U.S. History EOC prep

Key Terms & Concepts

  • Primary & Secondary Sources: Understand how to interpret various forms of historical evidence, including political cartoons, charts, graphs, and maps.

Civil War & Reconstruction

  • Main Focus: Analyzing causes, progress, and consequences of the Civil War and Reconstruction.

    • Factors leading to the Civil War.

    • Course of the Civil War.

    • Effects of Reconstruction on Americans.

  • Missouri Compromise (1820):

    • Admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state.

    • Declared that all territory north of the 36°30' line would be free and south would be slave.

  • Compromise of 1850:

    • Admitted California as a free state.

    • Organized Utah and New Mexico without restrictions on slavery.

    • Adjusted Texas/New Mexico border, abolished slave trade in D.C. and established tougher fugitive slave laws.

  • Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854):

    • Repealed Missouri Compromise.

    • Allowed Kansas and Nebraska to determine slavery through popular sovereignty.

  • Abolitionist Movement:

    • A campaign to end slavery, led by figures like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman.

    • "Uncle Tom’s Cabin" (1852): A novel that fueled anti-slavery sentiment.

  • Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857):

    • Supreme Court ruling that denied citizenship to slaves, declaring Scott a property not eligible to sue.

  • Civil War Resources:

    • North: Factories, railroads, telegraphs.

    • South: Plantations, cotton, and slaves.

  • Secession Causes (1860):

    • Seven Southern states seceded after Lincoln's election, claiming anti-slavery hostility.

  • Battle of Gettysburg (1863):

    • Significant Union victory, turning point of the war with high casualties.

  • Emancipation Proclamation (1862):

    • Lincoln declared freedom for slaves in seceded states, with limited enforcement power.

  • Reconstruction Plans:

    • Lincoln's Ten Percent Plan vs. Johnson's plan requiring wealthy planters to seek pardons.

    • Radical Republicans passed the Wade-Davis Bill and established the Freedmen’s Bureau and Civil Rights Act of 1866.

  • Civil War Amendments:

    • 13th: Abolished slavery.

    • 14th: Granted citizenship to all born/naturalized in the U.S.

    • 15th: Prohibited denying voting rights based on race.

Industrial Revolution & Progressive Movement

  • Economic Transformation: Analyzing economic & social changes from the late 1800s to early 1900s.

  • Key Inventions:

    • Mechanized reaper, steel plow, barbed wire, and electric appliances transformed agriculture and daily life.

  • Labor Unions:

    • Organizations forming to protect workers' rights through collective bargaining; notable unions include the Knights of Labor and American Federation of Labor.

  • Major Events:

    • Great Strike of 1877: Railroad strike that led to violence, marking the beginning of violent labor actions.

    • Pullman Strike (1894): Resulted in federal intervention and crackdown against unions.

  • Social Issues:

    • Poor working conditions, unsafe environments, and child labor were rampant.

  • Progressive Movement Goals:

    • Amend political problems, improve labor conditions, promote women’s suffrage, and address wealth inequality.

Gilded Age & Populism

  • Political Machines: Controlled urban politics through corruption and patronage, exemplified by Tammany Hall.

  • Populist Party: Formed by farmers advocating for economic reforms and greater political influence.

The 1920s & 1930s

  • Cultural Movements:

    • Harlem Renaissance showed the vibrancy of African-American culture.

    • Lost Generation: Writers critical of materialism and conformity post-WWI.

  • Economic Conditions:

    • The 1929 Stock Market Crash led to the Great Depression, resulting from extensive debts and economic collapse.

  • New Deal: FDR's policies to stimulate economic recovery included banking reforms, Social Security, and labor protections.