Civil War
Reconstruction
Westward Expansion
Triumph of Industry/Labor Movement
Progressive Era
100
What is Sectionalism?
is the strong loyalty people feel to their own region of a country rather than to the nation as a whole. It often develops when different regions have different economic interests, cultures, or views on major issues, leading to conflict.
(Example: In the 1800s, sectionalism grew between the North, South, and West, especially over slavery, tariffs, and states’ rights, and it eventually contributed to the Civil War.)
100
What protections did the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendment guarantee?
13th Amendment (1865): Abolished slavery in the United States.
14th Amendment (1868): Granted citizenship to anyone born or naturalized in the U.S. and guaranteed equal protection under the law.
15th Amendment (1870): Gave African American men the right to vote, prohibiting voting restrictions based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
100
What was the Dawes Act?
Dawes Act (1887): This law divided Native American tribal lands into individual plots for families, aiming to encourage assimilation into American culture. It weakened tribal communities and caused Native Americans to lose millions of acres of land.
100
How did the First Industrial Revolution differ from the Second Industrial Revolution in terms of technology, industry, and energy sources?
(BONUS 100 points: What is is the Bessemer process?)
Technology:
First: Focused on textiles, spinning jennies, steam engines, and mechanized production.
Second: Introduced electricity, the Bessemer steel process, the telephone, and the light bulb.
Industry:
First: Centered on textile and iron industries.
Second: Expanded to steel, oil, chemicals, and railroads, creating mass production and large-scale factories.
Energy Sources:
First: Relied mainly on coal and water power.
Second: Used electricity and oil, which were more efficient and allowed faster production and new inventions.
BONUS – 100 points: The Bessemer process (2nd industrial revolution) was a way to make steel faster and cheaper by removing impurities from iron. This helped build railroads, bridges, and buildings during the Second Industrial Revolution.
100
What issues did women reformers address?
BONUS - 100 points: who was Susan B. Anthony?
Fought for women’s suffrage (the right to vote) and greater political participation.
Campaigned against child labor and unsafe working conditions.
BONUS - 100 points: Susan B. Anthony was a leading women’s rights activist who fought for women’s suffrage and helped organize the movement that eventually led to the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote.
200
Explain the failure of compromises made in the lead up to the Civil War.
Missouri Compromise (1820): It temporarily balanced the number of free and slave states, but by drawing a geographic line dividing where slavery was allowed, it reinforced sectional divisions and turned slavery into a long-term national conflict instead of resolving it.
Compromise of 1850: Although it postponed war, the strict Fugitive Slave Act forced Northerners to participate in slavery, increasing resistance and resentment, while disagreements over whether new territories should allow slavery remained unresolved.
Kansas–Nebraska Act (1854): By using popular sovereignty, it encouraged both pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers to flood into Kansas, resulting in violence and chaos known as “Bleeding Kansas,” which further destroyed trust between the North and South.
200
How did southern states try to preserve old systems of racially inequality after the war? (NAME TWO ANSWERS)
Black Codes: Laws that restricted the freedoms of African Americans, controlling where they could work, live, and travel.
Jim Crow Laws: Enforced racial segregation in schools, public places, and transportation.
Voting Restrictions: Used poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses to prevent African Americans from voting, despite the 15th Amendment.
Sharecropping and Debt Peonage: Economic systems that kept African Americans poor and dependent on white landowners.
Violence and Intimidation: Groups like the Ku Klux Klan used terror to suppress African Americans’ rights and maintain white supremacy.
200
What difficulties & suffering were faced by Native Americans?
(BONUS - 100 points: What is the Reservation system?)
Forced Removal: Tribes were often removed from their ancestral lands, such as during the Trail of Tears, causing death, disease, and starvation.
Violence and War: Many Native Americans were killed or displaced during conflicts with Western settlers and the U.S. Army.
Cultural Suppression: The government tried to force assimilation, banning traditional practices, languages, and religions.
BONUS - The Reservation system forced Native Americans to live on specific areas of land away from their homelands.
200
Compare the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor (AFL)
Knights of Labor: Open to all workers, including women and African Americans Focused on broad social reforms, such as an 8-hour workday, equal pay, and ending child labor. Often used strikes
American Federation of Labor (AFL):Open mainly to skilled workers. Focused on practical goals like higher wages, shorter hours, and better working conditions. Preferred negotiation and collective bargaining over striking
200
What problems arose from rapid urbanization?
Overcrowding: Cities became crowded as more people moved in, leading to tenements and poor living conditions.
Sanitation and Health Issues: Limited clean water, poor sewage systems, and disease outbreaks were common.
