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42 Cards in this Set
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Reconstruction |
Definition: A period of time after the end of the civil war when northern Republicans attempted to bring about large scale political and social reform in the south. This included the emancipation of the slaves, civil rights for the freed men, and many southern whites where made to swear loyalty to the union. They also split up the ten unreconstructed states into 5 military districts to force the south into reconstruction. Significance: Helped to get the Southern states to accept the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. Helped bring about improvements for black civil rights in the South (they were still far from good though). Brought about much resentment of the North from Southern White Democrats. |
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13th Amendment |
Definition: The amendment that abolished slavery. Significance: Made it illegal for people to own slaves in the United States. The millions of black people in the US were now free. |
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14th Amendment |
Definition: Gave citizenship to all the freedmen. Decreased congressional representation of states that disenfranchised voters. Prevented high ranking confederates from holding office. Confederate debt was repudiated. Significance: The freedmen were now citizens so they could vote. Also punished states that passed laws which made it more difficult for blacks to vote. It also prevented many people that would want to pass such laws from holding office (high ranking confederates). |
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15th Amendment |
Definition: Right to vote for all men. Made it illegal to deny voting rights because of race, color, or past servitude. Significance: Made it more explicitly illegal for southern states to deny voting rights. Extended black voting nationwide. Still left some "wiggle room" for Southern states to deny voting rights for reasons aside from race, color, or past servitude. |
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Sharecropping |
Definition: A system where freedmen would take loans from wealthy white plantation owners for land and supplies so they could start their own farm. The black men would then not be able to grow enough the first year and not be able to pay off the white man, so they would be forced to take more loans. This is a vicious cycle where they would be forced to work to pay off the debt. Significance: Essentially a new, legal, form of slavery where wealthy Southern whites could continue to get essentially free labor from black men. This also caused a surplus of cotton so the cotton prices dropped. As a result many poor whites were also forced into sharecropping. |
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Compromise of 1877 |
Definition: In the election of 1876 Hayes won the electoral college but Tilden won the popular vote. Three states were contested and the democrats gave Hayes (the republican) the presidency in exchange for the end of reconstruction. Significance: Ended reconstruction in the South |
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Black Codes |
Definition: Laws to keep black people out of government and created new oppressive system of labor. Included: apprenticeship laws, literacy laws, grandfather clause, anti-vagrancy laws. Significance: Created whole new ways for southern whites to oppress and control the black population. Forced blacks into new forms of slavery. Brought about the Freedmen's Bureau and the Civil Rights act of 1866 in response. |
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Freedmen's Bureau |
Definition: An organization founded to help blacks receive rations, clothing, jobs, and to help them find lost family members. Also created education opportunities for blacks and helped blacks found churches. Significance: Helped many freedmen get on their feet after slavery had been abolished. |
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Second Industrial Revolution |
Definition: A phase of rapid industrialization marked by the rise of the Steel industry, the discovery and production of many new chemical such as quinine, rubber, and aspirin, as well as advances in electronic technology such as the telegram, telephone, and the light bulb. It also saw a massive expansion in transportation technology with railroads and cars as well as the standardization of manufactured parts which allowed things to be manufactured for much cheaper. The time zones were also standardized. Significance: Brought about a massive improvement in all types of technology, and connected the county through transportation and communication like never before. Also caused a lot of pollution due to the burning of coal involved in many of the manufacturing processes. |
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Fordism |
Definition: An idea for how manufacturing systems should be run. It is based on the standardization and universal fitment of parts, the assembly line, and paying the workers a reasonable wage. Significance: Allowed for a massive increase in production in the industries it was employed in and made the products much more affordable to the general public. Allowed workers to be able to afford the products they spent all day making. |
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Taylorism |
Definition: A method for making production more efficient by breaking each task in the manufacturing process into smaller and simpler tasks that can be easily analyzed and taught. Significance: Helped to increase the amount of production manufacturers were able to achieve. |
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The Gilded Age |
Definition: A period of massive economic growth in the US. It is marked by the rise of the new middle class and the rise of the city. As well as the rise of industry and the robber barons who controlled the industry and became fantastically rich from it. Significance: Drew in many new immigrants from Europe and caused the majority of the population to move from the countryside to the cities. Helped to lay down the framework for manufacturing that the American industries use to this day. |
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Old Immigrants |
