1870's Flashcards
Brooklyn Bridge
Completed in 1883, designed by John Roebling. Culturally significant to New York City, and architecturally significant for its usage of steel.
Vertical integration
Practice where a single entity controls the entire process of a product, from the raw materials to distribution. Used by Andrew Carnegie in steel production.
Hiram Rhodes Revels
Black senator from Mississippi (1870-1871), first person of color in the Congress.
Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition
An 1870 expedition into the Yellowstone region which occurred during Grant’s presidency.
The 15th Amendment
1870- Granted African-American men the right to vote.
Enforcement Act of 1871 (third act)
An act signed by Grant to counteract the Ku Klux Klan, he was successful in doing this during his presidency.
William Henry Jackson
An American photographer famous for his images of the Wild West.
Whaling Disaster of 1871
Several whaling ships got stuck off the coast of Alaska, dealing a serious blow to the whaling industry.
The Polaris expedition
An 1871 American expedition to reach the North Pole, led by Charles Francis Hall, although they did reach coordinates more northerly than any other explorer, the ship crashed and sank.
William “Boss” Tweed
A corrupt politician who embezzled millions of taxpayer dollars from New Yorkers.
Tammany Hall
A political organization within the Democratic Party in New York city (late 1800’s and early 1900’s) seeking political control by corruption and bossism. Lead by Boss Tweed.
Victoria Woodhull
Radical feminist propagandist whose eloquent attacks on conventional social morality and advocacy for free love shocked many Americans in the 1870s
United States presidential election, 1872
Incumbent Ulysses S. Grant defeated Horace Greeley nominated by the defected Liberal Republicans and Democrats. Greeley died during the electoral process, so the liberal republican electors split their votes among various other groups. Main issues included Grant’s use of cronyism during his first term, and the ongoing armed occupation of the South. The Lib/Dem platform supported bimetallism, tariff reduction, and patronage reduction. The Equal Rights Party nominated Victoria Woodhull and Frederick Douglass.
Modoc War
An armed conflict lasting from 1872-73 between the United States Military and Modocs living in Southern Oregon and Northern California.
Comstock laws
1873 censorship laws which prohibited the sending of obscene books and materials through the mail.
Barbed wire
An American invention debuted in 1873.
Levi Strauss
Inventor of blue jeans, a popular commodity in the West.
Panic of 1873
Post-war inflation and railroad speculation lead to this economic downturn during Grant’s presidency.
The Long Depression
An economic depression lasting from 1873-1879 as a result of the end of the Civil War.
Woman’s Christian Temperance Union
First mass organization among women dedicated to social reform, formed in 1873.
Greenback Party
A party formed by farmers who were hurt by the Long Depression in 1874. They were against a return to a gold-backed economy. They eventually would become the People’s Party.
Civil Rights Act of 1875
Signed by Grant, it assured African-Americans equal accommodation in public facilities and jury duty. During the 1880s, it was dismantled as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
Tong Wars
Any of several feuds carried on in San Francisco between gangs of Chinese immigrants. These gang wars spanned a 70-year period beginning in the 1850s and continuing until the 1920s. The Tongs held a tight grip on San Francisco until a 1906 earthquake destroyed their brothels, casinos, and opium dens.
Alexander Graham Bell
Inventor of the telephone