Key Events and Concepts of American History

Lincoln's primary goal at the start of the Civil War

To preserve the Union

What term did Confederates use to highlight the economic importance of cotton?

"King Cotton"

Union's advantages at the start of the Civil War

Population, transportation, industry

The Anaconda Plan

Aimed to weaken the South's economy through naval blockades

Steps of the Anaconda Plan

1️⃣ Blockade Southern ports 2️⃣ Seize the Mississippi River 3️⃣ Capture Richmond

Who led the Confederates to victory at the Second Battle of Bull Run?

Robert E. Lee

General Grant's victory at Vicksburg in 1863

Gave the Union control of the Mississippi River

Why was the Battle of Gettysburg considered a turning point in the Civil War?

Confederacy's invasion halted

Emancipation Proclamation

Abolish slavery in Confederate states

Gettysburg Address

Freedom and equality

Total war in the Civil War

Involved attacking civilian infrastructure and resources

Sherman's March to the Sea

Began in Atlanta and ended in Savannah

Where did the Confederates surrender in 1865?

Appomattox Court House

What was Lincoln's Reconstruction plan called?

10% Plan

The Wade-Davis Bill

Required a majority of voters to swear they never supported the Confederacy

What act did Andrew Johnson violate, leading to his impeachment?

Tenure of Office Act

Democratic Party stance on black codes

Supported black codes

Republican Party stance on black codes

Opposed black codes

The Redeemers

Aimed to restore white control in the South after Reconstruction

The Compromise of 1877

Made Rutherford B. Hayes the president in exchange for removing Union troops

What does the term 'Jim Crow' refer to?

Laws imposing racial segregation

The 14th Amendment

Guarantees equal protection under the law

The 15th Amendment

States that voting rights cannot be denied based on race or previous condition of servitude

Central issue in Plessy vs. Ferguson

Racial segregation

Manifest Destiny

Refers to the belief that the U.S. was destined to expand westward

Significance of the destruction of the buffalo to Native Americans

Their culture was tied to it

Goals of the Populist Party

Help farmers and workers

The Industrial Age

Shifted America's economic focus from rural to urban areas

What term did the working class use to describe wealthy industrialists?

"Robber Barons"

Ellis Island

Located in New York and served as an entrance for European immigrants

The Know-Nothing Party

Was opposed to immigration

How did the Industrial Age change America's economic focus?

Agrarian to industrial

Steps immigrants had to endure at Ellis Island

1️⃣ Arrival at Ellis Island 2️⃣ Medical examinations 3️⃣ Legal processing 4️⃣ Entry into the U.S.

Know-Nothing Party

Oppose immigration.

Xenophobia

Fear of foreigners.

Assimilation

Adapting to a new culture.

Nativism

Favoring native-born people.

Chinese Exclusion Act

Banned Chinese immigration.

Philanthropy

Involves donating money to public services or industries.

Problems faced by American cities around the turn of the century

Overcrowding, sanitation, crime.

Muckrakers

Journalists who exposed corruption and problems in society.

Upton Sinclair's The Jungle

Exposed unsanitary meatpacking conditions.

Bribery

Providing money for votes.

Election fraud

Using fake names for votes.

Patronage

Giving jobs to unqualified loyalists.

The Gilded Age

Characterized by urban growth and business corruption.

Goals of the Progressives during the Progressive Era

Reform society, end corruption.

Progressives' aims

To break up monopolies and improve voting rights.

American Imperialism

Primary goal was to gain military and trade areas.

Hawaii

Significant for sugar plantations and Pearl Harbor.

Cuba

Significant for naval bases and political control.

Philippines

Significant for trade with Asia and naval bases.

Panama

Significant for control of the Panama Canal.

Media impact on the Spanish-American War

Exaggerated tensions, motivated war.

Sensationalism

Involves using exaggerated and inaccurate stories to provoke opinions.

Theodore Roosevelt's Big Stick Diplomacy

Peaceful solutions with military readiness.

Panama Canal

Built to create a faster way to travel between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

Monroe Doctrine

Stated that European nations should not interfere in the Western Hemisphere.

Roosevelt Corollary

Added that the U.S. handles Latin America.

America's Sphere of Influence before World War I

Included Caribbean, Pacific, Latin America.

Causes of the Spanish-American War

1️⃣ Fake news and sensationalism 2️⃣ Spain's harsh treatment of Cubans 3️⃣ Explosion of the USS Maine 4️⃣ U.S. declares war on Spain.

Zimmerman Note/Telegram

Significance was that Germany asked Mexico to join.

President Wilson's neutrality declaration

Declared neutrality at the start of World War I because he believed it was a European conflict.

U.S. entry into World War I

Joined after the interception of the Zimmerman Note.

Failures of the Treaty of Versailles

Punished Germany too harshly.

19th Amendment

Granted women the right to vote in 1920.

Methods used by American women to gain suffrage

Protests, hunger strikes, lobbying.

Lincoln's original goal when the Civil War started

Preserve the Union.

Confederates' belief about cotton trade

Believed that by trading cotton, they would receive support from European nations and other foreign countries.

Anaconda Plan

Aimed to weaken the South's economy through naval blockades and land seizure.

Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation

Strategic impact was that it motivated Union soldiers.

Battle of Gettysburg

Marked a turning point in the Civil War, shifting momentum to the Union.

Attacking military and civilian targets

N/A

General Lee surrendered to General Grant at the Appomattox Court House

1865

Carpetbaggers during Reconstruction

Northerners seeking financial benefits

Difference between Lincoln's 10% Plan and the Radical Republicans' Wade-Davis Bill

Loyalty pledge requirement

President Andrew Johnson's impeachment

For violating the Tenure of Office Act

Black codes

Designed to restrict Black freedom

15th Amendment

Guaranteed the right to vote regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude

Plessy vs. Ferguson

Legalized segregation

Destruction of the buffalo

Significant to Native Americans because it was central to their culture

Purpose of the Dawes Act

Break up Native reservations

Populist Party

Formed to help farmers and workers negatively affected by big businesses and railroads

Industrial Age

Changed America from an agrarian to an industrial-focused economy

Result of the Populist Party's efforts

Income tax

Robber Barons

Wealthy industrialists

Goal of the Know-Nothing Party

Oppose immigration

Gospel of Wealth

Promoted the idea that wealthy individuals should use their money for philanthropy

Major problem faced by American cities at the turn of the century

Overcrowding

Poor sanitation in cities

Led to the spread of diseases

Political machines

Primarily located in big cities and often used election fraud to maintain power

Key characteristics of the Gilded Age

Business growth and immigration

Progressive Era

Aimed to fix the problems that could not be solved during the Gilded Age

Primary goal of American Imperialism

Expand military and trade

Hawaii's significance in American Imperialism

Valuable sugar plantations

Cuba's significance in American Imperialism

Naval bases and resources

Panama's significance in American Imperialism

Control of the canal

Media's impact on the Spanish-American War

Exaggerated tensions with Spain

Big Stick Diplomacy

Emphasized the use of military power to solve problems peacefully, if necessary

Purpose of the Panama Canal

Faster Pacific-Atlantic travel