Pollution: Industrial factories caused air and water pollution.
300
What military strategy is illustrated below, and what was its main approach or purpose?
(BONUS – 100 points: Which battle ensured this strategy was successfully carried out?)
ANACONDA PLAN - A Union strategy during the Civil War designed to block Southern ports and control the Mississippi River, effectively “squeezing” the Confederacy economically (blocking trade) and geographically splitting the south in two (between the Mississippi River) until it surrendered.
BONUS – The Battle of Vicksburg (1863) was crucial because the Union gained full control of the Mississippi River, completing the key part of the Anaconda Plan.
300
What were the Reconstruction plans of the Radical Republicans, and how did their approach differ from other Republicans?
(BONUS - 100 points: How did President Lincoln's reconstruction plan differ from President Johnson?)
Radical Republicans: They wanted strict measures against the South, including punishing former Confederate leaders, ensuring civil rights for freedmen, and military control of Southern states to enforce change.
Moderate Republicans: They preferred a more lenient approach, focusing on quickly reuniting the nation and allowing Southern states to rejoin with fewer restrictions, even if it meant less protection for African Americans.
BONUS:
Lincoln (10% plan): Wanted a quick and lenient reunification. If 10% of voters in a Southern state swore loyalty, the state could rejoin. He also wanted to end slavery.
Johnson: Even more lenient than Lincoln. He pardoned many Confederates and let Southern states rejoin quickly, but he did little to protect the rights of freed African Americans.
300
What factors enabled westward expansion? (name three)
BONUS - DOUBLE POINTS: What groups settled western lands and why?
Railroads: Made it easier to travel west and transport goods and crops (Transcontinental railroad)
Homestead Act (1862): Offered free or cheap land to settlers willing to farm it.
Technological advances: Tools like the steel plow and windmill made farming on the Plains possible.
Gold and silver discoveries: Attracted settlers looking for wealth and opportunity (boom town)
Government support: Policies and military protection helped settlers claim land and deal with conflicts.
BONUS – DOUBLE POINTS:
Groups who settled western lands:
Farmers seeking land to grow crops
Miners searching for gold and silver
Ranchers and cowboys raising cattle
Immigrants (like Germans, Scandinavians, Chinese) seeking economic opportunity
Why?: For land, jobs, wealth, adventure and a new start, often encouraged by government incentives and a lack of opportunities in the Eastern United States.
300
How did the growth of the steel and oil industries transform the American economy?
Steel: Made stronger buildings, railroads, and bridges possible, supporting urban growth and transportation.
Oil: Provided fuel for factories, trains, and later cars, powering industry and everyday life.
Both helped the U.S. become a leading industrial power
300
What role did Ida Tarbell and other muckrakers play in exposing corporate abuses?
Ida Tarbell Investigated Standard Oil and revealed how it used monopolies, unfair pricing, and ruthless tactics to eliminate competition. Other muckrakers, such as Upton Sinclair ('the Jungle') highlighted unsafe working conditions, poor labor practices, and political corruption.
400
Explain the significance of the Dred Scott decision (1857) & John Brown's Raid (1859) in the lead up to the Civil War
Dred Scott Decision (1857): The Supreme Court ruled that enslaved people were not citizens and that Congress had no power to ban slavery in the territories. This decision undermined earlier compromises, angered the North, and convinced many Americans that slavery could spread anywhere, making peaceful compromise nearly impossible.
John Brown’s Raid (1859): John Brown’s failed attack on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry was meant to spark a slave revolt. Although unsuccessful, it deeply frightened Southerners and made them believe the North supported violent abolition, increasing sectional mistrust and pushing the nation closer to the Civil War.
400
What was the impact of sharecropping and debt peonage on African Americans & former slaves?
Sharecropping allowed freed African Americans farmed land owned by white landowners and gave a portion of their crops as payment. They often bought supplies on credit with high interest, which kept them in debt and unable to become financially independent.
Debt Peonage forced workers to repay debts through labor, keeping many African Americans effectively in a state of forced labor even after slavery ended.
400
How did How problems faced by farmers lead to the Grangers, Farmers Alliances, and Populist Movement?
The problems farmers faced (high railroad rates, debt, falling crop prices, and lack of political power) led them to organize for economic and political support:
Grangers (The National Grange): Farmers joined to share farming techniques and fight high railroad and grain storage costs.
Farmers’ Alliances: Built on the Grange, these groups united farmers across regions to push for reforms like low-interest loans and government regulation of railroads.
Populist Party: Farmers’ frustration with political leaders who ignored their struggles led to this political party, which demanded free silver, income tax reform, and stronger government control of railroads.
