Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

American History - temporary > Reconstruction Era (1865 - 1877) > Flashcards

Reconstruction Era (1865 - 1877) Flashcards

1
Q

2

What were some proposed reasons for Westward expansion?

A
  • Deliberate policies of the Federal government
  • Manifest Destiny
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

3

What was Manifest Destiny?

A
  • The belief that God had chosen the White Americans to populate the whole of America
  • Incorporation into the US and indoctrination with Christian and Republican values would liberate other American territories
  • Used to justify white colonial expropriation of Native American lands
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

3

What were federal territories?

A
  • Land was divide into territories which were subject to US law
  • Settlers were encouraged
  • Once population of a territory reached 60,000 they could apply to become a state
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

3

Describe the Homestead Act

A
  • 1862
  • This released 160-acre plots of land, available to farmers for free as long as they promised to farm the land for at least 5 years
  • By 1865, 20,000 homesteaders had arrived on the plains
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

6

Describe the Great Sioux War 1876

A
  • Discovery of gold in the Black Hills of Dakota
  • At first, gov tried to keep prospectors out but it proved impossible
  • Next, gov offered Native Americans $6 million for the land
  • NA refused so gov decided they were being unreasonable and demanded all NA return to their reservations by 31st January 1876
  • Some never received the threat, some chose to ignore
  • Gov decided to use the US Army to wipe out all NA from the Blackhills
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

3

Describe the Battle of Little Bighorn 1876

A
  • George Custer and his men were sent to round up Sioux and Cheyenne tribes who had left the reservation and were refusing to return
  • Without waiting for the rest of the force to arrive, Custer and his men attempted to encircle the camp
  • His unit immediately came under attack and all 200 were killed
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

3

Describe Reservation Policy

A
  • The policy of forcing Native Americans to live on government controlled reservations
  • This would enable the government to ‘Americanise’ them through conversion to Christianity, a formal education system and training to become farmers
  • Life on the reservations was harsh and reliance on the government was humiliating
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

2

Describe how the impact of the Civil war stimulated industrial growth in this period

A
  • Demand for goods developed mass production and ditribution
  • Set up financial infrastructure such as high tariffs, a capital-raising system, paper currency and more developed banking system
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

5

Describe how transport stimulated industrial growth in this period

A
  • 1869, first transcontinental railroad to the far west
  • Travel time NY to San Fran went from 6 months to 6 days
  • Amount of railroad track x3, 1860-1880
  • Employed thousands of workers
  • Required roads, steel, coal and engine manufacturing
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

2

Describe how population growth stimulated industrial growth in this period

A
  • Population rose from 31.5 million (1860) to 50 million (1880)
  • Cheap labour and increased consumers
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

4

Describe how availability of capital stimulated industrial growth in this period

A
  • Highly developed stock markets
  • By 1865, annual stock market turnover was $6 billion
  • Increase in investment and shares
  • By 1880, 2nd largest money market in the world
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

6

Describe how the role of government stimulated industrial growth in this period

A
  • Laissez-faire
  • No taxes on profits
  • No laws restricting working hours
  • Protective tariffs
  • Few/no trade unions
  • During strike, employers recieved government support
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

2

Describe how technological innovation stimulated industrial growth in this period

A
  • Carnegie brings ‘Bessemer Converter’ to steel production in the US
  • Technology allowed businesses to keep prices low and reinvest the profits
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

2

Describe how corporations and trusts stimulated industrial growth in this period

A
  • Corporations buy, sell and own properties
  • ‘Trustees’ avoid state laws that prevent ownership of shares in more than one company or state by owning shares on someone else’s behalf
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

4

Describe how industrial growth impacted on urbanisation

A
  • Chicago population went from 30,000 (1850) to over 1 million (1890)
  • Manufacturing increased
  • Rapid influx of overcrowded slum housing
  • The ‘Boss’ system
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

4

Describe how industrial growth impacted on agriculture

A
  • The developement of ‘big agribusiness’ wiped out smaller farms
  • Farmers went into debt trying to afford more land and mechanisation
  • South too dependent on just cotton
  • Prices of goods dropping
17
Q

3

Describe the Second Gold Rush

A
  • Began in the Black Hills of Dakota in the mid 1870’s
  • Deposits of gold found in Deadwood Gulch in 1875 and thousands of people moved there
  • This violeted the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie which recognised the Black Hills as belonging to the Sioux but the government made no intervention
18
Q

4

Describe how railroads contributed to Westward expansion

A
  • Pacific Railroad Act 1862
  • Railroads lured settlers with ‘buy now, pay later’
  • Train disrupted buffalo herds and brought settlers, disturbing the native americans
  • 1870 = 15,000 passengers a year, 1882 = 1 million passengers a year
19
Q

4

Describe the positive effects Reconstruction had on the southern economy

A
  • Benefited from general prosperity
  • High cotton prices
  • Railroads rebuilt
  • Textile manufacturing expanded
20
Q

3

Describe the negative effects of Reconstruction on the southern economy

A
  • Did not keep up with the North
  • 1870’s white southerners income was 2/5ths of white northerners
  • Heavily agricultural and highly dependent on cotton (cotton prices fall in the 1870’s)
21
Q

1

Describe the Timber and Culture Act 1873

A
  • Gave homesteaders an additional 160 acres provided 40 acres were planted with trees
22
Q

1

Described the Desert and Land Act 1877

A
  • Offered a further 640 acres at $1.25 an acre provided some of it was irrigated
23
Q

1

Describe the Pacific Railroad Act 1862

A
  • Authorised Central Pacific and Union Pacific companies to build a transcontinental railroad which was completed 1869
24
Q

1

Describe the ‘Boss system’

A

Corrupt local mayor who bought votes by selling housing and other necessities to the highest bidder

25
Q

3

Describe the speculation scandal under Grant

A
  • A group of speculators attempted to influence the government and manipulate the gold market
  • Failed and caused the 24th September 1869 financial panic, Black Friday
  • Grant was personally associated with two of the spectators, Fisk and Gould
26
Q

3

Describe the Whiskey Ring scandal 1875 under Grant

A
  • A group of distillers, distributors and public officials working together to evade liquor tax
  • Grant’s private secretary, Babcock, was indicted
  • Grant helped him get acquitted
27
Q

3

Describe how availability of land stimulated industrial growth in this period

A
  • Increased westward expansion
  • Railroad development
  • Expansion of farming and increased mechanisation of agriculture
28
Q

2

Describe the ‘boss’ system

A
  • corrupt mayor would sell rights to basic utilities (housing, transport, etc) to highest bidder
  • He would provide jobs and employment for immigrants and AAs from South in return for vote in future elections
29
Q

3

Describe the causes of the 1873 panic

A
  • Weak banking infrastructure
  • Jay Cooke and Company railroad speculator that went bankrupt
  • Had been principal investor in Northern Pacific Railroad
30
Q

4

Describe the effects of the 1873 panic

A
  • Collapse of stocks, companies, banks
  • NYSE closed for 10 days and credit dried up
  • 1m labourers unemployed nationally (¼ in NY) in winter 1873-74
  • Construction of new rail lines declined from 7.5k miles in 1872 to 1.6k miles in 1874
31
Q

Chinese immigration provided (…) of SF’s workforce by 1890

A

half

American History - temporary (11 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions