APUSH UNIT 6&7

Railroads

Key to U.S. economic growth in the 19th century, enabling faster transportation of goods and people, fueling westward expansion, and transforming American industry. Switched from Canals to mainly Railroads in the mid 19th century.

Panic of 1893

A severe economic depression caused by railroad overbuilding, bank failures, and a collapsing stock market, leading to mass unemployment and business bankruptcies.

Bessemer Process

A method developed in the 1850s for mass-producing steel by blasting air through molten iron, greatly reducing costs and fueling industrial growth.

Vertical Integration

A business strategy where a company controls all stages of production, from raw materials to finished products, to reduce costs and increase efficiency. Seen by Andrew Carnegie and Rockefeller.

Horizontal Integration

A business strategy where a company acquires or merges with competitors in the same industry to increase market share and reduce competition.

Laissez-faire economic policy

An economic philosophy advocating minimal government interference in business and markets, promoting free trade, competition, and individual entrepreneurship. It was popularized in the 18th and 19th centuries, notably by Adam Smith.

Social Darwinism

A theory in the late 19th century that applied Charles Darwin’s ideas of natural selection to society, arguing that the wealthy and powerful were “fit” to succeed, while the poor were “unfit,” justifying inequality and minimal government intervention. This was also a way of justifying monopolistic practices for the ultra wealthy.

Gospel of Wealth

A concept popularized by Andrew Carnegie in the late 19th century, which held that wealthy individuals had a responsibility to use their fortunes for the greater good, promoting philanthropy and social improvement.

Great Railroad Strike

A 1877 nationwide strike by railroad workers protesting wage cuts and poor working conditions, which led to violent clashes and the intervention of federal troops to restore order.

Pullman Strike

A 1894 nationwide railroad strike led by the American Railway Union against the Pullman Company, protesting wage cuts and high rents in company-owned housing. It was broken up by federal troops, highlighting tensions between labor and management.

Knights of Labor

A national labor organization founded in 1869 that advocated for workers’ rights, including the eight-hour workday, equal pay for women, and the end of child labor. It was one of the largest labor organizations in the late 19th century.

Haymarket Square Riot

A 1886 labor protest in Chicago that turned violent when a bomb was thrown at police, leading to the deaths of several police officers and civilians. The event damaged the labor movement’s reputation and led to anti-union sentiment. This damaged the reputation of the Knights of Labor leading to the emerging of the American Federation of Labor.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

Founded in 1886, the AFL was a national federation of craft unions, led by Samuel Gompers, that focused on securing better wages, working conditions, and labor rights through collective bargaining rather than political action.

Chinese Exclusion Act

A 1882 U.S. law that prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers, marking the first significant federal restriction on immigration based on nationality and race.

Homestead Act

Passed in 1862, this U.S. law provided 160 acres of public land to settlers for a small fee, provided they improved the land by building a dwelling and farming it for at least five years, promoting westward expansion.

The Reservation Act does not refer to a single specific law, but several U.S. policies and laws from the 19th century, including the Indian Removal Act of 1830, led to the establishment of reservations. These were areas of land set aside for Native American tribes, often after being forcibly removed from their ancestral lands. The goal was to control and isolate indigenous populations.

Sioux Wars

A series of conflicts between the Sioux Nation and the U.S. government in the mid-19th century, mainly over territorial disputes and the U.S. encroachment on Native American lands. Key battles include Little Bighorn (1876).

Indian Appropriation Act

Passed in 1851, this law provided funding for the U.S. government to create Indian reservations, aiming to control and isolate Native American tribes, while encouraging their assimilation into American society. Went back on their word for Echota Treaty

Ghost Dance Movement

A religious movement among Native American tribes in the late 19th century, particularly the Sioux, which hoped to restore native lands and culture. It culminated in the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890, as U.S. troops suppressed the movement.

Wounded Knee Massacre

Occurred in 1890 in South Dakota, where U.S. troops killed around 300 Sioux men, women, and children, marking the end of armed Native American resistance in the Plains. It was a response to the Ghost Dance movement.

