APUSH Unit 6 Term List

24 August 2022
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Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall
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William M. "Boss" Tweed was the boss of Tammany Hall. He is the definition of the political machine and exported millions of federal tax dollars into his pockets. Tammany Hall was a New York City political organization formed in 1789 in opposition to the Republican Party, its leadership mirrored the local Democratic Party's executive committee. Created to help the city's immigrants/poor, it was also used as a method to control the public's opinion on political matters in exchange for money. The organization was rendered extinct after welfare programs were created by the Republicans in an attempt to take away the public's power. Significance: The power that Tweed held shows just how desperate the poverty-stricken public was to find aid. It shows how political manipulation helped distribute the Democratic party's opinions into effect and how welfare was only created because of fear towards the democratic mass.
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Credit Mobilier Scandal
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Credit Mobilier A joint-stock company organized in 1863 and reorganized in 1867 to build the Union Pacific Railroad. It was involved in a scandal in 1872 in which high government officials were accused of accepting bribes. The Union Pacific Railroad company had been hired to build part of the transcontinental railway. Instead of hiring outside contractors to complete the construction, however, Union Pacific vice president Thomas Durant and Union Pacific's other largest stockholders organized their own construction company—Crédit Mobilier—and awarded the UP building contract to themselves. Significance: The scandal also showed how corruption tainted Gilded Age politics, and the lengths railroads and other economic interests would go to assure and increase profits.
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Panic of 1873
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The Panic of 1873 stands as the first global depression brought about by industrial capitalism. It was caused by too many railroads and factories being formed than existing markets could bear and the over-loaning by banks to those projects. Initially, the panic was sparked when banks and businesses began to go bankrupt. The situation quickly snowballed from there. Significance: As a result of the Panic of 1873, the debate between the farmers who wanted inflated greenback money vs. the bankers who wanted the gold standard formed.
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Whiskey Ring Scandal
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Was a group of whiskey distillers who conspired to defraud the federal government of taxes. Operating mainly in Mo., Wis., Ill., the Whiskey Ring bribed Internal Revenue officials and accomplices in Washington in order to keep liquor taxes for themselves. Bristow, secretary of the Treasury, organized a secret investigation that exposed the ring. Allegations that the illegally held tax money was to be used in the Republican Party's national campaign for the reelection of President Ulysses S. Grant aroused the public. Though Grant was not suspected, his private secretary, Orville E. Babcock, was indicted in the conspiracy but was acquitted after Grant testified to his innocence. Significance: Showed weakness of the Southern and also Western government and is a prime example of public corruption. This means that the government knew of it but was hard to expose.
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Garfield Assassination
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On the morning of July 2, 1881, Garfield headed for the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad station on his way to a short vacation. As he walked through the station toward the waiting train, Guiteau stepped behind the president and fired two shots. The first bullet grazed Garfield's arm; the second lodged below his pancreas. He died after 80 days. Significance: Garfield's assassination was instrumental to the passage of the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act on January 16, 1883. Garfield himself had called for civil service reform in his inaugural address and supported it as President in the belief that it would make government more efficient. It was passed as something of a memorial to the fallen President. Arthur lost the Republican Party nomination in 1884 to Blaine, who went on to lose a close election to Democrat Grover Cleveland.
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Pendleton Act
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The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of the United States is a federal law established in 1883 that stipulated that government jobs should be awarded on the basis of merit. The act provided selection of government employees by competitive exams, rather than ties to politicians or political affiliation. Significance: The law applied only to federal government jobs, not to the state and local jobs that were the basis for political machines. After a series of party reversals at the presidential level, the result was that most federal jobs were under civil service. One result was more expertise and less politics.
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Chinese Exclusion Act
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The Chinese Exclusion Act was approved on May 6, 1882. It was the first significant law restricting immigration into the United States. This act provided an absolute 10-year moratorium on Chinese labor immigration. For the first time, Federal law proscribed entry of an ethnic working group on the premise that it endangered the good order of certain localities. Significance: American experience with Chinese exclusion spurred later movements for immigration restriction against other "undesirable" groups such as Middle Easterners, Hindu and East Indians, and the Japanese. It also encouraged anti-immigrantion feelings in America.
