Civil War and The System Flashcards
Give 3 key characteristics of the North
Wanted the union, supported abolition, focussed on large industrial urban centres
Give 3 characteristics of the South
Liked state independence, relied on slavery, and they were based in agriculture
How much money lost in the Civil War?
$3.3 billion
How many died in the Civil War?
618,000
When was the Emancipation Proclamation?
New Years Day 1863
How many slaves were freed?
4 million
What is the American government made up of?
Legislative
Executive
Judiciary
What is the legislative branch made up of?
Congress which is the Senate and House of Representatives
What is good about federal government?
They stop dictatorial control, help to cover the whole continent and they can check and balance the others
What does federal government mean?
That there is a centralised power but each state has autonomy
What is the senate and how long do they sit?
100 senators, 2 per state. They sit for 6 years
How many representatives are they and how long do they sit?
435 who sit for 2 years
What is the Executive branch?
The president and the people he appoints like secretaries and the Vice President
Give 2 privileges the executive branch has
Can veto any bills from congress and can appoints Supreme Court judges
What is the Supreme Court made up of?
9 judges who sit for life
What is important about the Supreme Court?
It can overturn any law
Name 2 things Hayes did
Passed the Resumption Act 1878 which put out bills instead of silver and vetoed the Bland Allison Act which wanted silver in circulation - supported gold standard
Tried to root out patronage by sacking Chester A Arthur from the New York Customs House
Give 2 things about Garfield’s presidency
Pursued meritocracy and made Conkling resign from politics due to his anti corruption views
Was assassinated in 1881
Give 2 things Arthur did during his presidency
Used to be a stalwart but adopted an anti corruption position - he vetoed a $18 million river and harbour development
Also passed the Pendleton Civil Service Act 1883 which meant 10% of the cabinet had to be selected on merit
Give 3 things Cleveland did in his first term
Vetoed 413 bills - most ever
Passed Interstate Commerce Act 1887 - which was the first regulatory board for railroads
Passed Dawes Act 1887 - for Native American relations
These showed he was against corruption
Give 2 things Harrison did during his presidency
Was fickle - passed the McKinley Tarriff 1890 which was the highest ever at 49.5% which supported big business
But he also passed the Sherman Anti Trust Act 1890
Give 3 things Cleveland did in his second term of presidency
Fought against the Pullman Strike of 1894 with force
Took $62 million loan from JP Morgan in the Panic of 83
Even as a democrat he was just as pro business as the Republicans
How many people immigrated in the Gilded Age?
10 million
Where were the majority of these immigrants from?
Britain, Ireland, Germany and Scandinavia
How did immigration affect the economy?
56% of manufacturing jobs were done by immigrants which allowed the USA to grow a lot faster as there were people doing more hours for less pay
What was a push factor for the Irish?
Farmers had been pushed to infertile soil where they were starved during the Potato Famine of 1845
What was another push factor?
Growing population leading to a lack of space and bad living conditions
What was a push factor for Russian Jews?
Pogrom (Jewish persecution) has been imposes by the state
What was a push factor for the Chinese?
The Taiping Rebellion
What was a push factor for the Japanese?
There was an emigration ban lifted by the emperor in 1885 so there was a mass exodus to sugar plantations in Hawaii
Give 4 pull factors
Jobs available for unskilled workers on the railroad
Cheap land for sale in the west
Steamships which had become 4 weeks quicker and were cheap
No state religion - freedom of expression
