PART 1; Reconstruction and the Gilded Age Flashcards
(31 cards)
1
Q
What caused the failure of Recon
A
- violence of seg
- andrew Johnson
- Ulysses grant
- war weary north
- stubborn south
- Radical Recon
2
Q
presidents during recon and their success
A
- Abraham Lincoln (march 1861 - april 1865) very successful, passed 13th amend and freedman bureau
- andrew johnson (1865-1869) - not very successful, only united opposition against him, southner, didn’t help blacks, tried to veto freedoms extention -1866 and they tried to impeach him in 1868. dead dog.
- Ulysses Grant - (1869-1877) - yes passes amendments and treated south harsh but ruined by scandals
3
Q
Key dates
A
13th amend - jan 1865 - slav freedmans beureu - march 1865 black codes - 1865-6 kkk - 1865 14th amend - 1868 - citizen 15th amend -1869 - vote civil rights act - 1875 - blacks equality in all places whiskey ring - 1875 comprimse of 1877
4
Q
why did the us experience rapid industrial growth after civil war?
A
- civil war impact - simulated need for goods, developed mass production, forced banking to develop due to more money in circulation
- availability of land - west, railroad devel encouraged, used land for mass wheat production - improved machinery
- population growth - cheap labour 3.1mil in 1860 and 50mil in 1880. immigrants…
- transport - railroads went from 35,000(1865) to 200,000 (1893), transcontinental railroad in 1869.
- technological innovation - e.g Carnegie and the Bessemer converter to make produce of steel cheaper
- role of gov - no interfernace - big bus did what they wanted e.g. set own opening hours and no requirement to work with trade unionists.
5
Q
reason for westward expan
A
- 1860-70
- west = land of opportunity and empty
- offered cheap land and could start new life
- John O’sullivan - manifest destiny - god chose people to move west and populate land BUT used as a radical doctrine of white supremacy so blacks couldnt get land. e.g Texas - 1864 - annex due to manifest destiny
- homestead act - 1862 - free land and all could qualify
- railways
- gold rush - e.g black hills
6
Q
natives
A
the great sioux war - 1876 - after discovery of black hills in Dakota - gold prospectors wanted native territory.
gov offered natives 6 mill but refused
took harsher action sent troops in and killed all natives
7
Q
who were robber barons
A
captains of industry
not regualated by gov - did what they liked
no morals - ruthless
8
Q
whats laissez-faire
A
economic and political doctrine
favours individuals and self interest and oppose that taxation and regulation of commerce.
reached peak in 1870s
9
Q
survival of the fittest
and
vertical integration
A
- those best equipped to survive in business and completion will outlive others
- expanding into other areas of business - e.g manufacture owns supplier…
10
Q
who are the 4 main robber barons
A
- Cornelius Vanderbilt - Railroads - when he died in 1877 he was the richest man in us. Brought out many eastern firms - some ruthless.
- John Rockefeller - OIL - brought oil refinery in 1862 - 8yrs later set up Standard Oil Company in Ohio - known for ruthlessly eliminating competitors, fixed prices and being good negotiator. By 1880’s controlled 85% of US oil production and first billionaire in 1913 BUT did give lots to charity (550mil)
- Andrew Carnegie - Steel - bessemer converters, created new ways of manufacturing - didn’t buy out competitors just produced good, low cost steel - famous for vertical integration - gave to charities and set up schools. sold empire to Morgan in 1900 for 480mill
- J.P.Morgan - Finance - created own private banking system J.P.Morgan and co - one of the leading financial firms - criticised for creating monoploies and making it difficult to compete against him, flaunted wealth.
11
Q
whats gilded age
A
1878-1900
after recon
comes from title of book by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner about corrupt businesses
some say filled with corruption and private gain, no difference between either party
others say this was over exaggerated, say most politicians were honest and there were many good times. many wanted to help stop corruption.
12
Q
5 presidents during GA
A
- rutherford hayes - 1877-81
- James garfield - 1881
- chester arther - 1881-84
- grover cleavland - 1884-88
- benjamin harrison - 1880
13
Q
were GA presidents weak?
A
- rutherford hayes - 1877-81 - not very, simply set the ball rolling for reforms like Pendleton Act 1883 but more weakness, issues dominated presidency e.g. rail road strike 1877, couldnt convince congress to outlaw spoils system
- -James garfield - 1881 supported reform for civil service and strengthened federal authority over new york customs house but this was all he could do as he was killed by charles guiteau, criticised for simply continuing efforts of everyone else.
- chester arthur - 1881-84 -he brought into power the pendelton act 1883 and tariff act of 1883 which tried to reduce tariffs. BUT supporter of spoils system and was attacked for it. and congress simply dismissed him e.g raised rates as he trimmed tarrifs.
