AP US History Study Guide: Period 6 (1865-1898)

AP US History Study Guide: Period 6 (1865 - 1898)

Overview of the Period

  • Timeframe: 1865 (end of Civil War) to 1898 (preparation for the 20th century)

  • Transformation from an agricultural to an industrialized and urbanized society.

  • Central Themes:

    • Big Business

    • Big Cities

    • Big Changes

Big Business

  • Transformation: Over 35 years before 1900, America evolved into a modern industrial society.

  • Manufacturing and Urban Growth:

    • Rapid growth of manufacturing and establishment of factories.

    • Urban centers expanded dramatically, paralleling industrial development.

    • Cities became communities for workers and migrants (e.g., Italians, Irish, Germans, Chinese).

  • Living Conditions:

    • Life was challenging in cities; many faced poverty.

    • Wealth Divide: Large gap between wealthy industrialists and impoverished workers.

  • Key Industrial Figures:

    • John D. Rockefeller:

    • Founder of the Standard Oil Company.

    • Built a fortune using aggressive business practices, monopolized the oil industry.

    • Andrew Carnegie:

    • Magnate in steel production; embodied the Horatio Alger story (rags to riches).

    • By 1901, valued at over $475 million for his steel company innovations.

    • J.P. Morgan:

    • Financier who consolidated wealth and established powerful financial partnerships with industrialists.

  • Factory System: Central to a low-wage workforce and efficient manufacturing.

  • Labor Movements:

    • Workers organized for better conditions and wages, leading to strikes and organizing of unions.

    • Antitrust Legislation: Emergence of laws to prevent monopolistic control (e.g., Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890).

  • Philanthropy of Tycoons:

    • Carnegie's Gospel of Wealth: Advocated that the wealthy should use their fortunes for societal benefit (e.g., funding schools, libraries).

    • Rockefeller's charitable efforts included land purchases for conservation.

  • Relevant Documents for deeper understanding:

    • Haymarket Affair (1886)

    • Anti-corporate cartoons (1900)

    • Carnegie Hall construction (1889)

Big Cities and Big Issues

  • Urbanization and Immigration:

    • Rapid urban growth created job opportunities.

    • Major cities by 1890: Boston (~500,000), Philadelphia, Chicago, New York City (>3 million).

  • Immigration:

    • Immigrants settled in cities, especially poor areas like Lower East Side of NYC (Italian and Jewish communities).

    • Conditions were poor but provided cheap rent and job opportunities; social support from existing communities.

    • By 1890, immigrants constituted 15% of the population.

  • Social Reforms:

    • Women's rights movements gained momentum (e.g., Seneca Falls Movement, push for suffrage).

    • Temperance Movement aimed at reducing vice and disorder associated with alcohol consumption.

    • Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882: Imposed severe restrictions on Chinese immigration and led to discrimination.

    • Documents for further research include:

    • Chinatown declared a nuisance (1880)

    • Women's rights struggle (1880)

    • Susan B. Anthony’s views on suffrage (1901)

Expansion to the West

  • Westward Migration:

    • California Gold Rush (1849) catalyzed westward movement.

    • Industrialization of mining led to corporate dominance and growth in California cities.

  • Territorial Expansion:

    • Alaska Purchase (1867): Expanded US territory; led to state dividends on oil sales.

    • Transcontinental Railroad: Completed in 1869, it facilitated travel, communication, and goods distribution.

    • Dawes Act (1887): Attempted to assimilate Native Americans into American society, offering citizenship rights but promoting cultural erasure.

  • Native American Resistance:

    • Ghost Dance: A ritual that expressed persistence in Native American identity amidst encroachment.

  • Documents for further exploration:

    • Horus Greley, Go West (1871)

    • Indian Wars and Battle of Wounded Knee (1868)

    • Great West illustrated (1869)

The New South

  • Post-Civil War Reconstruction:

    • Freedmen often became sharecroppers, aimed at subsistence but remained economically vulnerable.

    • Emergence of Jim Crow laws: Unwritten rules promoting segregation and systemic violence against African Americans.

    • Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): Upheld the “separate but equal” doctrine, justifying state-sanctioned segregation.

  • Documents for further study:

    • Sharecropper contract (1867)

    • Frederick Douglass on Jim Crow (1887)

    • Campaigning for African American vote (1894)

Big Change

  • Gilded Age Emergence:

    • New affluent culture derived from industrial growth; workers sought basic rights amidst exploitation.

  • Political Changes:

    • Abolition of the spoils system; government positions based upon merit.

  • Currency and Economic Issues:

    • National debate over currency standards: silver vs. gold.

    • Tariffs were significant for U.S. manufacturing competitiveness against global forces.

  • Political Scandals:

    • The Credit Mobilier scandal (1872): Illustration of corruption in government and business.

  • Economic Crises:

    • Panic of 1893 highlighted the precarious economic state due to over-speculation, leading to widespread unemployment and farm distress.

  • Populist Movement:

    • Emerged in response to economic disparities; advocated anti-monopolistic policies aimed at improving conditions for average Americans.

  • Electoral Politics:

    • 1896 election saw William McKinley’s victory and raised the profile of William Jennings Bryan’s populist positions (notably the Cross of Gold speech).

  • Related Documents for further research include:

    • William Cullen Bryant against protectionist tariffs (1876)

    • People's Party campaign materials (1892)

    • John Mosby on the silver issue (1895)

Historical Thinking Skills

  • Comparison: Comparing multiple historical developments across societies and evaluating differing perspectives.

    • Example: Evolving attitudes of newly freed slaves vs. plantation owners in the South.

  • Contextualization: Linking specific historical developments to broader contexts regionally, nationally, or globally.

    • Example: Understanding slavery's impact from an individual slave’s view within the larger transatlantic slave trade context.