Period 6: APUSH

What was a major cause of Westward Expansion in the United States?

The Market Revolution, which created an interdependent economic whole.

What did the Homestead Act of 1862 provide?

160 acres to any American committed to westward migration, requiring land improvement and residence for five years.

How did transcontinental railroads contribute to Westward Expansion?

They facilitated quicker and cheaper travel, spurred migration, and expanded markets.

What communication technology helped expand commercial markets during Westward Expansion?

The telegraph, which allowed instantaneous communication over long distances.

What farming challenges did homesteaders face?

Success required more than 160 acres; ⅔ of Great Plains farmers declared bankruptcy by the end of the 1800s.

What is dry farming?

A technique requiring deep plowing to reach moist soil, utilizing expensive technology like steel plows.

What was the impact of commercialization on farmers?

Ordinary farmers sold their farms to large agricultural corporations due to expensive technology.

What was the National Grange Movement?

Founded in 1868, it aimed to support farmers against big businesses and regulate railroad pricing.

What was the significance of Munn v. Illinois?

The Supreme Court ruled that regulatory oversight of railroad corporations was constitutional for public interest.

What was the purpose of the Colored Farmers Alliance?

To fight against commercialization and low crop prices, as black farmers were excluded from white cooperatives.

What economic effect did Westward Expansion have on bison populations?

Increased demand for bison pelts led to near extinction due to overhunting.

What were boomtowns?

Settlements that experienced rapid growth due to sudden economic prosperity, such as Virginia City, Nevada.

What role did Chinese immigrants play in Westward Expansion?

They were instrumental in constructing the transcontinental railroad but faced discrimination and lower wages.

What was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882?

A law that restricted Chinese immigration and targeted Chinese communities.

Who were the Exodusters?

Southern black Americans who migrated to Kansas to escape violence and establish homesteads in the 1880s.

What was the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo?

The treaty that ended the Mexican-American War and granted citizenship to Mexicans living in the Mexican Cession.

What was the Sand Creek Massacre?

A violent event in 1864 where U.S. forces killed a significant number of American Indians, escalating conflicts.

What was the Dawes Act of 1887?

Legislation that aimed to assimilate American Indians by dividing reservation lands into plots for farming.

What was the Ghost Dance?

A spiritual movement among American Indians that sought to restore their lands and way of life.

What was the Wounded Knee Massacre?

The killing of approximately 250 Sioux, marking the end of major resistance to U.S. expansion and assimilation.

What was the vision for the 'New South'?

To emphasize industrial development over agriculture while maintaining white supremacy.

What were Jim Crow Laws?

A series of laws passed in the 1890s mandating the complete separation of white and black races.

What were some setbacks faced by the 'New South' movement?

The Civil War had devastated the South, and the existing race-based labor system hindered innovation.

Who was Henry Grady?

The most vocal leader of the 'New South' movement, advocating for industrialization and economic modernization.

What was the impact of the Civil War on the Southern economy?

It ruined the Southern landscape and made it difficult to shift from an agricultural to an industrial economy.

What were the consequences of land conflicts in the West?

Judges often sided with white settlers, stripping Mexican Americans of their land after the Mexican-American War.

What did the Supreme Court rule in the series of Civil Rights Cases in 1883?

Declared many provisions of the Civil Rights Act unconstitutional and mandated total dissociation of social life between races.

What was the outcome of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)?

The Court ruled that racial separation was constitutional as long as public accommodations were equal, establishing the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

Who conducted experiments that supported scientific racism?

Samuel George Morton, who claimed biological differences between races could be proven by measuring skulls.

What were some effects of Jim Crow laws?

Racial discrimination through poll taxes, literacy tests, and increased violence, including hundreds of lynchings.

Who was Ida B. Wells?

A Southern black journalist who confronted injustices of black marginalization and lynching.

What was Booker T. Washington's approach to black oppression?

He advocated for ignoring oppression, focusing on education and economic power to achieve social power.

What was the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during the Gilded Age?