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Homestead Steel Strike
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The Homestead strike, in Homestead, Pennsylvania, pitted one of the most powerful new corporations, Carnegie Steel Company, against the nation's strongest trade union, the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers. The strike lost momentum and ended on November 20, 1892. With the Amalgamated Association virtually destroyed, Carnegie Steel moved quickly to institute longer hours and lower wages. Significance: The Homestead strike inspired many workers, but it also underscored how difficult it was for any union to prevail against the combined power of the corporation and the government.
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Depression of 1893
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The Panic of 1893 was a national economic crisis set off by the collapse of two of the country's largest employers, the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad and the National Cordage Company. Following of the failure of these two companies, a panic erupted on the stock market. Hundreds of businesses had overextended themselves, borrowing money to expand their operations. When the financial crisis struck, banks and other investment firms began calling in loans, causing hundreds of business bankruptcies across the United States. Banks, railroads, and steel mills especially fell into bankruptcy. Significance: The Panic of 1893 did have a significant effect, as by the close of 1893, more than 15,000 businesses and more than 640 banks were bankrupt. Large-scale strikes were frequent and often bloody. The Depression formed the backdrop for the intensely contested elections of 1894 and 1896, which both resulted in Republican landslides and the emergence of the Progressive Era.
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Transcontinental Railroad
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Completed in 1869 at Promontory, Utah, it linked the eastern railroad system with California's railroad system, revolutionizing transportation in the west, A railroad that stretches across a continent from coast to coast. Significance: The Transcontinental Railroad made it so that it was easier to for mail and goods to travel faster and cheaper. It took land away from Native Americans and many were killed in the early stages.
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Knights of Labor
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Unlike most trade unions of the day, the Knights' unions were vertically organized-each included all workers in a given industry, regardless of trade. The Knights were also unusual in accepting workers of all skill levels and both sexes; blacks were included as well as women. Americans saw them as a threat to democracy. Significant: It exemplifies how a union can die simply because of the strong racist and xenophobic values that ran ramped in America.
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Alexander Graham Bell
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The Scottish-born American scientist best known as the inventor of the telephone. Bell was granted the first official patent for his telephone in March 1876, though he would later face years of legal challenges to his claim that he was its sole inventor, resulting in one of history's longest patent battles. Bell continued his scientific work for the rest of his life, and used his success and wealth to establish various research centers nationwide. Significance: Bell invented the invention that would make America feel smaller and promote Westward Expansion. This Westward Expansion would lead to the deaths of millions of Indians as Americans fulfilled the American Dream via land ownership.
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Thomas Edison
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In his 84 years, Thomas Edison acquired a record number of 1,093 patents and was the driving force behind such innovations as the phonograph, the incandescent light bulb (Edison Electric Light Company) and one of the earliest motion picture cameras. In addition to his talent for invention, Edison was also a successful manufacturer and businessman who was highly skilled at marketing his inventions-and himself-to the public. Significance: Edison provided the light bulb which changed the way of life for millions of Americans. This technology brought electricity into the homes of Americans and advanced technology significantly.
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Haymarket Square Bombing
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On May 4, 1886, a labor protest rally near Chicago's Haymarket Square turned into a riot after someone threw a bomb at police. At least eight people died as a result of the violence that day. Despite a lack of evidence against them, eight radical labor activists were convicted in connection with the bombing. Significance: The Haymarket Riot was viewed a setback for the organized labor movement in America as it created even more xenophobic sentiment. At the same time, the men convicted in connection with the riot were viewed by many in the labor movement as martyrs.
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Wabash Supreme Court Decision
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This 1886 case overturned the earlier Munn vs. Illinois case. In this case, the Supreme Court severely limited the right of states to regulate businesses that dealt with interstate commerce. This meant only the federal government had a power that had been granted to the states. Farmers responded to this case with increased political organizing, and Congress responded by creating the first real business regulatory body: the Interstate Commerce Commission. Significance: This case is significant because it progressed the protection of the Capitalist elite by the government and the manipulation of the poor by the rich.
