Lecture: Late 19th Century U.S. History – Key Terms (Vocabulary)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key people, events, and ideas from the late 19th-century United States (1876–1900).

Battle of the Little Bighorn (Greasy Grass)

1876 Montana battle in which Lt. Col. George A. Custer and about 200 troops were defeated by Sioux and Cheyenne forces; a symbolic Native victory in the Great Sioux War.

Compromise of 1877

Unwritten deal that resolved the 1876 election: Rutherford B. Hayes declared winner; federal troops withdrawn from the South; effectively ended Reconstruction.

Reconstruction

Post–Civil War era aimed at rebuilding the South and securing rights for freed slaves; ended with the Compromise of 1877.

Jim Crow laws

State laws that enforced racial segregation and disenfranchisement of African Americans in the South after Reconstruction.

Rutherford B. Hayes

19th U.S. president who won the contested 1876 election and ended Reconstruction by withdrawing federal troops from the South.

Samuel J. Tilden

Democratic candidate in 1876 who won the popular vote but lost the electoral vote after the Compromise.

Gilded Age

Late 19th-century era of rapid industrialization, political machines, corruption, and vast wealth disparities.

Grover Cleveland

22nd and 24th U.S. president; only president to serve nonconsecutive terms; from New York; defeated Blaine in 1884, won again in 1892.

James A. Garfield

20th U.S. president; assassinated in 1881; his death spurred civil service reform.

Continental Liar from the State of Maine

Derogatory campaign nickname for James G. Blaine used by Democrats in 1884.

Nez Perce War (1877)

Conflict between U.S. forces and the Nez Perce as they attempted to flee to Canada; notable leaders included Chief Joseph; ended with Bear Paw encampment.

Chief Joseph

Leader of the Nez Perce who led the 1877 withdrawal and delivered the famous surrender speech: “I will fight no more, forever.”

Wounded Knee Massacre (1890)

Massacre of Lakota by U.S. Army forces at Wounded Knee; symbolized the end of major Native American armed resistance.

Centennial Exposition (1876)

Philadelphia World's Fair celebrating 100 years of U.S. independence; showcased technology, culture, and inventions.

Statue of Liberty

Gift from France; symbol of freedom and democracy; opened in 1886, designed by Eiffel; pedestal funded by Americans and promoted by Pulitzer.

Emma Lazarus

Poet who wrote The New Colossus, the sonnet inscribed on the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal.

The New Colossus

Emma Lazarus poem welcoming immigrants to America; includes the famous lines about the “tired” and “poor.”

Alfred Thayer Mahan

Navy strategist who argued that sea power determines national greatness and advocated for a strong navy and overseas expansion.

The Influence of Sea Power upon History

Mahan’s influential book arguing that naval supremacy and control of the seas drive national prosperity and power.

Panama Canal

Strategic canal proposed to connect the Atlantic and Pacific; key element of U.S. naval and commercial strategy discussed by Mahan.

Andrew Carnegie

Industrialist who dominated the steel industry; pioneered vertical integration; sold Carnegie Steel to JP Morgan in 1901 and became America's first billionaire.

Gospel of Wealth

Carnegie’s theory that the rich have a duty to use their wealth to advance society via philanthropy and public institutions.

Theodore Roosevelt

26th U.S. president; reformer, conservationist, and advocate for the National Park System; national hero from the Cuban War; one of the four faces on Mount Rushmore.

National Park System

Roosevelt-era expansion of protected natural areas to preserve landscapes for future generations.

1882 Chinese Exclusion Act

Federal law restricting Chinese immigration—the first major law to limit immigration to the United States.

Mesabi Range

Major Minnesota iron ore deposit vital to the steel industry; controlled or leased by Carnegie for steel production.