APUSH Period 6 Ultimate Master Note Guide (1865–1898)

APUSH PERIOD 6 ULTIMATE MASTER NOTE GUIDE 1865–1898 | Key Concepts 6.2 & 6.3

I. WESTWARD EXPANSION & FEDERAL POLICY (CH. 16)

A. Motives for Westward Expansion

  • Economic opportunity:
    • Land acquisition
    • Discovery of gold and silver
    • Cattle ranching opportunities
  • Manifest Destiny:
    • Continued belief in the nation's right to expand its territory post–Civil War
  • Industrial demand for raw materials:
    • Increased need for raw materials due to rapid industrialization
  • National unity after the Civil War:
    • Desire to promote integration and unity within the nation
  • Expansion of transportation networks:
    • Development and enhancement of railroads and roads

B. Federal Land Policies

  • Homestead Act (1862):
    • Provided 160 acres to settlers under certain conditions:
    • Must live on the land for 5 years
    • Intended to encourage western migration
    • Many farmers failed due to:
      • Poor soil quality
      • Lack of water sources
      • Isolation from established communities
  • Morrill Land Grant Acts:
    • Allocated federal land for the establishment of colleges
    • Focused on agricultural and engineering education

C. Transcontinental Railroad

1. Causes
  • Economic integration of the West:
    • Facilitated commerce and trade across the continent
  • Faster movement of goods and people:
    • Reduced travel time significantly
  • National security:
    • Improved defense capabilities by connecting the Pacific and Atlantic coasts
2. Construction
  • Union Pacific Railroad:
    • Mainly built by Irish immigrants
  • Central Pacific Railroad:
    • Primarily constructed by Chinese immigrants
  • Challenges included dangerous working conditions
3. Government Support
  • Land grants to railroad companies
  • Loans to facilitate construction
  • Minimal regulation allowed for rapid expansion
4. Effects
  • Created national markets, leading to economic integration
  • Standardized time zones for scheduling
  • Increased migration towards the West
  • Environmental destruction due to land clearing and construction
  • Forced displacement of Native Americans from their lands
  • Corruption exemplified by the Credit Mobilier scandal

D. Native American Policy & Resistance

  • Treaty System:
    • Treaties often violated and broken by the government
    • Resulted in forced removals to reservations
  • Indian Wars:
    • Battle of Little Bighorn (1876):
    • Temporary Native victory
    • Wounded Knee Massacre (1890):
    • Marked the end of organized Native resistance
1. Reservation System
  • Restricted movement of Native Americans
  • Resulted in loss of hunting grounds
  • Created dependence on government aid for survival

E. Dawes Act (1887)

Goals
  • Assimilate Native Americans:
    • Encourage adoption of Western culture and practices
  • End tribal ownership:
    • Promote individual land ownership and farming
Consequences
  • Loss of communal land leading to poverty
  • Cultural destruction due to assimilation policies

II. INDUSTRIALIZATION & CAPITALISM (CH. 17)

A. Causes of Industrial Growth

  • Natural resources:
    • Abundant raw materials fueled industrial expansion
  • Technological innovation:
    • Introduction of new technologies improved production efficiency
  • Immigration:
    • Provided a labor force for factories
  • Railroad expansion:
    • Facilitated transportation of goods and resources
  • Laissez-faire ideology:
    • Promoted minimal government interference in business

B. Business Organization

  • Corporations:
    • Allowed for limited liability of shareholders
  • Monopolies:
    • A single firm dominates a particular market
  • Trusts:
    • Formed when multiple companies are controlled by a single entity

C. Business Strategies

  • Vertical Integration:
    • Control over the supply chain from raw materials to finished products
    • Example: Carnegie’s steel industry
  • Horizontal Integration:
    • Merging with or eliminating competitors
    • Example: Rockefeller’s oil industry

D. Wealth & Ideology

  • Social Darwinism:
    • Concept of "survival of the fittest" applied to social and economic issues
    • Associated with the belief that poverty indicates personal failure and wealth signifies superiority
  • Gospel of Wealth:
    • Affirms the moral responsibility of wealthy individuals to use their riches for the greater good
    • Emphasizes charity over government assistance

