AMH2020 UF Midterm Summer A 2026

Jim Crow

System of racial segregation laws in the South; Late 1800s-mid 1900s; Southern U.S.; Maintained white supremacy after Reconstruction

Convict Leasing

System renting prisoners for labor; Late 1800s; South; Exploited mostly Black prisoners as cheap labor after slavery ended

Eugenics

Belief in improving society through selective reproduction; Progressive Era; U.S./Europe; Justified racism, forced sterilization, and discrimination

Civil War Amendments (13th,14th,15th)

Amendments ending slavery and expanding rights; 1865-1870; U.S.; Attempted to redefine citizenship after slavery

Buck v. Bell

Supreme Court case supporting forced sterilization; 1927; U.S.; Showed acceptance of eugenics by the government

Square Deal

Theodore Roosevelt's reform program; Early 1900s; U.S.; Expanded federal role in regulating business and protecting consumers

Turner Thesis

Frederick Jackson Turner's idea that the frontier shaped America; 1893; U.S.; Influenced ideas about expansion and American identity

Wounded Knee Massacre

U.S. soldiers killed Lakota Sioux; 1890; South Dakota; Symbolized end of Native resistance

Teller Amendment

Promised Cuba would stay independent; 1898; Cuba; Helped justify Spanish-American War

Roosevelt Corollary

Expanded Monroe Doctrine allowing intervention; 1904; Latin America; Increased U.S. control in Western Hemisphere

Platt Amendment

Allowed U.S. intervention in Cuba; 1901; Cuba; Limited Cuban independence

Ida B. Wells

Anti-lynching activist and journalist; Late 1800s; U.S.; Exposed racial violence and defended Black rights

Spanish-American War

War between U.S. and Spain; 1898; Cuba/Philippines; Began major U.S. imperial expansion

New Freedom/New Nationalism

Reform programs by Wilson and Roosevelt; 1912 election era; U.S.; Different approaches to Progressive reform

Philippine-American War

War between U.S. and Filipino rebels; 1899-1902; Philippines; Revealed contradictions of American imperialism

Banana Wars

U.S. interventions in Latin America; Early 1900s; Caribbean/Central America; Protected U.S. business and political interests

Chinese Exclusion Act

Law banning Chinese immigration; 1882; U.S.; First major immigration restriction law

Social Darwinism

Applying "survival of the fittest" to society; Late 1800s; U.S./Europe; Justified inequality and imperialism

Geary Act

Extended Chinese exclusion laws; 1892; U.S.; Increased discrimination against Chinese immigrants

Robber Barons

Powerful industrialists accused of exploitation; Gilded Age; U.S.; Symbolized wealth inequality and corporate power

Fong Yue Ting v. United States

Supreme Court upheld deportation powers; 1893; U.S.; Expanded federal immigration authority

Social Gospel

Religious reform movement; Late 1800s; U.S.; Encouraged helping poor and reforming society

Wilmington Insurrection

White supremacist coup overthrowing Black leaders; 1898; Wilmington, North Carolina; Destroyed Black political power through violence

Peace Policy

Grant's Native American policy using reservations/religious groups; 1869+; Western U.S.; Attempted assimilation of Native Americans

Plessy v. Ferguson

Supreme Court approved segregation; 1896; U.S.; Legalized "separate but equal"

Dawes Act

Divided tribal lands into private property; 1887; U.S.; Weakened Native culture and land ownership

Black Codes

Laws restricting freedpeople; 1865+; South; Tried to preserve white control after slavery

Williams v. Mississippi

Court upheld voting restrictions; 1898; Mississippi/U.S.; Helped disenfranchise Black voters

Jones v. United States

Related to territorial governance and empire; Early 1900s; U.S. territories; Reflected debates over citizenship and empire

Civil Rights Cases

Supreme Court struck down Civil Rights Act of 1875; 1883; U.S.; Weakened federal protection for Black Americans

Settlement Houses

Community centers helping immigrants/poor; Progressive Era; Cities; Expanded social reform efforts

Populist Party

Farmer/labor political movement; 1890s; U.S.; Challenged economic inequality and big business

Radical Reconstruction

Congressional Reconstruction protecting freedpeople; 1867-1877; South; Expanded Black political participation temporarily

Foreign Interventions (1898-1916)

Thesis: The U.S. became increasingly imperialist between 1898 and 1916 through war, territorial expansion, and intervention in Latin America. Body Paragraphs: Spanish-American War and overseas territories; Philippine-American War and resistance to imperialism; Roosevelt Corollary and Banana Wars protecting American interests

Federal Government Evolution (1865-1916)

Thesis: Between 1865 and 1916, the federal government expanded its power through Reconstruction, economic regulation, and foreign intervention. Body Paragraphs: Reconstruction Amendments and protection of freedpeople; Progressive reforms and regulation of corporations; imperialism and expanded foreign policy power

Citizenship Changes (1865-1916)

Thesis: Definitions of citizenship changed after the Civil War as marginalized groups fought for rights and recognition. Body Paragraphs: African Americans and the 14th/15th Amendments versus Jim Crow; immigrants facing Chinese Exclusion and the Geary Act; Native Americans and colonized peoples denied equal rights

Eugenics & Progressivism

Thesis: Eugenics reflected Progressive faith in science and reform while exposing the racist limits of Progressivism. Body Paragraphs: scientific reform mindset and efficiency; racism, forced sterilization, and exclusion; Buck v. Bell and Supreme Court support for eugenics

How Progressivism Shaped the U.S.

Thesis: Progressivism changed the United States by increasing regulation, encouraging reform, and addressing industrialization problems. Body Paragraphs: government regulation and trust-busting; social reform through Settlement Houses and the Social Gospel; limits of Progressivism including racism and eugenics

Henry Grady & the "New South"

Thesis: Henry Grady claimed the South was modernizing economically, but racism and inequality still dominated Southern society after the Civil War. Body Paragraphs: economic modernization through railroads and industry; white supremacy through Jim Crow and disenfranchisement; violence and inequality shown by the Wilmington Insurrection and lynching