American History Review

Flashcards covering key terms, people, and events from lecture notes on American history.

What is the key distinction between Manifest Destiny and New Manifest Destiny?

Understand the differences in their goals and contexts.

What were the Reconstruction Era's 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments?

13th Amendment: Abolished slavery. 14th Amendment: Granted citizenship and equal protection. 15th Amendment: Prohibited denying voting rights based on race.

What were black codes?

Restrictive laws designed to limit the freedom of African Americans and ensure their availability as a cheap labor force after slavery was abolished during the Civil War

What are scalawags and carpetbaggers?

Scalawags: Southern whites who supported Reconstruction. Carpetbaggers: Northerners who moved to the South during Reconstruction for economic or political gain.

What is sharecropping?

A system where tenant farmers give a portion of their crops to the landowner as rent.

What was the Homestead Act of 1862?

A law that provided settlers with 160 acres of public land in exchange for living on and cultivating it.

What was the Transcontinental Railroad Act of 1862?

Legislation that provided federal support for the construction of the first transcontinental railroad.

Who was Frederick Jackson Turner?

An historian known for the Frontier Thesis, arguing that the American character was shaped by the westward expansion.

Who was Wovoka, and what was the Ghost Dance?

Wovoka was a Paiute religious leader, and the Ghost Dance was a spiritual movement among Native Americans that promised the restoration of their land and way of life.

What was the Dawes Act of 1887?

A law that aimed to assimilate Native Americans by dividing tribal lands into individual allotments.

Define Laissez-faire.

Policy of minimum governmental interference in the economic affairs of individuals and society.

What is Social Darwinism?

The idea that individuals, groups, and peoples are subject to the same Darwinian laws of natural selection as plants and animals.

Who was Jacob Riis?

A muckraking photographer and author known for his documentation of poverty in New York City, notably in 'How the Other Half Lives.'

Who was Upton Sinclair?

A muckraking journalist and author known for 'The Jungle,' which exposed the unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking industry.

Who was Ida Tarbell?

Muckraker who wrote about the Standard Oil Company.

What is horizontal and vertical integration?

Horizontal integration is the process of a company increasing production of goods or services at the same part of the supply chain. A company may do this via internal expansion, acquisition or merger. Vertical integration is when a company takes control over one or more stages in the production or distribution of a product.

What was the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890?

First measure passed by the U.S. Congress to prohibit trusts.

Who was Terence Powderly, and what was the Knights of Labor?

Terence Powderly led the Knights of Labor, one of the first major labor organizations in the United States, which advocated for a wide range of reforms.

What was the Haymarket Riot?

A labor protest rally near Chicago's Haymarket Square turned into a riot after someone threw a bomb at police. It damaged the labor movement.

Who was Eugene Debs?

A union leader and socialist who was a leading figure in the Pullman Strike.

What was the Omaha Platform?

The Omaha Platform was the party program adopted by the Populist Party in 1892 at its convention held in Omaha, Nebraska.

What is bimetallism?

The use of both gold and silver as currency.

Who was William Jennings Bryan?

A dominant force in the populist wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as the Party's nominee for President of the United States.

What was Alfred Thayer Mahan's thesis in 'The Influence of Sea Power Upon History (1890)'?

Argued that sea power was essential for national greatness and advocated for a strong U.S. Navy.

Who was Queen Liliuokalani?

The last sovereign of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

What role did Pulitzer, Hearst, and Yellow Journalism have?

Sensationalized news to sell newspapers, contributing to public support for the Spanish-American War.

What was the De Lome Letter?

A letter written by the Spanish Ambassador to the United States that ridiculed President McKinley, leading to increased tensions between the U.S. and Spain.

What was the Teller Amendment?

Stated the U.S. would not annex Cuba after the Spanish-American War.

What was the Platt Amendment?

The Platt Amendment was passed in 1901 and it established the terms under which the United States would end its military occupation of Cuba.

What were the Open Door Notes?

A series of statements and diplomatic letters dispatched by U.S. Secretary of State John Hay to foreign powers in 1899.

What was the Roosevelt Corollary?

Asserted the right of the U.S. to intervene in the domestic affairs of Latin American countries to maintain stability and prevent European interference.

What was Taft's Dollar Diplomacy?

Encouraged U.S. investment in Latin America and East Asia to promote economic and political stability.

Who was Poncho Villa?

A Mexican Revolutionary general and one of the most prominent figures of the Mexican Revolution.

What were Wilson's 14 Points?

A statement of principles for peace that was to be used for peace negotiations in order to end World War I.

Describe BIG IDEAS related to colonialism:

Colonialism involves different types with specific goals. U.S. colonialism can be seen both in the West and overseas with examples like…

Describe BIG IDEAS related to experiences of immigrants in the New World:

Immigrants faced varied receptions, coped uniquely, came from diverse places, and transformed/were transformed by the U.S. Examples include…

Describe BIG IDEAS related to role of American attitudes about race play in US Expansion:

Attitudes about race influenced U.S. expansion, both westward and overseas. Examples include the treatment of Native Americans, Filipinos, Hawaiians, and African Americans.