It quadrupled, measuring the value of all finished goods produced by a country.

How did industrialization change the employer-worker relationship?

It introduced advertising to generate consumer desire for manufactured goods.

What was the significance of the standard gauge rail adopted during the Gilded Age?

It allowed all railroads to be compatible, improving the efficiency of goods transportation.

What was the Bessemer Process?

A new manufacturing technique that produced stronger and longer-lasting steel.

What was the impact of the Trans-Atlantic Telegraph Cable (1866)?

It connected the USA to Europe, creating an international market for basic goods.

What invention by Alexander Graham Bell revolutionized communication?

The telephone, introduced in 1876.

What was the first central electricity generator established?

In 1882 in New York City, allowing for work after sunset and increasing productivity.

What natural resource became a reliable source of energy during industrialization?

Coal, as industries transitioned from water power to steam power.

What was the McKinley Tariff (1890)?

It raised taxes on imported goods to 50%, benefiting business owners by allowing them to sell cheaper than foreign imports.

What was the Interstate Commerce Act (1887)?

It created the Interstate Commerce Commission to regulate railroad industry practices.

What is vertical integration in business practices?

A strategy where a corporation seeks to control every step in the production process and sale of its goods.

Who founded the Carnegie Steel Company?

Andrew Carnegie, known for his use of vertical integration.

What is horizontal integration?

A strategy where a corporation concentrates wealth by acquiring its competition.

What is a trust in business terms?

A monopoly where several businesses work together to control a large portion of the market.

What was the Open Door Policy regarding China?

It was a non-legally binding agreement that guaranteed the U.S. a position at the Chinese economic table.

What was the role of the United Fruit Company in Latin America?

It took over several territories and organized economies around fruit exports, notably bananas.

What characterized the expanding workforce during the Gilded Age?

Migration of rural farmers and an influx of European and Asian immigrants, including women and children.

What was the wealth gap like in the Gilded Age?

1% of the wealthiest Americans controlled ⅓ of the wealth, while the wealthiest 10% controlled ¾ of it.

What is conspicuous consumption?

A phenomenon where the upper class buys expensive items to display their economic status.

What were the effects of the Panic of 1873 and Panic of 1893 on the working class?

Wages dropped dramatically, while wealthier classes remained mostly insulated from the economic turmoil.

What are labor unions?

Organizations formed by workers to advocate for better working conditions and wages.

What is a labor union?

An organization made up of workers who use collective bargaining to negotiate better working conditions and wages.

What was the Knights of Labor?

A labor union that believed workers and corporate capitalists were fundamentally different, reaching over 1 million members by 1885.

What major event in 1886 was blamed on the Knights of Labor?

The Haymarket Riot.

What was the Pullman Strike of 1894?

A strike organized in response to drastic wage cuts during the Panic of 1893, which was broken by the federal government.

What was the Great Migration?

The largest group of internal migrants during 1865-1968, where Black Americans moved from the South to the North.

What economic hardships prompted the Great Migration?

White Southerners stripped Black people of land post-Reconstruction, leading to economic limitations and failed cotton crops.

What was the impact of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882?

It imposed a complete ban on Chinese immigration and denied future citizenship to Chinese people in the U.S.

What was the significance of United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898)?

The Supreme Court ruled that birthright citizenship applies to children born in the U.S., regardless of their parents' immigration status.

What is nativism?

A policy of protecting the interests of native-born populations over those of immigrants.

What was the role of settlement houses during the Gilded Age?

Settlement houses helped immigrants adapt to U.S. customs and language, offering various social services.

What was the Morrill Act of 1862?

An act that designated land for states to sell to fund public universities focused on agricultural and mechanical skills.

What was the Gospel of Wealth?

A philosophy that encouraged the wealthy to use their resources to benefit society.

How did the rise of the middle class change during the Gilded Age?

The new middle class expanded to include management jobs created by industrialization, leading to a larger social impact.

What was Taylorism?

