populism and westward expansion Flashcards
Dawes Act 1887
also known as the General Allotment Act, aimed to assimilate Native Americans into mainstream American society by dividing tribal lands into individual allotments.
Native Americans who accepted these allotments were granted U.S. citizenship, but the act resulted in the loss of millions of acres of tribal land.
Pacific Railway Acts (1862,1864)
The Pacific Railway Acts were a series of laws passed by Congress to promote the construction of a transcontinental railroad.
The 1862 Act authorized the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroad companies to build the railroad, providing land grants and government bonds to fund the project4.
The 1864 Act doubled the land grants and allowed the railroads to sell their own bonds.
Morrill Land Grant Act
The Morrill Land Grant Act provided federal land to states to finance the establishment of colleges specializing in agriculture and the mechanical arts.
This act led to the creation of many state universities and helped promote higher education in the United States.
Homestead Act of 1862
The Homestead Act encouraged westward expansion by offering 160 acres of public land to settlers who would live on and cultivate the land for five years.
This act played a significant role in the settlement of the western United States.
Transcontinental Railroad
The Transcontinental Railroad, completed in 1869, connected the eastern and western United States, significantly reducing travel time and facilitating commerce and migration.
It was a monumental achievement that transformed the nation’s economy and geography.
Assimilation
Assimilation refers to the process by which individuals or groups of differing ethnic heritage are absorbed into the dominant culture of a society.
This often involves adopting the traits of the dominant culture to the extent that the assimilating group becomes socially indistinguishable from other members of the society.
Grange
The Grange Movement, also known as the Patrons of Husbandry, was founded in 1867.
It aimed to advance agricultural methods and address the social and economic needs of farmers2.
The movement grew rapidly, advocating for farmers’ rights and fighting monopolistic practices of railroads and grain elevators.
Farmers alliance
The Farmers’ Alliance was an agrarian economic movement that developed in the late 1870s.
It sought to improve the economic conditions for farmers through cooperatives and political advocacy5.
The movement included several parallel organizations, such as the National Farmers’ Alliance and the Colored Farmers’ National Alliance.
populism
Populism in the United States was a political movement that emerged in the late 19th century, primarily driven by farmers and laborers.
It aimed to address the grievances of the common people against the elite and sought reforms such as government regulation of railroads, income tax, and inflationary monetary policies.
William Jennings Bryans CROSS OF GOLD speech
William Jennings Bryan delivered the famous “Cross of Gold” speech at the Democratic National Convention in 1896.
In this speech, he passionately advocated for the free coinage of silver, criticizing the gold standard and calling for economic reforms to help the common people
