What did the court cases Wabash v. Illinois and Munn v. Illinois deal with?
Regulation of the railroads. Said gov't could only regulate railroads within state lines.
100
What groups built the railroads?
Chinese & Irish immigrants, African Americans, and Mexican Americans.
100
What is assimilation? Give two examples.
Giving up cultural traits to become similar to another culture.
Language, dress, family values, traditions.
100
What invention made farming faster and more lucrative?
John Deere's steel plow.
100
Who wrote a "Century of Dishonor?"
Helen Hunt Jackson
200
How did the gov't finance the construction of the railroads?
Gave free land to railroad companies. 1 mile of track = 10-20 square miles of land.
200
What was the Homestead Act? Why did the U.S. gov't approve the program?
A gov't program that gave 160 acres of free land to settlers who promised to build a house and work the land for 5 years. Gov't wanted to convince people to move west.
200
How did the gov't "deal" with Native Americans?
Assimilation, reservations, wipe them out.
200
Why did the populists want government regulation of the railroads?
Shipping rates by railroad were incredibly expensive because their was no competition.
200
What is Nativism?
Basically the fear of foreigners. Example is Chinese Exclusion Act which limited Chinese immigration into the U.S.
300
Explain the various reason why people wanted to move west.
New opportunities
Economic reasons
Religion tolerance
300
What was the Morrill Act?
Gov't program that established agricultural training and farming tools to train settlers moving west.
300
What effect did the destruction of the buffalo have on the Native Americans?
N.A. depending on the buffalo to live in their traditional ways. Decrease of the buffalo population meant N.A.s had to change the way they lived or they would die.
300
What is bimetallism?
Belief that money should be backed by both gold and silver.
300
Who were the the Buffalo soldiers and how did they get their name?
All black military units who protected settlers from bandits and N.A. Named by N.A. who respected their bravery and named them after the revered buffalo.
400
Who were the exodusters?
African Americans who moved west from the south in order to escape racism and make a fresh start.
400
How did the gov't make it easier for settlers to move west and to survive once they were there?
Gov't financed the construction of the railroads.
400
What was the gov't program which attempted to assimilate Native Americans by giving individuals plots of land?
the Dawes Act
400
How did farmers often get into debt?
More crops=cheap price. Took out loans to buy more land and produce more crops, but couldn't make payments.
400
Explain Turner's thesis (the Frontier Thesis).
Western expansion shaped the American identity and cultural values. Characteristics like individualism and democracy originated from the move westward.
500
What is the idea of Manifest Destiny and how did the idea influence western migration?
Idea that America was destined to settle from the east to west coasts and everything in between; thought to be sanctioned by God. Helped to justify western migration, removal of the N.A. and war with Mexico.
500
Explain the various effects of the transcontinental railroads.
- helped people migrate west (transportation)
- provided jobs to various minority groups
- increased trade between the east and west (moved goods to the west, moved crops to the east)
500
Which conflict with a U.S. army regiment caused N.A. to end most major fighting?
Massacre at Wounded Knee
500
Who gave the "Cross of Gold" speech and what were his main points?
William Jennings Bryan. Said farmers were equal to business men and that industrialization was made possible by farming. The common people are just as important as rich business men.
500
What amount of success did the Populists have and what was their legacy?
-Started their own political party.
- Regulated the railroads.
- Influenced the democratic party.
Legacy: the common people have political power and can force reform