Unit 6 Vocab Flashcards
(35 cards)
Homestead Act
Act that allowed a settler to acquire as much as 160 acres of land by living on it for 5 years, improving it, and paying a nominal fee of about $30 - instead of public land being sold primarily for revenue, it was now being given away to encourage a rapid filling of empty spaces and to provide a stimulus to the family farm
Long Drives
The Long Drives took place in the 1880’s in the Western plain states - Cattle ranchers needed a way to easily transport their cattle to eastern cities - Cowboys would round up a lot of cattle and “drive” them to areas near railroad stations - Most of these drives went from southern Texas up to Kansas.
“Exodusters”
Name given to African Americans who fled the Southern United States for Kansas in 1879 and 1880 because of racial oppression and rumors of the re-institution of slavery.
Granger Laws
The Granger laws were a series of laws passed in western states of the United States after the American Civil War to regulate grain elevator and railroad freight rates and rebates and to address long- and short-haul discrimination and other railroad abuses against farmers.
George A. Custer
Discovered gold in Black Hills of South Dakota, his seventh cavalry division was decimated by the Sioux at the battle of Little Big Horn
Helen Hunt Jackson
Author, wrote A Century of Dishonor and Ramona, helped gain sympathy for the Indians
Dawes Act
attempt to “americanize” the indians giving each tribe 160 acres; after 25 years this property would become theirs (if they were good little whites) and they would become an american citizen
Ghost Dance movement
A cult that tried to call the spirits of past warriors to inspire the young braves to fight. It was crushed at the Battle of Wounded Knee after spreading to the Dakota Sioux. This led to the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887. This act tried to reform Indian tribes and turn them into “white” citizens. It did little good
Wounded Knee
A group of white Christian reformist tried to bring Christian beliefs on to the Indians. Fearing the Ghost Dance American troops were called to go with the reformist. While camped outside of an Indian reservation a gun was fired and the troops stormed the reservation killing Indian men women and children.
“mining frontier”
The discovery of gold in CA in 1848 caused the first flood of newcomers to the West. A series of gold strikes and silver strikes in what became the states of Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, and South Dakota kept a steady flow of hopeful young prospectors pushing into the Western mountains.
Californios
a term used to identify a Californian of Hispanic; most were descendants of the Spanish and Mexican conquerors who had once ruled California. Much of Californio society lived at or near the many missions; but they were overthrown when the civil war broke out and by 1870 the Californios’ brief ascendancy had utterly vanished.
Chinese Exclusion Act
An act passed by Congress in 1882 which prohibited further immigration to the US by Chinese Laborers. Renewed 10 yrs later, this was the first major act of Congress to restrict immigration on the basis of race and nationality.
John Muir
a Californian preservationist, president of the Sierra Club; opposed to businesses taking land for econ. gains; gets govt. to set aside 35 mil. acres for a natl. forest
F.J. Turner
American historian who said that humanity would continue to progress as long as there was new land to move into. The frontier provided a place for homeless and solved social problems.
Industrial Capitalism
refers to an economic and social system in which trade, industry and capital are privately controlled and operated for a profit
Andrew Carnegie
a steel tycoon ; first to use vertical integration
Cornelius Vanderbilt
The railroad owner who built a railway connecting Chicago and New York. He popularized the use of steel rails in his railroad, which made railroads safer and more economical.
Jay Gould
Often regarded as the most unethical of the Robber Barons, he was involved with Tammany Hall and Boss Tweed early in his career. After damaging his reputation in a gold speculation that instigated the panic of Black Friday in 1869, he went on to gain control of western railroads and by 1882 had controlling interest in 15% of the country’s tracks. Although mistrusted by many of his contemporaries, he was recognized as a skilled businessman.
Vertical Integration
It was pioneered by tycoon Andrew Carnegie. It is when you combine into one organization all phases of manufacturing from mining to marketing. This makes supplies more reliable and improved efficiency. It controlled the quality of the product at all stages of production.
John D. Rockefeller
an oil tycoon who created the Standard Oil Company; utilized vertical integration and reduced competition via the Standard Oil Trust
J.P. Morgan
He was a banker who financed the reorganization of railroads, insurance companies, and banks. He bought out Carnegie and in 1901 he started the United States Steel Corporation.
“New South”
A vision for a self-sufficient southern economy built on modern capitalist values, industrial growth, and improved transportation. Henry Grady, the editor of the Atlanta Constitution, spread the gospel of the ______ with editorials for economic diversity and laissez-faire capitalism.
“New immigrants”
second wave of immigrants from From southern and eastern europe. congregated in ethnic urban neighborhoods many native born americans responded with nativist views and anti-immigrant capaigns. Some of them introduced urban reforms to help immigrants assimilate
“Taylorism”
scientific management, encouraged the development of mass production techniques and the assembly line, led to a revolution in American education of social science.
