APUSH - Unit 15 Vocab (Part 1)

Transcontinental railroad

The railway line that connected the Central Pacific and Union Pacific lines, allowing goods to move from the eastern U.S. to California.

Protective tariff

A tax on foreign products being imported into the United States and gave U.S. manufacturers a competitive advantage in America’s market

Burlingame Treaty

a treaty between the United States and China that encouraged Chinese immigration to the U.S. and established friendly relations between the two countries

Munn v. Illinois

ruled states have the right to regulate private businesses if those businesses serve the public interest

Gold standard

The practice of backing a country’s currency with its reserves of gold

Homestead Act

the act that gave 160 acres of free western land to any applicant who occupied and improved the property

Land-grant college

Public universities founded to expand educational opportunities and foster technical and scientific expertise

Comstock Lode

the first major discovery of silver ore in Nevada, bringing a diverse population into the region

Exodusters

African Americans who walked or rode out of the Deep South following the Civil War

Yellowstone National Park

the United States’s first national park

US Fish and Wildlife Service

a federal government agency responsible for protecting, conserving, and enhancing fish, wildlife, plants, and their natural habitats