USA Midterm 1
Eugenics
Who: Scientists and policymakers advocating selective breeding
What: Movement promoting controlled reproduction to "improve" genetics
When: Late 19th to mid-20th century
Where: United States, Europe
Why: Influenced policies on immigration, sterilization, and racial hierarchy
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Who: U.S. Supreme Court Justice (1902–1932)
What: Advocate for judicial restraint and free speech; wrote Buck v. Bell decision
When: 1841–1935
Where: United States
Why: His decisions shaped U.S. law, including upholding eugenics policies
Species Replacement
Who: Scientists, ecologists
What: Concept of one species being replaced by another due to environmental or human impact
When: Ongoing throughout history
Where: Global
Why: Used to explain extinction and ecological shifts, often linked to human actions
Fourteenth Amendment
Who: U.S. Congress, ratified by states
What: Granted citizenship and equal protection under the law
When: Ratified in 1868
Where: United States
Why: Aimed to protect rights of formerly enslaved people, used in later civil rights cases
Conservation vs. Preservation
Who: Gifford Pinchot (conservation), John Muir (preservation)
What: Conservation supports regulated resource use; preservation seeks to keep nature untouched
When: Late 19th–early 20th century
Where: United States
Why: Debate shaped U.S. environmental policies, including national parks
Convict Leasing
Who: Southern state governments, private industries
What: System leasing prisoners for labor, often in brutal conditions
When: Post-Civil War to early 20th century
Where: Southern United States
Why: Exploited Black prisoners as a form of forced labor after slavery
The Gilded Age
Who: Industrialists (Carnegie, Rockefeller, etc.), politicians
What: Period of rapid industrial growth and wealth inequality
When: 1870s–1900
Where: United States
Why: Marked economic expansion but also corruption and labor struggles
Chinese Exclusion Act
Who: U.S. Congress, Chinese immigrants
What: Law banning Chinese labor immigration
When: 1882
Where: United States
Why: First major U.S. immigration restriction, driven by racism and labor tensions
Frederick Winslow Taylor
Who: Mechanical engineer, efficiency expert
What: Developed scientific management to improve industrial efficiency
When: Late 19th–early 20th century
Where: United States
Why: Influenced modern workplace organization and factory management
Walter Lippmann
Who: Journalist, political commentator
What: Criticized public opinion’s role in democracy
When: 1889–1974
Where: United States
Why: His work shaped modern media and political science
United States v. Cruikshank
Who: Supreme Court, African American plaintiffs
What: Ruling weakening the federal government’s ability to enforce civil rights
When: 1876
Where: United States
Why: Allowed racial violence to go largely unpunished after Reconstruction
Deskilling
Who: Industrial workers, factory owners
What: Process of replacing skilled labor with machines and unskilled workers
When: Industrial Revolution onward
Where: United States, Europe
Why: Increased efficiency but reduced workers' bargaining power
Sharecropping
Who: Former enslaved people, poor white farmers
What: Farming system where tenants worked land for a share of the crops
When: Post-Civil War–20th century
Where: Southern United States
Why: Trapped many in cycles of debt and poverty
Gifford Pinchot
Who: First Chief of the U.S. Forest Service
What: Advocate for conservation and sustainable resource use
When: 1865–1946
Where: United States
Why: Influenced early environmental policy
Wakan
Who: Indigenous Plains tribes
What: Sacred or spiritual power in Native American beliefs
When: Pre-colonization to present
Where: Great Plains, North America
Why: Central to Native American religious and cultural identity
Vertical Integration
Who: Industrialists like Andrew Carnegie
What: Business strategy controlling all production stages
When: Gilded Age and beyond
Where: United States
Why: Allowed monopolies and economic dominance
Homestead
Who: Settlers, U.S. government
What: Land given to individuals under the Homestead Act
When: 1862 onward
Where: Western United States
Why: Encouraged western migration and farming
The Pinkertons
Who: Private security agency
What: Hired to break strikes and protect industry
When: 1850s–20th century
Where: United States
Why: Symbolized corporate power over labor movements
Ku Klux Klan
Who: White supremacist group
What: Used terror and violence to oppose Black rights
When: Founded 1865, revived in 20th century
Where: United States
Why: Enforced racial segregation and white supremacy
Treaty of Versailles
Who: Allied Powers, Germany
What: Ended WWI, imposed harsh penalties on Germany
When: 1919
Where: France
Why: Led to economic hardship and WWII
W.E.B. Du Bois
Who: Civil rights activist, scholar
What: Co-founded NAACP, advocated for Black rights
When: 1868–1963
Where: United States
Why: Influenced civil rights movements
National Origins Act
Who: U.S. Congress
What: Set strict immigration quotas based on nationality
When: 1924
Where: United States
Why: Limited immigration, especially from Southern/Eastern Europe and Asia
Plessy v. Ferguson
Who: Supreme Court, Homer Plessy
What: Upheld racial segregation under separate but equal doctrine
When: 1896
Where: United States
Why: Legalized segregation until Brown v. Board of Education
Omaha Platform
Who: Populist Party
What: Political platform advocating economic reforms like income tax and direct election of senators
When: 1892
Where: Omaha, Nebraska
Why: Laid the foundation for Progressive Era reforms
Boarding Schools
Who: Native American children, U.S. government
What: Schools aimed at assimilating Indigenous children into white culture
When: Late 19th–20th century
Where: United States
Why: Part of U.S. efforts to erase Native cultures
Ida B. Wells
Who: African American journalist, activist
What: Led anti-lynching campaigns, co-founded NAACP
When: 1862–1931
Where: United States
Why: Exposed racial violence and fought for Black rights
Flappers
Who: Young women challenging traditional norms
What: Symbol of 1920s cultural change, known for short hair, smoking, and jazz
When: 1920s
Where: United States
Why: Represented women's growing independence
NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)
Who: W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells, other activists
What: Civil rights organization
When: Founded in 1909
Where: United States
Why: Fought racial injustice, segregation, and disenfranchisement
Emilio Aguinaldo
Who: Filipino revolutionary leader
What: Led Philippine independence movements against Spain and the U.S.
