Chapter 17– The Populist Challenge and The New Imperialism (Key Concepts from Pages 42–79)

A set of QUESTION_AND_ANSWER flashcards covering major topics from Civil Service reform to the era’s imperialism and labor battles as presented in pages 42–79.

What law established the Civil Service Commission and ended the spoils system?

The Civil Service Act of 1883; created a merit-based federal civil service and a Civil Service Commission to curb patronage.

Why was the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) created?

To regulate railroad rates and curb abuses in the railroad industry, in response to the Wabash v. Illinois decision of 1886.

What did the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 do, and which later act expanded it?

First federal law to restrict monopolistic trusts; expanded by the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914.

Which strike inspired the song 'Father Was Killed by a Pinkerton Man' and where did it occur?

The Homestead strike (1892) at Andrew Carnegie’s steelworks in Homestead, Pennsylvania.

What were the key events of the Homestead strike in 1892?

Frick fenced the plant with barbed wire, hired strikebreakers, fired the entire workforce; armed conflict with 7 workers and 3 Pinkerton agents killed; 8,000 militiamen deployed; the strike ended with the union’s defeat.

What was the Farmers’ Alliance, and into what party did it evolve?

A farmers’ movement founded in Texas in the late 1870s; by 1890 it spread to 43 states and evolved into the People’s Party (Populists) in the early 1890s.

What was the 'subtreasury plan' proposed by the Farmers’ Alliance?

Federal warehouses to store crops, with government loans to farmers using stored crops as collateral at low interest, intended to end dependence on bankers and merchants.

What were the core planks of the Populist Platform of 1892?

Direct election of U.S. senators; government control of the currency; a graduated income tax; low-cost public financing to market crops; recognition of workers’ right to form unions; public ownership of the railroads.

Who wrote the Populist Platform, and how did it frame political corruption?

Ignatius Donnelly; the platform denounced the theft of the fruits of labor by the few and called for sweeping democratic and economic reforms.

Describe the Populist Coalition’s interracial efforts in the South.

Populists attempted to unite Black and white small farmers; the Colored Farmers’ Alliance formed; some leaders (e.g., Tom Watson) pushed for Black–white alliances, but white Populists faced strong resistance and Democrats used racial tactics to maintain power.

What were Populist electoral successes in 1892?

Populist presidential candidate James Weaver won over 1 million votes, carried five western states, and the party elected three governors and fifteen members of Congress.

What did Samuel Gompers advocate as the AFL’s core approach, and whom did it exclude?

Business unionism—negotiating with employers for higher wages and better conditions; limited membership to skilled workers, excluding many unskilled workers, Blacks, women, and new immigrants.

How did the AFL differ from the Knights of Labor in membership and strategy?

The AFL restricted membership to skilled workers and pursued negotiated bargaining; the Knights of Labor sought broader inclusion and reforms beyond narrow bargaining.

Who were the Redeemers and what did they do in the New South?

A coalition of merchants, planters, and business elites post-1877 who curtailed Reconstruction gains, reduced taxes on land, slashed budgets, closed public facilities, and promoted white supremacy—with convict labor playing a role.

What was the Kansas Exodus (1879–1880)?

A mass migration of about 40,000–60,000 Black Americans from the South to Kansas seeking political equality, education, and economic opportunity; many ended up as unskilled workers.

How did disenfranchisement operate in the South in the 1890s–1908?

States imposed poll taxes, literacy tests, residency requirements, and grandfather clauses; 1915 Supreme Court decision invalidated grandfather clauses, but many other barriers remained, sharply reducing Black voting.

What did Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) establish?

The doctrine of 'separate but equal' that upheld state laws enforcing racial segregation in public facilities.

Who was Ida B. Wells and what did she argue about lynching?

Ida B. Wells, a Black journalist and anti-lynching activist; argued lynching was used to terrorize Black people and expose false rape charges; she advocated equal justice and rights.

Who was W. E. B. Du Bois and what is a key idea from The Souls of Black Folk?

A Black educator and activist who argued for equal civil, political, and educational rights and criticized theories of racial inferiority; emphasized the importance of equal justice and leadership by Black Americans.

What was the Open Door Policy (1899) and its purpose?

Secretary of State John Hay’s plan to ensure equal access to Chinese markets for all nations and to prevent the partition of China, not to promote immigration.

What territories did the United States acquire as a result of the Spanish-American War, and what amendment governed Cuba afterward?

The Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam; Cuba was constrained by the Platt Amendment, which reserved U.S. intervention rights and allowed naval bases; the Teller Amendment had initially promised no annexation of Cuba.

What was the Platt Amendment (1901) and why was it significant?

A constitutional amendment attached to Cuba’s post-war government allowing the U.S. to intervene in Cuban affairs and to maintain naval bases (e.g., Guantánamo Bay), effectively making Cuba a U.S. protectorate.

What was the Foraker Act (1900)?

Established Puerto Rico as an insular territory; defined Puerto Ricans as citizens of Puerto Rico (not U.S. citizens) and denied an immediate path to statehood.

What were the Insular Cases (1901–1904)?

Supreme Court cases that ruled constitutional protections did not fully apply to residents of new U.S. territories acquired after the Spanish-American War, enabling ongoing colonial governance.

What was the Anti-Imperialist League and who were its notable members?

A coalition opposing American imperial expansion; members included E. L. Godkin, William Dean Howells, and George E. McNeill, among others, who argued imperialism threatened democracy.

What role did Josiah Strong and Alfred T. Mahan play in American expansionism?

Josiah Strong argued in Our Country (1885) for Anglo-Saxon diffusion of American institutions abroad; Alfred T. Mahan, in The Influence of Sea Power upon History (1890), argued that naval power and overseas bases were essential to national greatness.

What was the term 'yellow press' referring to, and why is it relevant to these pages?

Sensationalist newspapers (Hearst’s Journal and Pulitzer’s World) that helped fuel public support for the Spanish-American War through dramatic coverage.