Definition: Immigrants who had already been in the United States for many years. They were from English and German speaking countries as well as Scandinavia. They were mostly protestant Significance: They were not welcoming to the new wave of immigrants that came during the gilded age. Were often racists towards new immigrants and believe in Social Darwinism which made life difficult for new people coming to the country. Still make up a large portion of the ancestry of Americans today. |
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New Immigrants |
Definition: Immigrants who came to the US during the gilded age to look for work. They were from Eastern and Southern European countries as well as Ireland. They were often Catholic or Jewish. Significance: Many Americans today are descendants of these people. They ended up living together in specific neighborhoods that are still around today like little Italy. They brought many new workers into the country to help fuel the growing industry. |
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Social Darwinism |
Definition: Took Darwin's idea of "survival of the fittest" and applied it to social classes. Meant that the rich and successful classes were the most "fit" and the poor people were "unfit". Significance: Helped wealthier old immigrants to justify racism and exclude new immigrants. Brought about the Chinese exclusion act and many other nativist movements. |
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Crop Lien System |
Definition: A system where poor cotton farmers could get supplies on credit from local landowners. The money from the sale of the cotton would first be used to pay of the merchants and landowners, then the rest would go to the farmer. Significance: The Farmers often would not harvest enough cotton to pay off the merchants and landowners, and would have to take more supplies on credit the next years. In this way the poor farmers would become trapped by the debt. |
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American Federation of Labor |
Defintion: An organization that sought "pure and simple" unionism and brought individual craft unions together on occupational line. It dealt with skilled trade unions and was relatively exclusive Significance: Helped workers to unionize and fight for their rights and helped to get the 8 hour work day to become standard practice in the US. Often neglected class, race, and gender inclusiveness. |
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Industrial Workers of the World |
Definition: A union that sought to unite workers regardless of trade, skill level or race. One of the most radical unions. Significance: Advocated direct action, sabotage, and the general strike as opposed to negotiation tactics. |
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The Haymarket Affair |
Definition: Began as a strike for the 8-hour work day and a demonstration over the deaths of a few workers who had been killed the previous day. A dynamite bomb was thrown which killed 7 police officers and 2 civilians. This caused a riot. Significance: 8 anarchists were tries, only one actually had something to do with the bombing. 7 were sentenced to death but 2 were commuted and 1 committed suicide. There was also a harsh anti-union clampdown that took place after this. |
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The Gospel of Wealth |
Definition: An article written by Andrew Carnegie that discussed how wealthy people had a responsibility for philanthropy and to help the less fortunate. Significance: Encouraged many rich people to give money help the poor and reduce the wealth gap. Carnegie also employed these ideas himself and founded many public libraries. Still thought of rich people as superior |
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The Social Gospel |
Definition: A movement in the churches that sought to apply the idea of Christianity to social justice and called for churches to play a new role in social reform. "What would Jesus Do?" Significance: Offered an alternative to the ideas of social darwinism and the gospel of wealth. |
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Progressive Era |
Definition: A period of time marked by widespread political and social reform. Progressives focused on bringing opportunities to the lower class and solving the problems brought about from industrialization, urbanization, and corrupt government Significance: Massive gains for workers rights and immigrant rights. Settlement houses came about because of these progressive ideas. |
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Settlement House |
Definition: Houses that were made to help struggling working class people and new immigrants by providing education, shelter, and food, as well as community playgrounds and other things. Significance: Marked progress for progressives and progressive ideas. Helped many poor people get back on their feet and helped educate the children of working class. |
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"Dry" Town/ County/ State |
Definition: An area where alcohol is illegal. Significance: Many places started doing this as the ideas of prohibition became popular. Helped to lead the way to prohibition. Many counties and towns in the US are still dry. |
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Monroe Doctrine |
Definition: Warned European powers not to interfere in the Western Hemisphere and established the Western Hemisphere as an American "sphere of influence" Significance: Dictated American foreign policy towards imperialism in the Western Hemisphere for many years. Caused the US to intervene in a conflict between Cuba and Spain resulting in the Spanish American war |
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Roosevelt Corrolarry |
Definition: Roosevelt declared the US would not intervene in Latin America as long as nations conducted their affairs with "decency". But the US would step in if any Latin American country proved guilty of "brutal wrongdoing". Significance: Made The US the "international police force" of the Western Hemisphere |
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Spanish American War |
Definition: The US intervened in a conflict between Spain and Cuba because of the foreign policy dictated in the Monroe Doctrine. Significance: Cuba gained it's independence. The US gained Philippines, Guam, Puerto Rico, annexed the Hawaiian islands, and got Guantanamo Bay. |
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Philippine American War |
