AMH2020 Exam 1

1. Reconstruction (1863-1877): The period after the Civil War when the US government attempted to reintegrate the Confederate states and address the rights of formerly enslaved people.

2. Martial Law: Military rule imposed on a civilian population, where military authority replaces civilian law enforcement.

3. Radical Republicans: A faction of the Republican Party that favored harsh punishments for the South and strong protections for the rights of African Americans during Reconstruction.

4. Wade-Davis Bill (1864): A proposed Reconstruction plan (that ultimately failed) that would have required a majority of white male southerners to pledge loyalty to the Union before readmission.

5. Black Codes/Jim Crow Laws: Laws passed in the South after the Civil War to restrict the rights of African Americans and enforce racial segregation.

6. Carpetbagger: A Northerner who moved to the South during Reconstruction, often seeking political or economic opportunities. (Term often used with a negative connotation.)

7. Freedmen's Bureau: A federal agency established to assist formerly enslaved people in their transition to freedom, providing education, healthcare, and other resources.

8. Sharecroppers: A system of agriculture where a tenant farmer works land owned by someone else and pays rent with a share of the crops.

9. Redeemers: Southern Democrats who regained control of state governments in the South during the 1870s, often through violence and intimidation.

10. Compromise of 1877: A political deal that resolved the disputed 1876 presidential election and effectively ended Reconstruction.

11. The Lost Cause: A romanticized interpretation of the Confederacy that portrays the South as noble and the Civil War as a fight for states' rights, not slavery.

Gilded Age and Progressive Era (Late 19th - Early 20th Century)

12. Credit Mobilier Scandal: A corruption scandal in the 1870s involving the Union Pacific Railroad and bribes paid to government officials.

13. Cooping: A form of electoral fraud where people were kidnapped and forced to vote multiple times for a particular candidate.

14. Trust: A large business entity that controls a significant portion of an industry, often used to stifle competition.

15. Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890): A law passed to break up monopolies and trusts that were seen as hindering free trade.

16. The Mann Act (1910): A law that made it illegal to transport women across state lines for "immoral purposes," often used to target prostitution.

17. Settlement Houses: Community centers established in urban areas to provide social services, education, and support to immigrants and the poor.

18. National American Woman Suffrage Association: An organization that advocated for women's right to vote.

19. Women's Christian Temperance Union: An organization that advocated for the prohibition of alcohol.

20. New Woman: A term used to describe women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries who challenged traditional gender roles.

21. Political Party Machines: Organizations that controlled local politics through patronage, corruption, and the mobilization of voters.

22. The People's Party/Populist Party: A political party formed in the 1890s to represent the interests of farmers and workers.

23. Manifest Destiny: The belief that the United States was destined to expand its territory across North America.

24. Honolulu Rifles: A volunteer military company in Hawaii that played a role in the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy.

25. Committee of Safety/Hawaiian League: A group of businessmen and politicians who plotted to overthrow the Hawaiian monarchy and annex Hawaii to the United States.

26. Maine Incident: The sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor in 1898, which was used as a pretext for the Spanish-American War.

27. Treaty of Paris (1898): The treaty that officially ended the Spanish-American War and resulted in the US acquiring Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

28. Teller Amendment (1898): An amendment to the US declaration of war against Spain that stated the US would not annex Cuba after the war.

29. Platt Amendment (1901): An amendment that limited Cuba's independence and gave the US the right to intervene in Cuban affairs.

30. Annexation: The act of adding territory to an existing country or state.

31. Yellow Journalism: A style of journalism that emphasizes sensationalism and exaggeration to attract readers.

32. Dollar Diplomacy: The use of economic power and investment to influence foreign policy.

33. Theocracy: A government ruled by religious leaders and based on religious law.

34. Secularism: The separation of government institutions and religious institutions.