Unit 16 Vocab

Blanche K. Bruce

Born into slavery, he was the first elected African American Senator to serve a full term. He was a Republican and a senator for Mississippi.

Booker T. Washington

An American author, eudcator, and orator. He was born a slave and became the prime leader of the black elite. He advocated for practical education and pushed African Americans to learn skills that would allow for economic independence.

Hamilton Fish

He was born into a wealthy and politically connected New York family. He graduated from Columbia College and joined the Republican Party, serving as a Representative from New York, and later as the Governor and Senator of New York. In 1869, he became the Secretary of State under President Grant.

Hiram Revels

He was born free in North Carolina and became an ordained minister and worked as a teacher and preacher. During the Civil War, he helped organize Black regiments for the Union. After the war, he became the first African American to serve in the Senate, being chosen to fill the Senate seat once held by Jefferson Davis.

Horace Greeley

He was born in New Hampshire, grew up poor, and became a printer’s apprentice. He moved to NYC and founded the New-York Tribune in 1841. He utilized journalism to advocate for social reform, abolition, and the ideals of free labor. In 1872, he ran for President as the Liberal Republican and Democratic candidate against Grant.

Ida B. Wells

She was born as a slave in Mississippi but grew up free during Reconstruction. She began publishing editorials and articles in Black newspapers under the name Lola. Later, she owned her paper, The Free Speech, to challenge racism, segregation, and especially lynching. She began the Anti-Lynching Campaign in 1892 after the lynching of her friend Thomas Moss, and began to investigate and expose the false accusations behind many lynchings.

Jay Gould

He was born in New York and became a self-taught businessman. He entered the railroad industry in the 1850s and quickly gained wealth and control through aggressive tactics. Gould and his partner James Fisk tried to corner the gold market by secretly influencing the government and working with Grant’s brother-in-law to get inside info. He was also known for stock manipulation, bribery and corruption, and labor hostility.

Thomas Nast

A German-born political cartoonist who began working as an illustrator for newspapers and rose to fame for his biting cartoons in Harper’s Weekly. He was called the “Father of the American Cartoon.” He exposed corruption in the government, the KKK, and the South’s racist resistance to Reconstruction. He created the symbols of the Elephant and Donkey for the Republican and Democratic parties.

William Seward

He was from New York and became the Senator and Governor of New York. He was a lifelong opponent of slavery and was one of the most powerful anti-slavery voices in the Senate. He nearly won the Republican nomination for president in 1860 but lost to Lincoln. He became Secretary of State under Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. He also bought Alaska in 1867 from Russia for 7.2 million dollars, which was called “Seward’s Folly,” but later he was praised for strategic resource value.

William “Boss” Tweed

He was the leader or “Boss” of Tammany Hall, which was the Democratic political machine that was originally meant to help immigrants but turned into a system for political loyalty and a money-making operation. He was extremely corrupt and oversaw the “Tweed Ring,” a group of city officials who stole between 30 to 200 million from taxpayers. He used fake companies, rigged contracts, and padded bills to funnel money into his and his allies’ pockets. His most infamous project was the New York County Courthouse, which should’ve cost $250,000 but ended up costing over $13 million.

Chief Joseph

The leader of the Nez Perce tribe that tried to resist forced removal from their ancestral lands in the Wallowa Valley of northeastern Oregon. He is also famous for his powerful surrender speech, where he famously declared, "From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever".

Frederick Jackson Turner

An American Historian during the early 1900s best known for his frontier thesis. He proposed that the movement westward was not just a physical expansion but a defining factor in shaping American democracy and culture.

Frederic Remington

An American painter, illustrator, sculptor, and writer who specialized in the genre of Western American Art. His works are known for depicting the Western United States in the last quarter of the 19th century and featuring such images as cowboys, Native Americans, and the US Cavalry

George A. Custer

A US military officer and cavalry commander who rose to fame during the American Civil War and later fought Native Americans in the West. He was known for his poor military decisions that led to the massacre of his troops at the Battle of Little BigHorn.

Mark Twain

A beloved American writer, humorist, and essayist. His novels and stories are known for their humor, vivid details, and memorable characters. His best-known works are The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both considered American classics.

Eugene Debs

Eugene Victor Debs was an American socialist, political activist, trade unionist, one of the founding members of the Industrial Workers of the World, and five-time candidate of the Socialist Party of America for President of the United States.

Atlanta Compromise

A proposal by Booker T. Washington where he called for Southern blacks to accept segregation and to temporarily refrain from campaigning for equal rights, including the right to vote. In return, he advocated that blacks would receive basic legal protections, access to property ownership, employment opportunities, and vocational and industrial education.

Civil Rights Act of 1875

Passed by Congress on March 1, 1875 and signed into law by Grant. Main Provisions:

• Guaranteed African Americans full access to inns, public transportation, theaters, and juries.

• Declared that racial discrimination in public accommodations was illegal, even by private businesses

• Set penalties for violators, including fines and possible lawsuits.

