AMSCO: Quiz 3

Great Plains

A mostly flat and grassy region of western North America

The Great American Desert

Vast arid territory west of the Missouri River & east of the Rocky Mountains; encouraged westward expansion after Stephen Long's Expedition

100th meridian

The plains west of this meridian had few trees and usually received less than 15 inches of rain per year. This meridian crosses near the middle of Nebraska. (p. 339)

buffalo herds

Provided food, clothing, shelter, and tools for many Native Americans in the West. Mostly wiped out by Americans by 1900

vaqueros

Mexican cowboys

longhorn cattle

tough, strong animals; brought by Spanish settlers; could live far from water and ate only grass

cattle drives

This refers to the forced migration of massive numbers of cattle to the railroads where they could be shipped to the East.

barbed wire

Used to fence in land on the Great Plains, eventually leading to the end of the open frontier. (invented by Joseph Glidden)

Homestead Act of 1862

Encouraged westward settlement by allowing heads of families to buy 160 acres of land for a small fee ($10-30); settlers were required to develop and remain on the land for five years. Over 400,000 families got land through this law.

"sodbusters"

name given to Great Plains farmers because they had to break through so much thick soil, called sod, in order to farm

Joseph Glidden

Inventor of barbed wire

"Dry farming"

a way of farming dry land in which seeds are planted deep in ground where there is some moisture

cash crops

crops, such as tobacco, sugar, and cotton, raised in large quantities in order to be sold for profit

markets

where people buy and sell cash crops mostly at that time

deflation

A situation in which prices are declining caused by increased production of crops

middlemen

Wholesalers and retailers who took their cut before selling to farmers

National Grange Movement

Organized by Oliver H. Kelley primarily as a social and educational organization for farmers and their families. By the 1870s however, the Grange organized economic ventures and took political action to defend members against the middlemen, trusts, and railroads.

cooperatives

Businesses owned and run by the farmers to save the costs charged by middlemen.

Granger Laws

made it illegal for railroads to fix prices by means of pools and to give rebates to privileged customers

Munn v. Illinois

1877 Supreme Court decision that allowed states to regulate certain businesses within their borders (such as railroads)

Farmer's Alliances

taught about scientific farming methods and had the goal of economic and political action (a group of discontented farmers)

Ocala Platform

A (farmers) platform that would have significant impact in later years: They supported 1) direct election of US senators, 2) lower tariff rates, 3) a graduated income tax, and 4) a new banking system regulated by the federal govt.

Frederick Jackson Turner

published a provocative, influential essay "The Significance of the Frontier in American History"; claimed westward expansion had always been a means of releasing American discontent (fresh start + leveled social classes)

Boosters

tried to create settlements on the frontier overnight in the middle of nowhere

Urban Markets

made frontier development possible

reservation system

Indian populations were assigned to live on tracts of land called reservations with strict boundaries

Sioux Wars

lasted from 1876-1877 b/t Sioux Indians and white men; led by Sitting Bull; American Officer -Custer killed at the battle at Little Bighorn. Indians defeated by U.S. (after the first war it led to more treaties with the federal government to smaller reservations)

Gold

found on reservations led to Americans breaking the treaties

Indian Appropriation Act of 1871

officially ended federal recognition of the sovereignty of Indian nations and nullified all previous treaties made with them (led to another Siouz War)

Dawes Act of 1887

government officially abandoned the reservation system and divided reservation lands into 160 acre plots to be farmed bt the Indians; allowed Indians to become American citizens on the condition that they settled on that land and assimilated to American culture

Little Big Horn

General Custer and his men were wiped out by a coalition of Sioux and Cheyenne Indians led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse

Ghost Dance Movement

if Indians participated in this dance then the ghosts of their ancestors would return and finally drive the white man from their lands

Wounded Knee Massacre

mass killing by U.S. soldiers of as many as 300 unarmed Sioux at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, in 1890; marked the end of the Indian Wars

Helen Hunt Jackson, A Century of Dishonor

book created sympathy for Native Americans, especially in the eastern part of the U.S., most of those motivated to help Native Americans proposed assimilation as the solution.

Assimilation

the social process of absorbing one cultural group into harmony with another

Indian Reorganization Act

promoted the reestablishment of tribal organizations and culture

Santa Fe Trail

a nearly 1,000 mile overland route between Santa Fe, New Mexico, and western Missouri; opened up the Spanish-speaking southwest to economic development and settlement

deforestation

sparked the conservation movement

Yosemite Valley

located in California

Yellowstone

the first national park in 1872

Forest Reserve Act of 1891

First national forest conservation policy, authorized the president to set aside areas of land for national forests.

Forest Management Act of 1897

This act withdrew federal timberland from development and regulated their use. (p. 347)

conservationalists

believed in scientific management and regulated use of natural resources

"preservationalists"

Aimed to preserve natural areas from human interference.

John Muir

a leading founder of Sierra Club in 1892

Arbor Day

Day designated for planting trees

"New South"

After the Civil War, southerners promoted a new vision for a self-sufficient southern economy built on modern capitalist values, industrial growth, and improved transportation. Henry Grady played an important role.

