US History Deck 2 Flashcards
Technological Advancements in Agriculture (19th century)
Irrigation techniques improved
Advances in cultivation, breeding, fertilizer use, and crop rotation.
Steel plows were used in the Great Plains.
1892 gas - powered tractors began to be used.
Barbed wire fences, combines, silos, deep - water wells, cream separator.
Department of Agriculture
Began in 1862 to advance the interests of farmers and ranchers
Morrill Land - Grant Acts
1862, created and gave land to “land grant” colleges
Hatch Act
1877 created agriculture experimental stations to discover new farming techniques
Smith - Lever Act
1914 Created programs to educate people about food, home economics, community development and agriculture. Related programs helped farmers increase crop production and feed the rapidly growing nation.
Alexander Graham Bell
Invented the telephone
Orville and Wilbur Wright
Invented the airplane
Richard Gatling
Invented the machine gun
Walter Hunt, Elias Howe, and Isaac Singer
Invented the sewing machine
Nikola Tesla
Invented the alternating current
George Eastman
Invented the camera
Thomas Edison
Invented the lightbulb, motion pictures, and the phonograph
Samuel Morse
Invented the telegraph
Charles Goodyear
Invented vulcanized rubber
Cyrus McCormick
Invented the reaper
George Westinghouse
Invented the transformer and the air brake
Period of Invention
1860 - 1900 700,000+ patents issued
Gilded Age
Period of time from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of WWI. Also known as the Second Industrial Revolution.
US is changing from an agriculture - based to an industry - based economy. Country expanding into the West.
Beginning of banks, department stores, chain stores, and trusts.
Growth of cities - helped by immigrants.
The Farmers Alliance
Major recession struck during the 1890’s, crop prices fell leaving farmers in dept. The Farmers Alliance formed, to unify the rural poor into one political entity
Knights of Labor
Formed in 1869 by Uriah Stephens. United industrial workers to protect their rights.
Populist party
The Farmers Alliance and Knights of Labor joined to form the populist party, in opposition to the industrialists.
Party platform: national currency, income tax, government ownership of railroads, telegrams and telephone systems, secret ballot, immigration restriction, term limits for president
Feelings of wanting to decrease elitism and making the voice of the common people more heard in politics
Homestead Strike
1892, first large and well - organized strike in the US. The Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Works struck against the Carnegie Steel Company. Union was disrupted by force/gunfire.
Pullman Strike
1894 Led by Eugene Debs after the Pullman Palace Car Co. cut worker’s wages 28%. President Grover Cleveland called in government troops to break up the strike saying interfered with mail delivery
Children’s Crusade
Organized by Mary Harris Jones (known as “Mother Jones”) to protest child labor. Led a march in front of Theodore Roosevelt’s house in 1902.
Industrial Mine Workers of the World
Founded by child labor activist Mary Harris Jones, who also worked with the United Mine Workers of America
Panic of 1893
Economic crisis across the globe. Caused President Grover Cleveland to repeal the Sherman Silver Purchase Act fearing that it had caused the economic downturn, even though it was intended to boost the economy.
Panic led to bankruptcies, railroads going out of business, and factor unemployment rose up to 25%
Republican Party regained dominance in US government.
Progressive Era
Popular ideology 1890s - end of WWI. Progressives were in favor of worker’s rights and safety, and wanted regulations against waste and corruption. Felt the government should take action against social problems. Also thought science could improve society.
Muckrakers
Investigative journalists who shed light on scandals and corruption in government or corporations. (late - 19th century). Through their work, many new policies were made, including workmen’s compensation, child labor laws, and trust - busting.
Ida Tarbell
Journalist (muckraker) who exposed the Standard Oil Trust
Jacob Riis
A photographer who brought attention to the poor in New York
Lincoln Steffens
Journalist (muckraker) who worked to expose political corruption
Upton Sinclair
Wrote “The Jungle” which exposed and led to reforms in the meat packing industry
16th Amendment
1913, established a graduated income tax
17th Amendment
1913, allowed the direct election of Senators
18th Amendment
1919, prohibited the sale, production, and importation of alcohol. Later repealed by the 21st Amendment.
19th Amendment
1920, gave women the right to vote
Trusts
Huge corporations that worked to monopolize certain areas of commerce to have complete control over prices and distribution
Sherman Act and Clayton Anti-Trust Act
Set guidelines for the behavior and competition among corporations, in order to eliminate trusts.
Federal Trade Commission
Formed to enforce anti - trust measures and ensure companies did not create monopolies.
Battle of Little Bighorn
1876 Result of America’s westward expansion - largest victory of Plains tribes against colonists.
Shortly after, also in 1876, US government ordered all Native peoples to relocate to reservations.
