APUSH Unit 6

Transcontinental Railroad

Railroad that went from east to west. 

Treaty of Fort Laramie

1851 agreement between U.S. and Native American tribes, establishing boundaries and peace.

Sand Creek Massacre

1864 attack by U.S. troops on a peaceful Cheyenne village, killing over 100.

Battle of Little Bighorn

1876 battle where Native American forces defeated Custer's troops.

Buffalo Soldiers

African American soldiers serving in the U.S. Army, mainly in the West.

Dawes Act (1887)

Law aimed at assimilating Native Americans by dividing communal lands into individual plots.

Ghost Dance

Spiritual movement among Native Americans, believing it would restore their way of life.

Wounded Knee Massacre

1890 killing of over 200 Lakota Sioux by U.S. troops at Wounded Knee, South Dakota.

Comstock Lode

Rich silver ore deposit discovered in Nevada in 1859.

Cowboy

A ranch worker who tends cattle, especially on cattle drives.

Long Drive

The process of moving cattle from ranches to railroad depots for transport to markets

Homestead Act

1862 law granting 160 acres of land to settlers who improved it over five years.

Inflation

The rise in the general level of prices, reducing purchasing power.

Deflation 

A decrease in the general price level of goods and services.

Mormons

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, founded by Joseph Smith.

Californios

Spanish-speaking inhabitants of California before and after U.S. annexation

Rock Springs Massacre

1885 attack by white miners on Chinese miners in Wyoming, killing 28.

Chinese Exclusion Act 

1882 law that prohibited Chinese immigration to the U.S.

New South

Post-Civil War vision of the South’s industrialization and economic diversification.

Convict lease

System in which prisoners were leased to work in industries, often under brutal conditions.

Plessy v. Ferguson 

1896 Supreme Court case that legalized segregation under "separate but equal" doctrine.

Jim Crow Laws

State and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the South.

Robber Barons

Wealthy and unscrupulous industrialists during the Gilded Age.

Gross Domestic Product 

Total value of all goods and services produced in a country in a year.

Corporation 

A legal entity separate from its owners, with rights and liabilities, that can own property, sue, and be sued.

Trust

A business arrangement where multiple companies are managed by a single board to reduce competition and control markets.

Holding company 

A company created to own shares in other companies, controlling them without direct operations.

Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Company (1886)

Supreme Court case that granted corporations some of the same rights as individuals under the 14th Amendment.

United States v. EC Knight Company (1895)

A case that limited the government’s ability to regulate monopolies under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, ruling manufacturing was not interstate commerce.

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

A 1890 law aimed at breaking up monopolies and preventing anti-competitive practices.

Scientific management

A management theory by Frederick Taylor focusing on efficiency and productivity through task optimization.

Unions

Organizations formed by workers to protect their rights, wages, and working conditions.

Collective Bargaining 

The negotiation process between employers and unions to establish labor contracts.

Knights of Labor

An inclusive labor union founded in 1869 that sought broad social reforms and better working conditions.

Haymarket Riot

A violent 1886 labor protest in Chicago that turned deadly after a bomb exploded, leading to a backlash against labor movements.

American Federation of Labor

A labor union founded in 1886 focused on skilled workers and practical labor reforms like better wages and hours.

Homestead Strike

An 1892 steelworkers' strike against Carnegie Steel that ended violently after a battle with Pinkerton agents.

Pinkerton Detectives

A private security firm often hired to break strikes and protect company interests during labor disputes.

Great Railroad Strike (1873)

The first major national labor strike, sparked by wage cuts, leading to widespread protests and violence.

Pullman Strike 

A 1894 nationwide railroad strike against the Pullman Company, which was broken by federal troops after disrupting mail delivery.

Socialist Party of America

A political party founded in 1901 advocating for workers' rights and public ownership of industries.

Industrial Workers of the World 

A radical labor union formed in 1905 that aimed to unite all workers and promote industrial unionism.

Nativism 

A political ideology favoring native-born citizens and opposing immigration.

eugenics

A discredited movement aimed at improving human genetics through selective breeding.

Melting Pot

A metaphor for the blending of different cultures and ethnicities into a cohesive American identity.

Frontier Thesis 

Historian Frederick Jackson Turner's 1893 argument that the American frontier shaped democracy and national character.

Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act 

An 1883 law that established merit-based hiring for federal jobs, reducing patronage.

Gilded Age

A period (1870s–1900) marked by rapid economic growth, political corruption, and stark social inequality.

Social Darwinism 

A belief applying Darwin’s "survival of the fittest" to society, justifying wealth disparity and imperialism.

Gospel of Wealth 

Andrew Carnegie’s philosophy that the wealthy have a duty to use their riches to benefit society.

Tammany Hall

A powerful New York City political machine known for corruption and patronage, especially under Boss Tweed.

Depression of 1893

A severe economic downturn caused by railroad failures and bank collapses, leading to widespread unemployment.

Billion Dollar Congress

The 51st Congress (1889–1891) criticized for its high spending and large federal budget.

Grangers

A farmers’ movement (National Grange) advocating for agricultural reforms and railroad regulation.

Interstate Commerce Commission 

stablished in 1887 to regulate railroad rates and practices, the first federal regulatory agency.

Farmers Alliance 

A late 19th-century agrarian movement promoting cooperative farming and political activism against monopolies.

Coxey’s Army 

A 1894 protest march of unemployed workers to Washington, D.C., demanding government-funded jobs.

Populists

A political party (People’s Party) in the 1890s advocating for farmers, free silver, direct election of senators, and other reforms.

Williams v. Mississippi 1898

A Supreme Court case upholding state voting requirements like literacy tests, enabling voter suppression, especially of Black citizens.

Alexander Graham Bell:

 Inventor of the telephone (1876) and founder of the Bell Telephone Company.

Thomas Alva Edison

Prolific inventor known for the phonograph, electric light bulb, and the motion picture camera.

George Pullman

 Industrialist who designed the luxury Pullman sleeping car and built the company-owned Pullman town.

Henry Bessemer

Inventor of the Bessemer process, which revolutionized steel production by making it cheaper and more efficient.

Geronimo

Apache leader who resisted U.S. military campaigns and became a symbol of Native American resistance.

Jacob Riis

Journalist and photographer who exposed urban poverty in How the Other Half Lives (1890).

William Jennings Bryan

Populist leader, "Cross of Gold" speechmaker, and three-time Democratic presidential candidate.

Samuel Gompers

 Founder and long-time president of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), promoting skilled labor rights.

John Rockefeller

Founder of Standard Oil and one of the wealthiest Americans, pivotal in developing the oil industry.

Andrew Carnegie

Steel magnate and philanthropist, known for the "Gospel of Wealth" and funding public libraries.

Jay Gould

Notorious Gilded Age railroad speculator and robber baron known for market manipulation.

William Tecumseh Sherman

Union general during the Civil War, famous for his "March to the Sea" and total war tactics.

Grover Cleveland

The 22nd and 24th U.S. president, known for his integrity and opposition to political corruption.

Henry Grady 

Southern journalist and advocate of the "New South," promoting industrial growth in the post-Reconstruction era.

Sitting Bull 

Lakota Sioux chief and spiritual leader who played a key role in the victory at the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Jacob Coxey

Labor activist who led Coxey’s Army to Washington, D.C., in 1894, demanding jobs during the Depression.

Chief Joseph 

Nez Perce leader known for his resistance against U.S. forces and his famous "I will fight no more forever" speech.

Frederick W Taylor

 Engineer who developed scientific management to improve industrial efficiency.

George Armstrong Custer

U.S. Army officer defeated and killed at the Battle of Little Bighorn (1876).

William McKinley

25th U.S. president, led the nation during the Spanish-American War and was assassinated in 1901.

Frederick Jackson Turner

Historian famous for the Frontier Thesis, arguing the frontier shaped American democracy.

Eugene V. Debs

Labor leader and five-time Socialist presidential candidate; led the Pullman Strike and co-founded the IWW.

JP Morgan

Influential banker who financed railroads, formed U.S. Steel, and stabilized markets during economic crises.

Boss Tweed

Corrupt leader of New York’s Tammany Hall, known for embezzling millions from the city.

WEB DuBois

Civil rights activist, co-founder of the NAACP, and advocate for immediate equality for African Americans.

Terence v Powderly

 Leader of the Knights of Labor, promoting broad labor reforms and worker solidarity.

Theodore Roosevelt

26th U.S. president, known for trust-busting, conservation efforts, and the "Square Deal" reforms.