3 R D 9 WEEKS – US HISTORY

Replacement Test Vocabulary

Railroads

The expansion of railroads after Reconstruction changed travel and business in America.

The growth of railroads led to the growth of big business and other industries, like steel.

Also led to development of the West

Steel

Industry that grew quickly with the expansion of railroads

The Bessemer process made making steel efficient and cheap

Andrew Carnegie and later J.P. Morgan created monopolies in the steel industry

Big Business

Industries controlled by monopolies and trusts, such as railroads, steel, and oil

Andrew Carnegie = giant of the steel industry

John D. Rockefeller = giant of the oil industry. J.P. Morgan = giant of the banking and steel

industries

Transcontinental Railroad

A railroad line linking the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean, completed in 1869

Built mostly by Chinese immigrants Led to the growth of business and the

development of the West

Terms from the Plains Indians Wars

Wounded Knee U.S. army rounds up Sioux and kills 300 unarmed

people

Sitting Bull Sioux leader who defeated Custer at Little Bighorn,

but is taken at Wounded Knee

Pooling

railroad companies agreed to divide up business in an area and set high prices.

They did this to get rid of competition and keep prices high

Business Organization Terms

Vertical Integration Owning or buying out all of the raw materials necessary in an

industry

Horizontal Integration Buying out or merging with other companies in the same

industry

Trust A group of companies controlled by one board of directors

Monopoly One company having complete control over an entire industry

John D. Rockefeller

Standard Oil Company Established nation’s first trust that controlled

every aspect of the oil industry

Ellis Island

Processing center for immigrants entering the America on the east coast

Immigrants were inspected and granted or denied access to the United States

American Federation of Labor

Labor union for skilled workers Formed by Samuel Gompers

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

Banned Chinese immigrants from entering the United States

Americans did not want Chinese laborers taking their jobs because they would accept lower wages

1894 Pullman Strike

Workers at Pullman Sleeping Car company strike because Pullman lowers their wages but refuses to lower rent

Strike turns violent and federal troops are called in

Example of industrial unrest

Immigration

Immigrants make up a large part of the industrial work force

By the late 1800s, immigrant origins changed from northwestern Europe to southeastern Europe

Changed urban America and led to development of ethnic enclaves and tenement housing

Nativism

Belief that immigrants posed a threat to native-born Americans and their way of life

Americans with ancestors from northern Europe looked down on new immigrants from southeastern Europe

Thomas Edison

American inventor of the electric light bulb, kinetoscope and phonograph

His inventions changed the American way of life, increased productivity in industry, and led to the development of new industries

Electric light bulb

Invented by Thomas Edison Changed American way of life by extending

the time Americans could work and entertain themselves

Increases productivity in industry

Kinetoscope

Early version of a film projector to view motion pictures, invented by Thomas Edison

Led to the development of the film industry

Phonograph

Machine that records sound invented by Thomas Edison

Led to the development of other industries using sound recordings, such as the music and radio industries

Jane Addams

Founder of the Hull House The Hull House was a settlement house in

Chicago Settlement houses helped immigrants adjust

to life in America and sought to improve living conditions for the poor in cities

Jim Crow

Laws enacted in the South to segregate black and white people in public and private facilities

Plessy v. Ferguson

Supreme Court case in 1896 that said segregated public facilities was legal

This case established the “separate but equal” doctrine that upheld segregation in the South

NAACP

An organization founded in 1909 to promote full racial equality

Stands for National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

Muckraker

Journalist who writes about corruption or problems in business or government

Examples: Ida Tarbell and Upton Sinclair Muckraker’s writings brought about changes

in business and government in the U.S. during the Progressive era

Ida Tarbell

Wrote “The History of the Standard Oil Company”

exposed corruption by Rockefeller in the creation of his trust and control over the oil industry

Her writing encouraged protests against monopolies and laws against trusts and monopolies