It was poorly enforced and later struck down by the Supreme Court

Showed the limits of federal power after Reconstruction and the beginnings of Jim Crow segregation

Greenbacks

• Greenbacks were paper currency issued by the U.S. government during the Civil War to help finance the war effort.

• They were called "greenbacks" because of the green ink used on the back of the notes. Greenbacks were authorized under the Legal Tender Act of 1862.

• These non-interest-bearing notes were not backed by gold or silver, but rather by the government's credit.

Anti-coolie Clubs

Groups formed in the 1870s by white Americans, primarily in California, to oppose the influx of Chinese laborers, often referred to using the derogatory term "coolie". These clubs organized boycotts of Chinese-produced goods and lobbied for anti-Chinese legislation, contributing to a climate of discrimination and violence against Chinese immigrants.

Buffalo

Hydroelectric power harnessed from nearby Niagara Falls made Buffalo the first American city to have widespread electric lighting yielding it the nickname, the "City of Light". Electricity was used to dramatic effect at the Pan-American Exposition in 1901.

Chinatowns

In the 1900s, Chinatowns across America were vibrant communities formed by Chinese immigrants, offering a sense of home and community amidst a sometimes hostile environment. These neighborhoods, with their unique architecture, shops, and cultural practices, served as both a sanctuary and a hub for Chinese Americans.

Chinese Exclusion Act

The Chinese Exclusion Act, signed into law on May 6, 1882, was a United States federal law that significantly restricted Chinese immigration for ten years. It was the first and only major immigration law to explicitly ban a specific nationality from entering the United States.

Chisholm Trail

A 19th-century cattle drovers’ trail in the western United States. Between 1867 and 1871 about 1,500,000 head of cattle were driven north along the trail to Abilene, which was the departure point for shipment of the cattle to eastern markets.

“Concentration” policy

Historical policies aimed at relocating and concentrating Indigenous populations onto designated reservations

Coolies

"coolie" was a derogatory term primarily used to describe indentured laborers, often of Asian descent, who were brought to various parts of the world to work under contract, particularly in plantation agriculture or on large construction projects. The term carries a history of racial prejudice and exploitation, reflecting the harsh conditions and limited rights these laborers often faced.

Cowboy

A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks.

Dawes Severalty Act

The Dawes Severalty Act, also known as the Dawes Act, was a US law passed in 1887 that aimed to assimilate Native Americans into mainstream society by dissolving tribal lands and allocating individual plots of land to Native American families. This act significantly reduced tribal landholdings and led to the loss of millions of acres to non-Native ownership.

Homestead Act

The Homestead Act, signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862, granted 160 acres of public land to any adult citizen (or intended citizen) who had never borne arms against the U.S. government, provided they lived on and improved the land for five years. This act spurred western migration and agricultural development by allowing individuals to acquire land for a minimal fee.

Long drive

Historically, "long drive" referred to the practice of herding cattle long distances, often from Texas to railroad towns in Kansas, to be shipped to eastern markets. This practice was crucial for feeding a growing nation, especially during times when cattle could not be easily transported by rail.

Morrill Land Grant Act

The Morrill Act, officially the Land-Grant College Act of 1862, was a landmark piece of legislation that granted each state federal land to establish colleges specializing in agriculture and mechanical arts. This act, signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln, significantly expanded access to higher education, particularly for the "industrial classes"

Pacific Railway Act

The Pacific Railway Act, signed into law on July 1, 1862, by President Abraham Lincoln, authorized the construction of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States. It granted land and government bonds to the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroad companies to build a railroad and telegraph line connecting the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean. This landmark legislation significantly reduced travel time across the continent and facilitated westward expansion.

Pinkertons

The Pinkertons, officially known as Pinkerton National Detective Agency, were a private detective and security agency founded in 1850 by Allan Pinkerton. Initially focused on railway theft and train robbery, they later became involved in labor disputes, notably acting as strikebreakers for companies against labor unions. The agency's history is marked by both success in solving crimes and controversy due to its role in suppressing labor movements.

Rocky Mountain School

The Rocky Mountain School was a group of 19th-century American landscape painters who focused on depicting the grandeur and beauty of the Rocky Mountains and the American West. They were influenced by the Hudson River School and used their art to celebrate the nation's natural resources and promote westward expansion. Artists like Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran were key figures, capturing the dramatic light and scale of the western landscape.

The Rocky Mountain School

The Rocky Mountain School was a group of 19th-century American landscape painters who focused on depicting the grandeur and beauty of the Rocky Mountains and the American West. They were influenced by the Hudson River School and used their art to celebrate the nation's natural resources and promote westward expansion. Artists like Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran were key figures, capturing the dramatic light and scale of the western landscape.

The Frontier Thesis

The Frontier Thesis, also known as Turner's Thesis, argues that the availability of unsettled land and the process of westward expansion significantly shaped American democracy, individualism, and national character. Published by Frederick Jackson Turner in 1893, the thesis posits that the frontier experience fostered traits like independence, self-reliance, and a practical, inventive mindset, differentiating the United States from Europe.

