midterm Flashcards
What cities did the Transcontinental Railroad connect? Which two companies
built those lines?
Omaha, Nebraska to Sacramento, California; Central Pacific and Union
Pacific
Who were the Exodusters and what was their motivation?
Black Americans who moved west to escape discrimination in the South &
crop liens
What is Manifest Destiny?
Belief that America was destined to control territory from the Atlantic Ocean
to the Pacific Ocean
What occurred at the battles of Little Big Horn and Wounded Knee?
Little Big Horn – U.S. Army General George Custer and his cavalrymen tried
to drive the Sioux off their land because of gold being discovered on it.
Custer was defeated and killed, along with every cavalryman, by Chief
Sitting Bull and Chief Crazy Horse. AKA – Custer’s Last Stand
Wounded Knee – U.S. Army retaliation for Battle of Little Bighorn where
over 200 Sioux men, women, and children (who were forced to give up their
guns) were slaughtered; AKA – Massacre at Wounded Knee was the last
major event of the Indian Wars
What was the Frontier Thesis? Who came up with this idea?
Existence of the American west had given the US a unique history far
removed from European mindsets; Frederick Jackson Turner
What were the main beliefs of the Populist Party? Who was the main figure in
this party?
Gov’t regulation of railroads, direct election in U.S. Senators, national income
tax, bimetallism; William Jennings Bryan and James Weaver
What was the most important resource for the Plains Indians? Why? How was
this resource destroyed?
Buffalo; they used all parts of the buffalo for survival; hunted to virtual
extinction with encouragement from the US Government as a way to defeat the
Natives
What problems did farmers in the West encounter in the 1870s and 1880s?
Falling crop prices, high interest rates, foreclosures, high rates for railroad
usage
What things occurred as a result of cattle drives and the cattle boom of
the 1880s?
Cattle drives created new towns along the trails; huge profits could be made
$4-$40; trains start being used to ship cattle to meatpacking cities
Detail the impact that the Populists had on national elections in the
1890s.
1892 – They attempted to win the Presidency with James Weaver, but they
failed. They did get governors, U.S. Representatives, and senators in office
What was important about the losing Presidential campaign of William
Jennings Bryan?
His loss forever killed the Populist Party’s impact on National politics, but
their ideas continued to be discussed in the following decades
What are nativists?
“Old” Americans who were prejudice against “new” Americans based on
ethnicity, religion, politics, and social beliefs
What did the Pendleton Act establish?
Merit based tests for government jobs
What is ROSE?
Railroads, Oils, Steel, and Electricity
Who was Boss Tweed and what was he an example of?
He was the “boss”/ leader of the political machine in New York City’s
Tammany Hall / government corruption by political machines
What things did many of the immigrants to America after the 1880s have in
common?
Young, male, Jewish, Catholic, spoke little to no English, unskilled laborers
with little $ and little education; from Italy, Poland, Russia, and Austria
Hungary (southern and eastern Europe)
What criteria did immigrants coming into Ellis Island have to meet?
no disease, no criminal history, ability to work, $25, ability to read and write
in their native language
What were labor unions trying to accomplish, and why did company owners
fear labor unions growing in power?
Better/Safer working conditions, more pay, fewer hours; they were fearing of
losing not making as much money and losing power over their business
Who owned Standard Oil? How did he come to monopolize the oil refining
business?
John D Rockefeller; he used ruthless business practices to buy out his
competitors with the aim of controlling the oil industry via horizontal
integration
Who owned Carnegie Steel? How did he come to monopolize the steel
business?
Andrew Carnegie; He bought up companies that ranged from raw materials
to shipping so that he could dominate the steel industry through vertical
integration
What did the Bessemer process mean for steel manufacturing?
They were able to produce cheaper, lighter, stronger steel in a much quicker
method
What were some of the problems cause by urbanization in the late
1800s?
Slums, lung disease, high infant mortality rates
What are ethnic enclaves?
Areas within a city where immigrants from the same home country
surrounded themselves with the customs, languages, and food of their
homeland
What philanthropy endeavors did Carnegie become involved in?
gave $ to libraries, colleges, and performing art institutes