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American Federation of Labor
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Founded by Samuel Gompers, it asked for: 1. An 8 hour work day 2. Higher wages 3. Equal wages for men/women Was not an egalitarian union and only permitted skilled workers. Mostly white protestants. They were not a threat because they looked like Americans. Significance: The AFL provided workers with a union that was strong against the Capitalist elite, but this strong union also caused for the Capitalists to grow more towards Nativism and Xenophobia and afraid of the masses.
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United States Steel Corporation
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J. P. Morgan and the attorney Elbert H. Gary founded U.S. Steel in 1901 by combining the Andrew Carnegie's Carnegie Steel Company with Gary's Federal Steel Company and William Henry "Judge" Moore's National Steel Company for $492 million. At one time, U.S. Steel was the largest steel producer and largest corporation in the world. U.S. Steel maintained the labor policies of Andrew Carnegie, which called for low wages and opposition to unionization. Significance: The Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers union that represented workers at the Homestead, Pennsylvania plant was, for many years, broken after a violent strike in 1892. Limited clashed over contract negotiations in what has become known as The Homestead Strike which was a direct result of the formation of the United States Steel Corp.
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Morrill Act
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The Morrill Act of 1862 was also known as the Land Grant College Act. It was a major boost to higher education in America. The grant was originally set up to establish institutions is each state that would educate people in agriculture, home economics, mechanical arts, and other professions that were practical at the time. The land-grant act was introduced by a congressman from Vermont named Justin Smith Morrill. He envisioned the financing of agricultural and mechanical education because he wanted to assure that education would be available to those in all social classes. Significance: The Morrill Act changed the face of education and made room for our growing and ever changing country and ensured that there would always be money to finance educational facilities and that there would be continual government support of these institutions.
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Woman's Christian Temperance Union
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Was the first mass organization among women devoted to social reform with a program that "linked the religious and the secular through concerted and far-reaching reform strategies based on applied Christianity." Their main reform was against alcohol consumption and the banning of it. Significance: These women became the driving force behind the Prohibition movement and changed the corse of American History. The 1920s era was shaped by the Prohibition's ban of alcohol.
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Brooklyn Bridge
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Designed by John Roebling, this structure combines two structural systems: steel cables (tension) and arches themselves (compression). Significance: This structure established the basis for all modern suspension bridges; it also showed the first time steel used in an American structure.
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Jane Addams
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A prominent social reformer who was responsible for creating the Hull House - a settlement home designed as a welfare agency for needy families, providing social and educational opportunities for working class people. Significance: Addams helped other women join the fight for reform, and influenced the creation of other settlement houses.
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"A Century of Dishonor"
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Written by Helen Hunt Jackson, it detailed the injustices made to Native Americans during US expansion and assimilation of them. Significance: The book exposed the U.S. governments many broken promises to the Native Americans. For example the government wanted Native Americans to assimilate, i.e. give up their beliefs and ways of life, that way to become part of the white culture.
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Sand Creek Massacre
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Bands of Indians attacked stagecoach lines and settlements in an effort to regain territory they had lost. In response to these incidents, whites called up a large territorial militia and the army issued dire threats of retribution. The governor urged all friendly Indians to congregate at army posts for protection began its campaign. One Arapaho and Cheyenne band camped near Fort Lyon in response to the invitation. Colonel J. M. Chivington encouraged his militia to fight and 133 people were killed. Significance: This massacre shows the unrelenting power that the United States unleashed on the Indians in a merciless display. It exemplifies how the Indians were wrongfully robbed of their land and killed.
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Nez Perce Indian War
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The U.S. government broke a land treaty with the Nez Perce, forcing the group out of their homeland in Wallowa Valley in the Northwest for relocation in Idaho. Chief Joseph learned that three young Nez Perce warriors, enraged at the loss of their homeland, had massacred a band of white settlers. Fearing retaliation by the U.S. Army, the chief led fewer than 300 Nez Perce Indians toward the Canadian border. Finally, only 40 miles short of his Canadian goal, Chief Joseph was cornered by the U.S. Army, and his people were forcibly relocated to a barren reservation in Indian Territory. Significance: The Nez Perce Indians were swindled out of their money and then forced onto a barren reservation forcibly all because the United States government was land thirsty. This shows the ugliness and the raging racism that the government exhibited during this time.
