APUSH: AP Exam Terms - Part 2

Comancheros

Traders from New Mexico who encouraged Native American raids by accepting cattle, horses and property taken from settlers, and trading for guns and ammunition.

Medicine Lodge Creek Treaty

Agreement between the Comanches and the U.S. Army in which the Comanches agreed to settle on a reservation.

Nez Pierce

Tribe, led by Chief Joseph, that was forced from its traditional lands in Oregon and was hunted down as it tried to escape to Canada.

Lakota Sioux

Nomadic tribe that followed Bison. Based in Great plains. Sitting Bull is a famous chief. Fight with the US in Dakotas, end up getting crushed. Massacred at Wounded Knee.

Sitting Bull

American Indian medicine man, chief, and political leader of his tribe at the time of the Custer massacre at the Battle of Little Bighorn during the Sioux War.

Sioux Wars

Lasted from 1876-1877 between Sioux Indians and white men; led by Sitting Bull; American Officer -Custer killed at the battle at Little Bighorn. Indians were defeated by the U.S.

Battle of Little Bighorn

Sioux forces led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull surrounded and defeated Custer and his troops.

Crazy Horse

A chief of the Sioux who resisted the invasion of the Black Hills and joined Sitting Bull in the defeat of General Custer at Little Bighorn.

General Custer

United States general who was killed along with all his command by the Sioux at the battle of Little Bighorn.

General Sheridan

Ordered by Grant to wage total war in Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. He burned and destroyed all farmland, animals and food. "Every buffalo dead is another Indian gone."

Ghost Dance Movement

The religion of the late 1880s and early 1890s combined elements of Christianity and traditional Native American religion. It fostered Plains Indians' hope that they could, through sacred dances, resurrect the great bison herds and call up a storm to drive whites back across the Atlantic. Native American movement that called for a return to traditional ways of life and challenged white dominance in society.

Homestead Act

1862 - Provided free land in the West to anyone willing to settle there and develop it. Encouraged westward migration.

Plains Indian Wars

Series of conflicts from the early 1850s through the late 1870s between Native Americans and the United States, along with its Indian allies, over control of the Great Plains between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains.

Grant's Peace Policy

A new effort by President Grant to end the Plains Indian wars by creating a series of reservations on which tribes could maintain their traditional ways. 1869.

Dawes Act

1887 law which gave all Native American males 160 acres to farm and also set up schools to make Native American children more like other Americans.

Carlisle Indian School

Pennsylvania school for Indians funded by the government; children were separated from their tribe and were taught Engilsh and white values/customs. Motto of founder: "Kill the Indian and save the man."

Transcontinental Railroad

Railroad connecting the west and east coasts of the continental US.

Cowboys

Cattle handlers who drove large herds across the southern Great Plains. The era of the cowboy lasted from 1870 to the late 1880s.

Gilded Age

1870s - 1890s; Age of tremendous increase in wealth caused by the industrial age and the ostentatious lifestyles it allowed the very rich. The great industrial success of the U.S. and the fabulous lifestyles of the wealthy hid the many social problems of the time, including a high poverty rate, a high crime rate, and corruption in the government.

Henry Ford

American businessman, founder of Ford Motor Company. United States manufacturer of automobiles who pioneered mass production.

Jay Cooke

A New York financier who was interested in the OSN Railroads. When he acquired the charter of the North Pacific, he persuaded Congress to enlarge the land grants 60 miles on each side of the railroad, and he allowed timber companies to sell of these lands. First major investment banker. His bankruptcy caused a national depression.

Panic of 1873

Four year economic depression caused by overspeculation on railroads and western lands, and worsened by Grant's poor fiscal response (refusing to coin silver.

Cornelius Vanderbilt

United States financier who accumulated great wealth. A railroad owner who built a railway connecting Chicago and New York. He popularized the use of steel rails in his railroad, which made railroads safer and more economical. Also built New York Central.

Standard Oil Company

John D. Rockefeller's company, formed in 1870, which came to symbolize the trusts and monopolies of the Gilded Age. By 1877 Standard Oil controlled 95% of the oil refineries in the U.S. It was also one of the first multinational corporations, and at times distributed more than half of the company's kerosene production outside the U.S. By the turn of the century it had become a target for trust-busting reformers, and in 1911 the Supreme Court ordered it to break up into several dozen smaller companies.

Horizontal Integration

Type of monopoly where a company buys out all of its competition. Ex. Rockefeller

Vertical Integration

Practice where a single entity controls the entire process of a product, from the raw materials to distribution.

