IDS

Question 1

Colfax Massacre

Answer 1

The Colfax Massacre occurred in Louisiana in 1873 when white supremacists attacked and killed around 150 Black men who were defending a courthouse during a political dispute. This violent act was part of the broader backlash against Reconstruction and efforts to suppress Black political power. The massacre illustrated the lengths to which white groups would go to maintain racial control in the South after the Civil War.

Question 2

Plessy v. Ferguson

Answer 2

Plessy v. Ferguson was an 1896 Supreme Court decision that upheld racial segregation under the doctrine of “separate but equal.” The case stemmed from Homer Plessy’s arrest for sitting in a “whites-only” train car, and the ruling legalized segregation for decades. This decision institutionalized racial inequality in public facilities across the United States until it was overturned by Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.

Question 3

Ida B. Wells

Answer 3

Ida B. Wells was an African American journalist and civil rights activist known for her courageous anti-lynching campaign in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She exposed the brutal nature of lynching in the South and advocated for racial justice, women’s rights, and suffrage. Her work brought national and international attention to the racial violence faced by African Americans during the post-Reconstruction era.

Question 4

Sand Creek Massacre 1864

Answer 4

The Sand Creek Massacre occurred in 1864 when U.S. soldiers attacked a peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho village in Colorado, killing over 150 Native Americans, mostly women and children. This event reflected the violent treatment of Native Americans during westward expansion. It intensified conflict between Native tribes and U.S. settlers, leading to further violence in the Plains region.

Question 5

Checkerboard

Answer 5

The Checkerboard refers to a pattern of land ownership in the western United States, where alternating sections of land were owned by the federal government and private railroads. This system was created through land grants given to railroad companies during the 19th century to encourage westward expansion. It resulted in a fragmented landscape that complicated land use and Native American land claims.

Question 6

Homestead Act 1862

Answer 6

The Homestead Act of 1862 was a law passed by Congress that allowed settlers to claim 160 acres of public land in the western U.S. if they improved it and lived on it for five years. This act spurred significant migration westward and helped populate the Great Plains, but it also displaced many Native American tribes from their ancestral lands. It was a key moment in the expansion of U.S. territory and the development of agriculture in the region.

Question 7

The Octopus

Answer 7

“The Octopus” is a metaphor from the 1901 novel by Frank Norris, describing the powerful and exploitative railroad companies in California, particularly the Southern Pacific Railroad. In the book, the railroad is portrayed as an “octopus” with its tentacles stretching across the economy and controlling the lives of farmers. The term came to symbolize the broader monopolistic practices of big corporations during the Gilded Age.

Question 8

Credit Mobilier

Answer 8

The Credit Mobilier scandal of 1872 involved a fraudulent construction company formed by Union Pacific Railroad executives to siphon off profits during the building of the transcontinental railroad. It became one of the biggest political scandals of the era, as it involved bribing several members of Congress to avoid investigation. This scandal exposed the widespread corruption in government and business during the Reconstruction period.

Question 9

Elmer McCurdy

Answer 9

Elmer McCurdy was an outlaw who died in a shootout in 1911 and became infamous not for his crimes, but for the bizarre fate of his body. His embalmed corpse was displayed in various sideshows and attractions for decades before being discovered in a California funhouse in 1976. His story is a strange chapter in American history, highlighting how the myth of the Wild West was commercialized long after its decline.

Question 10

Battle of Little Bighorn

Answer 10

The Battle of Little Bighorn, also known as “Custer’s Last Stand,” took place in 1876 when the combined forces of the Lakota Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes defeated the U.S. 7th Cavalry led by General George Custer. The battle was a significant victory for Native Americans resisting U.S. expansion, but it ultimately led to increased military efforts to subdue the tribes. It remains one of the most iconic confrontations between Native Americans and U.S. forces during the Indian Wars.

Question 11

Ghost Dance

Answer 11

The Ghost Dance was a spiritual movement that began among Native American tribes in the late 19th century, aiming to restore their traditional way of life and bring an end to U.S. expansion. It was based on the belief that performing the dance would bring back ancestors and buffalo and remove the white settlers. The U.S. government viewed the movement as a threat, leading to increased tensions that contributed to the Wounded Knee Massacre.

Question 12

Wounded Knee Massacre

Answer 12

The Wounded Knee Massacre occurred in 1890 when U.S. soldiers killed around 300 Lakota Sioux, including women and children, in South Dakota. It marked the end of armed Native American resistance to U.S. expansion and was a devastating blow to the Sioux and other tribes. The massacre is widely seen as a symbol of the U.S. government’s brutal suppression of Native American culture and autonomy.

Question 13

Dawes Act of 1887

Answer 13

The Dawes Act of 1887 was a federal law aimed at assimilating Native Americans by dividing tribal lands into individual allotments. Each Native American family received a portion of land, and the remainder was sold to white settlers. This act led to the loss of millions of acres of tribal land, undermining Native American cultures and communal living, and accelerating U.S. territorial expansion.

Question 14

Thomas Edison

Answer 14

Thomas Edison was an American inventor and businessman known for creating the phonograph, the electric light bulb, and the motion picture camera. His innovations transformed modern life and helped establish the foundations of the electrical power industry. Edison is considered one of the most prolific inventors in history, symbolizing the technological advancements of the Gilded Age.

Question 15

Boss Tweed

Answer 15

Boss Tweed, or William M. Tweed, was the corrupt leader of New York City’s Tammany Hall political machine in the mid-19th century. He used his influence to control elections, award contracts to friends, and embezzle millions of dollars from the city’s treasury. Tweed’s fall from power, following his exposure by journalists like Thomas Nast, became a famous example of political corruption during the Gilded Age.

