Railroads & Federal Policy
The railroad completed in 1869 that connected eastern rail networks to the Pacific Coast.
Transcontinental Railroad
The federal system that confined Native American tribes to designated lands.
reservation system
Cowboys transporting herds of cattle to railroad towns participated in this activity.
cattle drive
The term used to describe the late 1800s when economic prosperity masked deeper social problems.
Gilded Age
This steel mogul later donated much of his wealth to libraries, universities, and public institutions.
Andrew Carnegie
The Homestead Act encouraged settlement by granting _____ acres of land to settlers who improved and farmed the land within ______ Years
160, 5
This policy attempted to reduce conflict by assigning religious leaders to oversee Native American reservations.
Grant’s Peace Policy
A town that grows quickly after mineral discoveries is called this.
boomtown
This economic philosophy argued that government should interfere as little as possible in business.
laissez-faire
This oil tycoon created Standard Oil and became one of the most powerful businessmen of the Gilded Age.
Who is John D. Rockefeller
Chinese immigrant laborers worked in the ______ sector of the Transcontinental Railroad
Western
This 1876 battle became famous after Native American forces defeated U.S. troops led by George Custer.
Battle of Little Bighorn
When mining resources ran out, these once-thriving towns were often abandoned.
ghost town
A business that dominates an industry and eliminates competition is known as this.
monopoly
Workers formed these organizations to negotiate collectively for wages, hours, and working conditions.
labor unions
The Union Pacific started in _____ & the Central Pacific started in _______ both meeting in __________
Omaha Nebraska, Sacramento California, Promontory Summit, Utah.
This 1890 event is often considered the final major armed conflict of the Plains Wars.
Wounded Knee
Farmers frustrated with railroad costs and economic hardship helped create this political movement in the late 1800s.
Populist Party
This strategy allowed companies to control every stage of production, from raw materials to distribution.
vertical integration
Workers refusing to work in order to pressure employers for change is known as this.
strike
Explain why federal subsidies and land grants to railroads were controversial among farmers and taxpayers.
railroad companies gained enormous power and land while farmers later faced high shipping costs and monopolistic practices
Explain how federal policies and economic expansion worked together to weaken Plains Native American societies.
railroads, buffalo extermination, and reservation policies destroyed economic independence and forced tribes into dependency
Analyze how the development of railroads connected western economic growth with eastern industrial expansion.
railroads allowed western resources, cattle, and crops to supply eastern factories and cities, linking regional economies into a national market
Evaluate how monopolies could both strengthen and weaken the American economy during the Gilded Age.
monopolies increased efficiency and production but reduced competition and concentrated wealth and power
Analyze why labor conflict became increasingly common during the Gilded Age.
rapid industrialization created poor working conditions, low wages, and unequal wealth, leading workers to organize and strike