Definition: US was experimenting with Imperialism in the Philippines. Filipinos revolted and war broke out. US fought guerrilla warfare with scorched earth tactics. Significance: The Philippines gain increased independence but were still a colony of the US. Helped make a path towards complete in dependance for the Philippines. |
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Zimmerman Telegram |
Definition: A telegram from the German foreign Secretary to the German Minister to Mexico. It said the Germany would be increasing it's submarine attacks and it asked Mexico to form an alliance and help if the US became involved the war. It promised the return of New Mexico, Texas, and Arizon if the US was defeated. Telegram was intercepted by the British Significance: Caused American public opinion to become very anti-German and helped the US government generate support and build up an army for when it declared war. |
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Isolationism and Expansionism |
Definition: Isolationism is a political policy that says the country should keep foreign affairs at a distance and focus more on domestic policy. Expansionism is a political policy that says a country should look to expand it's territorial base and economic influence. Significance: The debate between these two ideals has gone on very long. Expansionism helped drive US imperialism after westward expansion ran out of room. |
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The Crash of '29 |
Definition: Stock Market falters on "black Tuesday" causing a minor panic. On the following Thursday "black Thursday" people began to sell there stock at an alarming rate, margin calls were made, and the stock market completely crashed. It eventually lost 6/7 of it's value. Significance: Marked the beginning of the great depression |
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Prohibition |
Definition: The 18th amendment made it illegal to sell or produce alcohol for most of the 1920's. Significance: A large illegal booze industry emerged with gangs, moonshiners, and speakeasies. Did not work, used as an example to this day of how prohibition does not work. |
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19th Amendment |
Definition: Put women's suffrage into the constitution. Women had been pushing for this for over 50 years. Significance: Gave women the right to vote, and in the US they have had it ever since. Before this, half of the adult population was not allowed to vote. |
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New Woman |
Definition: A new identity for American woman that allowed them to smoke, drink, go in public without a chaperone, work, and live alone or with another female roommate. Significance: Woman now had much more independence and were able to get educated. This helped shape what we think of today as the "American women". |
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New Negro |
Definition: A movement of artists, writers, and black intellectuals. Found a home in Harlem and other major cities. Sought to make art on their own terms. Significance: Jazz music and the Harlem renaissance arose out of this movement. Also people from his movement went on to push harder for civil rights as well. |
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Harlem Renaissance |
Definition: A large cultural, social, and artistic explosion. Many blacks were becoming more educated and were able to write and create music and art. Significance: African American culture expanded rapidly from this period. |
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Hooverville |
Definition: Tent colonies that cropped up where homeless people lived. Named "Hoovervilles" because people blamed hoover for the depression. Significance: Provided places for the newly homeless to stay. Really illustrates how many newly homeless there were just by the fact that they were so large and there were so may Hoovervilles. |
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The New Deal |
Definition: A series of programs enacted by FDR to helped lead the country out of the depression and to prevent one from happening again. Focussed on the three R's: Relief, Recovery, and Reform. It involved making a lot of new government jobs for the many jobless American to fulfill. Significance: Helped to get the country out of the great depression. Many parts of the New Deal are still around today such as Social Security. Jobs created by the New Deal also helped make hiking trails people still use today and may other public works projects that are still around. |
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Dust Bowl |
Definition: Overproduction of crops, as well as mechanized farming and the introduction of non-native crops made the soil very loose and dusty. The wind would blow this loose soil up on the plains and make huge dust cloud which killed crops and livestock and gave people pulmonary diseases. Significance: Made hundreds of thousands of Americans homeless and forced them to move in search of new places to live. |
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Conspicuous Consumption |
Definition: When people go out an buy goods to show off their economic and social status. Many Americans engaged in this practice after WW1 in the 1920's. Significance: American's over comsumption in this manner was a major cause of the Great Depression. |
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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) |
Definition: A corporation run by the US government that insures all the deposits made in US banks. The banks themselves pay into it to become members. It was part of the New Deal and was intended to restore peoples faith in the banking system. Significance: Still around to this day. Provides protection for citizens from loosing all their money if the bank fails. Helped to restore public faith in the banking system. |
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Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) |
Definition: A government agency created to oversee financial markets by licensing investment dealers, monitoring all stock transactions, and requiring corporate officers to make full disclosures about their companies. Significance: Still around today. Provided regulation and oversight for companies and the market itself to help prevent another depression like in the 30's. |
