Chapter 17-18: Westward Migration & Industrialization

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to Westward migration, its myths and realities, environmental impacts, immigrant experiences, labor organization, and the rise of urban industrial America.

Exodusters

Freed African Americans who migrated west after Reconstruction in search of safety, land, and new opportunities.

Homestead Act

1862 law offering free land to settlers to encourage westward expansion.

Westward migration

Movement of farmers, miners, ranchers, freed African Americans, immigrants, and others to the western United States.

Economic opportunities

Motivation for migration: land, gold, and jobs.

Law enforcement Myth: lawless West

The myth that the West was a constant frontier of lawlessness and violence.

Myth: everyone struck it rich

The myth that most migrants quickly became wealthy in the West.

Droughts

Severe water shortages that made frontier life difficult.

Harsh frontier life

Reality of Westward settlement: isolation, drought, hard labor, and financial struggle.

Overhunting

Excessive hunting (notably of bison) that harmed ecosystems and Native peoples.

Deforestation

Removal of forests due to farming and development, contributing to environmental change.

Soil depletion

Soil exhaustion from intensive farming on the plains.

Water pollution from mining

Mining activities polluted water and damaged ecosystems.

Railroad fragmentation of ecosystems

Railroad construction disrupted and divided natural habitats.

Chinese immigrants

Group that faced exclusion laws, violence, and often low‑paying labor during western settlement.

Hispanic citizens

People who faced land seizure, legal discrimination, and cultural erasure.

Native Americans

Forced onto reservations and subjected to warfare and cultural genocide.

Knights of Labor

Inclusive union aiming to organize all workers and pursue broad social reforms.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

Union representing skilled workers, focusing on wages, hours, and working conditions.

Railroads and politics

Railroad expansion influenced politics via land grants and corruption scandals (e.g., Credit Mobilier).

Credit Mobilier scandal

A corruption scandal tied to railroad funding and government insiders during the era.

Second Industrial Revolution

Period of rapid industrial growth featuring new technologies and mass production, driving urbanization.

Inventions fueling urbanization: electricity

Electric power enabled electric lighting and machinery in cities.

Inventions fueling urbanization: elevators

Elevators, with steel frames and electric power, enabled the tall buildings of cities.

Inventions fueling urbanization: steel

Steel production strengthened construction, facilitating skyscrapers and durable infrastructure.

Mass production

Large‑scale manufacturing methods that increased output and created more factory jobs.

Urbanization

The growth of cities as people concentrated in urban areas for jobs and opportunities.