Upton Sinclair

Wrote The Jungle Exposed disgusting and unhealthy conditions

in the meatpacking industry His writings led to government oversight of

food and drug industries and laws like the Meat Inspection Act

Progressive Political Reform

Initiative - a law can be written and voted on by the people rather than law makers

Referendum - A law proposed by law makers is submitted to the people for a vote

Recall - A procedure for removing a public official from office by a vote of the people

Conservation movement

Preservation of some wilderness areas and planned development of others for common good

This was an attempt to correct the misuse of natural resources during expansion and industrialization

Theodore Roosevelt set aside millions of acres for national parks and forests

Imperialism

Control by a strong nation over a weaker nation

At the turn of the 20th century, the United States emerges as an imperial power and exerts influence over other countries, especially in Latin America

Yellow Journalism

Sensational style of writing, which exaggerates the news to excite and enrage readers

Causes war because newspapers blame Spain for explosion on USS Maine

Spanish American War

War between Spain and the U.S. over Cuban freedom and explosion on the USS Maine

Causes: US interest in Cuba, yellow journalism, USS Maine

Outcomes: Spain freed Cuba and U.S. gets Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines

War in the Philippines

Spanish American war begins in the Philippines, a Spanish colony

Filipino rebels support the US because they want freedom from Spain but US wants to colonize them

Emilio Aguinaldo – leader of Filipino rebelsThis led to Philippine-American war

American expansionism

At the turn of the 20th century America’s relationship with the world changes as the U.S. becomes an imperial power

After the Spanish American War the U.S. gains Guam, Puerto Rico, and Philippines

Roosevelt Corollary and Panama Canal are also examples

Roosevelt Corollary

President Roosevelt warns that the U.S. will use force to protect our interests in Latin America

Used to prevent European powers from interfering in Latin America so that U.S. can be the dominant power

Panama Canal

Canal built through Panama in Central America to make an easier route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

U.S. supports Panama’s rebellion against Columbia to get them to sign a treaty with the U.S. to build the canal

Neutrality

Refusal to take part in a war between other nations

The U.S. policy towards World War I was initially neutrality, but changed to engagement (getting involved) because of Germany’s unrestricted submarine warfare

Nationalism

A devotion to the interests and culture of one’s nation

One of the causes of World War I

Militarism

The policy of building up armed forces in aggressive preparedness for war and/or to use as a tool of diplomacy

European countries’ militarism increased tensions and led to war

Alliance System

Prior to World War I, countries divided themselves into two groups: The Triple Entente or Allies (Great Britain, France, Russia, and U.S.) and the Triple Alliance or Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary)

This meant everyone would get pulled into the war

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

German policy of sinking any British or Allied ship, even if they held civilian passengers

The sinking of the Lusitania, which held American citizens, was one of the reasons the U.S. changes its’ policy from neutrality to engagement

Zimmerman Note

A message from Germany to Mexico proposing an alliance and promised to return land Mexico lost to the U.S.

One of the reasons the U.S. changes it’s policy from neutrality to involvment in World War I

Great Migration

Large scale migration of hundreds of thousands of African-Americans from the South to the North

They wanted to escape Jim Crow laws of the South and there were job opportunities in the North because of war effort

Espionage Act

Made it illegal to speak out against the government or war effort

Targeted socialists like Eugene Debs

Eugene Debs

Socialist and union leaderWas arrested under Espionage Act for

speaking out against the war and the draft

Fourteen Points

Wilson’s plan for lasting world peace after World War I was over

Except for the League of Nations, most of his points were not included in the Treaty of Versailles

League of Nations

An association of nations created in 1920 to promote international peace and cooperation

Part of Wilson’s 14 Points and included in Treaty of Versailles

Many of Americans did not like this – they wanted to remain isolated

Treaty of Versailles

Peace treaty at the end of World War I that created new nations and borders and punished Germany

Flawed because it humiliated Germany, excluded Russia and ignored colonized people. This would ultimately lead to World War II.