When: 1890s–1900s
Where: Philippines
Why: Key figure in the fight for Philippine self-rule
Social Darwinism
Who: Herbert Spencer, business leaders
What: Idea that natural selection applies to human societies
When: Late 19th–early 20th century
Where: United States, Europe
Why: Justified economic inequality and imperialism
Jane Addams
Who: Social reformer, activist
What: Founded Hull House, helped immigrants and poor communities
When: 1860–1935
Where: United States
Why: Pioneered social work and Progressive Era reforms
National Origins Act
Who: U.S. Congress
What: Restricted immigration based on quotas
When: 1924
Where: United States
Why: Limited immigration from Southern/Eastern Europe and banned Asian immigration
Nineteenth Amendment
Who: Women’s suffrage activists
What: Gave women the right to vote
When: Ratified in 1920
Where: United States
Why: Major victory for the women’s rights movement
Eugene Debs
Who: Socialist leader, labor activist
What: Founded the American Railway Union, ran for president multiple times
When: Late 19th–early 20th century
Where: United States
Why: Prominent figure in the labor and socialist movements
Sedition Act
Who: U.S. Congress, President Woodrow Wilson
What: Law criminalizing criticism of the U.S. government during WWI
When: 1918
Where: United States
Why: Restricted free speech, led to persecution of anti-war activists
Margaret Sanger
Who: Birth control activist, nurse
What: Advocated for contraception and founded Planned Parenthood
When: Late 19th–20th century
Where: United States
Why: Influenced modern reproductive rights
Wounded Knee
Who: Lakota Sioux, U.S. Army
What: Massacre of Lakota people by U.S. troops
When: 1890
Where: South Dakota
Why: Symbolized the violent suppression of Native Americans
Pacific Railway Act(s)
Who: U.S. government, railroad companies
What: Funded the construction of the transcontinental railroad
When: 1862
Where: United States
Why: Boosted westward expansion and industrialization
Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)
Who: Radical labor union
What: Advocated for worker control of industries
When: Founded in 1905
Where: United States
Why: Promoted militant labor activism
Capital Accumulation
Who: Economists, business owners
What: Process of increasing wealth through investment and profits
When: Ongoing throughout history
Where: Global
Why: Key driver of economic growth and inequality
Gustavus Swift
Who: Meatpacking industry innovator
What: Pioneered refrigerated railcars and vertical integration in meatpacking
When: Late 19th century
Where: United States
Why: Transformed the food industry and supply chains
George Creel
Who: Journalist, head of the Committee on Public Information
What: Led propaganda efforts during WWI
When: 1917–1919
Where: United States
Why: Shaped public opinion in favor of the war
League of Nations
Who: Proposed by Woodrow Wilson, world leaders
What: International organization aimed at preventing future wars
When: 1920–1946
Where: Global
Why: Failed to prevent WWII, but influenced the creation of the UN
Roscoe Conkling
Who: Republican politician, Senator from New York
What: Leader of the Stalwart faction, supported patronage
When: Late 19th century
Where: United States
Why: Opposed civil service reform, influenced Gilded Age politics
Eighteenth Amendment
Who: U.S. Congress, temperance activists
What: Prohibited alcohol
When: Ratified in 1919, repealed in 1933
Where: United States
Why: Led to Prohibition, crime, and eventual repeal
Mary Elizabeth Lease
Who: Populist speaker, activist
What: Advocated for farmers and working-class rights
When: Late 19th century
Where: United States
Why: Key figure in the Populist movement
Meat Inspection Act
Who: U.S. Congress, Theodore Roosevelt
What: Law regulating meatpacking industry after The Jungle exposed abuses
When: 1906
Where: United States
Why: Improved food safety and government regulation
Self-Determination
Who: Nationalist groups, Woodrow Wilson
What: Principle that people should govern themselves
When: Early 20th century
Where: Global
Why: Inspired independence movements and post-WWI diplomacy
Marcus Garvey
Who: Black nationalist leader
What: Founded Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), promoted Black pride and economic independence
When: Early 20th century
Where: United States, Jamaica
Why: Inspired future civil rights and Pan-African movements