Carnegie Steel Company

Corporation under the leadership of Andrew Carnegie that came to dominate the American steel industry. At its height, it supplied over half the world's steel. Sold to J. P. Morgan to form U.S. Steel.

John Pierpont Morgan

The most prominent and powerful American investment banker in the late nineteenth century. American financier (JP Morgan) and industrialist who organized the US Steel corporation after buying it from Carnegie. JP Morgan and Company.

Gilded Age Religion

increase in religious activity of white middle class protestants

"Christian America"- more americans joined Protestant churches between 1860-1900 and participated in nondenominational religious organizations (YMCA, Bible, mission, & social reform societies)

theology became more individualistic- Dwight L. Moody.

"waving the bloody shirt"

This was a campaign tactic used by post-Civil War Republicans to remind northern voters that the Confederates were Democrats. The device was used to divert attention away from the competence of candidates and from serious issues. It was also used to appeal to black voters in the South.

Stalwarts

A faction of the Republican party in the end of the 1800s Supported the political machine and the spoils system. Conservatives who hated civil service reform. Pro equal rights.

Mugwumps

Republican political activists in the United States were intensely opposed to political corruption. Supported Democratic nominee Grover Cleveland.

People's Party (Populists)

Started as Farmer's Alliance, farmers came together and became organized, translated into Populists. Wanted to unite farmers of south/west/poor blacks and whites and industrial/factory workers.

Chinese Exclusion Act

1882 law that barred Chinese laborers from entering the United States.

Melting Pot

A term often used to characterize the United States as a place where a variety of peoples, cultures, or individuals assimilate into a cohesive whole, or "melt" into being like other Americans.

New South

Idea that the south should industrialize after the Civil War. Despite calls for industrialization, sharecropping and tenant farming persisted in the South; After the Civil War, southerners promoted a new vision for a self-sufficient southern economy built on modern capitalist values, industrial growth, and improved transportation. Henry Grady played an important role.

"Solid South"

Term applied to the one-party (Democrat) system of the South following the Civil War. For 100 years after the Civil War, the South voted Democrat in every presidential election.

Ida B. Wells

African American journalist. published statistics about lynching, urged African Americans to protest by refusing to ride streetcars or shop in white owned stores. Stated Anti-lynching crusade.

Booker T. Washington

African American progressive who supported segregation and demanded that African American better themselves individually to achieve equality.

W.E.B. DuBois

1st black to earn Ph.D. from Harvard, encouraged blacks to resist systems of segregation and discrimination, helped create NAACP in 1910.

Farmers' Alliance

In 1873 the Grangers founded this. Organization founded in the late 1870s; sought lower railroad freight rates, lower interest rates, and a change in the government's tight money policy. Allowed women to lead. This later led to the founding of the populist party.

Populist Party

U.S. political party formed in 1892 representing mainly farmers, favoring free coinage of silver and government control of railroads and other monopolies.

William Jennings Bryan

Democratic candidate for president in 1896 under the banner of "free silver coinage" which won him support of the Populist Party.

Cross of Gold Speech: Given by Bryan on June 18, 1896, at the national convention of the Democratic Party.

- The speech criticized the gold standard and supported the coinage of silver.

- The last part of his speech became famous - "You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold."

William McKinley

President during the Spanish-American War of 1898, raised protective tariffs to boost American industry, and rejected the expansionary monetary policy of free silver, keeping the nation on the gold standard. Rapid economic growth marked McKinley's presidency. Assassinated in 1901.

Knights of Labor

American labor organization (founded in 1869) to protect the rights of workers, unskilled workers. Supported 8-hour workday, equal pay for women, and government ownership of railroads and banks.

American Federation of Labor

1886; founded by Samuel Gompers; sought better wages, hrs, working conditions; skilled laborers, arose out of dissatisfaction with the Knights of Labor, rejected socialist and communist ideas, non-violent.

Haymarket Square Riot

May 4, 1886

*Large rally in Haymarket Square in Chicago shortly after striking began at McCormick Harvesting Machine Co.

*Police were attempting to disperse the crowd then a bomb exploded

*Eleven were killed and over 100 were injured

*Eight anarchists were put on trial and four were executed

*Incident was used to discredit the Knights of Labor

Pullman Strike (1894)

A staged walkout strike by railroad workers upset by drastic wage cuts. The strike was led by socialist Eugene Debs but not supported by the American Federation of Labor. Eventually President Grover Cleveland intervened because it was interfering with mail delivery and federal troops forced an end to the strike. The strike highlighted both divisions within labor and the government's continuing willingness to use armed force to combat work stoppages.