Dawes Act
- Authorized the President to divide tribal lands into allotments. Native people who bought and lived on individual land plots were also granted citizenship. This was an attempt to get Native people to assimilate to Western ways. Effective until 1934.
Indian Boarding Schools
Indian children were rounded up and forced to attend these schools where their language and culture was banned, and they were forced to practice Christianity. Children were often abused in these schools.
Massacre at Wounded Knee
1890, Part of the ghost dance war, almost 300 Lakota died. In the aftermath Native Americans were left with no feasible hope to regain or hold their land. Shift to preserving culture on their reservations.
Native Americans in the Military
Native people served in the Spanish- American war especially with Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders.
Also helped General John Pershing during the Mexican Revolution (Pancho Villa)
17,000+ were drafted during WWI even though they were not considered legal citizens.
Indian Citizenship Act
1924, Native peoples are granted official citizenship
Reservations Today
About 300 reservations exist today, and most are high - poverty areas. Some Native peoples also live off reservations.
Spanish - American War
Spain had controlled Cuba since the 15th century.
1886, Slavery ended in Cuba
US (Pres Franklin Pierce) offered $130 million to Spain for Cuba in 1853
1898 1st Cuban revolution underway. US did not get involved until The Maine battleship in Havana was blown up and 300 died.
War ended with a Spanish surrender. Cuba was considered independent but no timeline was set to end US occupation.
Panama Canal
French began work 1880. US took over and completed the canal in 1914. Made to reduce the timed need to sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific by connecting the two through the isthmus of Panama.
Before the canal travelers had to sail around South America to reach the West Coast of the US by sea.
A lock and lake canal.
US assisted Panama in becoming independent from Colombia in order to maintain control of the canal zone.
“Big Stick” Diplomacy
Theodore Roosevelt -“speak softly and carry a big stick”
Roosevelt used military influence to expand US involvement in foreign affairs during his presidency, working to establish a greater influence in Latin American than European nations. He believed the US had an obligation to intervene in the affairs of any country that was vulnerable to the control of Europe.
US Navy grew as a result of interventionist policies.
US became involved in Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, and the DR
“Dollar Diplomacy”
William Howard Taft. Approach to establishing US influence in Latin America and East Asia through economic means rather than Roosevelt’s use of military power. Especially wanted to protect US control of the Panama Canal.
Although this was supposed to be a non - violent approach, the US sent troops to countries such as Nicaragua when violence broke out.
“Moral Diplomacy”
President Woodrow Wilson, this approach influences foreign policy today. Wanted to establish representative democratic governments in as many countries as possible and thought it is the responsibility of the US to do this. Felt that this would help other countries to be more in line with American interests. Also promoted free and international trade through which the US could speak about about world events.
Main elements Wilson focused on:
- strong US military
- Promoting democracy throughout the world
- expanding international trade to boost the US economy
WWI
1914 - 1918 fought mostly in Europe. Triggered by the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Pre- existing treaties drew more and more European countries into the fight. At the beginning of the war, President Woodrow Wilson declared the US neutral.
Sinking of the Lusitania
A British passenger liner, sunk by a German U - boat in 1915. 1,000 civilian victims, 100 Americans. After this many Americans began to push for US involvement in the war.
German U - Boat Aggression
Wilson’s 1916 reelection slogan was “he kept us out of war.” However German U - boats began attacking American and Canadian merchant ships that were carrying goods to Germany’s enemies in Europe. This also raised support for US involvement.
Zimmerman Note
A telegram from Germany to Mexico that was intercepted, in which Germany discussed its intentions to invade the US with Mexico’s assistance.
US during WWI
Railroads came under government control in 1817 to improve efficiency and allow the railroads to supply domestic and military needs. Control returned to private ownership in 1920.
1918 telegraph, telephone, and cable services came under federal control. Returned to private management 1919.
American Red Cross
Knit clothes for troops, helped supply hospital and refugee clothing and dressings.
8+ Million people worked with the red cross.
Liberty Bonds
The US government sold these to raise wartime funds - selling nearly $25 billion, with 1/5 of all Americans buying. After the war “liberty bonds” were replaced with “victory bonds”.
Wilson’s 14 Points
A peace settlement to end the war, presented to US Congress January 1918.
- 5 points outlining general ideals
- 8 points to resolve specific political and territorial issues
- 1 point proposing an organization of nations with the purpose of maintaing world peace
End of WWI
November 1918 Germany agreed to an armistice and Wilson’s 14 points.
During the peace conference in Paris there was disagreement with the 14 points, and the final agreement included more severe punishment of Germany and the Central Powers.
League of Nations
The formation of the League of Nations was included in the Treaty of Versaille - as Wilson suggested in his 14 points. However Henry Cabot Lodge - the Foreign Relations Committee Chairman - wanted unconditional surrender from Germany, and Wilson refused to concede to his demands. As a result the US did not join the League of Nations.