History Midterm

Reconstruction?

Rebuilding the South and establishing rights for formerly enslaved people after the Civil War.

Reconstruction Amendments

13th Amendment — Abolished slavery.

14th Amendment — Granted citizenship and equal protection under the law.

15th Amendment — Prohibited denying voting rights based on race.

Andrew Johnson

President who favored lenient treatment of the South.

Freedmen's Bureau

Helped formerly enslaved people with education, food, and other needs.

Black Codes

Laws restricting the rights and freedom of Black Americans.

Sharecropping

Farming system that often trapped farmers in debt.

Compromise of 1877

Political settlement that helped end Reconstruction.

The Compromise of 1877 ended Reconstruction because the federal government withdrew its troops from the South, allowing white Southern Democrats to regain power and weakening the protection of African Americans' rights.

Think of it this way: No federal troops = no enforcement of Reconstruction.

Jim Crow laws

Laws enforcing racial segregation.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Supreme Court case that upheld segregation under “separate but equal.”

Gilded Age?

A period of industrial growth, great wealth, poverty, and inequality.

Monopolists

Andrew Carnegie — Steel industry leader.

John D. Rockefeller — Oil industry leader.

Cornelius Vanderbilt — Railroads

J.p. Morgan — Banking/Finance

Henry Ford — Cars

Robber Baron vs Captain of Industry

Robber barons — Business leaders criticized for exploiting workers or abusing their power.

Captains of industry — Business leaders praised for economic growth and innovation.

Vertical vs Horizontal integration

Vertical: Controlling different stages of production.

Horizontal: Buying or combining with competitors.

Urbanization

Growth of cities as people move into them.

Political machine

Political organization that gains support through favors and services, often involving corruption.

Old immigrants vs New immigrants

Old- Mainly from Northern and Western Europe.

New- Increasingly from Southern and Eastern Europe.

Ellis vs Angel Island

Ellis Island — Major immigration processing station near New York City.

Angel Island — Immigration station in California associated especially with Asian immigrants.

Nativism

Favoring native-born Americans over immigrants.

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

Suspended Chinese labor immigration to the United States.

Populism?

A movement supporting farmers and ordinary people against powerful businesses and banks.

Populist Party

Political party that wanted economic and political reforms for ordinary people.

Free silver

Using silver to increase the money supply and help indebted farmers.

William Jennings Bryan

Presidential candidate who supported free silver.

Graduated income tax

Higher earners pay a higher tax rate.

Bimetallism

Using both gold and silver as the basis for money.

Frederick Jackson Turner

Historian who presented the Frontier Thesis in 1893.

Turner Thesis

The frontier (westward expansion) helped shape American independence, individualism, and democracy.

What happened to the frontier in 1890?

The Census declared that a clear frontier line was no longer identifiable.

Imperialism

Expanding a country's power over other territories.

Why did America pursue imperialism?

To gain markets, resources, military bases, and international power.

Spanish-American War (1898)

War between the U.S. and Spain that expanded American overseas power.

What territories did the U.S. gain after the Spanish-American War?

Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

How did Hawaii become part of the U.S.?

It was annexed in 1898.

Alfred Thayer Mahan

Naval strategist who argued that a strong navy was essential for world power.

Open Door Policy

Sought equal trading opportunities in China.

Big Stick Diplomacy

Theodore Roosevelt's policy of negotiation backed by military strength.

Dollar Diplomacy

Taft's policy of using American investment to increase U.S. influence.

money instead of fighting

Roosevelt Corollary

Claimed a U.S. right to intervene in Latin American countries under certain circumstances.

Yellow journalism

Sensationalized news used to attract readers and influence public opinion.

What was the Progressive Era?

A movement to fix corruption, unsafe conditions, and social problems.

Theodore Roosevelt

President known for trustbusting, consumer protection, and conservation.

Muckrakers

Journalists who exposed corruption and social problems.

Upton Sinclair

Author of The Jungle, which exposed dangerous meatpacking conditions.

Sherman Antitrust Act (1890)

Law targeting certain anticompetitive business practices.

Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)

Law addressing unsafe or improperly labeled food and drugs.

19th Amendment (1920)

Prohibited denying voting rights based on sex.

Jane Addams

Social reformer who co-founded Hull House to help immigrants and poor communities.

When did World War I begin?

1914.

MAIN

Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism; causes of World War I.

What triggered World War I?

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914.

Allied Powers

Included Britain, France, and Russia; the U.S. joined later.

Central Powers

Included Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire.

Lusitania (1915)

British passenger ship sunk by a German submarine.

Zimmermann Telegram (1917)

German proposal for Mexico to ally against the United States.

When did the U.S. enter World War I?

1917.

Why did the U.S. enter World War I?

German unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmermann Telegram were major reasons.

Armistice (1918)

Agreement that stopped the fighting in World War I.

Treaty of Versailles (1919)

Peace treaty that imposed harsh terms on Germany.

Woodrow Wilson

President who proposed the Fourteen Points and the League of Nations.

League of Nations

International organization intended to help prevent future wars.

Why didn't the U.S. join the League of Nations?

The Senate did not ratify the Treaty of Versailles.