Reform, Progress, and Power Flashcards
What is Land Rush?
Gov. strengthened the Homestead Act to encourage settling. In 1889 there was a major land give away in Oklahoma which attracted thousands of people. In less than a day settlers claimed over 2 million acres in a massive land rush.
Sooners
Dawes Act of 1887
A law that was intended to “Americanize” Native Americans by distributing reservation land to individual owners.
- Divided tribal land
- sold some land to raise money and for farm tools
- forced education
Go West Young Man!
- Horace Greeley or John Soule
- moved west for gold in CA, CO
- land
- opportunity for poor immigrants
Cowboys and the Cattle Industry
Heavily influenced by Spanish ranchers in Mexico (mexican vaqueros). Started during the railroad construction across the Great Plains. Big cattle boom because of the railroads.
Indian Wars
Americans expanded west and took over Indians land as well as reservations, slaughtering or displacing hundreds of Native Americans.
1864 Massacre at Sand Creek
- 200 Indians killed
- raised sympathy for Indians
1876 Battle of Little Big Horn
- Sitting Bull had vision, crazy horse led
- US Troops completely wiped out
1890 Massacre of Wounded Knee
- Military was afraid of Ghost Dance
- Tried to arrest Sitting Bull, killed him
- Killed 300 unarmed natives
- last significant event
End of Wild West
By the 1890’s the “Wild West” was no more because:
- Barbed wire (divided up west)
- Overgrazing
- Droughts of 1883
- Blizzard of 1887
Robber Barrons
Industrialists who acquired great amounts of $ using questionable methods to gain it.
- Richest @ the time
- Bought out competition
- Political Corruption
….did give to charity
Cognitive Dissouance
Cognitive dissonance is the term used in modern psychology to describe the feeling of discomfort when holding two or more conflicting cognitions (e.g., ideas, beliefs, values, emotional reactions) simultaneously. {Giving and yet super $$$$}
Social Darwinism
An economic and social philosophy - supposedly based on the biologist Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection - holding that a system of unrestrained competition will ensure survival of the fittest. Rich by nature were destined to be rich while the poor were destined to be poor.
Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890
A law that was intended to prevent the creation of monopolies by making it illegal to establish trusts that interfered with free trade.
Sparks for Railroads
railroads linked coast to coast and were used for trade, wartime, and helped to establish the western expansion.
Acceleration of Industrialization
- Oil can be refined and used as fuel (cars)
- Bessemer developed the Bessemer Process which was used to make steel
- Telephone (Bell)
- Light Bulb (Edison)
- Type Writer
- First Research lab
- Railroads
- no set clock time until 1883
Labor Movement
Industry workers went on strike and formed Labor Unions to create safe working environments and higher wages. Went to congress about long hours (made 8hrs per day), no vacation, sick leave, health, low wages, etc. National Labor Union
Yellow Dog Contracts
Contracts that newly hired industry workers filled out saying they would not join the NLU otherwise be fired.
Collective Bargaining
Negotiations between representatives of labor and management, to reach written agreements on wages, hours, and working conditions.
Settlement housing
a community center providing assistance to residents - particularly immigrants in a slum neighborhood.
Urbanization Problems
- Housing
- Transportation
- Water
- Sanitation
- Crime
- Fire