Socialist Party

Political Party in the United States which supports socialism - People who support community ownership of property and the sharing of all profits.

Eugene V. Debs

Leader of the American Railway Union, he voted to aid workers in the Pullman strike. He was jailed for six months for disobeying a court order after the strike was over. Founded Socialist Party

Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

March 1911 fire in New York factory that trapped young women workers inside locked exit doors; nearly 50 ended up jumping to their death; while 100 died inside the factory; led to the establishment of many factory reforms, including increasing safety precautions for workers.

Theodore Roosevelt

26th president, known for: conservationism, trust-busting, Hepburn Act, safe food regulations, "Square Deal," Panama Canal, Great White Fleet, Nobel Peace Prize for negotiation of peace in Russo-Japanese War.

Boss Tweed

William Tweed, head of Tammany Hall, NYC's powerful democratic political machine in 1868. Between 1868 and 1869 he led the Tweed Reign, a group of corrupt politicians in defrauding the city. Example: Responsible for the construction of the NY court house; actual construction cost $3million. Project cost tax payers $13million.

Progressives

A group of reformers who worked to solve problems caused by the rapid industrial urban growth of the late 1800s. Favoring or advocating progress, change, improvement, or reform, as opposed to wishing to maintain things as they are, especially in political matters.

Progressive Reforms

Election reforms introduced in the early twentieth century as part of the Progressive movement; included the secret ballot, primary elections, and voter registration laws.

Hull House

Settlement home designed as a welfare agency for needy families. It provided social and educational opportunities for working class people in the neighborhood as well as improving some of the conditions caused by poverty.

Woman's Christian Temperance Union

An organization advocating the prohibition of liquor that spread rapidly after 1879, when charismatic Frances Willard became its leader. Advocating suffrage and a host of reform activities, it launched tens of thousands of women into public life and was the first nationwide organization to identify and condemn domestic violence.

Frances E. Willard

This pious leader of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union wished to eliminate the sale of alcohol and thereby "make the world more homelike." Her ecumenical "do every thing" reform sensibility encouraged some women to take the leap toward more radical causes like woman suffrage, while allowing more conservative women to stick comfortably with temperance work.

Carry Nation

A prohibitionist. She believed that bars and other liquor-related businesses should be destroyed, and was known for attacking saloons herself with a hatchet.

William Howard Taft

27th president of the U.S.; he angered progressives by moving cautiously toward reforms and by supporting the Payne-Aldrich Tariff; he lost Roosevelt's support and was defeated for a second term.

Election of 1912

Presidential campaign involving Taft, T. Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson. Taft and Roosevelt split the Republican vote, enabling Wilson to win.

New Freedom

Democrat Woodrow Wilson's political slogan in the presidential campaign of 1912; Wilson wanted to improve the banking system, lower tariffs, and, by breaking up monopolies, give small businesses freedom to compete.

Laissez-faire

Idea that government should play as small a role as possible in economic affairs.

US Imperialism

A term used to describe the U.S. acquisition of Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Philippine Islands in 1898. In which they extended their country's power & influence through diplomacy or military force.

Gentlemen's Agreement

Agreement when Japan agreed to curb the number of workers coming to the US and in exchange Roosevelt agreed to allow the wives of the Japanese men already living in the US to join them; 1907 agreement between the United States and Japan that restricted Japanese immigration.

Spanish-American War

In 1898, a conflict between the United States and Spain, in which the U.S. supported the Cubans' fight for independence.

Yellow Journalism

Type of sensational, biased, and often false reporting for the sake of attracting readers. Used to promote the Spanish-American War.

"Remember the Maine"

A slogan of the Spanish-American war referring to the sinking of a battleship in Cuba (from an explosion in Havana Harbor). Stirred up by yellow journalism, this lead McKinley to declare war.

Anti-Imperialists

those who opposed the annexation of the Philippines, declaring it unconstitutional to do so. Opposed to US Imperialism: 1). Morality-believed that taking over Filipino's would violate American principle "the right of all people to independence and self-government" 2). Economics-feared competition from Filipino producers 3). Legality and Race-feared contaminating effects of contact with "inferior" Asian races.

Panama Canal

(Theodore Rosevelt) , The United States built to have a quicker passage to the Pacific from the Atlantic and vice versa. It cost $400,000,000 to build. Columbians would not let Americans build the canal, but then with the assistance of the United States a Panamanian Revolution occurred. The new ruling people allowed the United States to build the canal.

