APUSH Period 6

buffalo

buffalo

white settlers destroyed the herds, which heightened tensions between US citizens and natives

- provided the natives with food, clothing, shelter, fuel, knives, arrowheads, and bow strings

chief joseph

chief of the Nez Perce indians of Idaho

- he tried to move his tribe to Canada to avoid war, but US troops brought them back and forced them onto a reservation

Chinese exclusion act

suspended Chinese immigration for ten years and declared Chinese immigrants ineligible for naturalization

- intended to curb the influx of Chinese immigrants to the US

Chisholm trail

trail used by cowboys to drive cattle up from San Antonio, Texas to Abilene, Kansas

- ended at the railhead of the "Cattle Kingdom"

Dawes Severalty Act

an act that broke up Indian reservations and distributed land to individual households

- intended to assimilate natives into US society

Ghost Dance Movement

a religious revitalization uniting natives to restore ancestral customs, the disappearance of whites, and the return of the buffalo

- the last effort of natives to resist US domination and drive whites from their ancestral lands

Little Bighorn

battle during which the Sioux Tribe defeated the U.S. Army forces led by Colonel George A. Custer

- made Americans believe that the Natives were savages

Mark twain

American author and humorist

- wrote the Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mining

the process or industry of obtaining coal or other minerals from a mine

- attracted people to the west, especially for gold and silver

Rocky Mountain school

artists influenced by the beauty of the Rocky Mountains and the surrounding landscape

- romanticized the west

Sand creek massacre

around 700 federal troops attacked a village of 500 Cheyenne and Arapahoe in Colorado completely unprovoked

- marked a turning point in the relationship between Native tribes and the federal government

Turner thesis

the argument that American democracy and hard work had been shaped by the experience of survival and growth along the frontier

- with the settlement of the west, he feared that Americans would lose their sense of individualism

Wounded knee

a battle during which the US army troops indiscriminately slaughtered hundreds of Sioux natives

- the last major armed conflict between the Lakota Sioux and the US

American Federation of labor

a labor union founded in 1886 by Samuel Gompers in order to voice the working class

- used strikes to help improve hours, working conditions, and wages

Andrew Carnegie

a Scottish-American industrialist who led the expansion of the American steel industry

- wrote the Gospel of Wealth; argued that the rich should engage in philanthropy to help the poor

Gospel of wealth

extremely wealthy Americans had a responsibility to spend their money in order to benefit the greater good

- the richest Americans should actively engage in philanthropy and charity in order to close the widening gap between the rich and poor

Haymarket bombing

a demonstration in Chicago to protest the slayings of two workers during a strike that turned into a violent riot after a bomb explosion killed seven policemen

- led to the formation of the American Federation of Labor

Henry ford

American businessman, founder of Ford Motor Company, father of modern assembly lines, and inventor credited with 161 patents

- the pioneer of manufacturing affordable automobiles

Homestead strike

a violent strike at the Homestead Works in Pittsburg over a lock out following a decision to cut wages by nearly 20%

- destroyed the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers; damaged the image of unions

Horizontal integration

controlling all competitors in a particular industry

- a strategy to increase your market share

John D. Rockefeller

founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great US business trust

- revolutionized the petroleum industry

J.P. Morgan

a banker who financed the reorganization of railroads, insurance companies, and banks after the Panic of 1893

- created the General Electric Company and the United States Steel Corporation

Knights of Labor

the second national labor organization, organized in 1869 as a secret society and opened for public membership in 1881

- known for their efforts to organize all workers, regardless of skill level, gender, or race

Monopoly

when a business owns all of their competition and their business because they were able to buy out the competitors

- had the power to set prices and control the market

National Labor Union

the first national labor federation in the United States led by William H. Sylvis

- founded to organize skilled and unskilled laborers, farmers, and factory workers, but not women or blacks

Pullman strike

a nationwide railway strike that occurred from May through July 1894 by workers upset over wage cuts

