APUSH Unit 6

transcontinental railroads

building of these linked the East with the West to create on great national market and they promoted settlement on the Great Plains

Great American Desert

arid land between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Coast

barbed wire

a factor that closed down the cattle frontier was homesteaders using this to cut off access to formerly open range.

Homestead Act

this act encouraged farming on the Great Plains by offering 160 acres of public land free to any family that settled on it for 5 years.

National Grange Movement

organized as a social and educational organization for farmers and their families and existed in almost every state. as it expanded it became active in economics and politics to defend members against middle men, trusts and railroads.

Granger Laws

Laws setting maximum rates for railroad shipping and grain storage to combat unfair practices and protect farmers and their families

Munn vs Illinois

landmark case where the Supreme Court upheld the right of a state to regulate business of a public nature such as railroads.

Frederick Jackson Turner

Historian and Author of “The Significance of the Frontier in American History” who proposed the Frontier Thesis, arguing that the American frontier shaped the nation's democracy and character.

The Significance of the Frontier in American History

A work by historian Frederick Jackson Turner that explores the impact of the American frontier on the development of the United States and its democratic values.

Little Big Horn

A battle in 1876 between the United States Army and Native American forces, particularly the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho, which resulted in a significant victory for the Native Americans led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse.

Ghost Dance Movement

A religious movement among Native Americans in the late 19th century that aimed to restore native lands and practices through ceremonial dancing and was partly a response to the oppression and loss faced by indigenous peoples.

Helen Hunt Jackson

An American writer and activist for Native American rights, best known for her book "A Century of Dishonor," which highlighted injustices faced by Native Americans and called for reform in US policy.

Dawes Act of 1887

Legislation that aimed to assimilate Native Americans by allotting them individual plots of land and granting US citizenship, ultimately undermining tribal sovereignty and communal land ownership.

Indian Reorganization Act

An act passed in 1934 aimed at reversing the Dawes Act's policies by restoring some rights to Native American tribes, including the right to self-govern and to manage their own affairs.

Santa Fe Trail

A 19th-century trade route connecting Missouri to Santa Fe, facilitating commerce and the westward expansion of the United States.

John Muir

Preservationist and leading founder of the Sierra Club

Sierra Club

An organization dedicated to the preservation of Americas great mountains and wilderness enviornments

“New South”

Southerners promoted the vision for this after the Civil War that involved and self sufficient economy, modern capitalist values, industrial growth, modern transportation and improved race relations

George Washington Carver

an African American scientist who promoted the growing of Peanuts, sweet potatoes and soybeans. His work payed an important role in shifting southern agriculture

Tuskegee Institute

University in Alabama where George Washington Carver studied

Civil Rights Cases of 1883

the court ruled that congress could not ban racial discrimination practiced by private citizens and businesses used by the public

Plessy v Ferguson