US History Test

Reconstruction

Reconstruction was the period between 1865-1877 that followed the Civil War when attempts
were made to address the political, social, and economic legacy of slavery and solve the
problems of readmitting the seceded states to the Union.

13th Amendment

Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States. (Basically abolished slavery.)

14th Amendment

Gave slaves citizenship and gave African-Americans equal rights before the law.

15th Amendment

Gave all freed slaves/citizens the right to vote.

What was the postwar Radical Reconstruction motivated by?

Radical Republicans had:

(1) A desire to see the Southern States punished for causing the war.
(2) Concern for the freedmen — some believed that the federal government had a role to
play in the transition of freedmen from slavery to freedom
(3) Political concerns — the Radicals wanted to keep the Republican Party in power in both
the North and the South.

Literacy Tests

Used to keep people of color -- and, sometimes, poor whites -- from voting. The officials in charge of administering the tests determined what questions to asked based on whether he wanted the individual to pass or not.

Poll Tax

a tax levied as a prerequisite for voting. After Reconstruction, many
southern states passed poll taxes to keep African Americans from voting.

What did a poll tax station require?

a polling station might require proof of property ownership or wealth to
vote, which freed slaves did not have.

The Grandfather Clause

a clause that exempted certain voters from Literacy tests
and Poll Taxes if they had ancestors who could vote previously.

American West

The completion of the railroads to the West following the Civil
War opened vast areas of the region to settlement and economic development. White
settlers from the East poured across the Mississippi to mine, farm, and ranch.

What was/is the Blues? When and Why was it created? By Who?

\*Potential Short Response

What effect did the blues have on the African-American community? What effect did it
have on music as a whole?

\*Potential Short Response

What was the Tulsa Race Massacre? What caused it? Why was it important? What did
it show about race relations in the South?

\*Potential Short Response

Why has it been difficult for history to acknowledge the Tulsa Race Massacre? What other racial massacres happened alongside the one in Tulsa?

\*Potential Sort Response

What roles did immigrants have in expansion?

Immigrants also had an important role in Western expansion. Chinese immigrants
provided much of the labor to build railroads. The Dawes Act established the
process of stripping Native land and transferring it to European immigrants to create
farms.

What impact did western expansion have on Native Americans.

The loss of the bison and growth of white settlement drastically affected the lives of the Native Americans living in the West. American Indians were decimated by armed settlers backed by the US military. By the 1880s, most American Indians had been confined to reservations.

How did the US government assimilate Native Americans?

Residential schools were places where kidnapped Native American
children were converted to Christianity, made to speak English, and were discouraged
from their cultural identity.

What was the “Cowboy” a symbol of in the West?

The cowboy was often depicted in popular culture as a glamorous or heroic figure.

How did the real cowboys differ from the symbolic one?

The first cowboys were Spanish vaqueros, who had introduced cattle to Mexico centuries earlier. Black cowboys also rode the range.

the life of the cowboy involved long, hard hours of labor, poor living conditions, and economic hardship.

Where did a lot of immigrants come from in the 19th century?

Europe -- mostly from Italy, Germany,
and Russia. Many came through Ellis Island in New York.

Why did most of the immigrants come to the US?

economic opportunities and to escape violence in their own countries

Chinese Exclusion Act

It was the first significant law restricting immigration into the United States. Passed in the spring of 1882, This act provided an absolute ban on Chinese laborers immigrating to the United States.

What challenges did immigrants face?

Immigrants faced ecnomic hardship and rascism. The KKK recruited millions of members to scare off minority groups – their targets included Catholics, Italians, Jews, and Eastern Europeans.

Immigration Act of 1924

Sharply limited entry from Southern and Eastern Europe and placed an outright ban on immigration from Asia.

Why did the Irish and Italians leave their countries and come to America? What
was it like when they got here?

\*Potential Short Response

What similarities do Irish and Italian immigrants have to refugees today? What
should our policy be like toward refugees?

\*Potential Short Response

The Progressive Era

A period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States that spanned the 1890s to the 1920s.

Progressivism

the idea that government action should be used to improve society.

What were some reasons for the progressive era?

The spread of slums and poverty

The exploitation of labor

The purchasing of democratic government and the emergence of political “machines”

The rapid concentration of wealth by monopolies

What were some reforms of the progressive era?

Anti-trust legislation was passed to prohibit monopolies and reduce government
corruption.
(2) Many regulations were passed to hold businesses accountable – like the Pure Food and
Drug Act. Laws were passed to protect the environment and address pollution
(3) Women and Children’s rights – Limits were placed on the number of hours children
could work and education was expanded significantly.
(4) Labor Protections – 8-hour workday, safe conditions, unions.

Unions

labor unions fought for better wages, reasonable hours and safer working conditions. Unions played an important role in the fight against child labor.

Woman’s Sufferage

The women’s suffrage movement was a decades-long fight to win the right to vote for
women in the United States.

When was the constitution ratified to give everyone the right to vote?

August 18, 1920

What caused the rise of unions? What things did unions fight for?

\*Potential Short Response

Why are unions important? What accomplishments do unions have / what are they
fighting for today?

\*Potential Short Response

19th amendment

Granted women the right to vote