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"The Influence of Sea Power upon History"
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Was an influential treatise on naval warfare written in 1890 by Alfred Thayer Mahan. It details the role of sea power throughout history and discusses the various factors needed to support a strong navy. Significance: During the 1890s, Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan's books shaped American foreign policy by arguing that national power was contingent on control of the seas, allocation of domestic natural resources, and the expansion of foreign markets. He supported the establishment of colonies in the Caribbean and Pacific and joining them by a U.S.-controlled canal through the Central American isthmus. His writings influenced Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge, and American territorial expansion.
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"Insular" Cases
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These were court cases dealing with islands/countries that had been recently annexed and demanded the rights of a citizen. These Supreme Court cases decided that the Constitution did not always follow the flag, thus denying the rights of citizenship to US territories. Significance: The United States holds these territories under our power yet we withhold from them their proper rights. This calls into question the morals of the United States and signals a shift towards imperialism.
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Platt Amendment
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Was an amendment added to Cuba's constitution by the Cuban government after pressure from the United States. This amendment provided that Cuba would make no treaties that compromised its independence or granted concessions to other countries without U.S. approval. The amendment was abrogated in 1934. Significance: This amendment shows the power the United States is exerting over Cuba as an international imperialist.
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Bessemer Process
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An industrial process for making steel using a Bessemer converter to blast air through molten iron, thus burning the excess carbon and impurities. It was the first successful method of making steel in quantity at low cost. Significance: In the mid 1800s this method of steel production dropped the cost of high quality steel by more than 75% thus further fueling the industrial revolution.
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Mugwumps
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A political movement comprising Republicans who supported Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland in the United States presidential election of 1884. They switched parties because they could not in good faith support the Republican candidate, James Blaine. Significance: Mugwumps were people who refused to stand for a party that promoted finical corruption and became reformers to try and promote democracy in America.
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Stalwarts
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Republicans in the 1870s who supported Ulysses Grant and Roscoe Conkling; they accepted machine politics and the spoils system and were challenged by other Republicans called Half-Breeds, who supported civil service reform. Significance: The Stalwarts were a faction of the Republican party who wanted the world to stay the same and thus they promoted corruption in politics and unfair finical measures.
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U.S. v. E.C. Knight
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The Supreme Court ruled that since the Knight Company's monopoly over the production of sugar had no direct effect on commerce, the company couldn't be controlled by the government. It also ruled that mining and manufacturing weren't affected by interstate commerce laws and were beyond the regulatory power of Congress. Significance: This ruling promoted the success of monopolies and further progressed them in American history. By promoting monopolies, the US supreme court also promoted poverty and the manipulation of politics and the economy by big business.
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Munn v. Illinois
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Munn, a partner in a Chicago warehouse firm, was found guilty by an Illinois court of violating the state for fixing maximum charges for storage of grain. Significance: The Munn case allowed states to regulate certain businesses within their borders (intrastate), including railroads, and is commonly regarded as a milestone in the growth of federal government regulation.
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Horatio Alger (view on the West)
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A prolific 19th-century American author, best known for his many young-adult fiction novels about impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of middle-class security and comfort through hard work, determination, courage, and honesty. He uses the West as a background for most of the stories that he writes. Significance: With this instilling of handwork, determination, courage, and honesty on the stage of the West--Alger plants into American minds and morals that this is what the West holds. He further plants the West as a seed of hope in the American conscience.
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Venezuelan Border Crisis
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Occurred over Venezuela's longstanding dispute with Britain, over a piece of land that Britain claimed as part of British Guiana and Venezuela saw as Venezuelan territory. The British eventually allowed the United States to act as a mediator under the power of the Monroe Doctrine. In the end, British Guiana received most of the land. Significance: This issue resulted in a more broadened view of the Monroe Doctrine.
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Pullman Strike
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A 1894 strike by railroad workers upset by drastic wage cuts. The strike was led by socialist Eugene Debs but not supported by the American Federation of Labor. Eventually President Grover Cleveland intervened and federal troops forced an end to the strike. Significance: The strike highlighted both divisions within labor and the government's new willingness to use armed force to combat work stoppages