400
Explain the significance of the Haymarket Riot, Homestead Strike, and Pullman Strike in the early labor movement.
Haymarket Riot (1886): A peaceful protest for an 8-hour workday in Chicago turned violent when a bomb exploded. It hurt the labor movement’s reputation and led to a crackdown on unions, but it also highlighted workers’ struggles.
Homestead Strike (1892): A strike at Carnegie Steel over wages and working conditions turned violent. It showed the power of big business and the difficulties unions faced when confronting corporations; used violence to suppress workers.
Pullman Strike (1894): A nationwide railroad strike over wage cuts and high rents disrupted rail traffic. Federal troops were sent, and the strike was crushed, demonstrating government support for business over labor.
400
Compare the experiences of Northern and Southern European immigrants with those of Asian immigrants.
Northern and Southern European Immigrants: Mostly came seeking economic opportunities and religious or political freedom. Settled in cities or farmland, often forming ethnic neighborhoods. Faced some discrimination, but could eventually blend into American society more easily.
Asian Immigrants (mainly Chinese and Japanese): Came mostly to work on railroads, farms, and in mining. Faced severe discrimination and legal restrictions, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) and Gentlemen’s Agreement (1907). Often segregated and excluded from many jobs and communities.
“Old” Northern Europeans (e.g., Germany, Ireland) assimilated more easily, faced less discrimination, and often had skills or resources. “New” Southern/Eastern Europeans (e.g., Italy, Poland) and Asian immigrants faced more discrimination, cultural barriers, and legal restrictions.
500
Explain the significance of the Emancipation proclamation and the battle at Gettysburg and ho wit aided the Union war effort.
BONUS - 200 points: Why was the Gettysburg address symbolically significant?
Emancipation Proclamation (1863): Lincoln declared enslaved people in Confederate areas free (not neutral border states). It made ending slavery a goal of the war and allowed African Americans to fight for the Union.
Battle of Gettysburg (1863): A key Union victory that stopped the Confederate invasion of the North and was a turning point in the Civil War for the North.
BONUS: The Gettysburg Address is significant to the Civil War because it helped to redefined the purpose of the war. While the war had started mainly to preserve the Union, Lincoln used the speech to emphasize that the conflict was also about freedom, equality, and democracy. It inspired the North and reminded Americans why it was important to keep the nation united.
500
What were Jim Crow laws and how did they help find a way around the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments?
Jim Crow Laws were state and local laws in the South that enforced racial segregation after Reconstruction. They kept African Americans separate from whites in schools, transportation, public spaces, and voting.
13th Amendment: African Americans were technically free, but segregation and unfair labor laws kept them economically and socially oppressed.
14th Amendment: Segregated facilities were labeled “separate but equal,” which ignored the equal protection clause.
15th Amendment: Voting restrictions like poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses prevented many African Americans from voting despite their constitutional rights.
500
What were the aims of the Populist Party and what was the "Cross of Gold" speech'
The Populist Party, formed in the late 1800s, aimed to help farmers and workers by:
Regulating railroads to lower shipping costs
Introducing a graduated income tax which made the tax system fairer for workers and small farmers, so the wealthy paid more.
Supporting free silver (bimetallism) to increase the money supply and raise crop prices (farmers could make more money)
Giving more political power to ordinary citizens through reforms like direct election of senators
“Cross of Gold” Speech (1896): Delivered by William Jennings Bryan, this speech supported free silver and argued against the gold standard. Bryan said that using only gold money would “crucify” (punish/hurt) farmers and laborers, making it harder for them to pay debts. The speech became famous for inspiring Populists and reform-minded Americans.
500
What role did business practices such as monopolies and trusts play in economic growth?
BONUS - Double Points: What role did the government play in promoting economic growth after the Civil War?
Monopolies and trusts allowed companies to control entire industries, reduce competition, and increase efficiency and profits. This helped some businesses grow quickly but it also led to unfair practices that hurt workers and consumers.
BONUS – Double Points: After the Civil War, the government promoted economic growth by: Supporting railroads with land grants and loans. Passing protective tariffs to support American industries. Enforcing laissez-faire policies, allowing businesses to operate with minimal regulation
500
How did progressive policies, including government regulation aim to correct injustices and restore economic opportunities?
Regulating businesses: Laws like the Interstate Commerce Act and Sherman Antitrust Act limited unfair practices and monopolies.
Protecting workers and consumers: Policies improved working conditions, child labor laws, and food and drug safety (e.g., Pure Food and Drug Act, Meat Inspection Act).
Expanding democracy and fairness: Reforms like direct election of senators, women’s suffrage, and labor protections gave more people a voice in government and the economy.