Civil War and Reconstruction
It freed slaves in the South, allowed African Americans in the North to join the army, and gave the war a high moral purpose.
What impact did the Emancipation Proclamation have on the Civil War?
A cowboy’s life was hard work, with long days in all kinds of weather
What was a cowboy’s life like?
Working conditions around 1900 were harsh and dangerous. Workers tried to organize, but management dismissed union members and used strikebreakers. The government backed management, not labor.
Describe working conditions of the time and union-management relations
The growing cities were plagued by overcrowding, lack of transportation, poor water and sanitation, and the threat of fire and crime
What problems arose in the growing cities?
Skyscrapers made cities grow taller; street cars made them larger and easier to get around. Use of airplanes speeded mail delivery. Printing technology increased the number of books, magazines, and newspapers
What technological changes at the turn of the twentieth century affected American life?
The North planned to blockade the South to prevent food and supplies from arriving. The Union also hoped to split the Confederacy in two and capture the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia.
How did the North plan to win the Civil War?
Settlers wished to farm land land that Native Americans needed for their nomadic way of life.
Why did Native Americans and settlers come into conflict?
Industrialization was fueled by the availability of gas, iron, and coal; the development of the steel industry and electricity; and many inventions
What developments fueled industrialization
Political machines helped immigrants adapt to life and helped build the cities. Many officials became corrupt, however
What role did political machines play in cities?
Modern mass culture was launched with the beginning of professional sports, movies, department stores, and catalog shopping.
What evidence of modern mass culture can you find near the turn of the twentieth century?
Congress tried to control Reconstruction, protect African Americans’ civil rights, and rebuild Southern society.
What role did Congress play during Reconstruction?
Populism rose when farmers protested debt and railroad prices, but it died out after the election of 1896, when the urban vote, fearing inflation, defeated William Jennings Bryan, who had campaigned for cheap money.
Describe the rise and fall of Populism.
The rail industry spread throughout the country in the 1800s, helping to promote the iron, steel, coal, lumber, and glass industries and promoting the growth of many cities.
Describe the growth and development of the rail industry and what impact it had.
Unqualified government employees interfered with the daily functioning of the government. Other appointees used their positions for personal gains. This lack of ability and corruption led many to urge civil service reform for federal workers.
What led to the call for civil service reform?
African Americans suffered the passage of Jim Crow laws in the South and faced discrimination in the North. Mexican Americans suffered discrimination, too. Laws prevented more Chinese from immigrating to the country.
What discrimination was faced by minority groups in the late 1800s?
The federal government became larger and stronger. The economic gap between North and South grew. The Thirteenth Amendment, ratified in 1865, abolished slavery.
What were the results of the Civil War?
The settlers changed the Great Plains by turning the vast grasslands into farms.
How did settlers change the Great Plains?
Congress passed the Sherman Antitrust Act to regulate business, but the courts did not enforce it
How did the government try to regulate business? What happened to these efforts?
Between 1870 and 1920, millions of immigrants came from Europe, especially southern and eastern Europe. Hundreds of thousands came from China and the Caribbean. Many thousand came from Japan. About one million came from Mexico after 1910
Where did immigrants come from in the period from 1870 to 1920?
In the late 1800s, schools became compulsory in more states and the curriculum changed. The number of kindergartens and high schools increased, as did the number of colleges.
How did education change in the late 1800s?
An antislavery candidate for president finished a strong second in 1856. The 1857 Supreme Court decision in the Dred Scott case defined slaves as property. In 1858, Stephen Douglas won re-election as a U.S. senator, but his opponent, Abraham Lincoln, raised moral questions about slavery. In the 1860 election, Lincoln won with no Southern support. Shortly thereafter, seven southern states seceded.
What events from 1856 to 1860 led to the Civil War?