The Dawes Act of 1887 (not 1877) was passed by Congress under the presidency of Grover Cleveland. It aimed to assimilate Native Americans by dividing tribal lands into individual plots, encouraging farming and private landownership. Went back on their word for the Echota Treaty which where the Indians were migrated to the west of the mississippi river by the Trail of Tears.

National Grange Movement

Founded in 1867, the National Grange was a social and political organization for farmers that aimed to improve their economic conditions through cooperative buying, education, and advocacy for agricultural reforms and better transportation policies. Largely due to the monopolistic behavior of Companies during this time due to the ineffectiveness and vagueness of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

Interstate Commerce Act

Passed in 1887, this law regulated railroad rates and practices to ensure fair treatment for farmers and merchants, and created the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to oversee interstate transportation.

Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC)

Established in 1887 by the Interstate Commerce Act, the ICC was the first federal agency tasked with regulating railroads and later other forms of interstate commerce, ensuring fair rates and preventing discriminatory practices.

Political Machines

Corrupt political organizations that controlled city governments in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, often providing services in exchange for votes, with Tammany Hall in New York being one of the most famous.

Tammany Hall

A powerful Democratic Party political machine in New York City that controlled local politics from the 1790s to the early 20th century, known for its patronage system and corruption.

Anti-Saloon League

A prominent organization formed in the late 19th century to advocate for the prohibition of alcohol, playing a major role in the passage of the 18th Amendment (Prohibition) in 1919.

Social Gospel

A religious movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that applied Christian ethics to social problems, advocating for social justice, labor reforms, and improving living conditions for the poor.

New South

A term used to describe the South’s post-Civil War economic transformation, emphasizing industrialization and diversification, as opposed to its previous reliance on agriculture and slavery.

Plessy vs. Ferguson

An 1896 Supreme Court case that upheld racial segregation under the doctrine of “separate but equal”, legitimizing Jim Crow laws in the South.

Jim Crow Laws

State and local laws in the South, enforced from the late 19th century into the 1960s, that mandated racial segregation in public facilities, schools, and transportation.

Booker T. Washington

An African American leader in the late 19th and early 20th centuries who promoted vocational and industrial education for Black people, believing it would help them gain economic independence and earn respect from whites.

Pendleton Act

Passed in 1883, this law established the federal civil service system, requiring government jobs to be awarded based on merit, rather than political connections, to reduce corruption.

Populist Party

Founded in 1891, this political party represented farmers and laborers, advocating for free silver, government regulation of railroads, a graduated income tax, and direct election of senators.

Omaha Platform

The 1892 platform of the Populist Party, calling for economic reforms like the free coinage of silver, government control of railroads, a progressive income tax, and direct election of U.S. senators. This was due to both the Republican and Democratic Parties at the time being very inactive with new Legislature and ideas.

Turner’s Frontier Thesis

An 1893 argument by historian Frederick Jackson Turner that American democracy and character were shaped by the challenges of westward expansion and the existence of a frontier.

Influence of Sea Power

A book by Alfred Thayer Mahan published in 1890 that argued that national greatness depended on naval power, influencing U.S. expansionist policies.

Self-Determination

The principle that people have the right to choose their own government, often cited by anti-imperialists opposing U.S. colonization.

Yellow Journalists

Sensationalist newspapers in the 1890s, like William Randolph Hearst’s New York Journal, that exaggerated news to sway public opinion and drum up support for the Spanish-American War.

Blowing up of the Maine

The 1898 explosion of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor, blamed on Spain, which fueled American calls for war despite unclear evidence.

Causes of the Spanish-American War

Included economic interests in Cuba, the blowing up of the Maine, yellow journalism, and a desire to expand U.S. influence and power.

Effects of the Spanish-American War

The 1898 conflict resulted in U.S. control over former Spanish territories, including Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, marking the U.S. as a global imperial power and sparking debates over imperialism.

