US History 2
CPB Midterm Study Guide
-The South after the Civil War was in ruins.
-Many poor white southern laborers had a hard time finding work because of competition from
freedmen.
-To help black southerners adjust to freedom, Congress created the Freedmen’s Bureau.
-Under Johnson’s Reconstruction plan, white southerners began to enact laws that gave whites
power over African Americans.
-The Fourteenth Amendment was part of a series of laws that ensured the civil rights of African
Americans.
-In 1870, thanks to the Fifteenth Amendment, southern black men voted for the first time.
-Carpetbaggers were northern Republicans who moved to the postwar South.
-The main goal of the Ku Klux Klan’s terror was to drive the Republicans out of the South.
-Congress reacted to Klan terror by passing the Enforcement Act of 1870.
-Southern state governments restricted the rights of former slaves by passing black codes.
-The verdict in President Johnson’s impeachment trial was that he was acquitted by one vote.
-African Americans become citizens with the 14th Amendment
-The ability to communicate with a moving train improved railroads by helping to avoid
collisions
-In 1885 Alexander Graham Bell helped set up a company to build long distance telephone lines.
-Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse both worked wonders with Electricity
- Andrew Carnegie gained control of the steel industry with Vertical Consolidation
-Unlike the Knights of Labor, the American Federation of Labor included Skilled Workers in its
membership.
-As a result of the Pullman Strike, for the next 30 years the government denied recognition of
Unions
-Technological Advances made possible the American industrial growth of the late 1800s
-Telegraph and Telephone revolutionized American communications in the late 1800s?
-The goal of the Sherman Antitrust Act was to promote fair industrial competition
-The Bessemer process improved the Production of Steel
-The American Federation of Labor organized only skilled workers
-One of Thomas Edison’s major accomplishments was that he made Electricity more widely
available
-During the late 1800s, children often worked in factories because families needed the income to
survive.
-The key requirements that applicants had to meet to receive land under the Homestead Act
include, person had to farm the land 5 years in a row.
- The Exodusters were trying to escape racial violence
-Cheep land and new jobs drew many new immigrants to the West
-As American settlers moved west in search of land, many Native American nations were
weakened or destroyed
-Many land agreements between Native Americans and settlers fell apart because of different
ideas about land ownership
-The Massacre at Wounded Knee resulted in the death of Chief Sitting Bull
-Many white reformers believed that Native Americans should become “Civilized” and adopt
white culture.
- Farmers favored inflation because it increased crop prices
-Reforms pushed by the Populists included Government ownership of transportation systems.
-A Chance at a better life attracted many immigrants to the United States.
- Asians were regarded with suspicion and hostility by many white Americans
- During the late 1800s the port of entry for the majority of immigrants was New York City.
- The rapid expansion of urban areas was a major result of both immigration and the increased
productivity of factory jobs in the late 1800s.
-Prohibitionists and purity crusaders shared the goal of improving the moral and personal
behavior of individuals.
- The main objective of the nativists was to restrict immigration
- Most settlement houses of the late 1800s offered poor city dwellers social services.
- Parents pressure local governments to reform public schools to extend their children’s
knowledge beyond the basic skills
-Immigrants regard public education, as an aid to assimilation, as a path to advancement and as a
threat to cultural heritage
- Baseball was the most popular at the end of the century
-Minstrel shows portray African Americans as stereotypes
-Southern states keep African Americans from gaining political power by using voting
restrictions
- Public schools played an important role in helping immigrant children assimilate.
-The American dream of rising from “rags to riches” was reflected in dime-store novels.
- During the early 1900s The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP) was an example of how African Americans formed their own political parties.
-In the case of Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court established the “separate-but-equal”
doctrine, upholding segregation.
-The act of lynching might best be described as seizure and execution of a person by a mob.
- As women began to make their way into professional jobs, they worked mainly in education,
health care, and social work.
-The “new woman” of the early 1900s promoted the idea that women should adopt more
convenient hair and dress styles.
- The United States followed a policy of expansionism in the late 1800s because the nation sought
more markets for its goods.
-Alfred Mahan argued that to protect its trade, the United States must build up its navy.
-In the 1890s William R. Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer used their newspapers to increase public
sympathy for Cuban rebels.
- The building of the Panama Canal was important because it facilitated movement between
Atlantic and Pacific ports.
-To support their view, anti-imperialists argued that imperialism rejected the American ideal of
“liberty for all.”
- The United States acquired control of the Canal Zone by organizing a revolt in Panama.
-The event that led to the Spanish-American War was when The Spanish navy sank two
American ships in the Pacific
-The Open Door Policy important to the United States because It gave the United States access to
millions of consumers in China.
