1862
Homestead act
Definition
Gave settlers 160 acres of land if they lived there for 5 years.
1865
Starting in 1865 many Americans started pushing westward again after the interruption of the civil war
1866
Sioux wars
Definition
Sioux initally won a deceive victory against the U.S. army.
1866
Interstate commerce act
Definition
Required railroad rates to be reasonable and just, and established a federal commission to oversee the railroads
1868
National Grange movement
Definition
Social and educational collective aimed at brining farmers together. Soon became political to lobby for farmers
1871
Indian appropriation act
Definition
congress sparked a new fight with the Sioux, by passing a law that nullified all previous treaties made with native Americans
1877
Great railroad strike
Definition
Railroad companies cut salaries due to a recession. Railroad workers went on strike in 11 states. When the strike got violent, 11 people were killed before President Hayes sent in federal troops
1881
Pendleton Act
Definition
Political appointments were very corrupt after a guy shot the president because he didn't get a job, congress passed the Pendleton Act, which created an exam that was used for deciding who would get a job
Effects
Caused politicians to shift from relying on their parties, to rich donors instead
1882
Chinese exclusion act
Definition
Nativists successfully pressured Congress to stop the flow of Chinese immigrants who were coming over during the gold rush.
1886
Haymarket square riot
Definition
Anarchists set off a bomb during a Knights of labor protest in Chicago for an 8-hour workweek. Many people began to see the labor movement as violent and radical
1887
Dawes act
Definition
Broke up tribal organizations and divided up tribal land and gave U.S. citizenship to natives who "Americanized" themselves
1890
Sherman antitrust act
Definition
Made monopolizing an entire market illegal
Effects
Written too vaguely to actually break up many of the trusts
1890
By 1890, the U.S. Census Bureau declared that the frontier was officially settled
1890
NAWSA
Definition
Worked to secure voting rights for women
1894
Pullman strike
Definition
After a railroad car manufacturer cut wages, and the union tried to negotiate, the company failed them all. The railroad union decided to not work on any trains with Pullman cars in them. The railroad owners tied the Pullman cars to mail trains in order to get the government to keep them moving, and the union members were jailed
Railroads |
Massive extension of the railroad system created a truly national market for goods |
Government support for railroads |
Railroads supported by the government through money and land grants |
Panic of 1893 |
A severe economic depression during which nearly a quarter of railroads declared bankruptcy. This caused bankers to buy up many of the railroads, leading to consolidation. |
Bessemer process |
Enabled manufacturers to produce huge quantities of steel |
Andrew Carnegie |
Pioneered vertical integration, where one company controls every stage of the manufacturing process |
John D. Rockefeller |
Pioneered horizontal integration, where one company controls every seller in the market. |
Laissez-faire economics |
There was an extreme lack of government regulation of the economy at the time |
Gospel of wealth |
Andrew Carnegie argued that those with wealth should invest it into society |
Sherman antitrust act |
Made monopolizing an entire market illegal |
White collar workers |
All the industrialization created a new type of work for managers and administrators who ran the factories instead of working in them |
Labor unions |
Workers formed labor unions to have more negotiating power and fight for better pay and working conditions |
Great railroad strike |
Railroad companies cut salaries due to a recession. Railroad workers went on strike in 11 states. When the strike got violent, 11 people were killed before President Hayes sent in federal troops |
Pullman strike |
After a railroad car manufacturer cut wages, and the union tried to negotiate, the company failed them all. The railroad union decided to not work on any trains with Pullman cars in them. The railroad owners tied the Pullman cars to mail trains in order to get the government to keep them moving, and the union members were jailed |
Knights of labor |
National union open to ALL laborers. Wanted to end child labor and end trusts |
Haymarket square riot |
Anarchists set off a bomb during a Knights of labor protest in Chicago for an 8-hour workweek. Many people began to see the labor movement as violent and radical |
American federation of labor AFL |
Grew to over a million members by 1901 and had some modest successes |
Growth of immigration |
16 million immigrants (mostly from Europe) came looking for better economic opportunities |
Views on immigration |
Feared that factory owners would use immigrants to keep wages low and to replace striking workers |
American protective association |
Heavily anti-catholic and Social Darwinists |
Starting in 1865 many Americans started pushing westward again after the interruption of the civil war |
|
Chinese exclusion act |
Nativists successfully pressured Congress to stop the flow of Chinese immigrants who were coming over during the gold rush. |
Homestead act |
Gave settlers 160 acres of land if they lived there for 5 years. |
By 1890, the U.S. Census Bureau declared that the frontier was officially settled |
|
Reservation system |
Indian nations were assigned land called reservations. However this land was much less than before, and many decided to just keep following buffalo |
Sioux wars |
Sioux initally won a deceive victory against the U.S. army. |
Indian appropriation act |
congress sparked a new fight with the Sioux, by passing a law that nullified all previous treaties made with native Americans |
Ghost dance movement |
nationwide movement of resistance. They began to believe that if they took up the ritualistic ghost dance, that their ancestors would return and drive the Americans out. |
Assimilationist movement |
Wanted to end indian culture by forcing them to assimilate to American values. |
Dawes act |
Broke up tribal organizations and divided up tribal land and gave U.S. citizenship to natives who "Americanized" themselves |
Changes in farming |
A new focus on cash-crops in the north and west, and a shift to more expensive mechanized farming methods put smaller farms out of business. Big trusts that farmers relied on (like railroads) also raised prices, making it even harder for farmers to make a living |
National Grange movement |
Social and educational collective aimed at brining farmers together. Soon became political to lobby for farmers |
Interstate commerce act |
Required railroad rates to be reasonable and just, and established a federal commission to oversee the railroads |
Political machines |
Corrupt political bosses and their followers |
Tammany Hall |
The most famous political machine organized and met the needs of immigrants and the poor in exchange for votes |
Settlement houses |
Provided resources to the poor to enrich the neighborhood. Largely led by women |
NAWSA National American Woman Suffrage Association |
Worked to secure voting rights for women |
Women's Christian Temperance Union |
Worked to ban alcohol, had over 500,000 members |
Anti-Saloon league |
Worked to close down saloons |
The new south |
Idea that the future of the south would be based on economic diversity and industrial growth. Massive growth of population, industry, and railroads. Only in limited industrial centers though. |
Jim Crow laws |
Forced segregation and prevented african americans from exercising their civil liberties |
Ida B. Wells |
Editor of a newspaper editorialized against lynching and jim crow. She fled north due to threats against her |
International migration society |
Facilitated the migration of black people to africa |
Booker T. Washington |
former slave who trained other black men to become economically self-sufficient, and argued this was a better way to gain power than to campaign for better voting rights |
Pendleton Act |
Political appointments were very corrupt after a guy shot the president because he didn't get a job, congress passed the Pendleton Act, which created an exam that was used for deciding who would get a job |
Debates over money |
Farmers wanted to print more money so they could more easily pay back their debts, but the bankers and the wealthy wanted to keep the U.S. Dollar on the gold standard |
Populist party |
Wanted to correct the concentration of power held by banks and trusts. Proposed the Omaha platform: Direct election of senators, more referendums, graduated income tax, and an 8-hour workday |