Pyay Phyo San
AP U.S History
Key Terms pg. 434-453
Caste System (434) – a hierarchy society of Mexican Republic: Spanish or Mexican citizens at the top,
pueblos under them, and other Indian tribes captured in war (Apaches, Navajos, and others)
Plain Indians (434) – Plain Indians were Indian groups in the West who were diverse in groups of tribes
and language groups. These groups of Indians were in constant conflict. Some formed alliance. All of
these tribes were sedentary farmers and others were nomadic hunters.
Economic Importance of the Buffalo (434) – buffalo or bison was a source of food and the skin also
supplied materials for clothing, shoes, tepees, blankets, robes, and utensils. The bones became knives
and arrow tips. Buffalo tendons formed the strings of bows. In another word, buffalo provided many
basis things for Plain Indians.
Indian Weaknesses (435) – the hatred toward each other had a negative effect on dealing with white
forces. When white forces planned to wipe a tribe, the rival tribes were willing to aid the white forces by
being guides and sometimes fighters. The Indians were also vulnerable to white diseases such as
smallpox, etc.
Taos Indian Rebellion (435) – the American reign over New Mexico by General Stephen Kearney was
becoming a threat to Hispanics and Indians society. In 1847, Taos Indians rebelled. They killed the new
governor and Anglo-American officials before being subdued by Union army.
Hispanic Resistance (436) – in the late 1880s, Mexican peasants in an area of what is now Nevada
successfully fended off the encroachment of English-speaking cattle ranchers. They were able to fend of
Anglo-American influence because of the little railroads established in west.
Decline of Mission Society (437) –the Christian missionaries declined over the year when new Mexican
government began reducing the power of the church which caused the decrease of mission movement.
Declining Status Hispanics (437) – the Hispanic society was already declining when the Anglo-Americans
began to settle in the west. They began to lose power when more and more settlers began to flood into
western areas in postwar. In 1875, Juan Cortina led a group of unsatisfied Hispanics into rebelling
against the white power, but all the efforts to overthrow the white power was a vein.
Racism (437) – at first white Americans welcomed the Chinese migrants because they needed the labor
force that was scarce. Later on in 1848, the flow of Chinese migrants exponentially increased. The white
Americans were beginning to discriminate the Chinese because like the Irish workers in the northeast
year before the Chinese came, they were taking away the jobs from white. Some were lucky enough to
build a wealth on their own and white looked at them as rivals.
-Foreign miners tax was passed to exclude the Chinese from gold mining
Building the Transcontinental Road (438) – gold mining jobs opportunity for Chinese was becoming thin.
They began to look elsewhere for a job which was the building the railroad for Central Pacific. In 1865,
the Chinese labor force in building the transcontinental railroad consisted of 12,000 Chinese which was
90 percent of labor force of the Central pacific. The Chinese labors were also recruited in China which
was sent by Central Pacific agents.
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Worked regardless of the condition they were given even if in winter and working in
mountains.
In spring of 1866, 5000 Chinese railroad workers went on strike demanding higher wages
and a shorter workday. The effort was futile when the Central Pacific forced them into
submission by starving them.
Establishment of “Chinatowns” (439) –In 1900, nearly half the Chinese population of California lived in
urban areas. They set up their own community called “Chinatowns” throughout the west. These
communities revolved around powerful organization that functioned as something like benevolent
societies and filled many of the roles that political machines often served in immigrant communities in
eastern cities. The communities were also led by prominent merchants.
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The “Six Companies” of ten worked together to advance their interest in the city and state)
Anti-Collie Clubs (439) – as Chinese communities becoming more prominent, the white resentment
toward Chinese grew. Anti-coolie clubs emerged in the 1860s and 1870s. The Anti-coolie clubs used
violent efforts force the Chinese laborers from accepting low wage jobs.
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Democratic Party also attacked the Chinese. The growing power of the Workingmen’s Party
of California which was created in 1878 by Denis Kearney, an Irish immigrant also had
hostility to the Chinese.
The reformer Henry George socially denounced Chinese that were defect of products of
civilization.
Chinese Exclusion Act (440) – in 1882, Congress passed Chinese Exclusion Act which banned Chinese
immigrants from entering US for 10 years and barred Chinese already in the country from becoming
naturalized citizens. Congress renewed the law in 1892 and made it permanent in 1902.
Chinese Resistance (440) – the Chinese in America did not quietly accept the laws. They were enraged
by the facts that they were compared to African Americans and Indians. They argued that they were in
fact predecessors of a great and enlightened civilization. The white Americans openly welcomed the
Italians, Irish, and Jews while Chinese were met with hostilities. The Six Companies in San Francisco
organized strenuous letter-writing campaigns, petitioned the president and even filed suit in federal
court. The efforts had no significant effect.
