apush unit 6

transcontinental railroads

Railroads that connected the eastern U.S. with the Pacific coast, facilitating westward expansion.

Great Plains

Vast region of flat land west of the Mississippi River; home to many Native American tribes and later settlers.

Great American Desert

Nickname for the arid Great Plains region before it was settled and farmed.

100th meridian

Imaginary longitudinal line dividing the more humid East from the arid West; influenced agriculture and settlement.

buffalo herds

Essential to Plains Native American culture; nearly exterminated by westward expansion and railroads.

vaqueros

Mexican cowboys who influenced American cattle ranching.

longhorn cattle

Hardy cattle breed driven along trails to railheads for shipment to market.

cattle drives

Movement of cattle by cowboys to railroad hubs for sale.

barbed wire

Cheap fencing innovation by Joseph Glidden that ended the open range.

Homestead Act

1862 law granting 160 acres of free land to settlers who would farm it for five years.

Joseph Glidden

Inventor of barbed wire, revolutionizing agriculture in the West.

dry farming

Agricultural technique used in dry regions to conserve moisture in the soil.

cash crops

Crops grown primarily for sale rather than for personal consumption.

markets

Economic systems or places where goods and services are bought and sold.

deflation

A decrease in the general price level of goods and services, often harmful to farmers.

middlemen

Agents who arranged the buying and selling of goods, often taking a large cut and angering farmers.

National Grange Movement

Social and political movement by farmers to advocate for cooperative purchasing and railroad regulation.

cooperatives

Organizations owned by and operated for the benefit of those using its services, especially among farmers.

Granger laws

State laws regulating railroad rates and storage fees; supported by the Grange movement.

Munn v. Illinois

Supreme Court decision allowing states to regulate certain businesses within their borders.

Ocala Platform

1890 political agenda advocating for lower tariffs, a graduated income tax, and federal regulation of railroads.

Frederick Jackson Turner

Historian who argued the frontier shaped American democracy and character.

The Significance of the Frontier in American History (1893)

Essay arguing the closing of the frontier ended an era of American development.

Little Big Horn

1876 battle where Sioux forces led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull defeated Custer’s troops.

Ghost Dance movement

Native American spiritual movement hoping to restore lands and way of life; suppressed violently by U.S. troops.

assimilationists

Reformers who wanted Native Americans to adopt white American culture.

Helen Hunt Jackson

Author of "A Century of Dishonor," criticizing U.S. treatment of Native Americans.

Dawes Act of 1887

Law intended to assimilate Native Americans by dividing tribal lands into individual plots.

Indian Reorganization Act

1934 law restoring tribal ownership of lands and recognizing tribal governments.

Santa Fe Trail

Trade route between Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico, significant for American-Mexican commerce.

deforestation

The clearing of forests, often to make way for agriculture or development.

Yosemite

One of the first areas of land set aside for public use, leading to the National Parks system.

Yellowstone

Established in 1872, the first national park in the world.

Forest Reserve Act of 1891

Law allowing the president to set aside forest reserves from land in the public domain.

Forest Management Act of 1897

Gave federal government authority to manage forests to ensure sustainability.

conservationists

Advocated for responsible use and management of natural resources.

preservationists

Advocated for protecting nature from all human use or alteration.

John Muir

Naturalist and advocate for wilderness preservation; founder of the Sierra Club.

Sierra Club

Environmental organization founded in 1892 to preserve wilderness areas.

New South

Post-Reconstruction vision promoting industrialization and diversified agriculture in the South.

Henry Grady

Editor who promoted the concept of the New South.

Birmingham (steel)

Southern city that became a steel production center.

Memphis (lumber)

Southern city that became a lumber processing hub.

Richmond (tobacco)

Southern city known for tobacco production.

national rail network

System of railroads connecting all regions of the U.S., promoting economic growth.

tenant farmers

Farmers who rented land to farm and often remained in poverty.

sharecroppers

Farmers who worked land owned by others and paid a share of the crop as rent.

George Washington Carver

African American scientist who promoted crop diversification in the South.

Tuskegee Institute

Vocational school founded by Booker T. Washington to educate African Americans.

