APUSH Unit 6

American Tobacco Company

American Tobacco Company

Founded in 1890 by James Duke in North Carolina, controlled tobacco production.

Crop-lien System

System that allowed Black sharecroppers to acquire necessary materials in exchange for giving credit to their landlords. This impoverished many Black sharecroppers

Sharecropping

A system of agriculture that was common in the South in the late 1800s. Blacks would rent on & cultivate other people's land and give them a portion of their crops in exchange.

Booker T. Washington

A Black progressive who believed Blacks need to get an education to gain social equality.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

A Supreme Court case that legalized the segregation of Black & White facilities in the South as long as they are equal.

Cumming v. Richmond County Board of Education (1899)

Supreme Court case that legalized segregation of schools in the South.

Grandfather Clause

An act passed in the South that gives voting rights to people whose ancestors voted in the Southern elections before the Civil War. Basically, allowed all Whites but nor poor Blacks to vote.

Jim Crow Laws

A series of laws to enforce segregation of Blacks & Whites.

Transcontinental Railroad

Railroad connecting the west and east coasts of the continental US; completed in 1869.

Texas Road

A trail in which cattle traveled from Texas to Sedalia, MO, to be sold or marketed

Cattle Ranching

An important industry in the Great Plains and Texas. Involved ranching and grazing cattle to generate meat & other dairy products.

Taos Rebellion, 1847

When US Gen. Kearny tried to impose a US government in New Mexico in Mexican-American War, the Taos Indians revolted & killed many US officials.

Chinatowns

Communities in major American cities where Chinese lived and created restaurants, shops, and other services to establish & spread their culture. Main one was in San Francisco.

Anti-Coolie Clubs

Groups that wanted to prevent Chinese immigration

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

An act that suspended Chinese immigration to America

Homestead Act of 1862

An act that allowed settlers to acquire 160 acres of territory in the West and pay a small fee after 5 years to keep it.

Indian Peace Commission (1867)

Sought to move all Indian to 2 reservations: One in Oklahoma, one in Dakotas. This failed.

Battle of Little Bighorn (1876)

Sioux Indians killed US army led by Gen. George Custer. This was one of the most important battles in the Indian wars.

Ghost Dance

A religious dance that the Native Americans adopted in which they believed they would dominate their land and the Americans would go away. The US believed this to be an indication that the Native Americans would attack them.

Wounded Knee Massacre (1890)

US army killed 200 Sioux Indians in order to suppress the Ghost Dance movement, which they believed to be a threat to the US. Eventually, the Sioux were forced onto multiple reservations.

Dawes Act (1887)

Broke up Native American reservations into individual land plots for sale, giving the remaining to Indians to live like normal Americans. Also sought to "Americanize" the Indians by making them part of American society and economy and by sending Indian children to boarding schools.

Carlisle School

A school founded by Richard Pratt to "Americanize" and "civilize" the Indians and teach them the ways of the Americans.

Bessemer Converter

A blast furnace invented by Henry Bessemer that uses coal and iron ore to make steel.

Wright Brothers

Used the internal combustion engine to make the first airplane in 1903.

Henry Ford

Used internal combustion engine to make first major American car (Ford) in 1903.

Andrew Carnegie

Built a huge steel company centered in Pittsburgh. Dominated entire steel industry. Donated his wealth to philanthropies.

John D Rockefeller

Built the Standard Oil Company & Trust, dominating the vast majority of the US petroleum industry. He also donated his money to educational philanthropies.

Robber Barons

A term to describe the industrialists or big business owners who dominated entire industries & had brutal labor policies.

Great Railroad Strike (1877)

Many railroad workers went on strike due to wage cuts. President Hayes went the army to crush the strike, and they killed about 100 strikers.

Haymarket Affair (1886)

A rally that protested police brutality of strikers. Turned violent when someone threw a bomb into the crowd, causing the police to shoot & kill many people. Led to anti-labor union sentiment throughout the nation.

Whiskey Ring Scandal

Republican politicians sought to use Whiskey taxes to fund the Republican Party's operations. They were caught.

Tweed Ring Scandal

Boss Tweed took over the New York City government with corrupt politicians who gained money for every NYC construction project.

Interstate Commerce Act (1887)

Sought to regulate railroad prices, but it was very weak & unsuccessful in the long term.

Sherman Antitrust Act (1890)

Sought to regulate monopolies & encourage free trade. This was weak & unsuccessful in the long term.

People's (Populist) Party

A party led by agrarian activists that sought to end government corruption and promote policies that favor farmers & merchants.

Political Machines/Bosses

Political organizations led by corrupt businessmen that appealed to immigrants by providing them with social services in exchange for gaining their vote in elections. These "bosses" would use their political power to generate a lot of money.

American Protective Association (1887)

Organization created by American nativists that campaigned for laws to restrict immigration.

New York Central Park

The most successful & one of the largest urban parks. Created in the late 1800s in response to growing population & more crowding in New York City.

Tenements

The type of housing in which most low-class industrial workers lived. Often poorly constructed, crammed multiple people into one room. Often had no indoor plumbing, easily causing spread of diseases.

Salvation Army (est. 1879)

A charity organization that sought to help the poor. The middle & wealthy classes donated to it.

Social Gospel Movement

A Christian revival movement that sought to help the poor and help with social reform.

"Five and ten cent store"

A chain of corner stores established by Woolworth.