Why were Radical Republicans unhappy with President Johnson's plan for Reconstruction?
- Johnson's plan was too lenient/mild on the South.
- Radical Republicans wished to punish the South.
How did Southern governments attempt to bar African Americans from voting?
- Poll Tax: economic requirement/a fee that must be paid in order to vote
- Literacy Test: voter must be able to read and write
- Grandfather Clause: excused the poor and illiterate white voter
How did Plessy vs Ferguson impact the rights of African Americans?
The "separate but equal" ruling led to the continuation of segregation (Jim Crow Laws) throughout the South.
What was the purpose of the Thirteenth Amendment?
It ended slavery (involuntary servitude) in the United States.
What is segregation? In what ways did it impact African Americans?
- Segregation is the separation of races in public places.
- As a result of segregation, African Americans were treated like second class citizens.
What did the Ku Klux Klan attempt to achieve?
- One of their main goals was to deny African Americans their rights.
- They also wanted to keep white Republicans and African Americans out of office.
Why did Plains Indians resist becoming farmers?
It went against their traditional views of land ownership, they were given the poorest quality of land and lacked farming skill.
What event occurred in 1849 that encouraged westward settlement?
Gold was discovered in California ('49ers)
What is Manifest Destiny?
The belief that the United States should expand from the Atlantic to Pacific.
How did the Homestead Act encourage people to move west?
It offered 160 acres to free land to those willing to farm it for 5 years.
How did the loss of the buffalo impact Native Americans tribes on the Great Plains?
The destruction of the buffalo destroyed their main source of food, clothing, and shelter.
Why did settlers build their homes from sod?
There was a lack of trees on the Plains so they adapted to the environment and utilized the materials available to them.
What is a nativist?
An American-born citizen who wants to restrict immigrants fearing that they are taking jobs, introducing jobs, too different, non-assimilative...
Who was Emma Lazarus?
She was the author of the poem on the bases of the Statue of Liberty called the New Colossus.
How were workers impacted by the growth of factories?
There was a greater demand for workers and the conditions in factories were often dangerous.
What is the difference between Old and New Immigrants?
- Old Immigrants: Northern and Western Europe, before 1885, many Protestants, many spoke English
- New Immigrants: Southern and Eastern Europe, Asia, after 1885, more Catholics and Jews, few spoke English
What is a push factor and a pull factor?
- Push Factor: reasons why people leave their country of origin (negative)
- Pull Factor: reasons why people are encouraged to settle in another country (positive)
Discuss two or three ways that the U.S. banned particular immigrant groups from coming to the U.S.?
- Chinese Exclusion Act (banned Chinese)
- Quota system/National Origins Act (restricted Southern and Eastern European immigrants)
- Gentlemen's Agreement (restricted Japanese)
Where did immigrants or the poor settle in the city? Why?
Living in the oldest (city center) section of the cities was the most affordable places to live (tenements in ghettos)
What is the difference between a tenement and a settlement house?
A tenement is a run down apartment and a settlement house is a center offering help to the poor.
Why do some people argue that immigrants cheapen labor? Why do some people argue that immigrants workers are exploited?
Immigrants are willing to work less money which can further cause the exploitation of the immigrant workers.
What was the major goal of the Sherman Anti-trust Act?
The purpose of the act was to break up trusts and monopolies that limit competition (free enterprise).
What are the major goals of labor unions?
Labor unions worked to achieve safer working conditions, higher wages, shorter hours...
Why was child labor used? Why was it controversial?
Children worked for lower wages and as a result were often inured, denied an education...
What was the most important effect of Henry Ford's method of automobile production?
- The assembly line allowed for the mass production of items at a low cost.
- Cars became more affordable and industry boomed.
How did men like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller feel about competition in the marketplace?
Industrial barons eliminated competition because they viewed competition as wasteful and inefficient.
What industries are associated with Carnegie, Rockefeller, and Vanderbilt?
