History Chapter 21 quiz

“Waving the bloody shirt”

Republican tactic of reminding voters that Democrats caused the Civil War; used to win votes from Union veterans.

Crédit Mobilier Scandal

1872 scandal where Union Pacific insiders formed a fake construction company, overcharged the government, and bribed Congress to cover it up.

Panic of 1873

Economic crash caused by overbuilding railroads and bad loans; led to bank failures, unemployment, and demands for inflationary “greenbacks.”

Gilded Age

Post–Civil War era (1870s–1890s) marked by political corruption, rapid industrialization, and wealth inequality beneath a “glittering” surface.

Patronage

Awarding government jobs for political loyalty rather than merit; basis of the “spoils system” before civil service reform.

Compromise of 1877

Deal that ended Reconstruction—Republicans got Hayes as president, Democrats got federal troops removed from the South.

Civil Rights Act of 1875

Last Congressional effort of Reconstruction; banned racial discrimination in public accommodations but was largely unenforced and struck down in 1883.

Sharecropping

System where freedmen rented land for a share of their crops; kept many in poverty and dependency.

Jim Crow

State and local segregation laws in the South enforcing racial separation and restricting Black rights after Reconstruction.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Supreme Court decision legalizing “separate but equal” racial segregation.

Great Strike of 1877 (Railroad Strike)

Nationwide railroad worker strike over wage cuts; crushed by federal troops, showing growing labor–industry conflict.

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

First major federal immigration restriction; banned Chinese labor immigration.

Pendleton Act (1883)

Created merit-based civil service exams; reduced patronage after Garfield’s assassination.

Jay Gould

Corrupt railroad tycoon known for stock manipulation, including the 1869 gold scheme.

Horace Greeley

Newspaper editor and 1872 Liberal Republican (and Democratic) presidential candidate against Grant.

Rutherford B. Hayesc

19th president (1877–1881); took office through Compromise of 1877 and ended Reconstruction.

James A. Garfield

20th president; assassinated in 1881 by a disappointed office-seeker, sparking civil service reform.

Chester Arthur

21st president; surprisingly supported reform, signing the Pendleton Act after Garfield’s death.

Grover Cleveland

22nd and 24th president; first Democratic president since the Civil War, known for vetoes, laissez-faire views, and lowering tariffs.