History Exam 1 Flashcards

All the terms from the list that she gave us, not including the ones she told us to delete.

Transcontinental Railroad

The Pacific Railway Act of 1862 authorized the construction of the continental railroad, with the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads as the primary builders.

Sharecropping

Emerged as a system where ex-slaves were given land but had to give half their crop to landowners, creating a cycle of debt and dependence.

Pacific Railway Act

Th authorization of the construction of the transcontinental rails with the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads as the primary builders.

Homestead Act

160 acres for $10 after 5 years of improvement

Few could afford: (15,000 people, 1k needed to start)

Exodusters

African Americans who migrated from the Southern United States to the Great Plains, particularly Kansas, in the late 19th century, notably during the "Exodus of 1879"

Plessy v Ferguson

Established the “separate but equal” doctrine, legitimizing racial segregation in public facilities.

Oklahoma Land Rush

The Land Rush of 1889 was the first land run into the Unassigned Lands of the former western portion of the federal Indian Territory, which had decades earlier since the 1830s been assigned to the Creek and Seminole native peoples.

Central Pacific Railroad

The Central Pacific Railroad was a rail company chartered by U.S. Congress in 1862 to build a railroad eastwards from Sacramento, California, to complete most of the western part of the "First transcontinental railroad" in North America.

Union Pacific Railroad

Union Pacific Railroad starts in Nebraska and builds to the west

Dawes Act

A U.S. federal law designed to assimilate Native Americans into white American culture by breaking up communal tribal lands into privately owned parcels.

Wovoka

Wovoka was a Paiute holy man who started the Ghost Dance movement in 1889, a spiritual revival among Native American tribes that prophesied the return of the old-time way of life and the extinction of white people.

Ghost Dance

One of the movements alongside the Battle of Little Bighorn (1876) that highlighted the resistance of native Americans against the US government

Ethnocentrism

The belief in the inherent superiority of one's own culture or ethnic group, using it as the standard to judge other cultures.

Assimilation

Assimilation is the process by which individuals or groups adopt the cultural and social patterns of a host society, historically applied to immigrants and Indigenous peoples through various means, including forced cultural practices, language suppression, and policy changes aimed at integration or dominance.

Wounded Knee Massacre

The Wounded Knee Massacre (1890) marked a tragic culmination of U.S. policies towards Native Americans, resulting in significant loss of life and culture.

Textile Industry

The textile industry includes all businesses involved in the creation, manufacturing, and distribution of textiles, which are materials made from fibers, yarns, and fabrics.

Promontory Point

The completion of the railroad in 1869 at Promontory Point, Utah, marked a significant milestone in U.S. history, connecting the east and west.

Mexican-American Losses

Mexican-American war

seizure of communal

seasonal wage labor

The Mexican-American War resulted in significant losses for both the United States and Mexico. The United States suffered approximately 17,000 military casualties, including 13,000 dead and 4,000 wounded. Of these, about 1,800 military personnel died in combat. The Mexican side faced a more severe toll, with an estimated 25,000 casualties, including possibly 1,000 civilians. The conflict led to the loss of more than half of Mexico's territory, including California, Arizona, New Mexico, and portions of Utah, Nevada, and Colorado, in exchange for a payment of $15 million.

Buffalo

The hunting of Buffalo was used to weaken Indians and to feed railroad workers.

Sooners

Sooners is the name given to settlers who entered the Unassigned Lands illegally in what is now the state of Oklahoma before the official start of the Land Rush of 1889.

Crop-lien System

Further entrenched poverty, limiting opportunities for freedmen and perpetuating economic control by white landowners.

Westward Expansion

The movement of settlers into the American West, facilitated by various factors including Railroads.

Indian Policy

Indian policies aimed at controlling Native populations led to the destruction of buffalo herds, weakening Native resistance and displacing tribal lands. Indian policies also led to the displacement of Native tribes and the loss of traditional territories for Native tribes.

“Separate but Equal”

The case involved Homer Plessy, who was 7/8 white but classified as black under Louisiana law.

The ruling upheld racial segregation laws for public facilities, leading to nearly 100 years of institutionalized inequality.

This case exemplified the systemic racism embedded in U.S. law, affecting various aspects of life for African Americans.

Jim Crow

Laws enforcing segregation in all public spaces including transportation, schools, and dining establishments, institutionalizing racial discrimination.

Disfranchisement

The restriction of the right to vote of a person or group of people.

The use of poll taxes, literacy tests, grandfather clause, and understanding clause.

Lynching

Public, gruesome executions to instill fear; often targeted Black men accused of interacting with white women.

Convict Lease System

This system allowed for the leasing of convicts particularly mostly for black men for labor after minor crimes.

Tenement Houses

Residential Apartment Buildings

Tenement houses are residential apartment buildings, often associated with low-quality, cramped living conditions, primarily built for the working class during urban industrialization. They were legally defined by the Tenement House Act of 1867, which set construction regulations, including the requirement of one toilet per 20 people. Over time, tenement houses became synonymous with overcrowded and run-down living conditions, particularly in cities like New York. The Tenement House Act of 1901 further aimed to improve these conditions by implementing reforms. Overall, tenement houses reflect a significant aspect of urban housing history and the challenges faced by the working class.

Vagrancy Laws

Made it illegal to not have a job.

Vagrancy laws criminalize people for being homeless, unemployed, or poor.

Redemption

The Redemption Era marked a return to white control in Southern politics, with violence and legal measures used to suppress Black political power.

Pig Law

Made it illegal to steal anything that was worth more than a pig (about $15 dollars), it is a felony.

Ku Klux Klan

One of the more well known groups that used violence and intimidation to maintain white supremacy and control over black populations.

Poll Tax

Small fees that were prohibitive for impoverished freedmen (and poor whites)

Grandfather Clause

Allowed voting only if your grandfather could vote, effectively excluding freedmen.

