U.S. Westward Expansion, Labor Movements, and Key Legislation (1869–1900)

Completion of the Transcontinental Railway

1869, allows goods to be shipped nationwide

What year did time zones get introduced and by who

1883 by the railroads

Kansas Exodus

1879, A migration by blacks to Kansas to escape the oppressive environment of the New South.

Wounded Knee

1890, last "battle" of the Indian Wars

When was the reservation system introduced

1890, shortly after wounded knee massacre

Dawes Act

1887, breaking down tribal cohesion and opening Native American land for private ownership

Chinese Exclusion Act

1882, US against Chinese culture

Manifest Destiny

Claiming a right to conquer the West and bring "progress"

Forced cultural assimilation of Native Americans

US forced Native Americans to change dress and lose all Native American culture

Native American exclusion from U.S. citizenship

Not guaranteed the rights from 14th + 15th amendments and often denied equal protection of the laws

Near-extermination of the bison

50 million to 500 bison during the 19th century

what were the bison killed for

hide, meat, and sport

What did the near-extinction of bison prove

People have enough power to wipe species off the Earth

When did most Native Americans gain citizenship

1920s

Andrew Carnegie

Steel tycoon and philanthropist

Andrew Carnegie's steel company

US Steel

Andrew Carnegie's philanthropy

Carnegie-Mellon U, Carnegie libraries, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. America's foremost philanthropist, gave away almost all of his money before passing

John D. Rockefeller

Founder of Standard Oil

John D. Rockefeller philanthropy

U. of Chicago + Rockefeller Foundation

Wong Kim Ark

American man born to Chinese parents

United States vs. Wong Kim Ark

Supreme Court decided people born in US were automatically citizens under the 14th amendment

James Garfield

1881, US president assassinated by Charles Guiteau who wanted a government job

William Jennings Bryan

1896, Democratic and Populist presidential candidate (parties beginning to "switch", champion of "free silver"

Free Silver

Political issue involving the unlimited coinage of silver

William McKinley

1896-1901, Republican US president

Dominant corporations of the Gilded Age

Sears, Roebuck & Co, Standard Oil, Carnegie Steel, Anheuser-Busch

Knights of Labor

1st national union, open to all workers, reached peak in 1880's

Knights of Labor key demand

8 hour day

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

1886, less radical than Knights of Labor, organized into smaller unions with limited goals

Restrictions of AFL

Membership restricted to skilled workers (few black, women, or immigrant workers)

The Grange and the Farmers' Alliance

Represents farmers + organizes co-ops

What does the Grange Movement argue for

Government regulation of railroads

What emerged from the Grange Movement

Populist party (strong in South and West)

What did the populist party support

farmers + labor unions, nationalizing the railroads, less government control of currency, no income tax, election of senators

Pendleton Act (Civil Service Reform Act)

1883, Creates Civil Service Commission to hire workers based on merit instead of political affiliation

Issues with Pendleton Act

Limited initial impact because it only applies to a minority of federal jobs + politicians still had influence on who was hired

Creation of the Interstate Commerce Commission

1887, regulates railroad rates (toothless at first)

Sherman Antitrust Act

1890, bans acts of "trust" and "conspiracy" that are "in restraint go trade or commerce"

Issues with Sherman Antitrust Act

Vaguely worded, initially used to strike unions more than monopolistic businesses

How did congress view the Sherman Antitrust Act

If workers go on strike they are acting in restraint of trade of commerce so the government was allowed to use force to make them work

How does congress use the Sherman Antitrust Act today

Allows Federal Trade Commission + Department of Justice to break up monopolies

Civil Rights Cases

1883, strikes down the Reconstruction-era Civil Rights Act of 1875

Reconstruction-era Civil Rights Act

1875, required equal access by black and white Americans to public accommodations

Plessy v. Ferguson

1896, segregation (separate but equal)

Federal government's acquisition of massive public lands in the West

Taken from indigenous people, most federal land is in the west today

Reversal of the Chicago River

1900, waste (blood+guts from slaughterhouse) dumped into slow running Chicago River, the flow was reversed to go towards St. Louis and the Mississippi

When did the Great Railroad Strike happen

1887

Haymarket Affair

1886 Chicago there was a bomb blast and gunfire at a labor rally

Who was charged for the Haymarket Affair

8 anarchists despite weak evidence

What did the Haymarket Affair trigger

Harsh crackdown on labor movement

Homestead steel strike

1892, crushed by Carnegie, Pinkerton Agents, and state militia (10 dead)

1896 election

William Jennings Bryan (Democratic and populist candidate) vs. William McKinley (republican candidate + winner)

Role of railroad in creating a unified national market

Railroads linked regions, cut shipping costs, and created a single national market

Rise of large landholding in West

giant ranches and bonanza farms

Bonanza farms

Huge farms on Great Plains producing crops for market, employed a lot of people (commercial operation)

What are bonanza farms close to and who did they hurt

typically close to a railroad so perishable foods can get to market, many small farmers go bankrupt

Kansas City

Hub for railroads (union station) and cattle trade (stockyards)

Union Station

One big train station where all trains go

Emergence of dominant corporations and monopolies (trusts)

Big corporations controlled industries and had heavy governmental influence, limiting competition and raising power

Urban inequality

Crowded tenement buildings vs. giant homes of the rich

Social Darwinism

Some people are successful and some are not, this is determined from birth (human natural selection)

"Spoils system"

Presidents appoint government officials who are politically loyal, often corrupt/incompetent employees

Limits of 19th century reforms compared to more radical change demanded by labor activists

Reforms made small improvements, but labor activists pushed for bigger changes

Who were the tariffs favored by and why

Republican Party, protect American industries from foreign competition + help industrial areas (north)

Cons of tariffs

enrich monopolies, hurt consumers who pay higher prices, and hurt rural areas (south + west)

Jim Crow rule in the South

Racial segreation upheld by Plessy v. Ferguson

Animals working

(Especially horses) in cities

Animals as food

KC stockyards - huge meat market

Animals as entertainment

Parks/zoos

Growing concern for animal welfare

(Post Civil War) - American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Animals as pests

Attempt to exterminate animals like rats who were blamed for spreading disease

New species in American cities

European starling brought across Atlantic, eastern gray squirrel deliberately brought into city parks