Key Themes and Figures in Late 19th Century America

These flashcards cover significant events, figures, and concepts from late 19th-century America to help review material for the upcoming exam.

Sand Creek

A massacre in 1864 where Colorado U.S. Volunteer Cavalry attacked a Cheyenne and Arapaho encampment, killing many.

Fetterman Massacre

An 1866 battle where Sioux forces ambushed and killed U.S. troops led by William J. Fetterman.

Battle of Little Bighorn

A 1876 battle where Sioux and Cheyenne defeated U.S. cavalry under General George Custer.

Wounded Knee

The site of a massacre in 1890 where U.S. troops killed hundreds of Lakota Sioux.

Chief Joseph

Leader of the Nez Perce who resisted relocation to a reservation.

George Armstrong Custer

A U.S. cavalry officer known for his role in the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Ulysses S. Grant

The 18th President of the United States and a key Union general in the Civil War.

Homestead Act of 1862

Legislation that encouraged Western migration by providing settlers 160 acres of public land.

Centennial Exposition of 1876

A world's fair held in Philadelphia showcasing American innovations and industrial growth.

Vertical integration

A business strategy where a company controls multiple stages of production.

Standard Oil Trust

An oil company founded by John D. Rockefeller that monopolized the oil industry.

Social Darwinism

The belief that social progress arises from the survival of the fittest in business.

Labor Unions

Organizations formed by workers to protect their rights and improve working conditions.

Machine Politics

A political system where party bosses control political appointments and services.

Victorian ethos

The moral standards and beliefs typical of middle-class Victorians in the late 19th century.

Telegraph Cable

A means of long-distance communication that significantly connected the U.S. to Europe.

Trans-Atlantic Telegraph Cable

A cable laid under the Atlantic Ocean facilitating rapid communication between Europe and America.

Urban Poor Life

Life characterized by overcrowding, poor housing, low wages, and limited opportunities during the late 1800s.

Sand Creek

A massacre in 1864 where Colorado U.S. Volunteer Cavalry attacked a Cheyenne and Arapaho encampment, killing many.

Fetterman Massacre

An 1866 battle where Sioux forces ambushed and killed U.S. troops led by William J. Fetterman.

Battle of Little Bighorn

A 1876 battle where Sioux and Cheyenne defeated U.S. cavalry under General George Custer.

Wounded Knee

The site of a massacre in 1890 where U.S. troops killed hundreds of Lakota Sioux.

Chief Joseph

Leader of the Nez Perce who resisted relocation to a reservation.

George Armstrong Custer

A U.S. cavalry officer known for his role in the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Ulysses S. Grant

The 18th President of the United States and a key Union general in the Civil War.

Homestead Act of 1862

Legislation that encouraged Western migration by providing settlers 160 acres of public land.

Centennial Exposition of 1876

A world's fair held in Philadelphia showcasing American innovations and industrial growth.

Vertical integration

A business strategy where a company controls multiple stages of production.

Standard Oil Trust

An oil company founded by John D. Rockefeller that monopolized the oil industry.

Social Darwinism

The belief that social progress arises from the survival of the fittest in business.

Labor Unions

Organizations formed by workers to protect their rights and improve working conditions.

Machine Politics

A political system where party bosses control political appointments and services.

Victorian ethos

The moral standards and beliefs typical of middle-class Victorians in the late 19th century.

Telegraph Cable

A means of long-distance communication that significantly connected the U.S. to Europe.

Trans-Atlantic Telegraph Cable

A cable laid under the Atlantic Ocean facilitating rapid communication between Europe and America.

Urban Poor Life

Life characterized by overcrowding, poor housing, low wages, and limited opportunities during the late 1800s.

Horizontal integration

A business strategy focusing on acquiring or merging with competitors at the same level of production to limit competition.

Andrew Carnegie

A prominent industrialist and philanthropist who led the expansion of the American steel industry using vertical integration.

Gospel of Wealth

An article written by Andrew Carnegie describing the responsibility of philanthropy by the new upper class of self-made rich.

Dawes Act of 1887

Federal legislation that distributed reservation land to individual Native Americans to encourage assimilation into farming culture.

Transcontinental Railroad

A railway completed in 1869 that linked the eastern United States rail network with the Pacific coast.

Haymarket Riot

An 1886 labor protest in Chicago that turned violent after a bomb was thrown, leading to public or middle-class backlash against unions.

Sherman Antitrust Act

An 1890 federal law that committed the American government to opposing monopolies and trusts that restrained trade.

Tenement Houses

Multistory buildings divided into crowded, low-cost apartments commonly found in urban slums during the Gilded Age.

John D. Rockefeller

The founder of the Standard Oil Company who used horizontal integration to create one of the first and most powerful American trusts.