 | Term | Definition |
| |
peculiar institution |
black slavery in the southern U.S. before the Civil War. |
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abolition |
movement to outlaw slavery |
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cotton kingdom |
Areas in the south where cotton farming developed because of the high demand for cotton |
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freeport doctrine |
idea that any territory could ban slavery by simply refusing to pass laws supporting it |
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popular sovereignty |
Political authority ultimately determined by the citizens |
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secession |
formal separation from an alliance or federation |
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uncle tom's cabin |
antislavery novel, written by harriet beecher stowe |
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confederacy |
the southern states that seceded from the United States in 1861 |
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cotton diplomacy |
The Confederate govn’t talked of embargoing cotton exports in order to bring the British to their side but the govn’t never controlled more than 15% of the S cotton. |
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state's rights |
rights and powers independent of the federal government |
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total war |
sherman convinced grant to let him destroy anything usefull to the south |
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union |
being of or having to do with the northern United States and those loyal to the Union during the Civil War |
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carpetbagger |
Northerner who traveled south to make money off of the Reconstruction |
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freedman's bureau |
The bureau's focus was to provide food, medical care, administer justice, manage abandoned and confiscated property, regulate labor, and establish schools. |
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jim crow laws |
Limited rights of blacks. Literacy tests, grandfather clauses and poll taxes limited black voting rights |
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ku klux klan |
White supremacy organization that intimidated blacks out of their newly found liberties |
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literacy test |
A test given to persons to prove they can read and write before being allowed to register to vote |
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radical republicans |
Political party that favored harsh punishment of Southern states after civil war |
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scalawag |
white Southerner supporting Reconstruction policies after the Civil War usually for self-interest |
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sharecropping |
system in which landowners leased a few acres of land to farmworkers in return for a portion of their crops |
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solid south |
Term applied to the one-party (Democrat) system of the South following the Civil War. For 100 years after the Civil War, the South voted Democrat in every presidential election. |
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exodusters |
African Americans who moved from post reconstruction South to Kansas. |
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manifest destiny |
the United States should stretch from "sea to shining sea" |
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transcontinental railroad |
Railroad connecting the west and east coasts of the continental US |
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corporation |
a business firm whose articles of incorporation have been approved in some state |
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gilded age |
Appears to sparkle but beneath the surface lies corruption, crime, poverty, and disparities in wealth |
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knights of labor |
First nationwide industrial union |
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labor union |
Organization of workers for the purpose of increased lobbying power for benefits and wages |
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laissez faire |
the doctrine that government should not interfere in commercial affairs |
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mass production |
the production of large quantities of a standardized article (often using assembly line techniques) |
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molly maguires |
a society fo irish miners who engaged in a violent confrontation with pennsylvania mining companies in the 19th century |
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monopoly |
a complete control of an entire industry |
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trust |
a consortium of independent organizations formed to limit competition by controlling the production and distribution of a product or service |
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nativism |
a policy of favoring native-born individuals |
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patronage |
the practice of giving jobs to loyal supporters |
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political machine |
well organized political organization that controls election results by awarding jobs and other favors in exchange for votes |
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robber baron |
a business leader who uses dishonest methods to grow rich. |
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social darwinism |
The application of ideas about evolution and "survival of the fittest" to human societies - particularly as a justification for their imperialist expansion. |
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tammany hall |
New York City's powerful political machine |
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free silver |
the unlimited production of silver coins |
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the grange |
Originally a social organization between farmers, it developed into a political movement for government ownership of railroads |
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initiative |
allowed all citizens to introduce a bill into the legislative and required members to take a vote on it |
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populist party |
political party composed of farmers and union members whose goal was to limit the power of big business. |
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recall |
a request by the manufacturer of a defective product to return the product |
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referendum |
voters cast ballots for or against proposed laws |
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tenant farming |
system of farming where farmers rented their land from the landowner and were able to grow whatever crop they chose |
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domesticity |
Life in or fondness for one's home and family. |
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new freedom |
Woodrow Wilson plan a reform with called for tariff reduction and antitrust legislation |
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square deal |
Teddy Roosevelt's plan to maintain equality and fariness for all Americans. |
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muckraking |
the exposure of scandal (especially about public figures) |
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NAACP |
Civil rights organization lead by W.E.B. DuBois, worked to gain equal rights for African Americans |
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progressivism |
One of most successful reform movements in US history, began locally, then state, then national |
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suffrage |
The right to vote. |
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temperance |
a campaign to stop drinking alcohol |
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tenement |
a run-down, overcrowded apartment in the poor area of the city |
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trust busting |
government activities seeking to dissolve corporate trusts and monopolies (especially under the United States antitrust laws) |
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big stick policy |
A policy used by T.R. that was made to improve world peace, "Speak softly and carry a big stick." |
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dollar diplomacy |
Taft would throw money at problems first, then send military if needed |
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imperialism |
A policy in which a strong nation seeks to dominate other countries poitically, socially, and economically. |
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monroe doctrine |
A statement of foreign policy which proclaimed that Europe should not interfere in affairs within the United States or or in the development of other contries in the Western Hemisphere. |
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yellow journalism |
Journalism that exploits, distorts, or exaggerates the news to create sensations and attract readers |