Literacy Test

Required reading and understanding the state constitution; many freedmen were illiterate due to slavery laws prohibiting education.

Understanding Clause

Subjective tests where registrars could reject voters arbitrarily.

Great Migration

Southern blacks moving to Northern cities, seeking better employment and social conditions.

Working Conditions

Workers faced low wages, with men typically earning more than women, and women earning more than children (child labor), reflecting societal norms regarding the role of “breadwinners”.

Workers endured long hours, typically ranging from 12-16 hours a day, without overtime pay, in environments that lacked safety measures, leading to high injury rates.

Living Conditions

Rapid urbanization led to overcrowding, with families often living in subdivided apartments, sometimes cramming four or more individuals into a single room, increasing social issues.

New Immigrants

New immigrants primarily came from Southern and Eastern Europe, including countries like Italy, Greece, and Russia, as well as smaller numbers from China, Japan, and Mexico.

Tenements

Tenements were poorly constructed, lacking basic amenities such as ventilation and indoor plumbing, which contributed to unsanitary living conditions and high disease rates.

Naturalization Act of 1870

The Naturalization Act of 1870 was a significant U.S. federal law that expanded naturalization rights to "aliens of African nativity and to persons of African descent," while excluding other non-white groups, particularly Asians.

The Naturalization Act of 1870 was signed into law on July 14, 1870, by President Ulysses S. Grant. This act amended previous naturalization laws and established a more structured process for granting U.S. citizenship. It aimed to address the growing complexities of immigration and citizenship in the post-Civil War era, particularly in light of the Fourteenth Amendment, which granted citizenship to former slaves born in the U.S..

Chinese Exclusion Act

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was a significant U.S. federal law that prohibited all immigration of Chinese laborers, marking the first major legislation to restrict immigration based on nationality.

The Chinese Exclusion Act was signed into law by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882. It was the first federal law to explicitly suspend immigration for a specific nationality, targeting Chinese laborers, both skilled and unskilled. The Act was initially set to last for 10 years but was renewed and strengthened by the Geary Act in 1892 and made permanent in 1902. The law also denied Chinese residents already in the U.S. the ability to become citizens and required them to carry identification certificates.

Nativism

Nativism is the political policy of promoting or protecting the interests of native-born or indigenous people over those of immigrants, including the support of anti-immigration and immigration-restriction measures.

Ellis Island

Immigrants were processed at Ellis Island, which became a symbol of the American immigrant experience, representing hope and opportunity.

Many immigrants were processed at Ellis Island, where they encountered bureaucratic hurdles and cultural adjustments.

Social Darwinism

Popularized by Herbert Spencer, applied the concept of 'survival of the fittest' to societies, suggesting that technologically advanced nations were superior.

Herbert Spencer

Apply the concept of “survival of the fittest” to society

White Man’s Burden

The notion of the 'White Man's Burden,' articulated by Rudyard Kipling, framed imperialism as a moral obligation to civilize 'less fit' societies, often justified by racial superiority.

Philippine-American War

Following the Spanish-American War, the U.S. reneged on promises of independence to the Philippines, leading to a brutal conflict marked by severe human rights violations.

Lasted for about 3 years.

Alfred Thayer Mahan

Mahanism, developed by Alfred Thayer Mahan, emphasized the importance of naval power in establishing and maintaining an empire.

Mahan argued that a strong navy was essential for protecting trade routes and asserting dominance over other nations, influencing U.S. foreign policy.

U.S.S Maine

The explosion of the U.S.S. Maine was used as a rallying point for war, despite evidence suggesting it was an accident rather than an attack by Spain.

Imperialism

Imperialism is the maintaining and extending of power over foreign nations, particularly through expansionism, employing both hard power (military and economic power) and soft power (diplomatic power and cultural imperialism).

Theodore Roosevelt

As a key figure in American imperialism, Roosevelt's policies and actions, including the creation of the Rough Riders, exemplified the aggressive expansionist mindset.

Mahanism

Alfred Thayer Mahan argued that a strong navy was essential for the U.S. to become a world power, advocating for the acquisition of Pacific islands and the construction of a canal through Panama.

The concept of Mahanism emphasized the need for a strong navy to protect American interests and facilitate expansion into the Pacific.

William H. Seward

William Seward negotiated the purchase from Russia for $7.2 million, which was initially mocked as 'Seward’s Folly' but later recognized for its vast natural resources.

Spanish-American War

The Spanish-American War (1898) marked a significant turning point, leading to the U.S. acquiring territories like Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

Lasted for 3 months.

Annexation of Hawaii

The U.S. took control of Hawaii, marking a significant step in its imperialistic endeavors, often cited as the beginning of American imperialism.

Yellow Journalism

Yellow Journalism played a significant role in shaping public opinion during the Spanish-American War, exaggerating events to stir public support for war.

Immigration Restriction League

The Immigration Restriction League was an American nativist and anti-immigration organization founded by Charles Warren, Robert DeCourcy Ward, and Prescott F. Hall in 1894.

The immigration restriction league lobbied for stricter rules on immigration.

Teller Amendment

Enacted before and during the war, the Teller Amendment assured that the U.S. would not annex Cuba after defeating Spain, emphasizing the U.S. commitment to Cuban sovereignty.

Treaty of Paris (1898)

The Treaty of Paris (1898) ended the war, granting the U.S. control over former Spanish territories and establishing it as a global power.

Platt Amendment

Passed after the war, the Platt Amendment imposed restrictions on Cuba's sovereignty, requiring U.S. approval for foreign treaties and granting the U.S. control over Guantanamo Bay.

Panama Canal

The construction of the Panama Canal was a significant achievement for the U.S., facilitating trade and military movement between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.