US History Unit 1 Content Review

first industry to attract settlers to the west

mining

After the CA and CO gold rushes failed and miners were disappointed, they went to ___, starting the ___ Gold Rush. They fount the ___ ___ and ___ ____ appealing.

Alaska, Klondike, vast landmasses, hidden resources

How did mining towns help develop the West?

each town needed a businesses (an economy) and a government to support the mining industry

Aside from mining, the ___ industry also contributed to the development of towns out West

cattle

Why was there a demand for food in the East?

Growing cities needed food from western farms to sustain their populations

famous cattle trail

Chisholm

Where were cattle shipped to?

meatpacking plants in Chicago, which became profitable businesses

issues that arose from grazing cattle

overgrazing, drought

Joseph Glidden’s invention

barbed wire that allowed ranchers to close in land for cattle in order to prevent overgrazing and drought

3 legislative acts passed by congress in 1862 to promote the development of the West

Homestead Act, Pacific Railway Act, Morrill ActH

Homestead Act

gave settlers 160 acres of free land if they promised to farm it for five years, attracted migrants

Pacific Railway Act

gave land to railroad companies to build lines

Morrill Act

gave lands to states for colleges for agriculture and mechanics (A&M colleges)

difficulties faced by settlers out West

extreme weather, difficulty farming, lived in sod houses due to lack of wood

techniques farmers learned in order to adapt to the Great Plains

dry farming techniques, stronger varieties of crops

By the late 1800s, mechanized farming led to ___, and since farmers produced more goods than they could sell, ___ f___ and farmers went into d__ from not being able to pay off the price they paid for ag. technology

overproduction; prices fell; debt

The transcontinental railroad was built on ___ land

public

effects/impact of the transcontinental railroad

towns develop along the railroad, US gets standardized timezones, animal populations and land are destroyed

animal central to Native American life and culture

buffalo

Native Americans believed that land ___ be owned by an individual as ___ ___

can’t; private property

Indian Removal Act

moved Native Americans to West of the Mississippi River

Manifest Destiny (movement)

moved Native Americans to smaller reservations so that US could have their land

Manifest Destiny (belief)

The US is destined to/has a God-given right and capacity to expand

Americanization

assimilation of Native Americans into US society by erasing and destroying their culture

Dawes Act of 1887

broke up reservations and turned Native Americans into private property owners, which went against their culture

Sand Creek Massacre (1864)

Colorado militia attack and massacre Cheyenne, mostly women and children

NO ONE WAS PUNISHED OR HELD RESPONSIBLE

The Gilded Age was characterized by a thin layer of ___ covering the ___ and ___ underneath

prosperity; poverty; corruption

What are the four areas that marked the Gilded Age?

immigration, corruption, urbanization, and industrialization

Where were “old immigrants” from?

northwestern and central Europe

Where were “new immigrants” from?

southern and eastern Europe, the middle east

Immigrants arriving in the EAST COAST, typically ___, went through ___ in ___ ___

Europeans; Ellis Island; New York

Immigrants arriving in the WEST COAST, typically ___, went through ___ in ___ ___

Asians; Angel Island; San Francisco

The federal government required all immigrants to go though a p__ e__ and d__ i__ upon arrival

physical exam; document inspection

What jobs did immigrants typically take?

Unskilled factory jobs

___ n___ and enclaves formed due to immigrants feeling more comfortable around people of the same culture, language, and traditions

ethnic neighborhoods

Chinese Exclusion Act

1882; prohibits Chinese immigrants from entering the country in order to preserve jobs for Americans in the West
(immigrants were appealing employees because they were desperate and could be paid less)

When was the Chinese Exclusion Act repealed?

1943

Americanization

gov. programs to assimilate immigrants and Native Americans into societyNat

Nativism

favoring native-born people and immigrants from the “right” countries

National Origins Act

set immigration quotas limiting the amount of immigrants that could come in from southern and eastern Europe

causes of urban growth

immigration, technology advances, cities provide jobs as economic hub

effects of urban growth

overcrowding, excessive demands on infrastructure, poverty, political machines take control

communting became more common during this area due to the development of ___ ___

motorized transport

what allowed for the creation of skyscrapers

invention of elevators and development of steel skeletons for buildings

Tin Pan Alley helped create a ___ ___ for popular music

national audience

tenement

low-cost apartment buildings designed to house as many people as possible, soon became slums

When middle-class families left the cities for the suburbs, their old apartment buildings quickly turned into ___ and ___

tenements; slums

reforms made to improve life in tenements

improve air flow in buildings, natural light made mandatory

What did city water companies introduce to help purify drinking water and prevent cholera and typhoid?

filtration and chlorination

social gospel movement

worked to apply the teachings of charity and justice to society’s problems

Jacob Riis

documented poverty in slums via photos, “How the Other Half Lives”

Settlement movement

moving into poor communities to create community centers and social service aid

what did settlement houses do?

provided cultural events, childcare, classes, assimilation, employment assistance, healthcare

Hull House

settlement house in Chicago funded by Jane Addams

social Darwinism

theory that poverty resulted from personal weakness, believed at a time when the gov. provided no unemployment assistance or child labor laws

political machines

organizations controlling a political party in a city and offering services to voters and businesses in exchange for support and loyalty

why did political machines emerge?

take control of cities in social decline and economic growth, which were difficult to govern

advantages of political machines

provided jobs and public services, helped immigrants become citizens

disadvantages of political machines

election fraud, embezzlement, bribes, control of police forces

Labor unions banded together to ___ ___ against unsafe working conditions and unfair treatment via strikes

bargain collectively

The government has anti-union, anti-worker bias because it saw unions as ___ ___ the cost of goods, ___ with f__ m__, and promoting radical ideas + anarchy

driving up; interfering, free market

Haymarket Affair of 1886

bomb explodes during labor union demonstration

civil service

non-elected government jobs

patronage

another word for giving federal government jobs to supporters of candidates; these people usually lacked qualifications

spoils systems

politicians award civil service jobs to supporters in exchange for votes

Rutherford B. Hayes - civil service jobs perspective

began to appoint qualified political independents to civil service positions but lacked support from congress and own Republican party

James A. Garfield

assassinated by a man who wanted Garfield’s running mate to give him a job, which the shooter thought he deserved for his support for Garfield

Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883)

ended the spoils system and established a commission to appoint qualified individuals to civil service positions

George Westinghouse

alternating current: less expensive and more practical than direct, made home use of electricity more practical

Rockefeller

oil robber baron

Carnegie

steel robber baron

J.P. Morgan

Bank and stock market robber baron

“Robber Barons” were called such because people believed they…

stole opportunities and money from the public, mistreated their workers, drained country of natural resources, created monopolies

Monopolies were blamed for ___ and an ___ economy

artificially high prices; unstable

Interstate Commerce Act (1887)

first time Congress stepped in to regulate business in America, set fair rates for railroad shipping across the country

Sherman Antitrust Act (1890)

Federal law designed to stop monopolies from engaging in unfair practices that prevented free trade