APUSH Unit 6 Flashcards
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Comstock Lode
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First discovered in 1858 by Henry Comstock, some of the most plentiful and valuable silver was found here, causing many Californians to migrate here, and settle Nevada.
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Credit Mobilier Scandal
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This scandal occurred in the 1870s when a railroad construction company's stockholders used funds that were supposed to be used to build the Union Pacific Railroad for railroad construction for their own personal use. To avoid being convicted, stockholders even used stock to bribe congressional members and the vice president.
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Morrill Land Grant Act
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Passed by Congress in 1862, this law distributed millions of acres of western lands to state governments in order to fund state agricultural colleges.
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Frederick Jackson Turner's Frontier Thesis
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Idea that held that the existence of cheap and unsettled land played a key role in making American society more democratic; the frontier helped create the American spirit of democracy and egalitarianism, acted as a safety valve for Americans to escape bad economic conditions, and stimulated nationalism and individualism
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Ft. Laramie Treaty
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A treaty made between the U.S. government and the Sioux in 1868, after Sioux tribes led by Oglala Chief Red Cloud stopped U.S. construction of the Bozeman Trail between Fort Laramie and western Montana. It guaranteed the Sioux the territory in South Dakota west of the Missouri River, but the government failed to honor the treaty when gold was discovered in the Black Hills in the 1870s.
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Newlands Reclamation Act
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1902 act authorizing federal funds from public land sales to pay for irrigation and land development projects, mainly in the dry Western states.
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Ghost Dance
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A cult that tried to call the spirits of past warriors to inspire the young braves to fight. It was crushed at the Battle of Wounded Knee after spreading to the Dakota Sioux. The Ghost Dance led to the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887. This act tried to reform Indian tribes and turn them into "white" citizens. It did little good.
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Battle of Wounded Knee
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A group of white Christian reformist tried to bring Christian beliefs on to the Indians. Fearing the Ghost Dance American troops were called to go with the reformist. While camped outside of an Indian reservation a gun was fired and the troops stormed the reservation killing Indian men women and children.
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Dawes Severalty Act
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1887, dismantled American Indian tribes, set up individuals as family heads with 160 acres, tried to make rugged individualists out of the Indians, attempt to assimilate the Indian population into that of the American. It was a failure.
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Grange Movement
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Political movement that grew out of the patrons of Husbandry, an educational and social organization for farmers founded in 1867, the Grange had its greatest success in the Midwest of the 1870's, lobbying for governmental control of railroad and grain elevator rates and establishing farmer's cooperatives. It was a movement of farmers banding together to fight their worsening situation, wanted to lower railroad rates.
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Eugene V. Debs
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Socialist, Eugene V. Debs, was accused of espionage and sent to a federal penitentiary for ten years. All this came about because of a speech that he made in Columbus, Ohio at an anti- war rally. Despite his imprisonment he ran for presidency in 1920. Although he didn't win, he had many votes; in fact he had the most that any candidate of the Socialist party had ever had.
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Free Silver
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Movement for using silver in all aspects of currency. Not adopted because all other countries used a gold standard.
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Populists
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They demanded government help with falling farm prices and regulation of railroad rates. They also called for an income tax, an eight hour workday, and limits on immigration. They also wanted FREE SILVER. They wanted all silver mined in the West to be coined into money. They said that farm prices dropped because there was not enough money in circulation. Free silver would increase the money supply and make it easier for farmers to repay their debts.
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Election of 1896
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Republican William McKinley defeated Democrat William Jennings Bryan in 1896. Bryan was the nominee of the Democrats, the Populist Party, and the Silver Republicans.Economic issues, including bimetallism, the gold standard, Free Silver, and the tariff, were crucial.
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Coxey's Army
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A protest march by unemployed workers from the United States, led by the populist Jacob Coxey. They marched on Washington D.C. in 1894, the second year of a four-year economic depression that was the worst in United States history to that time.
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Depression of 1890s
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Tensions building in society, rural hostility toward cities, fight over currency, changed views about govt. and reform, warfare between capital and labor, farmers demanded fairer share, attacked new immigrants, war w/ Spain.
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Helen Hunt Jackson
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A writer. Author of the 1881 book A Century of Dishonor. 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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Victoria Woodhull
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Radical, publicly proclaimed free love, fought for women's rights, women's suffrage (vote), first female to run for presidency.
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Greenback-Labor Party
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Political party that farmers sought refuge in at first, combined inflationary appeal of earlier Greenabackers w/ program for improving labor.
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Bureau of Indian Affairs
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A government agency created in the 1800s to oversee federal policy toward Native Americans.
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Hugh Glass
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A mountain man who lived to tell his story about his fight with a grizzly bear where he used only his bare hands.
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Levi Strauss
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The German-born American[1] creator of the first company to manufacture blue jeans. His namesake firm, Levi Strauss & Company, was founded in 1853 in San Francisco. Jeans were made tough for miners.
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John Muir
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Went on a campaign for awareness of the environment; inspired creation of Yosemite National Park; became president of the Sierra Club, which was devoted to conservation.
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Pony Express
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Express mail carried by relays of riders on horseback, between Missouri and California in 1860. Replaced by telegraph.
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Mormon Migration
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The Mormons were persecuted and so, they migrated west along the Oregon Trail. Led by Brigham Young, the Mormons moved to the western states such as Nebraska, Wyoming, across the Rockies, and to the SW. Played a major role in development of the West. They settled near the Great Salt Lake, which is now Utah.
