APUSH TERM 3 REDUCED VOCAB

Homestead Act, 1862

A federal law granted 160 acres of public land to settlers for a small fee, provided they improved the land within five years. Encouraged westward expansion and agricultural development but often led to conflicts with Native Americans.

Charles Goodnight

A Texas cattle rancher known for developing the Goodnight-Loving Trail. Played a pivotal role in the expansion of the cattle industry in the American West.

Pacific Railway Act, 1862

Legislation providing federal funding and land grants for the construction of a transcontinental railroad. Facilitated economic growth, westward migration, and national unity.

Exoduster

African Americans who migrated west to Kansas after the Civil War to escape racial discrimination and seek economic opportunities. Represented the struggles and resilience of freedmen in the post-Reconstruction era.

Comstock Lode (1859)

A massive silver ore discovery in Nevada that spurred a mining boom. Highlighted the economic opportunities in the West and fueled migration.

Frederick Jackson Turner

A historian known for his 'Frontier Thesis,' which argued that the American frontier shaped the nation's identity and democracy. Influenced the study of American history and westward expansion.

Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868)

An agreement between the U.S. government and the Sioux tribe granting the Sioux control of the Black Hills. Violated by the U.S. when gold was discovered, leading to further conflicts like the Battle of Little Big Horn.

Battle of Little Big Horn (1876)

A conflict where Sioux and Cheyenne forces, led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, defeated General Custer's army. Marked a major Native American victory during the resistance against U.S. expansion.

Ghost Dancer Movement

A spiritual movement among Native Americans that aimed to restore their lands and way of life. Led to the tragic Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890.

Wounded Knee (1890)

The last major conflict between U.S. forces and Native Americans, resulting in the massacre of Sioux men, women, and children. Symbolized the violent end of Native resistance to U.S. expansion.

Dawes Severalty Act (1887)

Legislation aimed at assimilating Native Americans by dividing tribal lands into individual allotments. Undermined tribal sovereignty and led to significant land loss for Native Americans.

"A Century of Dishonor" (1881)

A book by Helen Hunt Jackson exposing the mistreatment of Native Americans by the U.S. government. Influenced public opinion and calls for reform in Native American policy.

Helen Hunt Jackson

An author and activist who advocated for Native American rights. Her work, including A Century of Dishonor, raised awareness of injustices against Native Americans.

Tuskegee Institute (1881)

A vocational school founded by Booker T. Washington to provide African Americans with practical education and skills. Promoted economic self-sufficiency for African Americans in the segregated South.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

A Supreme Court decision that upheld racial segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine. Legitimized Jim Crow laws and entrenched racial inequality.

Booker T. Washington

An African American educator and leader who advocated for vocational training and economic self-reliance. His Atlanta Compromise speech emphasized gradual progress over immediate civil rights demands.

W. E. B. Du Bois

An African American scholar and activist who co-founded the NAACP and championed civil rights and higher education. Advocated for immediate equality, contrasting with Booker T. Washington's gradualism.

Ida B. Wells

An African American journalist and activist who fought against lynching and racial injustice. Her work highlighted the systemic violence and discrimination faced by African Americans in the South.

Andrew Carnegie

A steel magnate and philanthropist who built the Carnegie Steel Company and advocated for the 'Gospel of Wealth.'

John D. Rockefeller

Founder of Standard Oil, Rockefeller dominated the oil industry through strategic business practices such as horizontal integration.

Horizontal Integration

A business strategy where a company acquires or merges with its competitors to consolidate control over a market.

Vertical Integration

A strategy where a company controls all aspects of production, from raw materials to distribution.

Robber Baron

A term used to criticize wealthy industrialists for exploiting workers and resources to amass fortunes.

Captain of Industry

A positive term for industrial leaders who contributed to economic growth and innovation while practicing philanthropy.

Laissez-Faire Capitalism

An economic philosophy advocating minimal government intervention in business and free-market competition.

Social Darwinism

The application of Darwin's theory of evolution to society, suggesting that economic success was a result of 'survival of the fittest.'