- demonstrated the power of the labor movement

Samuel Gompers

founder of the American Federation of Labor

- key figure in American labor history

Social darwinism

The idea that certain people become powerful in society because they are innately better

- was used to justify imperialism, racism, eugenics, and social inequality

Trusts

a mechanism by which one company grants control over its operations, through ownership of its stock, to another company

- the Standard Oil Company became known for this

Vertical integration

the practice perfected by Andrew Carnegie of controlling every step of the industrial production progress in order to increase efficiency and limit competition

- controls the quality of a product at all stages of production

Womens trade union league

helped women gain access to labor unions, trained women for leadership positions within unions, and even provided temporary assistance for unemployed trade union women

- the first national association dedicated to organizing women workers

Aschan school

a realist artistic movement that is best known for works portraying scenes of daily life in New York's poorer neighborhoods

- organized the first art show in the US

Assimilation

a policy in which a nation forces or encourages a subject people to adopt its institutions and customs

- occurred especially with the natives and somewhat with immigrants

Boss rule

immigrants would turn to urban bosses, who would try to gain their votes through finding them jobs or food

- these bosses were often corrupt

Jacob riis

a Danish photographer that was famous for using photography to document the poor living conditions of the New York slums

- shocked the middle-class Americans

National consumer league

attempted to mobilize the power of women as consumers to force retailers and manufacturers to improve wages and working conditions for women workers

- America's pioneer consumer organization

Social realism

attempts to recreate realities of urban social life through literature

- often told somber stories of the oppressed urban poor

Tammany hall

\n powerful New York political machine that primarily drew its support from the city's immigrants, who depended on it for patronage (especially social services)

- primarily helped the Irish

Tenements

Poorly built, overcrowded housing where many immigrants lived

- hotspots for vermin and disease

Upton Sinclair

a muckraker who shocked the nation when he published the Jungle, a novel that revealed gruesome details about the meatpacking industry in Chicago

- led to new federal food safety laws

William m. Tweed

head of Tammany Hall who led a group of corrupt politicians in defrauding the city

- played a major role in New York city politics

Yellow journalism

the use of dramatic headlines and exaggerated storylines in newspaper publishing to attract readers and increase circulation

- heavy emphasis on crime, corruption, sex, and scandals

Farmers alliance

\n a movement to form local organizations to advance farmers' collective interests

- intended to help them purchase equipment and exhibit political strength

“Free silver”

"Free Silver"

farmers wanted unlimited coinage of silver to bring the dollar back to a value that would cause inflation, so hat they would receive more money for their crops

- was to help farmers pay off their debts

Half-breeds

the more liberal faction of the Republican Party

- they wanted lenient treatment of the south and supported civil service reform

Interstate commerce act

a United States federal law that was designed to regulate the railroad industry, particularly its monopolistic practices

- didn't require specific rates to be fixed, just that they be "reasonable"

Panic of 1893

a national economic crisis set off by the collapse of two of the country's largest employers: the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad and the National Cordage Company

- led to the presidency of William McKinley

Pendleton Act

provided that federal government jobs be awarded on the basis of merit and that government employees be selected through competitive exams

- federal jobs were no longer based on inheritance or class

Populist party

an agrarian-based political movement aimed at improving conditions for the country's farmers and agrarian workers

- to represent common people against the interests of businessmen

Sherman anti-trust act

prohibited monopolies and sustained competition so as to protect companies from each other and to protect consumers from unfair business practices

- committed the American government to opposing monopolies

The grange

the affiliation of farmers to advance methods of agriculture, as well as to promote the social and economic needs of US farmers

- the oldest American agricultural advocacy group

William Jennings bryan

Democratic candidate for president in 1896 under the banner of "free silver coinage" which won him support of the populist party

- ran for president three times

William mcKinley

the 25th president that led America to victory in the Spanish-American war, raised protective tariffs to promote American industry, and maintained the gold standard

- was assassinated 6 months into his second term