- grover cleavland - 1884-88 - first dem elected after civil war and only president to leave and get re-elected 4 yrs later - he reduced number of federal employees as department was bloated with political timesavers BUT he lost 1888 to harrison and then his own party abandoned him in 1896 for bryan
14
Q
economy and societys development
1870-90
agriculture
A
AGRICULTURE
- after civil war became very important - part of growing us ecomnoy
- farmers grew from 10million in 1865 to 35mill in 1890.
- homestead act ‘62 - land available
- technological advances - fridges
- vunrable to fluctuations in market e.g. panic of 1873.
15
Q
economy and societys development
1870-90
NESW
A
NORTH
- agriclture benefited from expanding markets in towns and cities but depended on market forces it couldnt control
- By 1880s cities like Chicago were hubs of wide distribution, shipping goods to urban northwest and timber to great plains.
- Railroads vital - but - monopoly power and high rates
SOUTH
- economy trapped in history
- slavery ended but king cotton ruled
- Reconstruction failed to break down tradition structures of economy and old ruling elite.
- black and white farmers often unable to buy or keep land/ falling back
- difficult to get loans or products to market without BB interference
- economic development in ‘new south’ - e.g railroad expansion, cotton/tabac and sugar.
WEST
- ‘wild west’ happened quick
- homestead act ‘62 - accelerated movement
- transcontinental railroad, Union Pacific - 1869
- conquer/colonisation of native land complete by 1877
- open land carved by railroad, Frances and mining towns
- development by land hungry settlers
16
Q
Mass immigration
A
- original 13 colonies populated by settlers from north Europe (german, swedes, Irish, scots)
- attracted to land of the free -and us needed labour force
- Scandinavian / german settled in rural, irish in towns/cities.
- non European - chinese used for construction of railways
- immigrants regarded with hostility/ threat to nativists (proper americans)
- the chinese exclusion act 1882 - stopped immigration of skilled or unskilled workers and chinese couldnt gain us citizenship, hard for them to return home.
- fear of yellow peril - rise of chinese/Japanese race.
17
Q
what also depended divisions
A
Womens sufferage
between feminists and men who resisted cause and radical womens groups who were annoyed with blacks being priorities (14,15)
E.g. Susan Anthony - set up American Equal Rights Association -1866 wanted rights for woman and abolishment of slavery, arrested in 1872 for voting in an election
18
Q
Regional divisons - facts
A
- Orange riots - 12th july 1870 - 8 killed in battle between irish immigrants - catholic attacked protestants during march in NYC - ethnic tensions and social unrest, gang warfare.
- south- divisions bwteen blacks and former slave owners and black/whites.
- myth of wild west - by 1890 native way of life had gone.
19
Q
Positive impact of business
1865-1890
A
- forced to increase urbanisation to keep up with industry and population
- money business made was spend on developing - improved technological advances helped many and improved products
- increased development in transport e.g railroads
- more efficient ways of production - bessemer process
- many business gave donations to charity
- created jobs/oppurtunities - efficient work force
- leading idsutrial power by 1880 and economy was growing by rate of 3.8%
20
Q
Negative impact of business
1865-1890
A
- panic of 1873 left many devastated - 5yr recession - firms bankrupt
- firce competition between companies led to bankrupties
- Robber barons dveloped - belived superior, corrupt, super rich
- corrupt time - nobody, not even gov could be trusted
- to build BB needed low wages and poor conditions
- division between rich and poor
- Lassez - faire
21
Q
reaosns for immigration
push and pull
A
PULL
- economic benefit, cheap land/many jobs
- demand for workers
- prospective immigrants saw advertisements, newspapers, guidebooks
- Steamships (main transport) promoted benefits of immigration
- Railroads - advertised, easier to travel
- open land
- new life
PUSH
- political, economic and religious discontent in europe
- anti-semitism
- pressure of increasing pop
- agricultural and industrial depression in EU
- Irish - unemployment, poverty, agricultural mismanagement
- Russians - the great exodus of russian jews fleeing persecution
- chinese - lure of high wages on railroads
22
Q
did african americans progress
A
YES
- emancipation gave them freedom to move around and find new, better paid jobs
- by 1910, 25% black farmers owned their own land and standard of living increased
- black pop in north and west doubled from 460,000 to 910,000, harlem was 1st black ghetto
- black students in school double, 1877-1887 but still only 2/5 enrolled.
NO
- tied into sharecropping, under control of ‘masters’
- work mainly in farming - suffered loss - weevil
- still saw discrimination and racisim when moving north
- Jim Crow laws 1877-1891 - basically slavry, didn’t want blacks to demand equality, portrayed as lazy, stupid.