Great Railroad Strike of 1877

A nationwide labor strike protesting wage cuts and poor working conditions in the railroad industry.

Haymarket Bombing (1886)

A violent labor protest in Chicago where a bomb killed police officers, leading to the trial and execution of anarchists.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

A labor union founded by Samuel Gompers that focused on skilled workers and practical labor reforms.

Samuel Gompers

Founder and leader of the AFL, Gompers emphasized 'bread-and-butter' issues like wages, hours, and working conditions.

Knights of Labor

A labor organization that included workers of all skill levels and advocated for broad social reforms.

Homestead Strike (1892)

A violent labor conflict at Carnegie Steel's Homestead plant over wage cuts, resulting in deaths and the defeat of the strike.

Pullman Strike (1894)

A nationwide railroad strike protesting wage cuts and high rents in company-owned housing, led by Eugene Debs.

Chinese Exclusion Act, 1882

Federal legislation that banned Chinese immigration and denied citizenship to Chinese laborers.

Tenement housing

Overcrowded and unsanitary housing for poor urban workers and immigrants during the Gilded Age.

Jacob Riis

A journalist and photographer who exposed tenement living conditions in his book How the Other Half Lives.

"How the Other Half Lives"

A groundbreaking book by Jacob Riis documenting the poverty and squalor of urban tenements.

Settlement House Movement

A reform effort providing social services and education to poor urban communities, often led by middle-class women.

Jane Addams

Founder of Hull House and a leader in the Settlement House Movement, Addams advocated for social reform and women's rights.

Gospel of Wealth

An essay by Andrew Carnegie advocating that the wealthy have a moral responsibility to distribute their wealth for the benefit of society.

Social Gospel Movement

A religious reform movement that emphasized applying Christian ethics to social problems such as poverty and inequality.

Sherman Anti-Trust Act, 1890

Federal legislation aimed at curbing monopolies and promoting fair competition in business.

Populist Party

A political party formed by farmers and laborers to advocate for policies like free silver, direct election of senators, and regulation of railroads.

Panic of 1893

A severe economic depression triggered by railroad overexpansion, bank failures, and declining agricultural prices.

Coxey's Army

A protest march to Washington, D.C., led by Jacob Coxey, demanding public works programs to address unemployment during the Panic of 1893.

William Jennings Bryan

A populist leader and Democratic presidential candidate who championed free silver and agrarian interests.

"Cross of Gold"

A speech by Wm Jennings Bryan advocating for free silver to help farmers and working-class Americans.

Josiah Strong

A clergyman and writer who promoted American expansionism through his book Our Country, arguing for the superiority of Anglo-Saxon culture.

Queen Liliuokalani

The last reigning monarch of Hawaii, overthrown in 1893 by American businessmen and U.S. military forces.

Alfred T. Mahan

A naval strategist who wrote The Influence of Sea Power upon History, advocating for a strong navy and overseas expansion.

Spanish American War

A conflict between Spain and the United States in 1898, resulting in U.S. acquisition of territories like Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

Yellow Journalism

Sensationalized and exaggerated news reporting, used to influence public opinion and promote war.

John Hay

U.S. Secretary of State who promoted the Open Door Policy, ensuring equal trade access to China.

Open Door Policy

A U.S. diplomatic policy advocating for equal trade access in China, preventing any single nation from dominating the Chinese market.

Roosevelt Corollary

An extension of the Monroe Doctrine stating that the U.S. had the right to intervene in Latin American nations to maintain stability.

Muckrakers

Investigative journalists who exposed corruption and societal issues in the early 20th century.

Ida Tarbell

A muckraking journalist who exposed the unfair practices of Standard Oil in The History of the Standard Oil Company.

Lincoln Steffens

A muckraker who wrote The Shame of the Cities, exposing political corruption in urban governments.

Robert LaFollette

A Progressive politician and governor of Wisconsin who championed political and economic reforms.

16th Amendment

Established a federal income tax, allowing the government to generate revenue without relying solely on tariffs.

17th Amendment

Allowed for the people's direct election of U.S. senators instead of state legislatures.

