Westward Expansion, Industrialization, Urbanization 1840-1900 — Practice Quiz
A US History cheat sheet for Westward Expansion, Industrialization, Urbanization 1840-1900 — every key formula with its symbols defined — plus a medium-level practice quiz to test recall.
Formulas & key concepts
Law offering 160 acres of free land to settlers who lived on it and improved it for five years
Where: Encouraged rapid settlement of the West
Railroad connecting the east and west coasts of the US; completed in 1869 at Promontory Point, Utah
Where: Built by Union Pacific (Irish labor) and Central Pacific (Chinese labor)
Huge silver and gold deposit discovered in Nevada in 1859
Where: Sparked a mining boom
Movement of cattle from Texas to railroad towns in Kansas for shipment to eastern markets
Where: Era of the cowboy; ended by barbed wire and railroads
Sioux and Cheyenne victory over General Custer's 7th Cavalry
Where: Custer's Last Stand; temporary victory for Native Americans
Law intended to assimilate Native Americans by breaking up reservations into individual allotments
Where: Resulted in massive loss of Indian land
Killing of ~300 Sioux men, women, and children by US Army
Where: Marked the end of armed Native American resistance
Historian who argued that the frontier shaped American character and democracy
Where: The "Frontier Thesis"
Method for making steel more cheaply and efficiently
Where: Fueled the industrial revolution and skyscraper construction
Inventor of the light bulb, phonograph, and motion picture camera
Where: "Wizard of Menlo Park"; established first research lab
Inventor of the telephone
Where: Revolutionized communication
Steel magnate who used vertical integration to dominate the industry
Where: Philanthropist; "Gospel of Wealth"
Oil tycoon who founded Standard Oil and used horizontal integration/trusts
Where: Controlled 90% of US oil refining
Critical term for industrialists accused of eliminating competition and exploiting workers
Where: Contrasted with "Captains of Industry"
Belief that "survival of the fittest" applies to society and business
Where: Used to justify wealth inequality and laissez-faire capitalism
Law banning trusts and monopolies that restrained trade
Where: Initially used against labor unions; later against monopolies
Early labor union open to skilled and unskilled workers, women, and minorities
Where: Declined after Haymarket Square Riot
Union of skilled workers led by Samuel Gompers
Where: Focused on "bread and butter" issues (wages, hours, conditions)
Labor protest in Chicago that turned violent when a bomb was thrown
Where: Turned public opinion against labor unions
Railroad strike that shut down rail traffic nationwide
Where: Ended by federal troops; Eugene V. Debs jailed
Immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe (Italy, Russia, Poland) arriving after 1880
Where: Faced discrimination; often settled in urban ethnic enclaves
Immigration processing center in New York Harbor
Where: Gateway for millions of European immigrants
Immigration processing center in San Francisco Bay
Where: Main entry point for Asian immigrants; harsher questioning
Law banning Chinese immigration for 10 years (later extended)
Where: First major law restricting immigration based on nationality
Overcrowded, unsanitary apartment buildings in poor urban areas
Where: Housed millions of immigrants
Muckraking journalist/photographer who exposed slum conditions in "How the Other Half Lives"
Where: Led to housing reforms
Founder of Hull House, a settlement house in Chicago
Where: Provided social services to immigrants and the poor
Corrupt political organizations that controlled city governments
Where: Exchanged services/jobs for votes (e.g., Tammany Hall)
Corrupt leader of New York City's Tammany Hall political machine
Where: Exposed by Thomas Nast's cartoons
Law requiring government jobs to be awarded based on merit (exams) rather than patronage
Where: Response to Garfield's assassination
Practice quiz
What was the primary purpose of the Homestead Act of 1862?
- To offer free land to settlers who would live on and improve it for five years.
- To establish Native American reservations in the West.
- To regulate the mining claims in newly discovered gold and silver fields.
- To fund the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad.
Answer: To offer free land to settlers who would live on and improve it for five years.
The Transcontinental Railroad, completed in 1869, significantly impacted the United States by:
- Connecting the East and West coasts, facilitating trade and settlement.
- Primarily transporting cattle from Texas to eastern markets.
- Leading to the discovery of the Comstock Lode.
- Being built exclusively by Irish immigrant labor.
Answer: Connecting the East and West coasts, facilitating trade and settlement.
The Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876 is significant because it was:
- A major victory for the Sioux and Cheyenne over General Custer's forces.
- The final armed conflict between Native Americans and the US Army.
- A decisive US Army victory that ended Native American resistance.
- The event that led to the passage of the Dawes Act.
Answer: A major victory for the Sioux and Cheyenne over General Custer's forces.
The Dawes Act of 1887 aimed to assimilate Native Americans by:
- Granting them full US citizenship and voting rights.
- Breaking up tribal reservations into individual land allotments.
- Establishing new, larger reservations for all tribes.
- Providing financial compensation for lands previously taken.
Answer: Breaking up tribal reservations into individual land allotments.
What was the main impact of the Bessemer Process on American industry?
- It revolutionized the textile industry with new weaving techniques.
- It made the production of steel cheaper and more efficient.
- It allowed for the mass production of automobiles.
- It improved the process of refining oil into kerosene.
Answer: It made the production of steel cheaper and more efficient.
Andrew Carnegie became a dominant figure in the steel industry primarily through his use of:
- Horizontal integration, buying out competing steel companies.
- Government subsidies and protective tariffs.
- Vertical integration, controlling all stages of steel production.
- Exploiting the Comstock Lode for raw materials.
Answer: Vertical integration, controlling all stages of steel production.
The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 was designed to:
- Protect workers' rights to form unions and strike.
- Encourage the formation of large industrial trusts.
- Ban trusts and monopolies that restricted trade.
- Regulate the safety standards in factories.
Answer: Ban trusts and monopolies that restricted trade.
The Haymarket Square Riot in 1886 significantly impacted the labor movement by:
- Leading to widespread public support for striking workers.
- Resulting in the immediate passage of the Sherman Antitrust Act.
- Turning public opinion against labor unions due to associated violence.
- Solidifying the power of the Knights of Labor.
Answer: Turning public opinion against labor unions due to associated violence.
What was the primary effect of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882?
- It encouraged more Chinese immigrants to settle in rural areas.
- It banned Chinese immigration to the United States for a period.
- It established Angel Island as the main processing center for all Asian immigrants.
- It granted Chinese immigrants full citizenship rights.
Answer: It banned Chinese immigration to the United States for a period.
Jane Addams is best known for her work as:
- A muckraking journalist who exposed urban poverty.
- The founder of Hull House, a settlement house providing social services.
- A leader in the women's suffrage movement.
- An inventor who revolutionized communication.
Answer: The founder of Hull House, a settlement house providing social services.
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