-In 1906 Upton Sinclair’s novel entitled The Jungle exposed dangerous workplace conditions in
the meatpacking industry.
- Journalists known as muckrakers worked at exposing political and business corruption.
- One goal that Progressives did not seek was a ban on strikes.
- The Progressives were nicknamed the Bull Moose Party.
- Playgrounds, kindergartens and homeless shelters were all city- supported welfare services
Vocabulary
Patent-
Productivity-
Transcontinental railroadBessemer process-
Social Darwinism-
Cartel-
Trust-
Economies of scale-
Vertical consolidation-
Division of labor-
Monopoly-
ScalawagImpeach-
Sharecropper-
Carpetbagger-
Civil rights-
Reconstruction-
Tenant farmerFreedmen’s Bureau-
Fourteenth Amendment-
Pardon-
Fifteenth Amendment-
Black codes-
Infrastructure-
Thirteenth Amendment-
Solid SouthPopulists-
Boomers-
Long drive-
Push- Pull Factors-
Great Plains-
Reservations-
Nomads-
Assimilation-
Daws Act-
Homesteader-
Soddie-
Placer Mining-
Homestead Act-
Exoduster-
Laissez-faire-Government plays a very limited role in business.
Subsidy- Payment made by the government to encourage certain industries
Suburbs- Residential community surrounding the city.
Tenements- Low cost apartment building
Graft- Use of one’s job to gain profit
Political machine- Unofficial city organization designed to keep a certain political group in
power
Temperance movement- Organized campaign to eliminate alcohol consumption.
Vice- Immoral or corrupt behavior
Social gospel movement- Reform movement developed within religious institutions
Ghetto- Area/ home to certain ethnic and racial groups.
Steerage- Where most immigrants traveled when they crossed the Atlantic
Gilded Age- Term used to describe post Reconstruction era
Aliens- A non- Citizen
Quarantine- Where immigrants were placed if they were thought to carry a contagious disease
Sociology- The study of how people interact with one another in society.
William Randolph Hearst- Newspaper publisher whose “yellow journalism” influences public
opinion.
Theodore Roosevelt-“Rough Rider” who later became President
William Howard Taft- President known for his “Dollar Diplomacy”
Assimilation- The process by which people of one culture become part of another culture
Philanthropist- People who gave donations to worthy causes
Yellow journalism-“Sensational,” often lurid, reporting of current events
Vaudeville- An inexpensive variety show
Ragtime- Music that originated among black musicians in the South and Midwest
Literacy- The ability to read and write
Lynching- The murder of an accused person by a mob without a lawful trial
Plessy v. Ferguson- Decision legalizing segregation
Grandfather clause- Laws that exempted men from voting restrictions
Jim Crow- System of legal discrimination
Poll Tax- A fee that must be paid before voting
Department store- Large store carrying a great variety of goods
Mail-order catalog- Printed materials selling goods by mail
Rural free delivery(RFD)- Mail delivery to rural areas
Open Door Policy - Policy that gave the United States equal access to trading rights with China.
Imperialism- Policy under which stronger nations attempt to create an empire by dominating
weaker nations
Jingoism- National pride combine with a desire for an aggressive foreign policy
Banana Republic- What some people referred to Central America as.
Concession- A grant of land in exchange for a promise to use it for a specific purpose
Dollar Diplomacy- President Taft’s policy of encouraging American investment in foreign
economics.
Direct primary- voters cast ballots to select nominees for upcoming elections.
Clayton Antitrust Act- Woodrow Wilson promised to enforce antitrust laws without threatening
free economic competition.
Social welfare programs- ensure a basic standard of living for all Americans.
Recall- Process by which voters can remove public officials from office before the next election.
Injunctions- Legal court issued document prohibiting workers from striking.
Home rule- Under this system cities exercised a limited degree of self-government.
Initiative- Process by which Citizens can propose new laws.
Civil Disobedience- The legalized strikes and peaceful picketing.
Short Answers
Explain the difference between sharecropper and tenant farming.
Sharecropper shares the land and has to give the land owner money and part of the crop. A
Tenant farmer rents the land and gets to keep all the profit
Why was President Johnson impeached and what was the outcome?
He was impeached because he fired his secretary of war which was unconstitutional and the
outcome was he was not kicked out of office he was saved by one vote.
Identify and explain two of the black codes.
– Curfews: Generally, black people could not gather after sunset.
– Vagrancy laws: Freedmen convicted of vagrancy– that is, not working–
could be fined, whipped, or sold for a year’s labor.
– Labor contracts: Freedmen had to sign agreements in January for a year of
work. Those who quit in the middle of a contract often lost all the wages they
had earned.
– Land restrictions: Freed people could rent land or homes only in rural areas.