Homestead Act (440) – the Homestead Act was passed in 1862 which permitted the settlers to buy plots
of 160 acres for a small fee if they occupied the land they purchased for five years and improved it. The
law was a measure to improve the economic growth of the nation by giving chances to people who were
in need of land.
Government Assistance (441) – Congress passed 3 laws to help the needy; Timber Culture Act (1873)
which permitted homesteaders to receive grants of 160 additional acres if they planted 40 acres of
trees, the Desert Land Act (1877) which provided that claimants could buy 640 acres at $1.25 an acre
provided the irrigated part of their holdings within three years, Timber and Stoner Act (1878) which
presumably applied to non arable land, authorized sales at $2.50 an acre.
Limited Social Mobility (442) – as more people move into west, people were hoping to find an
opportunity for wealth or maybe better life. Life in west was not easy as it seems. People were
inconsistently in and out of jobs because of competition between Chinese and other factors.
Racially Stratified Working Class (442) – although white workers worked together along side with others
(Chinese, Irish, other immigrants), there was an economic hierarchy. Workers who worked management
and skilled labor were at the top while the workers who did unskilled and arduous work in the mines, on
the railroads or in agriculture were at the bottom.
Life Cycle of a Mining Boom (442) – the gold rush of California began in 1849 when news of gold and
other ores spread. Individual prospector found ores on surface. Later on, when the ores on surface
dwindled, they began to look deeper and deeper until there was none. When a place had found the
place useless, the prospectors would look other areas. most notably what is called today Colorado.
Comstock Lode (443) – another discovery of ore occurred in Nevada. Gold was found in the Washoe
district, but most notably Comstock Lode which was discovered in 1858 by Henry Comstock).
Boomtown Life (443) – the life in towns where new of ore was found was enveloped by the feeling of
wanting to be rich. Only few became rich and were called “bonanza kings”.
Gender Imbalance (443) - there was more men than women, so the birthrate was slow, which might
contribute to smaller to smaller towns and settlements. The gender imbalance was also contributed by
the death rate of men mining.
Mexican Origins (445) – cattle ranching first came from the Texans and Mexicans before the Americans
took over. They developed their own unique skills and devices such as roping, saddles, etc.
Chisholm Trail (445) – trail to the nearest marketing town was needed. The first trail was Chisolm Trail
which starts from San Antonio to Abilene, Kansas. Better and convenient trail was needed because
crossing over plains were hard and many cattle died. Therefore, in order to reduce the casualties, other
trails were found.
Competition with Farmers (446) – as more and more people flooded the Great Plain, there were
competitions with sheepmen and cattlemen, and between ranchers and farmers. The competition led to
war between each other for land resulting in significant loss of life and property damage.
Political Gains for Women (447) – in the west, women were beginning to gain political rights; voting.
Women used reasoning that women were more generous and virtuous than men. Other gained rights
through religion.
Rocky Mountain School (447) – many of the people was attracted by the geographical features of the
west. The painters of the Rock Mountain School painted these attractions. The most popular painters
were Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran. Painting was another way to attract settler into the west.
Painted canvas also attracted tourism and the tourist industry build resort hotels along the grand
landscape.
Myth of the Cowboy (447) – another way of romanticizing the west was the cowboys. People looked at
them as carefree person that was free from the social restriction of the east.
Romantic Image of the West (447) – even before settling in the west became popular; many Americans
looked into the west as starting a new life. As the west became part of the Union, the feeling of moving
into west became stronger.
Frederic Remington (448) – Frederic Remington was a painter and sculptor. Like Owen Wistor’s The
Virginian, Remington romanticized the west as an alternate to settled civilization from the west and the
cowboys as living carefree life that was unrestricted.
Theodore Roosevelt (449) – like Wistor and Remington, he also romanticized the west. He felt that the
nature in the west had allowed him to recover his strength from all of his trouble such as his wife’s
death. During his life, he published a four-volume history, The Winning of the West, with a romanticized
account of the spread of white civilization into the frontier.
Turner’s Frontier Thesis (452) – Frederick Jackson Turner of the University of Wisconsin argued that the
end of the “frontier” also marked the end of one of the most important democratizing forces in
American life. This means that when people stop romanticizing about the west, it would be the end of
American democracy.
Psychological Loss (452) – the Garden of Eden was compared to the west where a person could begin
life anew and where the ideals of democracy could be restored and now it was diminishing.