Reconstruction, Westward Expansion, Gilded Age, WWI, WWII, & Cold War RECONSTRUCTION (1865–1877)

What was Reconstruction?

The period after the Civil War focused on rebuilding the South and reintegrating former Confederate states.

What was Lincoln’s Reconstruction plan?

A lenient plan allowing Southern states back after 10% of voters swore loyalty.

What did Radical Republicans want?

Harsh punishment for the South and stronger protections for freedmen.

Why did Congress oppose Andrew Johnson?

He was too lenient toward former Confederates.

What was the purpose of the Freedmen’s Bureau?

Help formerly enslaved people with education, food, jobs, and legal support.

What were Black Codes?

Southern laws restricting African Americans’ freedoms after the Civil War.

What did the 13th Amendment do?

Abolished slavery.

What did the 14th Amendment guarantee?

Citizenship and equal protection under the law.

What did the 15th Amendment do?

Gave African American men the right to vote.

What was sharecropping?

Farming system where tenants worked land in exchange for a share of crops.

Difference between tenant farming and sharecropping?

Tenant farmers usually owned tools and supplies while sharecroppers did not.

What was the purpose of the KKK?

Terrorize African Americans and stop Republican influence in the South.

What did the Enforcement Acts do?

Allowed the federal government to suppress KKK violence.

Why was the Compromise of 1877 important?

Ended Reconstruction by removing federal troops from the South.

Why is Reconstruction often considered unsuccessful?

White supremacy returned and African Americans lost many rights through Jim Crow laws.

What was Manifest Destiny?

Belief that Americans were destined to expand across North America.

What did the Homestead Act do?

Gave settlers 160 acres of western land.

Why was the Transcontinental Railroad important?

Connected East and West, increasing trade and migration.

What did the Dawes Act attempt to do?

Assimilate Native Americans by dividing tribal lands into private farms.

What was assimilation policy?

Attempt to force Native Americans to adopt white American culture.

What was the reservation system?

Government policy forcing Native Americans onto limited lands.

What happened at Little Bighorn?

Sioux forces defeated Custer’s troops.

Why was Wounded Knee significant?

Marked the end of major Native American resistance.

Why did buffalo populations collapse?

Overhunting by settlers and railroads.

What was Frederick Jackson Turner’s thesis?

The frontier shaped American democracy and individualism.

Why is it called the Gilded Age?

Society appeared prosperous but had corruption and inequality underneath.

What fueled industrialization during the Gilded Age?

Railroads, steel, oil, inventions, and cheap labor.

How did Andrew Carnegie gain wealth?

Steel industry and vertical integration.

What business strategy did Rockefeller use?

Horizontal integration and monopolies in oil.

What is vertical integration?

Controlling all stages of production.

What is horizontal integration?

Buying competing companies to eliminate competition.

What is a monopoly?

Complete control over an industry.

What did Social Darwinism argue?

Wealthy people succeeded because they were naturally “fit.”

What was Carnegie’s Gospel of Wealth?

Rich people should use wealth to help society.

What were political machines?

Organizations controlling local politics through patronage and corruption.

Why is Boss Tweed important?

Symbol of urban political corruption.

Why did workers form labor unions?

To improve wages, hours, and working conditions.

What made the Knights of Labor different?

Accepted skilled and unskilled workers.

What did the AFL focus on?

Skilled workers and practical workplace improvements.

Why was the Haymarket Riot important?

Hurt public support for labor unions.

What happened during the Homestead Strike?

Violent steelworker strike crushed by management.

Why was the Pullman Strike significant?

Federal troops were used against striking workers.

What was the Sherman Antitrust Act?

Law intended to break up monopolies.

What were the MAIN causes of WWI?

Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism.

Why did the U.S. initially stay neutral?

Americans wanted to avoid European conflict.

Why was the sinking of the Lusitania important?

Increased anti-German sentiment in America.

What was the Zimmerman Telegram?

German message encouraging Mexico to attack the U.S.

What did the Selective Service Act do?

Created military draft.

What was the purpose of the War Industries Board?

Coordinate wartime production.

What did the CPI do?

Used propaganda to build support for the war.

Why were espionage and sedition acts controversial?

Limited free speech during wartime.

What was the Great Migration?

Movement of African Americans from South to North for jobs.

What were the Fourteen Points?

Wilson’s plan for peace and self-determination.

Why did the U.S. reject the League of Nations?

Fear of foreign entanglements.

What caused WWII?

Aggression by Germany, Italy, and Japan plus failure of appeasement.

What was appeasement?

Giving concessions to aggressive nations to avoid war.

Why was Pearl Harbor significant?

Led U.S. to enter WWII.

Why were Japanese Americans interned?

Fear and racism after Pearl Harbor.

What happened on D-Day?

Allied invasion of Normandy

What was the Manhattan Project?

Secret project developing atomic bombs

Why did the U.S. bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

Force Japan’s surrender and end WWII quickly.

What was the Holocaust?

Nazi genocide murdering six million Jews and millions of others.

What did Rosie the Riveter symbolize?

Women entering industrial jobs during WWII.

What did the GI Bill provide?

Education and housing benefits for veterans.

What was the Cold War?

Political and ideological conflict between U.S. and Soviet Union.

What was containment?

U.S. policy of stopping spread of communism.

What did the Truman Doctrine promise?

Aid to nations resisting communism.

What was the Marshall Plan?

Economic aid to rebuild Europe and prevent communism.

Why was the Berlin Airlift important?

U.S. supplied West Berlin during Soviet blockade.

What is NATO?

Military alliance against Soviet aggression.

Why did the Korean War start?

North Korea invaded South Korea.

What was McCarthyism?

Fear-based accusations of communism in America.

What was the arms race?

Competition between U.S. and USSR to build nuclear weapons.

What was the Space Race?

Competition for space exploration achievements.

Why was the Cuban Missile Crisis significant?

Closest the world came to nuclear war.

Why did the U.S. enter Vietnam?

To contain communism.

What was the Domino Theory?

If one country became communist, nearby countries would follow

Why was the Tet Offensive important?

Shifted American opinion against Vietnam War.

What was détente?

Relaxation of Cold War tensions.

How did Reagan approach the Cold War?

Increased military spending and pressured the USSR.

Why did the Soviet Union collapse?

Economic weakness, political reforms, and Cold War pressures.