APUSH Semester 1 Vocab Review

Chapters 1-20

Alfred Thayer Mahan

a U.S. naval officer and historian who advocated for the U.S. to become a world power by building a strong navy

Anti-Imperialist League

a late 19th and early 20th-century organization that opposed U.S. expansionism and the annexation of new territories, particularly the Philippines after the Spanish-American War

Boxer Rebellion

an anti-foreign, anti-imperialist uprising in China from 1899 to 1901 by the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists (the "Boxers"), who attacked foreigners and Chinese Christians

Cuban Revolt

the 1895-1898 nationalist insurrection for independence from Spanish rule, which was fueled by economic hardship and nationalist sentiment

Emilio Aguinaldo

a Filipino revolutionary leader who first fought against Spanish rule and then led an insurgency against the United States after it acquired the Philippines from Spain in the 1898 treaty ending the Spanish-American War

Hawaii

the US annexation of the Hawaiian Islands in 1898 during the Spanish-American War. This action was driven by economic interests in sugar and strategic naval advantages, such as Pearl Harbor

Imperialism

a policy where a strong nation seeks to extend its power and influence over another country through political, social, and economic control, often by acquiring territory

Insular Cases

a series of early 1900s U.S. Supreme Court decisions that ruled the Constitution does not automatically apply to territories acquired after the Spanish-American War

The Maine

a U.S. battleship that exploded and sank in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898. The sinking of the ship, which killed 266 crew members, served as a catalyst for the Spanish-American War, because the American public blamed Spain, fueling the famous rallying cry, "Remember the Maine, to Hell with Spain!"

“Open Door” Notes

diplomatic notes sent by U.S. Secretary of State John Hay in 1899 and 1900 to major powers with economic interests in China

Philippines

the United States' acquisition of the islands from Spain after the Spanish-American War in 1898, which marked a significant shift to overseas imperialism

Platt Amendment

a 1901 U.S. law that stipulated the conditions for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Cuba after the Spanish-American War, effectively making Cuba a U.S. protectorate

Puerto Rico

an unincorporated U.S. territory acquired from Spain in the Spanish-American War (1898), which made it a key example of American imperialism

Rough Riders

a volunteer cavalry regiment led by Theodore Roosevelt during the 1898 Spanish-American War

Rudyard Kipling

primarily known for his 1899 poem, "The White Man's Burden," which promoted American imperialism, particularly in the Philippines

Spanish-American War

a brief conflict resulting in a U.S. victory and the acquisition of former Spanish colonies like Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, marking the United States' emergence as a world power

“The White Man’s Burden”

the ideology, popularized by Rudyard Kipling's 1899 poem, that it is the duty of white Westerners to "civilize" non-Western peoples

Venezuelan Dispute

a conflict between Venezuela and Great Britain over the boundary of British Guiana, which escalated when the U.S. invoked the Monroe Doctrine to pressure Britain to arbitrate

William Jennings Bryan

a prominent Democratic politician and orator known for his role in the Populist and Progressive movements, a three-time presidential nominee, and a leader in the anti-evolution Scopes Trial. He is famous for his "Cross of Gold" speech

William McKinley

the 25th President (1897–1901) known for leading the U.S. to victory in the Spanish-American War and for advocating for policies like the gold standard and high protective tariffs

William Randolph Hearst

a powerful American newspaper publisher and media mogul who significantly influenced American journalism through his use of "yellow journalism" to sensationalize news and build a massive media empire

Yellow Journalism

a style of newspaper reporting that used sensationalism, exaggeration, and distorted facts to attract readers and increase sales

Farmers’ Alliances

a late 19th-century agrarian movement that organized farmers to advance their economic and political interests, primarily through cooperatives, political pressure, and later, the formation of the Populist Party

“Free Silver”

a late 19th-century political movement that advocated for the unlimited coinage of silver to increase the money supply

Half-Breeds

a moderate faction of the Republican Party in the late 19th century that supported civil service reform and a merit system for government appointments, opposing the patronage-heavy "Stalwart" faction

Interstate Commerce Act

a federal law passed to regulate the railroad industry, which had become monopolistic

Jacob Coxey

an American businessman and populist leader who, in 1894, organized and led Coxey's Army, a protest march of unemployed workers from Ohio to Washington, D.C.

Mary E. Lease

a prominent Kansas Populist leader in the 1890s, a powerful speaker, and a staunch advocate for farmers' rights, known for her rallying cry, "Raise less corn and more hell!"