This restriction forced them to live on plantations.
What did each of the following amendments do?
13th Amendment-Freedom
14th Amendment-Citizenship
15th Amendment-Vote
What was the main goal of the Freedman’s Bureau?
• To help black Southerners adjust to freedom.
Name three of the new Freedoms African Americans gained after the Civil War.
• Freedom of movement: Enslaved people often walked away from plantations upon
hearing that the Union army was near.
• Freedom to own land: Proposals to give white-owned land to freed people got little
support from the government. Unofficial land redistribution did take place,
however.
• Freedom to worship: African Americans formed their own churches and started
mutual aid societies, debating clubs, drama societies, and trade associations.
• Freedom to learn: Between 1865 and 1870, black educators founded 30 African
American colleges.
Who started the KKK and why was this organization created? ( 3 points)
Started buy ex confederates
• The Klan sought to eliminate the Republican Party in the South by intimidating
voters.
• They wanted to keep African Americans as submissive laborers.
Name four inventions of the Industrial Revolution.
Light Bulb
Telephone
Telegraph
Phonograph
Refrigerator
Dishwasher
Escalator
Typewriter
Describe two characteristics of Robber Barron’s and two characteristics of Captions of Industry.
Robber Barron- Built fortune by stealing from the public, very corrupt, tried to
control government officials
Captains of Industry- Served nation in a positive way, increased supply of goods,
expanded the market, created jobs.
Name three Unions created during this time period.
Knights of Labor
American Federation of Labor
National Trades Union
What was the importance of capital during the Industrial Revolution?
The money or capital is what funded the inventors. With out that money they would
not have been able to invent a lot of what they did.
What is the difference between vertical consolidation and horizontal consolidation. (8 points)
Vertical Consolidation- gaining control of the many businesses that make up
production of your product
Horizontal Consolidation- Bringing together many firms in the same business
List and describe what the following people were famous for: (15 points)
Henry Bessemer: The Bessemer process which improved the way steel was made
Andrew Carnegie: :Steel- Improving and expanding the steel industry helping to build things
like the Brooklyn Bridge
Alexander Graham Bell: Telephone, opened lines of communication and helped with long
distance calling
Thomas A. Edison: Light Bulb and electricity
Name two push and two pull factors of Western Expansion.
Push- Cheep land, New Jobs, African Americans escaping violence, Religious
freedom..
Pull- Pacific Railway Act, Homestead Act, Morrill Land Grant Act, Free Private
Property
What Caused the Battle at Wounded Knee?
A misunderstanding about the ghost dance. Soldiers thought the Natives were
rebelling but they were just performing a ritual.
What was the other name for the Populists party?
The Peoples Party
Name three improvements in farming that took place between 1860-1900.
Steel Plow, Fry Farming, Barbed wire, Grain Drill …
Why did the Populist Party want a silver standard?
Increase the money supply cause inflation and the value of their crops would go up
What group of immigrants settled on the West Coast?
Asians, Chinese and Japanese
In what year did they begin requiring physical examinations for all immigrants?
1892
Why did business owners love to hire immigrants?
They worked for low pay
Name the three reasons ghettos form.
1. Isolation
2. Comfort
3. Restriction – Be able to explain them!
What do sociologists do?
Study how people interact with one another
What does the term “Gilded Age” mean? Describe in detail with an example.
Gilded means to cover something in gold, so the Gilded Age describes a time period where
everything out the outside appeared to be covered with gold “wealthy’ but really it was
covering the poverty that was going on underneath the surface. Example- wealthy business
men like Carnegie compared to the immigrants living in tenements.
How did the growth of cities lead to the growth of entertainment?
As cities grew and became over crowded, people began to look for an escape from
the filth and crowding of the cities. Entertainment becomes a mental escape a hope
of better things to come.
Why did the white community want to restrict voting rights of African Americans? (5
points)
They didn’t want African Americans to gain political power.
Name two inventions that changes women’s work in the home. ( 2 points)
Vacuum and Canned food
What are the 4 things that lead to imperialism? Describe. ( 8 points)
Nationalism- Pride in ones country= competition
Military- Strength and growth in military= power
Humanitarian- Go to other countries to help= spread of your religion and ideas
Economics- new markets for trade
What countries were involved in the Spanish American war?
Spain, America and Cuba
What three countries did the United States get from the Spanish American war?
Guam, Puerto Rico, Philippines
What are the main causes of WW1?
M.A.N.I.A ..Militarism, Alliances, Nationalism, Imperialism, Assassination
Know what the following characters symbolize:
Tin Man- Eastern Industrial Worker
Lion- William Jennings Bryan
Silver Shoes- Silver Standard
Scare Crow- Mindless Western Farmer