E. Government & Business

  • Laissez-Faire:
    • Characterized by minimal regulation of businesses
    • Courts tended to favor businesses in disputes
    • Limited labor protections existed for workers
  • Early Regulation:
    • Interstate Commerce Act (1887):
    • Established to regulate railroads; considered weak
    • Sherman Antitrust Act (1890):
    • Designed to combat monopolies; rarely enforced

III. LABOR & WORKING CONDITIONS (CH. 18)

A. Working Conditions

  • Long working hours (10–14 hours per day)
  • Low wages with minimal economic stability
  • Unsafe factory environments with health hazards
  • Child labor was common, depriving children of education
  • Lack of benefits for workers

B. Labor Unions

  • Knights of Labor:
    • Inclusive of all workers
    • Aimed for cooperative ownership of businesses
    • Faced decline after the Haymarket Riot
  • American Federation of Labor (AFL):
    • Focused on skilled workers with pragmatic goals
    • Success led to long-term establishment and influence in labor rights

C. Major Strikes

  • Haymarket Riot (1886):
    • Bombing at labor rally led to public discrediting of unions
  • Homestead Strike (1892):
    • Steelworkers struck against Carnegie; Pinkerton agents were called to suppress the strike
  • Pullman Strike (1894):
    • Federal troops intervened to crush the union protest

D. Business Response

  • Used injunctions to halt strikes and protests
  • Created blacklists to prevent striking workers from employment
  • Set up company towns that controlled workers’ lives
  • Employed strikebreakers to negate union efforts

IV. IMMIGRATION & URBANIZATION (CH. 18)

A. New Immigrants

  • Primarily from Southern & Eastern Europe
  • Included significant numbers of Chinese immigrants migrating to the West

B. Settlement Patterns

  • Concentrated settling in urban areas
  • Formation of ethnic enclaves where immigrants could maintain cultural traditions

C. Push & Pull Factors

  • Push Factors:
    • Poverty in home countries
    • Political unrest and instability
    • Religious persecution leading to the need for freedom
  • Pull Factors:
    • Job opportunities in the United States
    • The promise of freedom and a better life

D. Nativism

  • Rise in anti-immigrant sentiment during the period
  • Chinese Exclusion Act (1882):
    • First major law to prevent a specific nationality from immigrating to the U.S.
  • Broader immigration restrictions were imposed to limit immigrant success and influence

E. Assimilation

  • Public schools aimed to Americanize immigrant children
  • Settlement houses provided social services and education to help assimilate immigrants
  • Adopted Americanization programs to enforce cultural integration

F. Urban Problems

  • Overcrowding in major cities led to significant public health issues
  • Poor sanitation practices exacerbated urban living conditions
  • Increase in crime rates linked to economic disparity
  • Political machines gained power amid urban challenges

V. THE “NEW” SOUTH & POPULISM (CH. 19)

A. New South Ideology

  • Advocated for industrialization and advancement
  • Emphasized the importance of railroads and textile mills
  • Contrasted with the reality of continued poverty and sharecropping practices
  • Existed alongside the enforcement of Jim Crow laws

B. Sharecropping

  • Established a cycle of debt among African Americans
  • Economic dependence replaced the conditions of slavery

C. Farmers’ Movements

  • Grange Movement:
    • Cooperative buying strategies for resources
  • Farmers’ Alliances:
    • Focused on political activism and grassroots organization

D. Populist Party Platform

  • Advocated for:
    • Free silver to increase money supply
    • Regulation of railroads
    • Imposition of income tax
    • Direct election of senators by the public
  • Party faced failure due to:
    • Internal racism conflicts
    • Urban distrust among the populous
    • Loss during the Election of 1896

VI. BIG PICTURE THEMES (EXAM GOLD)

  • Federal power expands unevenly across different regions
  • Industrial capitalism significantly reshapes societal norms and structure
  • Economic inequality continues to increase, creating social tensions
  • Government tends to favor business interests over labor rights
  • Cultural conflicts arise over policies of assimilation and identity

HOW TO LOCK THIS IN (FAST)

  • Turn section headers from the guide into flashcards for study aids
  • Practice explaining each cause and its resulting effects out loud for retention
  • Compare and contrast Native American policy with immigrant assimilation efforts
  • Prepare for Short Answer Questions (SAQs) on labor movements and the Populist Party's influence.