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
What was J.P. Morgan’s main industry? What company did he buy?
Banking; Carnegie Steel
Who was the Wizard of Menlo Park? What were some of his inventions?
Thomas Edison; light bulb, phonograph, audio recorder, battery, etc.
What was the AFL? Were they successful?
American Federation of Labor, yes because they only allowed skilled
workers to join
Who was Eugene V Debs? What type of government did he want for
America?
Founder Leader of the American Socialist Party / Socialism
What are laissez faire policies?
Idea that the government should take a “hands off” approach to business
regulations
How did industrialization change America?
Many possible answers; More people leave rural areas and head to urban
areas
What type of new business techniques came out of the Gilded Age?
horizontal and vertical integration (Know details of how these work); experts
in city jobs, corporations, boards of trust, professional managers, holding
companies
Know the details of the following strikes: Haymarket, Pullman, and
Homesteadt
Haymarket Strike – 8 hr workday
Pullman Strike – railroads – 27 states striking
Homestead Strike – Carnegie Steel Plant – federal troops are called ou
What were the major problems that Progressive wanted to fix during the
Progressives Era?
crime & overcrowding in cities; corrupt gov’t; labor laws to be fair
Identify the effort of the following reformers: Jane Addams, Florence Kelley,
and Carrie Nation
JA - Hull House, which helped homeless, needy that gave showers, food, job
training, child care; Social Gospel
FK – child labor laws and work hour laws for women; Social Gospel
CN – prohibition laws; hatchet
Who were muckrakers, and what was their aim? What was their slogan?Identify the following muckrakers’ writings and what they were trying to
expose: Ida Tarbell, Jacob Riis, and Upton Sinclair.
Journalists who exposed problems and corruption in this time; Investigate, Educate,
and Legislate;
IT – History of Standard Oil – revealed Rockefeller’s ruthless business practices
JR – How the Other Half Lives – exposed urban poverty
US – The Jungle – exposed the unsanitary conditions in meat packing plant; Meat
Inspection Act
Who was Margaret Sanger, and what modern day organization did she found?
Promoted birth control for women; Planned Parenthood
What occurred at Seneca Falls in 1848?
Meeting of women demanding the right to vote (suffrage)
What did suffragettes form in 1890? Who were the leaders of this
organization?
NAWSA – National American Women’s Suffrage Association; Susan B Anthony;
Elizabeth C Stanton; Carrie Catt
What did the court case Plessey v Ferguson determine, and what was allowed to continue due to this case?
Supreme Court Case that said “Separate but equal” determined as Constitutional;
discrimination
Identify the following men and describe in detail their contribution to pushing
toward true equality for black Americans: Booker T. Washington and W.E.B.
DuBois.
BTW – founder of Tuskegee University – stressed self improvement for black
Americans; Atlanta Compromise
WEBD – promoted Talented 10 th ; Niagara Movement; believed in the demanding of
black rights
What was the aim of the NAACP?
full racial equality
What is gas and water socialism?
city / local / state control of utility companies
What was the “Wisconsin idea?”
Follette – expert from University of Wisconsin advocated state income tax rules
List the 3 Progressive Presidents in correct chronological order.
T. Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson
How did Theodore Roosevelt become President?
W. McKinley is killed within 6 months of his 2 nd term
What was T. Roosevelt’s Square Deal?
all men and women treated equality in the workplace
What is meant by the term “Trust-buster?”
How many “ trusts” did
Theodore Roosevelt break up?
Break up monopolies; 25
What was formed to regulate railroads?
ICC - Interstate Commerce Commission
Detail the reasons for and the results of the United Mine Workers’ strike
of 1902.
better hours and pay; safer working conditions; creation of a shorter work day and
higher pay
Under Theodore Roosevelt, what was established to protect natural
resources?
Reclamation Act – set aside land for public use
How did Taft help children, coal miners, and railroad workers?
- create Children’s Bureau and labor laws
- safer working conditions
Under what political party does Theodore Roosevelt decide to run for President again in 1912? Who were his opponents, and what is their political
party? Who wins the Presidency?
Bull Moose/ Progressive – T. Roosevelt; Taft – Rep; Wilson – Democrat *winner
What caused the Progressive Era to come to an end?
WWI starts
Why did Theodore Roosevelt not want the Philippine Islands to gain their independence too quickly?
so they won’t fall victim to Japan
Who was Alfred Mahan? What did write?
Navy sea captain who helped US get modern navy through a book he wrote
How did America acquire rights to the Panama Canal Zone?
Big Stick Diplomacy – funded a rebellion of the Panamanians against Columbian
rulers
Explain the following Presidential foreign policy idea and to which President
we attribute it: “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”
T Roosevelt
After what conflict did the U.S. become a world power?
Spanish American War
How did the previous Industrial Revolution contribute to the high casualty
numbers in WWI?
New and improved weapons allowed for faster kill rates
- Know the significance of the following dates: the year 1914, April 1917,
November 11, 1918, the year 1919.
1914 – WWI starts;
April 1917 – US declares war on Germany;
11-11- 18 Armistice signed
1919- Treaty of Versailles; war officially over
What are the 4 MAIN causes of WWI?
Militarism, Alliances, Industrialism, and Nationalism
What are the 4 MAIN causes of WWI?
Militarism, Alliances, Industrialism, and Nationalism
What countries were part of the Central Powers?
Germany, Austria Hungary, Kingdom of Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire
What countries were part of the Allied Powers?
Great Britain, France, Italy and Russia (US)
What was the “spark” of WWI?
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austria- Hungary throne
What was the significance to Americans when the British passenger
ship, the Lusitania, was sunk?
128 Americans were passengers on the ship and died
What was the Zimmerman Telegram?
Germany sent an encoded message to Mexico encouraging them to attack the US in
order to reclaim TX, NM, and AZ
What were the conditions of trench warfare?
trench foot, standing water, disease, rat-infested, dead bodies
What were the Fourteen Points? Who disagreed with this plan? Why?
Pres. Wilson’s peace proposal for WWI; Great Britain and France; they wanted
Germany to be punished
Whose idea was the League of Nations, and what was its purpose?
Pres. Wilson; mediate between nations in order to avoid future war
Why were American casualty numbers so much lower than casualty
numbers for other nations involved in WWI?
Americans only fought for a few months, but the other nations fought for over 3
years