Munn v. Illinois

a landmark Supreme Court case that established the principle that states could regulate private industries, such as grain warehouses, that serve the public interest

Panic of 1893

a severe economic depression in the United States, triggered by the bankruptcy of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad and the collapse of the stock market

Pendleton Act

a US federal law that established a merit-based system for civil service employment, replacing the spoils system. It mandated that federal jobs be awarded based on competitive exams and performance

Populism

the late 19th-century political movement, largely agrarian, that sought to represent the interests of ordinary people—especially farmers and laborers—against what they saw as a corrupt economic and political elite

Populist Party

a late 19th-century political movement in the U.S. that aimed to represent farmers and laborers against the perceived corruption of elites

Sherman Antitrust Act

a landmark federal law that outlawed monopolistic business practices to promote competition. It was the first significant piece of legislation to give the federal government the power to break up trusts and prevent anti-competitive contracts and conspiracies that restrained trade

The Grange

a farmers' organization founded in 1867 to improve the economic and social well-being of agricultural communities, primarily in response to high railroad and grain elevator rates

William Jennings Bryan

a prominent U.S. politician known for his populist, progressive ideals, three-time presidential runs as a Democrat, and role in the Scopes Trial

William McKinley

the 25th President (1897–1901) known for leading the U.S. to victory in the Spanish-American War and for advocating for policies like the gold standard and high protective tariffs

Adam Smith

an 18th-century Scottish economist and "father of modern economics" whose ideas, particularly in The Wealth of Nations, were crucial to the development of capitalism

American Federation of Labor

a national organization of skilled craft unions that focused on "bread and butter" issues like better wages, shorter hours, and improved working conditions

Andrew Carnegie

a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist, best known for leading the expansion of the American steel industry

Edward Bellamy

a 19th-century American author and social reformer

Eugene V. Debs

a prominent American labor leader and socialist activist who was a key figure in the late 19th and early 20th centuries

Frederick Winslow Taylor

an American mechanical engineer and the "father of scientific management," a system he developed to improve industrial efficiency and labor productivity

Gospel of Wealth

an 1889 essay by Andrew Carnegie in which he argued that wealthy Americans had a moral responsibility to use their fortunes to benefit society, rather than keeping it for themselves or their heirs

Grotesque Luxury (Conspicuous Consumption)

the practice of purchasing and displaying expensive, excessive, and unnecessary goods to publicly demonstrate wealth and social status

Haymarket Bombing

a pivotal event in U.S. labor history that occurred on May 4, 1886, in Chicago. A peaceful labor rally for an eight-hour workday was disrupted by a bombing that resulted in the deaths of police officers and civilians. The incident sparked a backlash against labor movements

Henry Clay Frick

the manager of Carnegie Steel who is notorious for his violent suppression of the Homestead Strike in 1892, where he used Pinkerton guards to break the strike after locking out workers and cutting wages

Henry Ford

an American industrialist known for revolutionizing the automobile industry by perfecting the moving assembly line and implementing mass production techniques

Henry George

an influential American economist and social reformer from the Gilded Age known for his 1879 book Progress and Poverty. He is best defined by his "single-tax" proposal, which advocated for taxing the economic rent of land to address poverty and inequality

Holding Companies

a corporation that controls other companies by owning a controlling share of their stock

Homestead Strike

a violent 1892 labor dispute in Homestead, Pennsylvania, between the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers and the Carnegie Steel Company, led by Henry Clay Frick

Horatio Alger

a 19th-century author known for his popular "rags to riches" novels that celebrated the idea that hard work, honesty, and virtue would lead to success and wealth

Horizontal Integration

a business strategy where a company acquires or merges with competitors in the same industry to increase its market share and reduce competition

John D. Rockefeller

a key figure of the Gilded Age, representing industrial capitalism, monopolies, and the "robber baron" archetype through his ruthless business tactics, like horizontal integration, that led to public outcry and eventually the breakup of Standard Oil under antitrust laws

John Peter Altgeld

a Democratic governor of Illinois (1893-1897) known for his pro-labor stance and sympathy for workers' rights

J. P. Morgan

a powerful American financier and banker who dominated corporate finance during the Gilded Age by consolidating industries and financing the creation of major corporations like the United States Steel Corporation

Knights of Labor

a late 19th-century American labor organization that sought to unite all workers, regardless of skill level, race, or gender

Limited Liability

the legal principle that protects investors by limiting their personal financial responsibility for a company's debts to the amount they have invested

Molly Maguires

a secret society of Irish coal miners in 19th-century Pennsylvania who used violence to fight for better working conditions and wages. They were known for being a militant labor group that engaged in threats and assassinations against mining foremen and supervisors, which led to a major crackdown by coal and railroad interests in the 1870s

National Labor Union

an organization that sought to unite skilled and unskilled laborers to advocate for improved working conditions, including a shorter workday, higher wages, and the end of convict labor

Pullman Strike

a nationwide railroad strike and boycott in 1894 that began when workers at the Pullman Company protested wage cuts and high rents in the company town

Samuel Gompers

he is defined by his role in founding and leading the AFL from 1886 to 1924, focusing on pragmatic, economic goals like higher wages, shorter hours, and better working conditions through collective bargaining for skilled craft workers

Scientific Management

an early 20th-century management theory developed by Frederick Winslow Taylor to improve economic efficiency and labor productivity

Social Darwinism

a late 19th-century ideology that applied Charles Darwin's concept of "survival of the fittest" to human societies, asserting that social and economic inequalities were natural and justified

Trusts

a business arrangement where multiple companies transferred their stock to a single board of trustees, effectively creating a monopoly to control an industry