White supremacists

People who believe in the racial superiority of whites; enforced segregation and violence.

Civil Rights Cases of 1883

Supreme Court rulings that declared the Civil Rights Act of 1875 unconstitutional.

Plessy v. Ferguson

1896 Supreme Court case that upheld “separate but equal” racial segregation.

Jim Crow laws

Laws enforcing racial segregation in the South.

literacy tests

Exams used to deny African Americans the vote.

poll taxes

Fees required to vote, disenfranchising poor blacks and whites.

grandfather clauses

Laws allowing only those whose grandfathers had voted to vote, excluding African Americans.

lynch mobs

Groups that killed individuals, often African Americans, without trial.

economic discrimination

Denial of jobs, credit, or housing based on race.

Ida B. Wells

Journalist and activist who campaigned against lynching.

International Migration Society

Organization supporting African American emigration to Africa.

Booker T. Washington

Black leader who promoted vocational education and economic self-help.

W. E. B. Du Bois

Black intellectual who demanded civil rights and co-founded the NAACP.

Atlanta Compromise

Washington’s speech urging blacks to accept segregation and focus on economic gains.

economic cooperation

Idea promoted by Washington that black economic strength would win white respect.

transatlantic cable

Undersea cable connecting continents, enabling rapid communication.

telephone

Invention by Alexander Graham Bell revolutionizing communication.

Alexander Graham Bell

Inventor of the telephone.

Eastman’s Kodak camera

Affordable personal camera that revolutionized photography.

Henry Bessemer

Developed a steel production process that made steel cheaper and more accessible.

Thomas Edison

Inventor of electric light, phonograph, and motion pictures.

Menlo Park

Edison’s research lab, symbol of American innovation.

electric power

Power generated by electricity, revolutionizing industry and home life.

electric light

Edison’s invention that extended productive hours and changed daily life.

George Westinghouse

Inventor who developed alternating current systems for electricity.

subways

Underground trains used for mass transit in growing cities.

Brooklyn Bridge

Engineering marvel symbolizing progress and urban growth.

skyscraper

Tall steel-framed buildings that changed urban architecture.

Otis elevator

Innovation that made skyscrapers practical by allowing vertical transport.

transcontinental railroads

Railroads that connected the eastern U.S. with the Pacific coast, facilitating westward expansion.

Great Plains

Vast region of flat land west of the Mississippi River; home to many Native American tribes and later settlers.

Great American Desert

Nickname for the arid Great Plains region before it was settled and farmed.

100th meridian

Imaginary longitudinal line dividing the more humid East from the arid West; influenced agriculture and settlement.

buffalo herds

Essential to Plains Native American culture; nearly exterminated by westward expansion and railroads.

vaqueros

Mexican cowboys who influenced American cattle ranching.

longhorn cattle

Hardy cattle breed driven along trails to railheads for shipment to market.

cattle drives

Movement of cattle by cowboys to railroad hubs for sale.

barbed wire

Cheap fencing innovation by Joseph Glidden that ended the open range.

Homestead Act

1862 law granting 160 acres of free land to settlers who would farm it for five years.

Joseph Glidden

Inventor of barbed wire, revolutionizing agriculture in the West.

dry farming

Agricultural technique used in dry regions to conserve moisture in the soil.

cash crops

Crops grown primarily for sale rather than for personal consumption.

markets

Economic systems or places where goods and services are bought and sold.

deflation

A decrease in the general price level of goods and services, often harmful to farmers.

middlemen

Agents who arranged the buying and selling of goods, often taking a large cut and angering farmers.

National Grange Movement

Social and political movement by farmers to advocate for cooperative purchasing and railroad regulation.

cooperatives

Organizations owned by and operated for the benefit of those using its services, especially among farmers.

Granger laws

State laws regulating railroad rates and storage fees; supported by the Grange movement.

Munn v. Illinois

Supreme Court decision allowing states to regulate certain businesses within their borders.

Ocala Platform

1890 political agenda advocating for lower tariffs, a graduated income tax, and federal regulation of railroads.

Frederick Jackson Turner

Historian who argued the frontier shaped American democracy and character.