and Children in the Late 1800s

Women worked in textiles, offices, and domestic service; children worked in factories, mines, or on farms.

Knights of Labor

Broad membership and social reform goals.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

Focused on skilled workers and practical improvements.

The “New South”

Refers to attempts to industrialize the South post-Civil War.

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

Passed due to racism and job competition fears; shows that U.S. immigration policy was often racially motivated, especially against Asians.

Democratic Party During the Gilded Age

Supported states’ rights, limited government, and drew support from the South and immigrant groups.

Republican Party During the Gilded Age

Favored strong federal government, high tariffs, and were backed by business leaders and Northern Protestants.

Civil Service Reform

Ended the "spoils system" and required government jobs to be given based on merit (Pendleton Act).

Interstate Commerce Act (1887)

Began federal regulation of railroads to ensure fair rates.

Reasons for the Agrarian Revolt

Falling crop prices, rising debt, unfair railroad rates, and tight money supply (gold standard).

Sub-Treasury Plan

Farmers wanted the government to store crops in warehouses and loan them money using the crops as collateral.

Reaction to Defeat of Farm-Friendly Laws

Farmers turned to political action, forming groups like the People’s Party (Populists) to demand change.

Why the People’s Party Failed

The two major parties absorbed their ideas, and racial divisions and lack of unity weakened the movement.

Populist Ideas Later Adopted

Direct election of senators, graduated income tax, and government regulation of railroads.

U.S. Tariff Policy & Cuba

High tariffs hurt Cuban sugar exports, deepening Cuba’s economic crisis and fueling rebellion against Spain.

Internal Tensions Worsened by Spanish-American War

Racial issues in the U.S. military, debates over imperialism, and the question of what to do with new territories divided Americans.

Why the Spanish-American War Was a Turning Point

The U.S. became an imperial power, gaining overseas colonies and taking a more active global role.

Significance of the Open Door Policy

Asserted that all nations should have equal trading rights in China; showed U.S. interest in global markets without direct colonization.

Roosevelt Corollary to Monroe Doctrine

Said the U.S. had the right to intervene in Latin America to keep order; expanded U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere.

State-Level Progressive Reforms

Initiatives, referendums, recalls, and secret ballots helped voters hold politicians accountable.

Federal Reforms Under Theodore Roosevelt

Trust-busting, the Pure Food and Drug Act, Meat Inspection Act, and environmental conservation.

Roosevelt’s New Nationalism

Big government should regulate big business.

Wilson’s New Freedom

Wanted to break up big business and keep government small.

Why Farmers Joined the Populists

It failed due to absorption of its platform, regional divides, and lack of widespread support.

Progressives and the Poor

Reforms at all levels of government tackled issues like housing, labor, and education.

Ida Wells and W.E.B. DuBois Contributions

Their work showed how Black Americans demanded justice during a time of discrimination.

Margaret Sanger and Birth Control / Eugenics Movement

Wanted to give women control over reproduction; some progressives supported eugenics.

How the Great Depression was different

It was longer, deeper, and more global.

Causes of the Great Depression

Overproduction. Underconsumption. Stock market speculation. Banking failures. Unequal wealth distribution. Weak global economy post-WWI

Political consequences of the Great Depression

Rise of extremist parties (Nazis in Germany, Fascists in Italy). In U.S., shift to government activism (New Deal)

Fireside Chats

FDR's radio addresses that explained policies directly to Americans, building trust and confidence.

Opposition to the New Deal

Conservatives, business owners, Republicans, and radicals like Huey Long.

First New Deal

Emergency relief, banking reform, jobs (1933–34)

Second New Deal

Long-term reforms, Social Security, labor rights (1935–36)

New Deal Coalition

Urban workers, African Americans, farmers, Southern whites.

Okies

Migrants (often from Oklahoma) fleeing the Dust Bowl, many moved to California.

Hoover's approach to the Great Depression

Voluntary cooperation, limited action.

FDR's approach to the Great Depression

Bold government programs (e.g., WPA, CCC)

Nye Committee Report

Suggested that U.S. was dragged into WWI by arms dealers—fueled isolationism.

FDR's Latin America Policy

"Good Neighbor Policy"—less interventionist, more cooperative diplomacy.

Neutrality Acts

Aimed to keep U.S. out of foreign wars

Lend-Lease Act (1941)

Allowed U.S. to send supplies to Allies, ending strict neutrality

War Production Board (WPB)

Managed wartime economy, converted factories for war goods.

Japanese-American Internment

Due to racism, fear of sabotage and forced relocation without trials.

Bracero Program

Brought Mexican laborers to U.S. farms to address labor shortages.

A. Philip Randolph

Pressured FDR for desegregation in defense jobs.

Why WWII Was the “Good War”

Clear enemy (Nazis, fascism). U.S. entered after attack (Pearl Harbor). United homefront effort.

Women in WWII

Took on industrial jobs ("Rosie the Riveter"), but many lost them post-war.

Economic growth After WWII

Increased industrial production, especially in consumer goods.

Economic Growth

Increased industrial production, especially in consumer goods.

Cultural Shifts

Rising consumer culture (TV, cars, appliances) and suburban living.

Major Sources of Tension Between the U.S. and the Soviet Union After WWII

Ideological differences: Capitalism vs. Communism and military tensions.

Highway Act of 1956 as Cold War Measure

Built highways for military mobility in case of a Soviet threat, while also stimulating the economy.

Eisenhower's Cold War Approach

Focused on “massive retaliation” (nuclear threats) and containment.

Kennedy's Cold War Approach

More flexible, focusing on special forces and peace corps to spread American influence.

Cuban Missile Crisis Results

Direct Hotline: U.S. and USSR set up a direct communication line.

Televised Kennedy-Nixon Debate

The first televised presidential debate, which showed Kennedy’s composure and charm.

Johnson’s Great Society Programs

Healthcare for the elderly and low-income individuals. Outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, or national origin.

Cold War Impact on Civil Rights

U.S. global image—civil rights progress was seen as necessary to maintain moral superiority over the Soviet Union.

Brown v. Board Decision

Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, declaring that "separate but equal" facilities were inherently unequal.

Montgomery Bus Boycott’s Impact

Led to a Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional.