Populists
A political group which began to emerge in 1891. They gained much support from farmers who turned to them to fight political unfairness. They used a progressive platform. James B. Weaver ran as their presidential candidate in 1892. They had an impressive voter turnout. They were also known as the People's Party.
Long drive
This took place in the 1880's in the Western plain states - Cattle ranchers needed a way to easily transport their cattle to eastern cities - Cowboys would round up a lot of cattle and "drive" them to areas near railroad stations - Most of these drives went from southern Texas up to Kansas.
Homestead Act
This law, passed in 1862, stated that a settler could acquire up to 160 acres of land and pay a minimal fee of $30.00 just for living on it for five years and settling it. A settler could acquire it for only six months and pay $1.25 an acre. This was important because previously land was being sold for profit and now it was basically being given away. About half a million families took advantage of this offer. Unfortunately, it was often too good to be true and the land was ravaged by drought and hard to cultivate.
Patrons of Husbandry
This was a group organized in 1867, the leader of which was Oliver H. Kelley. It was better known as the Grange. It was a group with colorful appeal and many passwords for secrecy. The Grange was a group of farmers that worked for improvement for the farmers.
Granger Laws
During the late 1800's an organization of farmers, called the Grange, strove to regulate railway rates and storage fees charged by railroads, warehouses, and grain elevators through state legislation. These laws that were passed, but eventually reversed, are referred to as this
The Farmers' Alliance
This was the first "national" organization of the farmers, which led to the creation of the Populist party. This organization sponsored social gatherings, were active in politics, organized cooperatives, and fought against the dominance of the railroads and manufacturers.
The Sioux Wars
These lasted from 1876-1877. These were spectacular clashes between the Sioux Indians and white men. They were spurred by gold-greedy miners rushing into Sioux land. The white men were breaking their treaty with the Indians. The Sioux Indians were led by Sitting Bull and they were pushed by Custer's forces. Custer led these forces until he was killed at the battle at Little Bighorn. Many of the Indian were finally forced into Canada, where they were forced by starvation to surrender.
Apache
Native American-Indian tribe; 1870's; group from Arizona and New Mexico led by Geronimo were difficult to control; chased into Mexico by Federal troops; they became successful farmers raising stock in Oklahoma
The Ghost Dance
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. This 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.
Battle of Wounded Knee
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.
Dawes Severalty Act
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
Comstock Lode
In 1859, A great amount of gold and silver was discovered in Nevada. The "fifty-niners" rushed to Nevada in their own hopes of getting rich, which caused Nevada to become a state. It provided three electoral votes for President Lincoln.
Geronimo
the leader of the Apaches in Arizona and New Mexico, fought against the white man, who was trying to force the Apaches off of their land. Geronimo had an enormous hatred for the whites. He was, however, eventually pushed into Mexico where he surrendered
Joseph F. Glidden
1874 invented a superior type of barbed wire and in 1883 the company was producing 600 miles of the product each day; the barbed wire was used against trespassing cattle
James B. Weaver
He was a general during the Civil War. He was chosen as the presidential candidate of the Populist party. He was a Granger with an apt for public speaking. He only ended up getting three percent of the popular votes which is really a large number for a third party candidate.
Oliver H. Kelly
was an energetic Mason from Minnesota. Kelly was the National Grange of the Patron's of Husbandry's leading spirit. The Grange's primary objectives were to stimulate the minds of the farm people by social, educational, and fraternal activities. The Grange was organized in 1867. Kelly had picnics, musical events, and lectures trying to appeal to enough of the farm people to reach his goals of self-improvement.
Mary Elizabeth Lease
became well known during the early 1890's for her actions as a speaker for the populist party. She was a tall, strong woman who made numerous and memorable speeches on behalf of the downtrodden farmer. She denounced the money-grubbing government and encouraged farmers to speak their discontent with the economic situation.
Sitting Bull
One of the leaders of the Sioux tribe. He was a medicine man " as wily as he was influential." He became a prominent Indian leader during the Sioux Was from 1876-1877.( The war was touched off when a group of miners rushed into the Black Hills of South Dakota in 1875.) The well-armed warriors at first proved to be a superior force. During Custer's Last Stand in 1876, Sitting Bull was " making medicine" while another Indian, Crazy Horse, led the Sioux. When more whites arrived at the Battle of Little Big Horn,he and the other Sioux we forced into Canada.
Chief Joseph
He was chief of the Nez Perce Indians of Idaho. People wanting gold trespassed on their beaver river. To avoid war, and save his people he tried retreating to Canada with his people. They were cornered 30 miles from safety and he surrendered in 1877.
Pullman Strike
was in 1894. The Pullman Palace Car Company was hurt by the depression. They decided to cut wages about one-third. The workers decided to strike. Attorney General Olney called in the federal troops. He thought that the strikers were interfering with the delivery of mail because railroads all over the country went on strike in support of the Pullman workers. These railroads carried the mail. The strike affected the entire country.
Wilson-Gorman Tariff
Designed to provide adequate revenue with moderate protection, this tariff was changed drastically after passing through Senate. Although it did not establish a low tariff, it did reduce the existing McKinley Tariff drastically.
Cross of Gold Speech
William Jennings Bryan became the hero of the democratic party for the election of 1896 with this speech. This speech supported the silver standard for currency, as opposed to the gold standard, and it also supported the unlimited coinage of silver
Pension Act
A congressional act of 1890. It showered pensions on all Union Civil War veterans who had served for 90 days and who were now unable to do manual labor. This program foreshadowed the 20th century welfare programs.
Sherman Silver Purchase
In 1890, an act was passed so that the treasury would by 4.5 million ounces of silver monthly and pay those who mined it in notes that were redeemable in either gold or silver. This law doubled the amount of silver that could be purchased under the Bland-Allison Law of 1878.
Homestead Strike
In 1892 an epidemic of strikes occurred. One of the most known of these strikes took place at Carnegie's Homestead plant near Pittsburgh after a pay cut of the steelworkers. the company officials called in armed detectives and attempted to force the defiant strikes to surrender but the only results were ten persons killed and some sixty wounded.
Jim Crow Laws
Laws designed to keep blacks segregated in public places like hotels and restaurants; 1892; backed by lynchings and burnings; "legalized" by Plessy vs. Ferguson in 1896.
Depression of 1893
It was the most devastating economic situation of the century. It occurred while Grover Cleveland was President and it lasted for four years. It was caused by overbuilding, over speculation, labor disorder, and agricultural problems. Because of these things, many businesses collapsed and an abundance of people because unemployed.
Williams Jennings Bryan
Eloquent congressman from Nebraska. During the extra Congress session in the summer of 1893, he held the galleries spellbound for three hours as he championed the cause of free silver. Despite his efforts, however, President Cleveland alienated the Democratic silverities. He also ran against McKinley in the presidential elections of 1896 and lost.
Richard Olney
was a lawyer in the 1880's for one of the leading corporations. Later he became the Secretary of State to Grover Cleveland. He was Attorney General during the Pullman strike in 1894 and he issued an injunction for the workers to return to work. also noted that the Interstate Commerce Act could be used by the railroads
William McKinley
presented a tariff bill in the House, and lost his seat in Congress because of it. McKinley ran on the Republican ticket in the 1896 election and won the presidency while preaching a Gold Standard platform. He won again in 1900 and was assassinated in 1901
Bimetallism
was the using of silver and gold in the economic system. This issue divided much of the United States during the late 19th century because the bankers and industrialists wanted at least a limited amount of silver, if not to get rid of it and the farmers wanted unlimited coinage of silver.
Free Silver
Silverites were in favor of silver over gold in terms of currency. States with a lot of silver wanted unlimited coinage of silver (no limits to the amount used), and the stated with a lot of gold wanted gold to be coined.
"Billion Dollar" Congress
The 51st Congress which had access to approximately a 1 billion dollar surplus in the Treasury. This passed the Pension Act of 1890, which provided pensions for all Union Civil War veterans who had served for 90 days and were no longer capable of manual labor. This policy solved the dilemma of the existing surplus.
Benjamin Harrison
was elected to the presidency in 1888 with less popular votes than Cleveland. He was known for being a somewhat cold man, and he was also pro-business and pro-tariff.
Thomas B. Reed
was a Republican Speaker of the House during the 1890's. He was nicknamed the "Czar" of Congress because he would cast votes for nonattending members of Congress. Reed changed the House rules single-handedly. He believed that the majority should legislate, in accord with democratic practices, and not be crippled by a filibustering minority. His Congress was the first in peacetime to pull together one billion dollars. The Congress opened the federal purse in the Pension Act of 1890.
Jacob S. Coxey
A leader of the unemployed during the depression in 1894. He lead a marching demonstration to Washington, demanding that the government begin an inflationary public works program.
Eugene V. Debs
was a labor leader who helped organize the American Railroad Union. The Union went on strike against the Pullman Palace car company in 1894. The strike was put down by armed forces and he and other leaders were given six months imprisonment.
Silverites
name given to those who wanted "Free silver"
Platt Amendment
This amendment gave the US the right to take over the Island of Cuba if that country entered into a treaty or debt that might place its freedom in danger. Also gave the U.S. the right to put a naval base in Cuba to protect it and the US holdings in the Caribbean. was resented very much by the Cubans.
Theodore Roosevelt
He was assistant secretary of the navy. He led the Rough Riders up San Juan Hill in Cuba in the land war with Spain. He was known for his extreme expansionism. Then became President. He was notorious for his impulsiveness and radical behavior. At 5-10 he used his Big-Stick policy in dealing with foreign affairs. He was an instrumental part in building the Panama Canal and enforcing the rigid Roosevelt Corollary.
USS Maine
Battleship sent by Washington in 1898 to Cuba. Sent there for basically a "friendly visit." but actually to protect and evacuate Americans if a dangerous flare up occurred. The Maine mysteriously blew up on Feb. 15, 1898 in Havana Harbor. Americans thought that the Spanish blew it up while the Spanish claimed the explosion to be accidental. This was a spark to the Spanish- American war.
Teller Amendment
The act of Congress in 1898 that stated that when the United States had rid Cuba of Spanish misrule, Cuba would be granted its freedom.
Rough Riders
were a group of American volunteers that formed to fight at San Juan Hill in Cuba. Many of them were cowboys, ex-convicts, and other rugged men. Colonel Leonard Wood led the group, but Theodore Roosevelt organized it. They were named "Wood's Weary Walkers" because by the time they got to Cuba to fight most of their horses were gone.
Anti-Imperialist League
was formed to fight the McKinley administration's expansionist moves. Its members included, William James, Mark Twain, and Andrew Carnegie. The League claimed that it was against America's Democratic ideals to "take- over" other lands.
Foraker Act (1900)
set up a Legislative Assembly in Puerto Rico that dealt with their domestic affairs. In 1917, the same act gave the Puerto Ricans United States citizenship.
Insular Cases
In 1901 and 1903, these Supreme Court cases decided that the Constitution did not always follow the flag. The newly acquired islands of Puerto Rico and the Philippines would not have all the rights of American citizens.
George Dewey
Commodore of the Pacific fleet of American ships in the Spanish-American War. He attacked the Philippines when war was declared by the US.
Emilio Aguinaldo
He was a revolutionary Filipino who commanded his Filipino troops to help American George Dewey to acquire Manila from Spain. He later led Filipinos against the U.S. in 1899 because of their denied freedom after the war.
Jingoism
aggressive, nationalistic and patriotic expansion. Theodore Roosevelt, among many others, believed in this extreme form of expansion.
Imperialism
the policy and practice of forming and maintaining an empire in seeking to control raw materials and world markets by the conquest of other countries, the establishment of colonies, etc.
Pan-American Conference
Conference called by James Blaine that created an organization of cooperation between the US and Latin American countries
Alfred Thayer Mahan
American Naval officer and historian. Educated at the US Naval Academy. Mahan served over 40 years in the Navy. He is most famous for his book "The Influence of Sea Power on History" which defined Naval strategy. Mahan stressed the importance of sea power in the world. His philosophies had a major influence on the Navies of many nations.
James G. Blaine
was the Republican presidential candidate in the 1884 election. He surfaced again as leader in the first Pan-American Conference to improve trade with Latin American countries. He was Secretary of State during the Garfield and Harrison administrations.
Valeriano Weyler
He was a Spanish General referred to as "Butcher" (last name). He undertook to crush the Cuban rebellion by herding many civilians into barbed-wire reconcentration camps, where they could not give assistance to the armed insurrectionists. The civilians died in deadly pestholes. "Butcher" was removed in 1897.
Dupuy de Lome
He was a Spanish minister in Washington. He wrote a private letter to a friend concerning President McKinley and how he lacked good faith. He was forced to resign when Hearst discovered and published the letter. This publishing helped to spark the Spanish-American War.
Treaty of Paris 1898
The treaty that concluded the Spanish American War, Commissioners from the U.S. were sent to Paris on October 1, 1898 to produce a treaty that would bring an end to the war with Spain after six months of hostility. From the treaty America got Guam, Puerto Rico and they paid 20 million dollars for the Philippines. Cuba was freed from Spain.
Portsmouth Conference
The meeting between Japan, Russia, and the U.S. that ended the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize for stopping the fighting between those two countries.
Gentleman's Agreement
An agreement that was negotiated by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908 with the Japanese government. The Japanese agreed to limit immigration, and Roosevelt agreed to discuss with the San Francisco School Board that segregation of Japanese children in school would be stopped.
Root-Takahaira Agreement
In 1908 the United States and Japan signed this agreement saying they would both honor the territorial possessions of the respective countries that were in the Pacific Ocean, and they would also uphold China's Open Door Policy
Hay-Pauncefote Treaty
In 1901 the United States and Great Britain created an agreement in which the United States would receive exclusive rights to construct the Panama Canal, and presumably control and fortify it. In previous years the agreement had been that the United States and Britain would build and fortify the canal jointly.
Hay-Buanu-Vanilla Treaty
The treaty signed in1903 between the United States and Panama that allowed the United States to build the Panama Canal. The United States leased the 10-mile wide canal zone with a down payment of $10 million and an annual payment of $250,000 for ninety-nine years.
Panama Canal
The United States built this to have a quicker passage to the Pacific from the Atlantic and vice versa. It cost $400,000,000 to build. Columbians would not let Americans build the canal, but then with the assistance of the United States a Panamanian Revolution occurred. The new ruling people allowed the United States to build the canal.
Roosevelt Corollary
Roosevelt stated that the U.S. would use the military to intervene in Latin American affairs if necessary "speak softly and carry a big stick"
benevolent assimilation
McKinley and the U.S. were trying to assimilate the Philippines to help them become better. American dollars went to the Philippines to improve roads, sanitation, and public health. Although the U.S. might have looked intrusive, they were actually trying to improve the condition of the Philippines.
Open Door Policy
In 1899 the United States feared that countries with "spheres of influence" in China might choose to limit or restrict trade to and from their respective areas. John Hay avoided any problems with trade by sending notes to each country who held power in China asking them to keep trade open and tariffs low.
Boxer Rebellion
a group of Chinese revolutionaries that despised western intervention in China. The rebellion resulted in the deaths of thousands of converted Chinese Christians, missionaries, and foreign legions. It took 5 countries' armies and four months to stop the rebellion.
Big Stick Policy
The policy held by Teddy Roosevelt in foreign affairs. The "big stick" symbolizes his power and readiness to use military force if necessary. It is a way of intimidating countries without actually harming them.
Clayton -Bulwar Treaty
1850 between the British and the US stated that any canal project on the isthmus of Panama would be a joint effort by the two countries
John Hay
Was the Secretary of State in 1899; dispatched the Open Door Notes to keep the countries that had spheres of influence in China from taking over China and closing the doors on trade between China and the U.S.
Spheres of Influence
European powers, such as Britain and Russia, moved in to divide up China in 1895. These countries gained control of certain parts of China's economy. These were called spheres of influence. The U.S. feared that these European powers would divide up China so they proposed the Open Door policy. The Chinese did not like the idea of unwelcome foreigners trading freely within their country, so they started the Boxer Rebellion.
Philippine Insurrection
Even before the Philippines were annexed by the U.S. there was tension between U.S. troops and Filipinos. One U.S. sentry shot a Filipino who was crossing a bridge. The situation deteriorated and eventually we entered into a war with the Philippines. It would take two years to settle this dispute, as compared to the four months needed to defeat the once powerful Spain. Though the U.S. had better arms, the guerilla warfare employed by the Filipinos left the Americans outmatched. Between 200,000 and 600,000 Filipinos died in the war, most from sickness and disease caused by the war.
George A. Custer
Found gold in Black hills led to sitting bull to get angry and attack at the little big horn, decimating this guy's troops
