US History Final Exam

Sharecroppers

Landless farmers, mostly Black and some poor white, who rented land and tools from landowners in exchange for a large share, often half or more, of their crops.

Andrew Johnson

Lincoln's vice president who took over after Lincoln's assassination, a Southern Democrat who damaged the Reconstruction plan and was almost impeached.

Suffrage

The right to vote.

Jim Crow laws

State and local laws in the South enforcing racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans from the late 1800s into the mid-1900s.

Carpetbaggers

Northerners who came to the South during Reconstruction seeking political gain.

Freedmen's Bureau

A government-funded group that supported freed slaves by distributing rations, managing abandoned land, establishing schools, and regulating labor.

Radical Republicans

A faction of the Republican Party that believed in equal rights and advocated for substantial aid to freed slaves, including land and protections.

13th Amendment

A constitutional amendment that abolished slavery and involuntary servitude across the nation.

14th Amendment

A constitutional amendment granting citizenship to anyone born or naturalized in the U.S., ensuring due process and equal protection, and barring former Confederates from holding office.

15th Amendment

A constitutional amendment that granted voting rights to all male citizens irrespective of race or economic status.

Black codes

Laws passed in the South to maintain control over freed African Americans and preserve the status quo by regulating their movements and rights.

Ulysses S. Grant

The commanding general of the Union Army during the Civil War, later the 18th President of the United States, serving two terms.

Compromise of 1877

An agreement that resolved the disputed 1876 presidential election, leading to the withdrawal of federal troops from the South.

Nomad

A person or group that moves from place to place rather than living permanently in one location.

Oklahoma Land Rush

The 1889 event when the U.S. government opened former Native American lands for settlement, leading to a race among thousands of settlers.

Push factors

Reasons people left their homes, including poverty, overcrowding, low wages, and crop failures.

Pull factors

Reasons people were attracted to move west, like free land through the Homestead Act and opportunities for farming and business.

Indian Boarding Schools

Schools created to assimilate Native American children into American culture, often forbidding their native languages and traditions.

Industrialization

The period when the U.S. transitioned to a more industrial economy, characterized by the growth of factories and urban areas.

Entrepreneur

An individual who starts and runs a business, taking financial risks in hopes of making a profit.

Laissez-faire

An economic policy with minimal government involvement in business, allowing rapid growth and few regulations during the late 1800s.

Monopoly

A market situation where one company gains near-total control over an industry, reducing competition.

Corporation

A business organization owned by shareholders that is legally distinct from its owners, capable of raising large amounts of capital.

Horizontal integration

The strategy of merging with or buying competing companies in the same industry to reduce competition and gain market control.

Vertical integration

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

Trust

A group of companies managed by a single board of trustees, often creating monopolies and calling for government regulation.

Philanthropy

The act of donating money, time, or resources to improve societal welfare.

Interstate Commerce Act (1887)

The first federal law to regulate the railroad industry, aimed at preventing unfair practices.

J.P. Morgan

A powerful banker who financed major industries and created the world's first billion-dollar corporation, U.S. Steel.

Andrew Carnegie

An industrial leader who built a massive steel empire through vertical integration and promoted philanthropy.

John D. Rockefeller

The founder of Standard Oil, utilized horizontal integration to dominate the oil industry.

Samuel Gompers

The founder and long-time president of the American Federation of Labor, focusing on labor rights for skilled workers.

Great Railroad Strike

The first major nationwide labor strike in U.S. history, which involved violent clashes over wage cuts.

Homestead Strike

A violent labor dispute at Carnegie Steel's Homestead plant that weakened organized labor.

Haymarket Riot

A labor protest in Chicago that turned violent, damaging the public's perception of labor unions.

Labor Union

An organized group of workers advocating for improved working conditions and wages.

Collective Bargaining

Negotiations between workers and employers to determine workplace conditions.

Closed shop

A workplace where only union members may be hired.

Sherman Antitrust Act

The first federal law aimed at breaking up monopolies and trusts that limit competition.

Gilded Age

A term describing the late 1800s marked by rapid economic growth and widespread corruption.

“New” immigration

The wave of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe from 1880–1920, often facing discrimination.

Chinese Exclusion Act

A federal law that prohibited Chinese laborers from immigrating to the U.S., marking the first major immigration restriction based on nationality.

Secession

The act of formally withdrawing from a political union or nation.

Individualism

The belief that individuals should rely on themselves for success rather than depend on government or others.

Political machine

An organized group that influences a political party through voter support and services.

William M. Tweed

Leader of Tammany Hall, known for political corruption and graft.

Lobbying

The act of attempting to influence government officials to support certain policies.

Nativism

A preference for native-born Americans in political policies and attitudes, often leading to anti-immigrant sentiments.

Social Darwinism

The belief in the idea of 'survival of the fittest' in society, arguing against government interference.

Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act

A law established to fill government jobs based on merit to reduce corruption.

Populism

A political movement that sought to empower ordinary people and advocated for reforms to support them.

Plessy v. Ferguson

A Supreme Court decision that upheld the legality of racial segregation under 'separate but equal' doctrine.

Tenements

Overcrowded and poorly built apartment buildings often inhabited by low-income families and immigrants.

Settlement house

Community centers established to provide services to immigrants and low-income families.

Jane Addams

A Progressive Era reformer who co-founded Hull House, providing social services in urban areas.

Booker T. Washington

An African American leader advocating for gradual progression through education and economic self-improvement.

W. E. B. Du Bois

A civil rights leader who championed immediate equality for African Americans and co-founded the NAACP.

Segregation

The enforced separation of racial groups in public life, prevalent in the South post-Civil War.

Lynching

The illegal act of killing a person by mob violence, often targeting African Americans.

Annexation

The act of one country taking control of another territory.

Diplomacy

The practice of managing relationships and negotiations between nations.

Imperialism

A policy where a powerful country expands its control over weaker territories.

William McKinley

President during the Spanish–American War who supported U.S. expansionism.

Rough Riders

A volunteer cavalry unit that fought in the Spanish-American War.

Spanish American War

A conflict between the U.S. and Spain in 1898, leading to U.S. territorial gains.

“Big Stick” policy

The foreign policy approach emphasizing diplomacy backed by military force under Theodore Roosevelt.

Dollar Diplomacy

A foreign policy aiming to increase U.S. influence through business investments abroad.

Moral Diplomacy

Wilson's foreign policy aimed at supporting democracy and moral values globally.

Open Door Policy

U.S. policy ensuring equal trading rights in China and maintaining China's territorial integrity.

Sphere of influence

A region where a foreign nation holds significant economic or political power.

Protectorate

A territory that retains its local government but is under the control of a stronger power.

Jingoism

Extreme patriotism advocating for military intervention and expansion.

Progressivism

A reform movement addressing issues from industrialization and urbanization through government action.

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

A book exposing the harsh conditions faced by workers and the need for regulation in the meatpacking industry.

The Shame of the Cities by Lincoln Steffens

A work revealing the extent of political corruption in American cities.

How the Other Half Lives by Jacob Riis

A book showcasing urban poverty and the need for social reform.

Meat Inspection Act

Legislation establishing sanitary standards for the meat industry.

Pure Food and Drug Act

A law regulating food and drug labeling to prevent consumer deception.

Square Deal

Roosevelt's domestic program promoting consumer protection, corporate regulation, and resource conservation.

William Howard Taft

Roosevelt's successor who continued some progressive reforms, but faced opposition from many Progressives.

Woodrow Wilson

A Progressive president known for reforms in banking, tariffs, and antitrust legislation.