Treaty of Paris

Signed in 1898, this treaty ended the Spanish-American War, granting the U.S. control of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, and recognizing Cuban independence.

Open Door Policy

A U.S. diplomatic policy established in 1899 that called for equal trading rights for all nations in China and the preservation of Chinese territorial integrity, aimed at preventing European powers from carving China into exclusive spheres of influence.

Big Stick Diplomacy

A foreign policy associated with Theodore Roosevelt that emphasized using a strong military as a deterrent while pursuing peaceful negotiations, summarized by the phrase “speak softly and carry a big stick.”

Panama Canal

Completed in 1914, the Panama Canal is a man-made waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It was built under the leadership of Theodore Roosevelt and facilitated international trade, but its construction was controversial due to U.S. intervention in Panama’s independence from Colombia.

Muckrakers

Journalists in the early 20th century who exposed corruption, social injustices, and corporate malpractices, pushing for reform. Notable muckrakers included Upton Sinclair (author of The Jungle) and Ida Tarbell (who investigated Standard Oil). Largely due to the increase in progressivists.

Secret Ballot

A voting method introduced to ensure privacy and reduce corruption by allowing voters to cast their votes in secret, rather than publicly. Made this since Progressives were very for the people and wanted the government to be more in the hands of the people - thus wanted more people to vote.

17th Amendment

Ratified in 1913, it established the direct election of U.S. Senators by the people, rather than selection by state legislatures. Made this since Progressives were very for the people.

Booker T. Washington

An African American leader who promoted vocational education and economic self-reliance for Black Americans, founding the Tuskegee Institute.

W.E.B. Du Bois

A civil rights activist and co-founder of the NAACP, advocating for full political, civil, and social rights for African Americans.

Niagara Movement

A 1905 civil rights organization led by W.E.B. Du Bois that called for immediate civil rights and equality for African Americans, eventually leading to the creation of the NAACP.

Pure Food and Drug Act

Passed in 1906, it aimed to regulate food and drug industries, ensuring the safety of consumables and requiring truthful labeling.

Clayton Anti-Trust Act

Enacted in 1914, it strengthened the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, targeting monopolies and promoting fair competition in business.

18th Amendment

Ratified in 1919, it prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the U.S., beginning the era of Prohibition.

19th Amendment

Ratified in 1920, it granted women the right to vote, marking a major victory in the women’s suffrage movement.

Zimmerman Telegram

A 1917 secret diplomatic communication from Germany to Mexico, offering a military alliance if Mexico attacked the U.S., which helped prompt U.S. entry into World War I.

American Expeditionary Forces

The U.S. forces sent to Europe during World War I, led by General John J. Pershing, playing a critical role in the Allied victory.

Great Migration

The movement of African Americans from the rural South to urban areas in the North between 1916 and 1970, seeking better economic opportunities and escaping racial discrimination.

Espionage Act

Passed in 1917, it criminalized interference with military operations, support of U.S. enemies, and anti-war speech during World War I.

Schenck vs. United States

A 1919 Supreme Court case that upheld the conviction of Schenck for distributing anti-draft leaflets, ruling that speech presenting a “clear and present danger” could be restricted.

Sedition Act

Enacted in 1918, it extended the Espionage Act to criminalize disloyal or abusive speech about the U.S. government, war efforts, or military.

Treaty of Versailles

Signed in 1919, it officially ended World War I, imposing heavy reparations on Germany and creating the League of Nations, though the U.S. did not join.

14 Points

A proposal by Woodrow Wilson in 1918 outlining principles for peace, including self-determination, free trade, and the establishment of the League of Nations.

League of Nations

An international organization created after World War I aimed at ensuring peace and preventing future conflicts, though the U.S. did not join.

First Red Scare

A period after World War I marked by fear of communism, anarchism, and radical leftism, leading to anti-immigrant sentiment and the Palmer Raids.

Return to Normalcy

The campaign slogan of Warren G. Harding in the 1920 election, promising a return to pre-war normalcy and rejecting progressive reforms.