Henry Grady

the editor of the Atlanta Constitution spread the gospel of the "new south" with editorials that argued for economic diversity and the laissex faire capitalism

Birmingham, Alabama

steel producer

Memphis, Tennessee

lumber industry

Richmond, Virginia

tobacco industry

national rail network

Roadways and railways

Making travel more efficient

tenant farmer

farmer who rented land

sharecroppers

people who paid for a plot of land from another person, and farm it in exchange for a share of the crop

George Washington Carver

An African American scientist at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, who promoted the growing of such crops as peanuts, sweet potatoes, and soybeans. He played an important role in shifting southern agriculture toward a more diversified base.

White Supremacists

Favored in treating African Americans as social inferiors by separating, or segregating, public facilities by race.

Redeemers

often used race as a rallying cry to deflect attention from the real concerns of tenant farmers and the working poor

Civil Rights Cases of 1883

Court ruled that Congress could not legislate against the racial discrimination practiced by private citizens.

Plessy v. Ferguson

a 1896 Supreme Court decision which legalized state ordered segregation so long as the facilities for blacks and whites were equal (did not violate the 14A and upheled segregation)

Jim Crow Laws

State laws in the South that legalized segregation (bathrooms, water fountains, and public transportation was segregated)

literacy tests, poll taxes

were used to prevent African Americans from voting

Grandfather clauses

allowed a man to vote if his grandfather had voted in elections before Reconstruction

Lynch mobs

In the 1890s, more than 1,400 African American men were lynched (hung by a mob without trial) by Southerns.

economic discrimination

paying a person a lower wage or excluding a person from an occupation on the basis of an irrelevant characteristic such as race or gender

Ida B Wells

editor of Memphis Free Speech; campaigned against lynching and Jim Crow laws

Bishop Henry Turner

He formed the International Migration Society, which transported freed slaves back to Africa instead of trying to assimilate them into white culture

Booker T. Washington

African American progressive who supported segregation and demanded that African American better themselves individually to achieve equality.

Atlanta Compromise

a belied that Black and white Southerners shared a responsibility for making their region prosper

economic cooperation

Booker T. Washington's National Negro Business League emphasized racial harmony and economic cooperation. (p. 350)

W.E.B Du Bois

founded NAAXP and demanded an immediate end to segregation + granting of civil rights to African Americans

transatlantic cable

In 1866, Cyrus W. Field's invention allowed messages to be sent across the oceans. (p. 325)

telephone

Invented by Alexander Graham Bell

Eastman's Kodak camera

a product for the consumer made by George Eastman

Henry Bessemer

Englishman who developed the first efficient method for the mass production of steel

Thomas Edison

American inventor best known for inventing the electric light bulb, acoustic recording on wax cylinders, and motion pictures.

Menlo Park

Edison's invention factory

dynamo

A machine that generates electricity

electric light

revolutionized life, especially in the cities, from the way people worked to the way they shopped.

George Westinghouse

An american entrepreneruer and engineer who invented the railroad air brake and a transformer for producing high-voltage alternating current (AC)

lighting of cities

AC helped the lighting of cities possible

subways

could transport people to urban residences even farther from the city's commercial center

Brooklyn Bridge

a suspension bridge across the East River in New York City (1883)

Skyscraper

a very tall building with many stories built since there was an increase in land values in the central business district (taller builds are now more profitable)

Otis Elevator

Invented the first safe and reliably working elevator. This invention helped to revolutionize the way that the city could grow. (Now could grow up instead of out)

R.H. macy

an American businessman who founded the department store chain R.H. Macy and Company

Sears and Roebuck

Two large mail order companies who used the improved rail system to ship to rural customers.

packaged foods

Kellogg, Post, became common items in American kitchens

canning

changed the eating habits of americans with mass-produced meat and vegetable products

Advertising

promoted consumer economy and created a consumer culture (shopping)

white-collar workers

salaried employees whose jobs generally don't involve manual labor

Middle Management

managers who are below the top level of management; used to coordinate operations between the executives and the factories

"Gospel of Wealth"

An argument by Andrew Carnegie that stated that the wealthy moral responsibility to carry out philanthropic projects to help society

Philanthropy

Charity/donations to public causes

Professions

Highly-esteemed white collar occupations that require a great deal of education

Growth of Suburbs

Mid-class families moving out of cities because: low housing costs, cheap transportation to work, new construction methods made building houses cheaper, some all-white neighborhoods due to racial prejudice, grass, privacy, and detached individual houses

Private City vs Public City

at 1st city residents tried to carry on life in large cities like small villages but private enterprises shaped US cities and made services for profit. Soon poor conditions, crime, and pollution spread and reformers wanted to better conditions. This created a debate between public good vs private good (profit for private companies)

"City Beautiful" Movement

1890s; grand plans to remake American cities with tree-lined boulevards, public parks, and public cultural attractions

Public schools

free schools supported by taxes

Kindergarten

education for young children; reflected growing interest for early-childhood education