A management theory that emphasized efficiency in the workplace, pioneered by Frederick Taylor.

What was the impact of urbanization during the Gilded Age?

Increased geographic and population growth of cities, with many immigrants settling in industrial areas.

What were ethnic enclaves?

Communities where immigrants clustered together to maintain cultural traditions and provide mutual support.

What were sundown towns?

All-white communities that mandated non-white individuals leave before sundown.

What challenges did immigrants face in urban areas?

Poor living conditions in tenements, leading to frequent disease outbreaks due to close proximity.

What was the significance of the Hull House?

Founded by Jane Addams, it was a settlement house in Chicago that provided services to help immigrants adapt.

How did the consumer culture change during the Gilded Age?

Department stores transformed shopping into an experience, particularly aimed at middle-class women.

What was the role of women in the workforce by 1900?

21% of American women were part of the workforce, referred to as the 'New Woman' who resisted gender norms.

What was the impact of the Panic of 1873 on Chinese immigrants?

White workers blamed Chinese workers for economic misfortune, leading to increased nativism and discrimination.

What were the effects of the mechanization of agriculture in Europe?

It left millions of rural workers without a way to earn a living, prompting migration to the U.S.

What was the significance of the establishment of Historically Black Colleges and Universities?

They emerged as a result of the Morrill Act (1890) to combat racial discrimination in education.

What was Andrew Carnegie's philosophy regarding wealth?

Carnegie believed it was the God-given duty of the rich to invest money into society for a just and equitable future.

How many libraries did Carnegie fund?

Approximately 1,700 libraries.

What did John D. Rockefeller fund?

The University of Chicago.

Who was Biddy Mason?

Born into slavery, she gained freedom in California, became an entrepreneur, and funded the construction of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church.

What were the main grievances of farmers in the 1880s?

Declining prices of agricultural exports, significant debt, and overcharging by railroad companies.

What was the National Farmer's Alliance?

An organization formed by various Farmers' Alliances that merged with the Knights of Labor in 1889.

What did Edward Bellamy's 'Looking Backward' critique?

The extravagance and materialism of the Gilded Age, envisioning a socialist utopia.

What was Henry George's main argument in 'Progress and Poverty'?

He advocated for a single land tax to neutralize the advantage of wealthy landowners over renters.

What was the Social Gospel movement?

A Christian movement that sought to reform society by applying biblical principles to social issues.

Who was Washington Gladden?

A proponent of the Social Gospel, arguing that Christ's teachings applied to contemporary social problems.

What was the focus of Mark Twain's 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'?

Critique of greed, violence, and racial discrimination in industrial America.

What was the goal of the Women's Christian Temperance Union?

To eliminate the sale and manufacture of alcohol in the U.S.

What did the Pendleton Act of 1881 accomplish?

It replaced the patronage system with a competitive examination for federal jobs.

What was the significance of the Credit Mobilier Scandal?

It involved the Union Pacific Railroad Company overcharging for construction and bribing Congress members.

What was the Populist Party's main aim?

To address the economic suffering of American farmers and advocate for their interests.

What did the Populist Party advocate for in terms of elections?

Direct election of senators and increased use of referendums.

Who was William Jennings Bryan?

The presidential candidate for the Populist Party in 1896, advocating for farmers and expanded coinage of silver.

What economic event coincided with the formation of the Populist Party?

The Panic of 1893, a severe economic depression.

What was the outcome of the 1896 presidential election?

Republican William McKinley won, leading to the decline of the Populist Party.

What did the term 'Social Darwinism' imply during the Gilded Age?

It suggested that government support for weaker citizens and businesses undermined long-term economic prosperity.

What was the impact of the Klondike Gold Rush?

It led to a rapid population increase in Alaska following the discovery of gold in 1896.

What was the role of political machines in the Gilded Age?

They provided public welfare services in exchange for votes and protected illegal activities.

What was the significance of the term 'Billion Dollar Congress'?

It referred to Congress passing tariffs that benefited large corporations, allowing them to dominate the domestic market.