Question 16

Robber Barons

Answer 16

“Robber Barons” refers to the wealthy and powerful industrialists of the late 19th century who were perceived to have gained their fortunes through exploitative practices, such as monopolies, poor labor conditions, and political corruption. Figures like John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie were often criticized for their ruthless business tactics. Despite their philanthropy, they were seen as symbols of economic inequality and the darker side of industrial capitalism.

Question 17

Railroad Strike of 1877

Answer 17

The Railroad Strike of 1877 was the first major nationwide labor strike in U.S. history, sparked by wage cuts amid economic depression. Workers on various railroads across the country halted trains, leading to violent clashes with authorities and widespread property destruction. The strike highlighted the growing tensions between labor and capital and the need for labor reform in the face of rapid industrialization.

Question 18

Albert Parsons

Answer 18

Albert Parsons was a labor activist and anarchist leader who played a key role in the American labor movement in the 19th century. He was one of the men executed after being falsely accused of involvement in the Haymarket Affair in 1886. Parsons became a martyr for the labor movement and is remembered as a champion of workers’ rights and social justice.

Question 19

Haymarket Affair

Answer 19

The Haymarket Affair occurred in 1886 during a labor rally in Chicago advocating for an eight-hour workday, which turned violent when a bomb was thrown at police, killing several officers. In the aftermath, eight anarchist leaders were arrested and four were executed despite insufficient evidence linking them to the bombing. The incident had a lasting impact on the labor movement, causing public backlash against labor activists and intensifying the struggle for workers’ rights.

Question 20

Eugene Debs

Answer 20

Eugene Debs was a prominent labor leader, socialist, and political activist in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He helped found the American Railway Union and led significant strikes, including the Pullman Strike of 1894. Debs later became a five-time Socialist Party candidate for president, advocating for workers’ rights, socialism, and economic equality.

Question 21

Mary Lease

Answer 21

Mary Lease was a political activist and orator associated with the Populist movement in the late 19th century. She was known for her fiery speeches encouraging farmers to “raise less corn and more hell” in their fight against the economic hardships imposed by railroads, bankers, and industrial monopolies. Lease played a key role in galvanizing support for the Populist Party, advocating for farmers’ rights and economic reform.

Question 22

Cross of Gold

Answer 22

The “Cross of Gold” was a famous speech delivered by William Jennings Bryan at the 1896 Democratic National Convention, in which he denounced the gold standard and supported the free coinage of silver. Bryan argued that maintaining the gold standard would harm working-class Americans and benefit only the wealthy. His speech became a defining moment of the Populist and free silver movements, though he ultimately lost the presidential election.

Question 23

Pullman Strike

Answer 23

The Pullman Strike of 1894 was a nationwide railroad strike that began when workers at the Pullman Company in Chicago protested wage cuts and high rents in company-owned housing. The strike crippled rail traffic across the country and led to a violent federal intervention. The event marked a turning point in U.S. labor history, demonstrating the power of collective action but also the willingness of the government to side with business interests.

Question 24

Homestead Strike

Answer 24

The Homestead Strike of 1892 was a violent labor dispute between the Carnegie Steel Company and its workers in Homestead, Pennsylvania. When the workers went on strike over wage cuts, the company hired private security (Pinkertons) to break the strike, resulting in a deadly confrontation. The strike’s failure weakened the labor movement and highlighted the struggles between workers and powerful industrialists during the Gilded Age.

Question 25

Knights of Labor

Answer 25

The Knights of Labor was one of the first major labor organizations in the United States, founded in 1869. It sought to unite workers of all trades and backgrounds, advocating for an eight-hour workday, better working conditions, and the end of child labor. Though the organization gained significant influence in the 1880s, it declined after the Haymarket Affair and internal divisions, but it laid the groundwork for future labor movements.

Question 26

Sharecropping

Answer 26

Sharecropping was an agricultural system that emerged in the Southern United States after the Civil War. It involved landowners renting small plots of land to tenants (often formerly enslaved people) in exchange for a share of the crops produced. While it provided a way for freedmen to work the land, it often trapped them in a cycle of debt and poverty, limiting their economic freedom.

Question 27

Freedmen’s Bureau

Answer 27

The Freedmen’s Bureau was established by Congress in 1865 to assist newly freed African Americans after the Civil War. It provided food, housing, medical care, and education, and helped resolve disputes between freedmen and their former masters. Though it made important strides in helping African Americans transition to freedom, it faced strong opposition and was ultimately underfunded and short-lived.

Question 28

Wade-Davis Bill

Answer 28

The Wade-Davis Bill was a proposal by Radical Republicans in 1864 to set strict terms for the Reconstruction of Southern states. It required 50% of a state’s white males to swear loyalty to the Union before the state could rejoin, much harsher than President Lincoln’s Ten Percent Plan. Lincoln vetoed the bill, highlighting the tension between different factions on how to handle the post-war South.

Question 29

Memphis and New Orleans Massacre

Answer 29

The Memphis and New Orleans Massacres of 1866 were violent attacks on African Americans by white mobs, fueled by racial tensions during Reconstruction. In Memphis, violence erupted between black Union soldiers and local police, while in New Orleans, a political meeting advocating for Black voting rights led to bloodshed. These massacres exposed the deep racial hostility in the South and helped push Congress to adopt stronger Reconstruction policies.

Question 30

Wyatt Outlaw

Answer 30

Wyatt Outlaw was an African American leader and town commissioner in North Carolina during Reconstruction. He was a key figure in organizing freedmen for political rights and community improvement, but in 1870, he was lynched by the Ku Klux Klan for his activism. His murder symbolized the violent backlash against African American political progress and the dangers of Reconstruction-era racial tensions.