- Carnegie: Steel (Carnegie Steel)
- Rockefeller: Oil (Standard Oil)
- Vanderbilt: Railroad (NY Central)
Why did membership in labor unions grow in the early 1900's?
Labor unions fought for higher pay, shorter hours, safer and more sanitary working conditions...
Compare the Knights of Labor and the AFL.
Knights of Labor: open membership, skilled and unskilled
AFL: Only accepted skilled workers who must belong to a trade union representing their craft.
How did industrial barons like Rockefeller destroy competition?
Industrial leaders used pools, rebates, rate wars, trusts and monopolies.
What was the primary goal of muckrakers?
Muckrakers wanted to expose corruption.
How do we determine the difference between a primary and a secondary source?
A primary source comes from an eyewitness or someone from that time period. A secondary source is written after that time period.
What reforms did Upton Sinclair's book, The Jungle result in?
The Pure Food and Drug Act & The Meat Inspection Act
Why did reformers in the Gilded Age criticize the spoils system?
It spread corruption and placed unqualified people in positions of power.
What group led the crusade against the sale of alcoholic beverages?
The Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)
Who was Boss Tweed?
A corrupt NYC political boss that dominated Tammany Hall
What was the purpose of the Seneca Falls Convention and the 19th Amendment?
Women's Suffrage/VOTE
What did John Hay mean when he called the Spanish-American war a "splendid little war"?
The war was a short, and relatively easy victory where the U.S. gained an empire.
What economic considerations caused European countries to seek possessions in Africa and Asia?
New markets and raw materials
What were the causes of the Spanish-American War?
Cuban rebellion, explosion of the USS Maine, and yellow jornalism
What is Seward's Folly?
The purchase of Alaska
What was the purpose of the Big Stick Policy?
To enforce American foreign policy in Latin America
What were the long term causes of the First World War?
- Militarism
- Alliances
- Imperialism
- Nationalism
How did the assassination of the archduke trigger a world war?
The alliance system allowed a relatively minor event to expand.
What are the characteristics of trench warfare?
Long bloody battles with little land gained or lost (stalemate)
Why did the Allied Powers suffer greater losses than the Central Powers during World War 1?
They were attempting to push the central Powers out of occupied territory.
Why was the U.S. Senate reluctant to sign the Treaty of Versailles?
The senate was fearful that the League of Nations would involve the US in future European conflicts.
What new nations were created as a result of the Treaty of Versailles?
Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Turkey
What was the Harlem Renaissance? what did it lead to?
A rebirth of African American culture that led to greater pride.
What were the major causes of the stock market crash if 1929?
Installment buying, buying on margin, overproduction, speculation
Why was the 18th Amendment called "the noble experiment"?
Prohibition, the ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol was a well meaning goal but it failed.
What was the purpose of the Social Security Act?
To provide pensions for disabled and elderly
What was the purpose of the New Deal?
To provide relief, recovery, and reform from the Great Depression
Why did President Roosevelt try to increase the number of supreme Court Justices from 9 to 15?
He wanted the court to support his new Deal Programs.
What was the purpose of FDR's bank holiday?
To determine which banks were strong enough to remain open
How did FDR and Hebert Hoover differ in their approach to governing?
Hebert Hoover believed in laissez-faire while FDR believed the government had to take an active roll.
Why did governments use propaganda during World War 2?
To influence people's opinions of the war
Why did the United States inter Japanese Americans?
The US feared that they might be spies.
Why did governments ration during the Second World War?
Concern over the availability of basic supplies needed for the war effort
What was the Holocaust?
The systematic murder of 11.5 million people under the Nazis
What is the policy of containment?
Keeping communism within it's existing borders
Why was global nuclear war such a fear during the Cold War?
The two superpowers (US and USSR) contained to threaten nuclear war.
What was the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
Non violent protest and boycott of segregated buses
How did non-violent protest help to win wider support for the Civil Rights Movement?
It gained public sympathy for the cause of Civil Rights.
What was the purpose of the March on Washington?
To push for the passage of Civil rights legislation