Red Scare

Fear of communism and socialism during the 1920s

Americans were suspicious of immigrants, communists and anarchists, especially after the communist revolution in Russia

Led to restrictions on immigration like the Emergency Quota Act

Prohibition

18th amendment makes alcohol illegal This led to speakeasies (illegal saloons) and

bootlegging (smuggling alcohol) Also increased organized crime and shaped

culture of 1920s

Woman Suffrage

19th amendment gave women the right to vote in 1920

Women working during World War I contributed to the push to give women the right to vote

Henry Ford

Makes the automobile affordable by mass producing the Model-T on an assembly line All parts made and assembled at one huge factory Affordable car led to the rise of suburbs

Jazz

Popular form of music during the 1920sBegan in New Orleans in the early 20th

century, but became most popular during the 1920s

Uniquely American, jazz is a mixture of African drumbeats, traditional spirituals, blues, European instruments and ragtime

Louis Armstrong

Jazz musician and trumpet playerRevolutionized jazz by bringing personal

expression to his music

Harlem Renaissance

Literary and artistic movement in the 1920s celebrating African American culture

Centered in the Harlem community in New York City

Langston Hughes

Harlem Renaissance poet He wrote about the everyday lives of working

people and African Americans during the time period

Irving Berlin

American songwriter during the 1920sWrote “God Bless America” Part of Tin Pan Alley – district in New York

City known for song writers, composers and music publishers

Great Depression

Period lasting from 1929 to 1940, in which the U.S. economy was in severe decline and millions of Americans were unemployed

Causes: Overproduction, Underconsumption, Stock market speculation, and Dust Bowl

Underconsumption

Americans were not buying as much as the economy began to slow down by the late 1920s

This contributed to the declining economy and business failures because industries continued to produce as much as before despite the decline in consumerism

Overproduction

Industries were making more than people were buying

This surplus in products contributed to the declining American economy that led to the Great Depression

Stock Market Speculation

During the 1920s, people bought stocks and bonds on the chance of a quick profit, while ignoring the risks

As a result, the high price of stocks during this time period did not reflect value

Eventually led to Stock Market Crash of 1929

Stock Market Crash of 1929

Black Tuesday – October 1929Due to stock market speculation and buying

on margin (buying stocks on credit) the value of stocks dropped drastically

This led to economic crisis – even Americans who did not invest panicked, banks and businesses failed as well

Dust Bowl

The region, including Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico that was made worthless for farming by drought and dust storms during the 1930s

Causes: Over farming on the Great Plains, Drought, Windstorms

Effect: Farm families were forced to leave and many moved further west

Hoovervilles

Shantytowns that developed during the Great Depression because of widespread unemployment. People lost their homes and had no where else to go

They were called Hoovervilles because Americans blamed Hoover for not providing direct aid to help them

New Deal

President Franklin Roosevelt’s program to address the problems of the Great Depression

Focused on relief for the needy, economic recovery and financial reform

TVA

Tennessee Valley Authority Works program that was a part of the New

DealProvided jobs and brought electricity to rural

areas by building dams (effort to control the environment)

Wagner Act

Contributes to the rise of industrial unionism by protecting workers’ right to join unions

Also prohibited unfair labor practices and included laws to improve working conditions

Social Security Act

Passed as a part of the Second New Deal to provide additional aid to those in need

Provided old-age insurance, unemployment and aid to families with children and the disabled

Eleanor Roosevelt

President Roosevelt’s wifeShe helped convince FDR to provide help to

those in need, supported civil rights and encouraged FDR to appoint women to federal government positions

Huey Long

Politician from Louisiana who challenged FDRHe proposed a social program called “Share

Our Wealth” and argued that the New Deal wasn’t doing enough to help the Americans who needed it most

“Court packing” Bill

FDR proposed adding 6 new justices to the Supreme Court because the conservative Supreme Court frequently overturned his New Deal legislation

Many people felt he was trying to have too much power and violating separation of powers

Neutrality Act

Law passed by Congress to keep the U.S. out of future wars and to challenge FDR’s attempts to reach out to the world

This law was passed because Americans wanted to maintain a policy of isolationism