Vaqueros

"Vaqueros" is a Spanish word referring to cowboys, specifically those with a tradition rooted in Spain and perfected in Mexico. They were skilled horsemen, expert ropers, and integral to the development of ranching in the American West, particularly in Texas.

Credit Mobilier scandal

The Crédit Mobilier scandal was a major American political scandal in the 1870s involving the Union Pacific Railroad and the Crédit Mobilier of America construction company. It revolved around a scheme where Union Pacific executives created Crédit Mobilier to overcharge for building the transcontinental railroad, using the excess profits to bribe politicians and secure favorable legislation. This fraudulent activity was exposed in 1872, leading to widespread public outrage and damaging the reputations of several prominent figures.

Panic of 1873

The Panic of 1873 was a severe international economic depression that began with a financial crisis in Europe and spread to the United States. It started with the collapse of the Vienna Stock Exchange in May and the failure of Jay Cooke & Company in New York in September. This triggered bank runs, bank failures, and widespread business bankruptcies, leading to a prolonged economic downturn known as the "Long Depression"

Plessy v. Ferguson

• Homer Plessy - lives in New Orleans and is partially black

• Plessy wanted to take the train car, so he stepped onto a “white” train car, and was asked to leave by whites

• He would not leave, so he was arrested

• He brought this case to court because it violated the Civil Rights Act and the 14th Amendment

• The Supreme Court decided that if a place/transportation is available, it can be segregated/divided, establishing “separate but equal.”

Colorado Gold Rush

The Colorado Gold Rush, also known as the Pikes Peak Gold Rush, began in 1858-1859, drawing thousands of prospectors to the Rocky Mountains. It was a significant event in Colorado's history, leading to the territory's and later the state's formation. The rush also spurred the growth of towns like Denver, Boulder, and Colorado Springs

Comstock Lode

The Comstock Lode was a rich silver and gold deposit discovered in 1859 near present-day Virginia City, Nevada. It triggered a massive rush of miners and led to the rapid growth of Virginia City and surrounding areas. The lode's wealth significantly impacted the development of Nevada, helping it gain statehood, and contributed to the growth of San Francisco.

Ghost Dance Movement

The Ghost Dance movement was a late 19th-century religious movement among Native Americans, primarily in the Western United States, that sought to revitalize Indigenous cultures and traditions in the face of encroaching American expansion. The Ghost Dance involved specific rituals, including songs, dances, and the wearing of "ghost shirts," and was interpreted by some as a threat by the US government, leading to the tragic Wounded Knee Massacre.

Little Bighorn

The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand, was a significant armed engagement between the U.S. Army's 7th Cavalry and allied Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes in 1876. It occurred along the Little Bighorn River in Montana Territory on June 25-26. The battle resulted in a decisive defeat for the U.S. forces, with the death of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and all his immediate command.

Sand Creek Massacre

The Sand Creek Massacre was a tragic event that occurred on November 29, 1864, during the Colorado War. A peaceful village of Cheyenne and Arapaho people, including women, children, and elders, were attacked by a force of about 700 volunteer soldiers from the Third Colorado Cavalry, led by Colonel John Chivington. The village was located along the Big Sandy Creek in southeastern Colorado.

Taos Indian Rebellion

The Taos Revolt was a rebellion in 1847 by Hispano and Taos Pueblo Indians against the U.S. occupation of New Mexico during the Mexican-American War. It was a response to the perceived threat to their land and way of life under U.S. rule. The revolt began with the murder of Charles Bent, the appointed governor, and quickly escalated, leading to several battles and executions.

Wounded Knee

Wounded Knee refers to two significant historical events that took place on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The first is the Wounded Knee Massacre, a tragic event in 1890 where the U.S. Army killed hundreds of unarmed Lakota people, mostly women and children. The second is the Wounded Knee Occupation in 1973, where members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) occupied the town for 71 days, protesting the federal government's treatment of Native Americans.

Haymarket Riot

The Haymarket Riot, also known as the Haymarket Affair, was a violent confrontation between labor protesters and police in Chicago on May 4, 1886. The event began as a peaceful rally in support of an eight-hour workday but escalated when a bomb was thrown into the police ranks, resulting in casualties on both sides.

Homestead Strike

The Homestead Strike was a violent labor conflict in 1892 between the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers and the Carnegie Steel Company at the Homestead Steel Works in Pennsylvania. The strike, which began after the company attempted to lower wages and break the union, culminated in a battle between striking workers and private security agents (Pinkerton National Detective Agency). The arrival of the National Guard led to the defeat of the strikers and a major setback for the union movement in the steel industry.

Pullman Strike

The Pullman Strike, which began on May 11, 1894, was a nationwide, and ultimately unsuccessful, strike by railway workers in the United States. It was sparked by widespread wage cuts and layoffs at the Pullman Palace Car Company in Pullman, Illinois, during an economic depression. The American Railway Union<<!!nav>> (ARU) supported the strike by boycotting trains carrying Pullman cars, significantly disrupting rail traffic.