Vertical Integration

a business strategy in which a company controls multiple stages of its supply chain, from raw materials to final product distribution, to increase efficiency and control

Wilbur and Orville Wright

American bicycle mechanics who invented, built, and flew the world's first successful powered, heavier-than-air aircraft in 1903

Women’s Trade Union League

an organization founded in 1903 to organize women into labor unions and advocate for better working conditions, such as fair wages, the eight-hour workday, and safety regulations

Buffalo, economic importance

serving as the foundation for their nomadic lifestyle by providing virtually all necessities, including food, clothing, shelter, tools, and fuel for the Plains Indians

Buffalo, destruction

the near-extinction of the American bison in the late 19th century, a process that had a devastating impact on Native American tribes

Californios

the Spanish-speaking inhabitants of California who were of Mexican descent, especially those who came under Spanish and Mexican rule before the US annexed the territory in 1848

Chief Joseph

a key figure associated with the Nez Perce War of 1877, a conflict sparked by the US government's forced removal of the Nez Perce people from their ancestral lands in the Pacific Northwest

Chinatowns

an urban neighborhood, often established during the 19th century, that became a refuge for Chinese immigrants facing discrimination and economic hardship

Chinese Exclusion Act

a U.S. federal law that prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers for ten years, marking the first significant restriction on immigration based on nationality

Chisholm Trail

a major late 19th-century route for driving cattle from Texas to railheads in Kansas, most famously Abilene, where they were shipped east

Commercial Agriculture

the large-scale farming of crops and livestock for profit in the market, rather than for personal consumption

“Concentration” policy

a U.S. government strategy from the 1850s that assigned each Native American tribe its own defined reservation, forcing them onto smaller, often undesirable, parcels of land

Coolies

a derogatory term for low-wage, manual laborers, particularly Asian immigrants, who were often subject to exploitative conditions and indentured servitude

Cowboy

a skilled horseman and cattle herder on ranches in the American West, especially during the late 19th century, who played a crucial role in the development of the cattle industry

Dawes Severalty Act

a US federal law that aimed to assimilate Native Americans by dissolving tribal lands into individual allotments, granting 160 acres to each head of household

Frederick Jackson Turner

an American historian known for his Frontier Thesis, arguing that the westward expansion of the American frontier was the key factor in shaping the nation's unique character, democracy, and institutions

Frederic Remington

a popular artist whose paintings, drawings, and sculptures captured and mythologized the American West, particularly cowboys and Native Americans

genizaros

detribalized Native Americans in 17th–19th century Spanish New Mexico who were often captured as children, sold as slaves, and then absorbed into Spanish society as servants, laborers, or soldiers

George A. Custer

a U.S. Army cavalry commander famous for his role in the Indian Wars, most notably his death at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876

Geronimo

a prominent leader of the Chiricahua Apache who became famous for his fierce resistance against Mexican and American expansion into his people's land during the late 19th century

Ghost Dance Movement

a late 19th-century spiritual revival among Native Americans that combined traditional beliefs with prophetic visions from the Paiute prophet Wovoka

Homestead Act

a 1862 U.S. law that offered 160 acres of public land to settlers who agreed to live on and improve the land for five years

Little Bighorn

also known as "Custer's Last Stand," was a June 1876 battle where combined forces of Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne warriors defeated Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer and his 7th Cavalry

Long Drive

a post-Civil War cowboy practice of herding large herds of cattle across long distances from ranches in Texas to railroad terminals in Kansas, like Dodge City, in order to sell them in eastern markets

Mark Twain

the author Samuel Clemens, a humorist and writer of the late 19th century, and the term "Gilded Age," which he co-authored and coined to describe the era of rapid industrial growth and superficial prosperity in the late 1800s

Mestizos

people of mixed European and Indigenous American ancestry, a group that emerged from the intermarriage between Spanish colonizers and native populations in the Americas

Mining

the extraction of valuable minerals like gold and silver, which spurred significant westward migration and settlement, particularly during the 19th-century mining frontiers

Missions, decline

refers to their collapse in the 19th century due to secularization, American expansion, and the departure of Native Americans

“Passing of the Frontier”

the 1890 declaration by the U.S. Census Bureau that there was no longer a discernible line of unsettled land in the American West

Mulatto

a person of mixed white and black ancestry, a term heavily associated with the racial hierarchy and social stratification of the colonial era through the 19th century

Plains Indians

a diverse group of tribes in the Great Plains, whose culture became nomadic and heavily reliant on the bison after the introduction of the horse

Rocky Mountain School

a group of 19th-century landscape painters, including Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran, who celebrated the American West in large-scale, grandiose canvases

Sand Creek Massacre

an unprovoked attack by the Colorado U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, led by Colonel John Chivington, on a peaceful encampment of Cheyenne and Arapaho people in southeastern Colorado Territory

Taos Indian Rebellion

a popular uprising in New Mexico in January 1847 by Pueblo and Hispano allies against the United States' occupation during the Mexican-American War

Turner Thesis

historian Frederick Jackson Turner's 1893 argument that the American frontier was the primary force shaping American democracy, character, and institutions