Chapter 26 Flashcards
reservation system
boundaries to Native American tribes in the west, ending with the Dawes Severalty Act. Within the reservations, most of the land was used communally, not individually. The gov’t encouraged the Native Americans to stay on the reservations
battle of Little Bighorn
example of the warfare between whites & Native Americans. The US gov’t tried to keep the Native American’s on the reservations & the Native Americans tried to defend their territory from the white gold-seekers
battle of Wounded Knee
a battle between the US Army & Dakota Sioux, several hundred Native Americans & 29 US soldiers died. Tensions formed from the Sioux practice of the “Ghost Dance” & dispute over whether Sioux reservation land would be broken up because of the Dawes Act
Dawes Severalty Act
broke up the Indian reservations & distributed land to individual households, the left over land was sold for money, funding the US gov’t efforts to civilize Native Americans Of 130 million acres held in Native American reservations before the Act, 90 million were sold to non-native buyers
mining industry
after the gold & silver strikes, the metals soon became essential to the US industrial growth & were sold into world markets. Once surface metals were removed, people found ways to extract the others from underground, which lead to the development of heavy mining industry, because only big companies could afford to buy/build machines
Homestead Act
a federal law that gave settlers 160 acres of land for about $30 if they lived on it for 5 years & improved it by building a house on it. This made land accessible to hundreds of thousands of westward moving settlers, many people found infertile land, speculators grabbed the best land
mechanization of agriculture
development of engine-driven machines, like the combine, which helped to dramatically increase the productivity of land, the process contributed to the consolidation of agricultural business, driving many families out of existence
populists
“the peoples party”, represented westerners & southerners who believed that the US economic policy favored eastern businessmen instead of the nation’s farmers , they wanted to nationalize the railroads, creating an income tax. effecting the coinage of silver
Pullman strike
strike by railroad workers upset by drastic wage cuts, led by socialist Eugene Debs, not supported by the American Federation of Labor. President Grover Cleveland & federal troops forced an end of the strike. Highlighted both divisions within labor & the government new willingness to use armed forces on combat
fourth party system
term scholars use to describe national politics, when Republicans had a tight grip on the White House & issues like industrial regulation & labor concerns became paramount, replacing older concerns like civil service reform & monetary policy
Gold Standard Act
an act guaranteeing that paper currency would be redeemed freely in gold, putting an end to he already dying “free silver” campaign
Frederick Jackson Turner
American historian who said that humanity would continue to progress as long as there was new land to move to. The frontier provided a place for the homeless, solving social problems
Jacob S. Coxey
Ohio businessman who led his commonweal Army to Washington, seeking relief and jobs for the unemployment
William McKinley
republican candidate supporter of big businesses, he pushed for high protective tariffs. Under his leadership, the US became an imperial world power
Marcus Alonzo Hanna
driving force behind McKinley rise to the presidency, was a former businessman who raised money & devised strategy for McKinley’s, winning bid for the White House in 1896
