APUSH: chp 23-27

class notes

Southern resistance to Reconstruction

The South opposed Reconstruction through violence, Black Codes, and groups like the Ku Klux Klan.

Northern waning resolve for Reconstruction

The North lost interest in enforcing Reconstruction due to economic issues and political fatigue.

Sharecropping

A system where poor farmers, often freed slaves, worked landowners' land for a share of the crops.

Tenant farming

Similar to sharecropping, but tenants paid rent in cash instead of crops.

Segregation

The enforced separation of races, especially in the South, through laws and customs.

Plessy v. Ferguson

Supreme Court case that upheld "separate but equal" segregation laws.

Gilded Age

Late 19th-century period of economic growth, political corruption, and stark wealth inequality.

Political machines

Corrupt organizations that controlled cities by trading services for votes.

Laissez-faire economic policy

A hands-off approach where the government minimizes interference in business, allowing the free market to operate with little regulation.

Populist (People’s) Party

A movement of farmers and workers demanding economic reforms like free silver and government control of railroads.

Asian migration to the U.S.

Many Chinese and Japanese immigrants came for jobs, facing discrimination and restrictions like the Chinese Exclusion Act.

Transcontinental railroads

Railroads that connected the East and West, boosting migration and trade.

Industrialization

The rapid growth of factories and machine production in the late 1800s.

Rise of big business

Powerful corporations like Carnegie Steel and Standard Oil dominated industries.

Capitalism

An economic system where businesses are privately owned and operate for profit.

Business consolidation

Merging companies to form large corporations, reducing competition.

Trusts and monopolies

Big businesses controlling entire industries, limiting competition and raising prices.

Social Darwinism

The idea that only the strongest businesses and people succeed, used to justify wealth inequality.

Labor movement

Workers organizing into unions to demand better wages and conditions.

Child labor

The widespread employment of children in harsh industrial jobs.

New South

A movement to modernize the Southern economy while maintaining white supremacy.

Urbanization

The rapid growth of cities due to industrial jobs attracting workers.

Southern and Eastern European migration

Millions of Italians, Poles, and Russians moved to the U.S., facing discrimination.

Americanization of immigrants

Efforts to make immigrants adopt American culture and language.

Nativist theories

Beliefs that favored native-born Americans and opposed immigration.

Settlement houses

Community centers, like Hull House, that helped immigrants adjust to city life.

Women’s clubs and self-help groups

Organizations advocating for social reform, education, and women's rights.

Social Gospel

A movement applying Christian principles to fix social issues like poverty.

Women and African American activists

Leaders like Susan B. Anthony and Ida B. Wells fought for suffrage and civil rights.

Westward migration

Settlers moved west for land, jobs, and opportunities.

Boom towns

Rapidly growing towns, often near mining sites, that became ghost towns when resources ran out.

Confinement of American Indians to reservations

Native Americans were forced onto government-controlled lands, losing their traditional way of life.

Assimilation policies

U.S. efforts, like boarding schools, to force Native Americans to adopt white culture.

Mechanized agriculture

The use of machines to increase farm production, often hurting small farmers.

Overseas expansion (late 19th century)

The U.S. gained territories like Hawaii and the Philippines to expand trade and power.

Imperialists

People who supported U.S. expansion and control over foreign lands.

Anti-imperialists

Those who opposed U.S. colonization, arguing it violated American principles.

Spanish-American War

A conflict in 1898 where the U.S. defeated Spain and gained Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

Philippine insurrection

A violent resistance against U.S. rule after the Spanish-American War.

Increased involvement in Asia

The U.S. expanded trade and influence in China and Japan.

Expanded presence in Latin America

The U.S. intervened in Caribbean and Latin American countries for economic and military interests.