18th Amendment

Prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol in the United States.

19th Amendment

Granted women the right to vote, marking a major victory for the women's suffrage movement.

Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

A factory fire in 1911 that killed 146 workers, mainly young women, due to unsafe working conditions.

"Square Deal"

President Theodore Roosevelt's domestic policy focused on consumer protection, corporate regulation, and conservation.

Hepburn Act (1906)

Strengthened the Interstate Commerce Commission, allowing it to set maximum railroad rates.

Upton Sinclair

A muckraker and author of The Jungle, which exposed unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking industry.

Pure Food and Drug Act

A 1906 law that regulated food and medicine, requiring proper labeling and banning harmful ingredients.

Meat Inspection Act

A 1906 law that mandated federal inspection of meat processing plants to ensure sanitary conditions.

Newlands Reclamation Act

A 1902 law that funded irrigation projects in the Western United States.

John Muir

A naturalist and advocate for national parks who co-founded the Sierra Club.

Sierra Club

An environmental organization founded in 1892 by John Muir to promote conservation efforts.

Bull Moose Party

A Progressive political party formed by Theodore Roosevelt in the 1912 election after splitting from the Republican Party.

Clayton Anti-Trust Act

A 1914 law that strengthened anti-monopoly regulations and exempted labor unions from being classified as monopolies.

Lusitania

A British passenger ship sunk by a German U-boat in 1915, killing 1,198 people, including 128 Americans.

Fourteen Points

President Woodrow Wilson's 1918 proposal for postwar peace, emphasizing self-determination and the League of Nations.

Treaty of Versailles

The 1919 peace treaty that ended World War I, imposing heavy reparations and territorial losses on Germany.

League of Nations

An international organization formed in 1920 to promote peace and prevent future conflicts.

Irreconcilables

A group of U.S. senators who opposed the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations under any circumstances.

Reservationists

Senators who were willing to accept the Treaty of Versailles but only with amendments to protect U.S. sovereignty.

Food Administration

A government agency led by Herbert Hoover to manage food production and distribution during World War I.

Committee on Public Information (CPI)

A government agency that used propaganda to promote U.S. involvement in World War I.

George Creel

Head of the Committee on Public Information, responsible for wartime propaganda.

Espionage Act (1917)

A law that punished individuals who interfered with military operations or aided enemies during World War I.

Sedition Act (1918)

An extension of the Espionage Act that made it illegal to criticize the government or war effort.

Schenck v. U.S.

A 1919 Supreme Court case that upheld the Espionage Act, ruling that speech could be restricted during wartime.

Great Migration

The mass movement of African Americans from the rural South to northern cities during and after World War I.

Red Scare

A period of intense fear of communism and radical political movements in the U.S. after World War I.

Palmer Raids

Government raids led by Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer to arrest suspected communists and anarchists.

Henry Ford

An American industrialist who revolutionized automobile production with the assembly line, making cars affordable.

Charles Lindbergh

The first person to complete a solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927.

Scopes Trial

A 1925 trial in Tennessee over the teaching of evolution in public schools, pitting science against religious fundamentalism.

Sacco and Vanzetti

Italian anarchists convicted of robbery and murder in a controversial 1921 trial, despite weak evidence.

Immigration Act, 1924

A law that set strict immigration quotas, especially limiting immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe and banning Asians.

Ku Klux Klan

A white supremacist group that resurged in the 1920s, targeting African Americans, immigrants, Catholics, and Jews.

Lost Generation

A term for disillusioned American writers of the 1920s who criticized materialism and war.

Harlem Renaissance

A cultural movement in the 1920s celebrating African American art, music, and literature, centered in Harlem, New York.

Teapot Dome Scandal

A 1920s political scandal in which government officials took bribes to lease federal oil reserves.

Flappers

Young women in the 1920s who challenged traditional gender norms by wearing short dresses, smoking, and embracing independence. Symbolized the changing role of women and the modernization of American society.

Speakeasies

Illegal bars that operated during Prohibition, where alcohol was secretly sold and consumed.