Oil and a New Century: Texas 1900-1920

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to the rise of the oil industry and demographic changes in Texas from 1900 to 1920.

Kerosene

A refined product from oil, primarily used for lighting in the late 1800s.

Corsicana

A city in Texas where the first major oil field was discovered, producing 840,000 barrels of oil a year by 1900.

Spindletop

An oil well in Texas that experienced a major gusher in 1901, producing 75,000 barrels daily at its peak.

Boomtowns

Towns that rapidly grew due to sudden economic opportunities, often characterized by overcrowding and lawlessness.

Oil derricks

Structures used in the oil industry to support drilling equipment in oil fields.

Worker’s compensation programs

Programs established to provide financial support to workers injured on the job, emerging from the dangers of the lumber industry.

Houston ship channel

A waterway completed in 1914 that facilitated the shipping of oil worldwide and allowed refineries to be built in Houston.

Immigrants from Europe

Groups such as Germans, Czechs, and Polish people who settled in Texas, primarily becoming farmers in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Mexican Revolution

A period of social and political upheaval in Mexico that led many to flee to Texas in search of safety and stability.

Jim Crow laws

Racial segregation laws that prevented African Americans from accessing many business opportunities, leading to the formation of their own communities.