Woodrow Wilson

28th president of the United States, known for World War I leadership, created Federal Reserve, Federal Trade Commission, Clayton Antitrust Act, progressive income tax, lower tariffs, women's suffrage (reluctantly), Treaty of Versailles, sought 14 points post-war plan, League of Nations (but failed to win U.S. ratification), won Nobel Peace Prize; Big on income tax reform (16th amendment), Bank Reform (Federal Reserve Act), and Regulation of big business; President during World War 1; Democrat.

World War I

A war between the allies (Russia, France, British Empire, Italy, United States, Japan, Rumania, Serbia, Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Montenegro) and the central powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria) from 1914 to 1918.

Sinking of the Lusitania (1915)

A German U-Boat sank the British passenger liner Lusitania (which was actually carrying ammunition) despite the American civilian passengers onboard. Brought U.S. closer to entering war.

Zimmerman Telegram (1917)

This was a secret diplomatic communication issued from the German Foreign Office in January of 1917 that proposed an alliance between Germany and, America's friendly neighbor, Mexico; A telegram Germany sent to Mexico to convince Mexico to attack the U.S. led the U.S. to join the war.

Fourteen Points

A series of proposals in which U.S. president Woodrow Wilson outlined a plan for achieving a lasting peace after World War I. Called for self-determination, freedom of the seas, free trade, end to secret agreements, reduction of arms and a league of nations.

League of Nations

A world organization established in 1920 to promote international cooperation and peace. It was first proposed in 1918 by President Woodrow Wilson, although the United States never joined the League. Essentially powerless, it was officially dissolved in 1946.

Red Scare (1919-1920)

Fear among many Americans after World War I of Communists in particular and non-citizens in general, a reaction to the Russian Revolution, mail bombs, strikes, and riots.

The Great Migration

Movement of over 300,000 African American from the rural south into Northern cities between 1914 and 1920. This happened after sharecropping dies.

Race Riots

Migration of African Americans to northern cities increased racial tensions, which led to violence in many cities. Conditions were no better in the South than in the North.

Prohibition

the period from 1920 to 1933 when the sale of alcoholic beverages was prohibited in the United States by a constitutional amendment.

Speakeasy

A place where alcoholic drinks were sold and consumed illegally during prohibition.

Ponzi/Pyramid Scheme

A dishonest and often illegal way of selling investments, in which money from people who invest later is used to pay people in the system who have already invested.

Al Capone

A mob king in Chicago who controlled a large network of speakeasies with enormous profits. His illegal activities convey the failure of prohibition in the twenties and the problems with gangs.

Ku Klux Klan in the 1920's

Based on the post-Civil War terrorist organization, the Invisible Empire of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan was founded in Georgia in 1915 by William Simmons to oppose the forces changing America and to fight the growing "influence" of blacks, Jews and Catholics in US society. It experienced phenomenal growth in the 1920's, especially in the Midwest and Ohio Valley States. Its peak membership came in 1924 at three million members, but its reputation for violence led to rapid decline by 1929.

Sterilization Movement

During the American eugenics movement, laws were enacted that legalized forced sterilizations and prohibited individuals that had mental or physical defects and couples of mixed-race from marrying. Was done on women without permission.

Buck v. Bell (1927)

In this case, the Supreme Court upheld the Constitutionality of forced sterilization laws such as the 1907 Indiana law authorizing doctors to sterilize insane and "feeble-minded" inmates in mental institutions so that they would not pass on their "defective" genes to children. The decision was largely seen as an endorsement of eugenics—the attempt to improve the human race by eliminating "defectives" from the gene pool.

Farmer's Depression

Due to increased production during the war, after the war there was an oversupply of staple products leaving many farmers with a hard life; oversupply led prices to fall, decreasing their profit

Warren Harding

29th president of the US; Republican; "Return to Normalcy" (life as it had been before WWI-peace, isolation); presidency was marred by scandal.

Calvin Coolidge

Became president when Harding died of pneumonia. He was known for practicing a rigid economy in money and words, and acquired the name "Silent Cal" for being so soft-spoken. He was a true republican and industrialist. Believed in the government supporting big business.

Great Depression

Starting with the collapse of the US stock market in 1929, period of worldwide economic stagnation and depression. Heavy borrowing by European nations from the USA during WW1 contributed to instability in European economies. Sharp declines in income and production as buying and selling slowed down. With widespread unemployment, countries raised tariffs to protect their industries. America stopped investing in Europe. Lead to a loss of confidence that economies were self-adjusting, Herbert Hoover was blamed for it.