History Final

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Federal Civil Rights Act of 1875 – Law intended to guarantee African Americans equal access to public accommodations like hotels and theaters; poorly enforced and later declared unconstitutional, weakening Reconstruction efforts.

Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution – Constitutional guarantee that states must treat all individuals equally under the law; later used to challenge segregation and discrimination.

Scalawag – Southern white Republicans during Reconstruction who supported federal reforms and were often viewed as traitors by other white Southerners.

Carpetbaggers – Northerners who moved South after the Civil War, some to help rebuild, others to seek economic or political gain.

Lost Cause – Southern ideology that portrayed the Confederacy as noble and minimized slavery as a cause of the Civil War.

United Daughters of the Confederacy – Organization that promoted the Lost Cause through monuments, textbooks, and cultural influence.

Jim Crow Laws – State and local laws enforcing racial segregation and disenfranchisement of African Americans in the South.

Sharecropping – System where farmers rented land and paid with crops, often leading to cycles of debt and poverty for Black farmers.

Plessy v. Ferguson – 1896 Supreme Court case that upheld segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine.

Lynching – Extrajudicial killings used to intimidate and control African Americans, especially in the South.

Cattle (Long) Drives – Movement of cattle from Texas to railroads in Kansas, helping expand the national beef market.

Frederick Jackson Turner/Frontier Thesis (1861

1932) – Argued that the American frontier shaped democracy, individualism, and national identity.

Buffalo – Central to Plains Native American life; their near extinction disrupted Native economies and culture.

Mechanization of Agriculture – Introduction of machines like tractors that increased efficiency but reduced need for labor.

Reservation system – Policy confining Native Americans to designated lands, often poor quality, limiting independence.

Battle of Wounded Knee – 1890 massacre of Lakota Sioux by U.S. troops; symbolized the end of armed Native resistance.

Dawes Severalty Act (1887) – Law that divided tribal lands into individual plots to encourage assimilation, resulting in loss of Native land.

Chinese Exclusion Act – 1882 law banning Chinese immigration and reflecting rising anti

immigrant sentiment.

Nativists – Individuals who favored native

born Americans and opposed immigration, especially from Asia and Southern/Eastern Europe.

Railroads – Major driver of industrial growth, enabling nationwide transportation of goods and people.

Homestead Act – Provided 160 acres of free land to settlers who improved it, encouraging westward expansion.

Morrill Act – Granted land to states to fund colleges focused on agriculture and mechanical arts.

Transcontinental Railroad Act – Funded construction of a railroad linking East and West, completed in 1869.

Pool – Agreement between companies to divide markets or fix prices to reduce competition.

Vertical Integration – Controlling all steps of production, from raw materials to distribution (e.g., Carnegie Steel).

Horizontal Integration – Merging with or acquiring competitors to dominate an industry (e.g., Standard Oil).

Trust – Business arrangement where companies combine under one control to limit competition.

Standard Oil Company – Rockefeller’s monopoly that used trusts and aggressive tactics to dominate oil refining.

Social Darwinists – Believed that economic success reflected “survival of the fittest” and justified inequality.

Sherman Antitrust Act – 1890 law aimed at breaking up monopolies, though initially weakly enforced.

Gilded Age Labor Unions – Worker groups like the Knights of Labor and AFL advocating for better wages, hours, and conditions.

Australian Ballot – Secret ballot system that reduced voter intimidation and corruption.

Ticket System – Party

controlled ballots that made voter choices public and easier to manipulate.

“Floaters” – Voters who sold their votes to the highest bidder.

Political Machines – Organizations that controlled local politics by trading services for votes.

Spoils System – Practice of rewarding political supporters with government jobs.

“Repeaters” – Individuals who voted multiple times illegally in elections.

Tammany Hall – Powerful New York City political machine that helped immigrants but was highly corrupt.

William “Boss” Tweed – Leader of Tammany Hall who embezzled large amounts of public money.

Deflation – Decrease in prices that increased the real value of debt, hurting farmers.

National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry – Organization advocating for farmers’ economic interests, especially railroad regulation.

Populists – Political movement of farmers and workers advocating reforms like free silver and government regulation.

Pullman Strike – 1894 nationwide railroad strike crushed by federal troops, showing government support for business.

William Jennings Bryan – Populist and Democratic leader advocating for bimetallism and farmers’ interests.

Cross of Gold – Speech attacking the gold standard and supporting silver coinage.

Initiative – Reform allowing citizens to propose laws directly on ballots.

“Trust busting” – Government action to break up monopolies and promote competition.

William Simon U’Ren – Reformer who led Oregon’s direct democracy movement.

Referendum – Process where citizens vote to approve or reject laws.

Progressive

era reforms – Efforts to reduce corruption, regulate business, and expand democracy.