- Garfield wanted to educate to remove racial tension but was killed and Aurthur had little interest.
- Gilded age saw hight of lynching, 1882-1899 over 2,500 lynched
23
Q
What was americanisation
A
to end tribal culture
teach natives english, make them christian and farmers
congress set up boarding schools to teach native kids american values
by 1899, 2.5mill was spent each year on 148 boarding schools
24
Q
Dawns Act
A
- climax of integration policy, Dawns General Allotment Act - 1887, named after senator Henry Dawes of Massachusetts
- broke up reservation land and gave it to individuals
- each family = 180 acres / each single man = 80acres.
- could then get us citizenship after 25yrs
- BUT turned all into farmers, doomed after agricultural depression, not given arable land
- eventually most sold/lost land to white and ended up in poverty
25
The Battle of Wounded Knee
- final tragedy for natives
- started with a ceremonial dance - the ghost dance - that spread and alarmed white
- battle to arrest 'sitting bull' who was chief ended in his death and bands of lakota sioux fled.
- Dec 1890 - nervous calvarly fired at group of sioux at wounded knee, killing 200 and 31 soldiers
- battle was accident and neither wanted to fight - accumulation of tension and miss trust.
26
What changes took place in the West
| 1877-90
Impact of railways
- by '90 there were 4 transcontinental railways e.g the northern Pacific (1883) which built many new branch lines.
- Corrupt
- goods could go in and raw material out
- stimulated growth of iron, steel, lumber...
- helped farmers develop
Life on the Plains
- many new settles depended on land
- PROB - nearest town miles away (births), nature (droughts, fire, pests...)
- land cheap but everything else wasn't
- high interest
Agriculture
- HUGE DEVELOPMENT
- new dry farming methods - no rain
- increasing amount of farm machinery e.g. reapers and combine
- US exports rose from 6mil in 1867 to 102mil in 1900. - dependent on exports
- boom to bust economics
- supported populist movement and populist president, James Weaver elected 1892.
Cowboys
- in the heyday king of the roads
- in 20yrs after civ war 400,000 roamed plains
- youung, ex-confed soliders, some mexicans, blacks & native
- virtually lived on horseback for 2 months
- not glam like TV
- 25-30 a month, 18 hour days
- dangers snakes, weather...
End of Frontier
- west lost its wilderness and uncivilised parts
- some thought us had lost its essence/ purpose
-1890 census bureau said usa 'so broken into isolated bodies of settlement there can hardly be said to be a frontier.'
-1st time usa didnt have large tract of unsettled land.
(turner essay....)
27
What was the turner essay
fredrick jackson turner
1893- published 'the significance of the frontier in american history.'
CLAIMED
- deepest root of americas past had been 'the existence of an area of free land.'
- accessible land was the safety valve against social discord and violence
- harshness of the frontier created self-reliant individuals - invaluable to usa
- us development was different to eurpoes - no hierarchy or aristocracy - relied on birth privileges for social class
- unique - abundance of nature and resources
SO
said key to usa's success was west
encourgaed peole to want new frontiers possible outside geographical boundary
also created myth of frontier lands, west different and essential to image of strong USA
28
turner critisism
- 1942 - George wilson pierson - debated validity of thesis, saying many factors influence culture besides the looming frontier
- Glenda riely - ignores women - his content and upbringing led him to ignore female society - leading to frontier being male phemomion
- generalistaion - ignore role of immigrants and indians
- said land was safety valve for settlers but most land was brought by speculators and migrant went to cities.
29
Laissez - faire facts
- linked to frontier - rugged individualism/self-rlieance
- supposed to ensure that everyone made their fortune if they were able and everyone had equal right to fail
- no free market- all rigged and corrupt
- battles over laissez-faire continued into 1890 thanks to populist, socialists and progressive but national mood had changed linked to impact of the frontier
30
USA in 1890
| positives
- No longer unfinished nation
- territorial consolidation achieved
- economy revolutionised since 1865 - posed of more dynamic growth
- political, stable and resilient 2 party system
- immigrants absorbed into urbanised society
- sense of success and national self-confidence
- people campaigned against evils - corruption& discrimination
- magnet for immigrants
- free from foreign entanglements and secured boards - Mexico and Canada
- new interest in west, its nature and development.
31
USA in 1890
| negatives
- social tensons and ethnic divisions
- extensive pockets of poverty and deprivation in dense pop cities
- indistrial unrest and agitation by militant union leaders and socialists
- african americans - racial tension
- campaigns of socila reforms and journalist cause unrest
- growing pains visible
- native and women still suffered - white men dominated
- sense of success not universally shared
