Unit 2: Western Expansion, Industrialization, and the Gilded Age

Comprehensive flashcards covering mining, railroads, western agriculture, Native American policies, industrial growth, trusts, the labor movement, and early 20th-century technological innovations.

What caused boomtowns to emerge and later become ghost towns in the American West?

Boomtowns sprang up overnight near major mining locations, but once the gold or silver dried up, miners relocated, leaving behind abandoned ghost towns.

Which immigrant groups provided labor for the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad?

The Union Pacific hired immigrants from Ireland, while the Central Pacific hired immigrants from China.

How did technology assist sodbusters farming on the Great Plains?

A new steel plow allowed sodbusters to cut through the tough sod to reach the fertile soil underneath.

What were the terms of the Homestead Act passed in $1882$, and who acquired the majority of the land?

The Homestead Act promised $160$ free acres of western land to anyone who would improve it over $5$ years; however, only about $20\%$ went to individual farmers, while large corporations took most of it to resell for profit.

What were cow towns, and what are four examples of them?

Cow towns were settlements that sprang up along railroad lines where cattle drives ended, including Abilene, Wichita, Caldwell, and Dodge City.

Why did the buffalo population on the Great Plains experience a sharp decrease in the $1840\text{s}$?

The sharp decline was driven by a growing commercial demand for buffalo robes.

Why were teepees well-suited for Native Americans living on the Great Plains prior to white settlement?

Tent-like teepees were portable and ideal for their nomadic way of life.

What were the casualties of the incident at Wounded Knee?

Nearly $300$ Lakota men, women, and children were killed.

What was the primary goal of the Dawes Act?

The primary goal was to encourage Native Americans to assimilate into American culture and become farmers.

How did Andrew Carnegie transform the American steel industry?

Carnegie adopted the Bessemer process to manufacture steel faster and cheaper, and he used vertical integration by purchasing iron mines, railroad lines, steamship lines, and warehouses to control all steps of production.

How does vertical integration operate?

Vertical integration is the strategy of controlling all the steps required to turn raw materials into finished products.

How dominant was John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Trust after its formation in $1882$?

Standard Oil held a monopoly over the oil industry, controlling $95\%$ of all oil refining in the United States.

How did investment bankers such as J.P. Morgan grow their influence during the economic downturns of the $1890\text{s}$?

Bankers like J.P. Morgan bought up struggling corporations during difficult economic periods.

What was prohibited by the Sherman Antitrust Act of $1890$?

The Sherman Antitrust Act banned the formation of trusts and monopolies in order to protect market competition.

What sequence of events occurred during the Haymarket Riot in May $1886$?

On May $3$, workers clashed with strikebreakers and police killed $4$ people; during a protest rally the next day, a bomb exploded that killed $7$ police officers, leading to $8$ convictions and $4$ executions.

What were the human casualties and resulting safety reforms of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire?

$150$ workers, mostly young women, lost their lives, which prompted new safety laws mandating fire alarms, fire exits, and unlocked workplace doors.

When was the American Federation of Labor (AFL) formed, and who was permitted to join?

The AFL was formed in $1886$ exclusively for skilled workers.

How did Henry Ford's moving assembly line function, and what was its effect on the automobile market between $1908$ and $1928$?

Workers remained in one place while products moved past on a track or belt, enabling mass production that lowered car prices and produced a massive increase in vehicles on American roads.

What specific challenge did many African American inventors face in the late $19\text{th}$ and early $20\text{th}$ centuries?

Many African American inventors faced difficulties in obtaining patents for their inventions.

What were the key details of the first successful airplane flight in $1903$, and what was its first practical use?

Tested at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the flight lasted $12\,\text{seconds}$ and covered $120\,\text{feet}$; its first practical application was in the U.S. military.