AP U.S. History- Chapter 17 I.d.'s

Carlisle Indian School

Failed attempt to forcibly integrate children of Native American's into US culture by way of a boarding school, in Pennsylvania to educate and civilize Indians: motto = "Kill the Indian and save the man"

Wounded Knee

In 1890, after killing Sitting Bull, the 7th Cavalry rounded up Sioux at this place in South Dakota and 300 Natives were murdered and only a baby survived.

The Pacific Railroad Act of 1862

This act paved the way for railroad construction. Under this act the railroads acquired millions of acres of public land and became the largest landholders in the West.

Comstock Lode

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.

Interstate Commerce Act

prohibited rebates and pools, required railroads to publish rates, forbade discrimination against shippers, and outlawed charging more for short haul than for a long one over the same line

John Muir

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

Barrios

where many Mexican and Mexican Americans of the California region ended up living as the lower end of the state's working class, mostly in Los Angeles.

Oklahoma "Sooners"

the federal government made available to settlers vast stretches of fertile plains formerly occupied by the Indians in the district of Oklahoma; scores of overeager Sooners illegally jumped the gun and entered the Oklahoma territory, they were evicted repeatedly by federal troops

William F. Cody

Aka Buffalo Bill, he was an American adventurer, soldier, and showman of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His popular "Wild West Show," begun in the 1880s, featured acts such as the marksmanship of Annie Oakley, mock battles between Native Americans and army troops, and breathtaking displays of cowboy skills and horsemanship.

Frederick Jackson Turner; "Frontier Thesis"

In 1893 he wrote a thesis entitled "the Significance of the Frontier in American History," His claims included that the experience of expansion into the frontier had stimulated individualism, nationalism and democracy, and kept the opportunity of advancement alive.

Homestead Act

Passed in 1862, it gave 160 acres of public land to any settler who would farm the land for five years. The settler would only have to pay a registration fee of $10.

The Dawes Severalty Act

Pressured by reformers who wanted to "acclimatize" Native Americans to white culture, Congress passed the Dawes Severalty Act in 1887. The Dawes Act outlawed tribal ownership of land and forced 160-acre homesteads into the hands of individual Indians and their families with the promise of future citizenship. The goal was to assimilate Native Americans into white culture as quickly as possible. As it turned out, the Dawes Act succeeded only in stripping tribes of their land and failed to incorporate Native Americans into U.S. society.

John Wesley Powell

a U.S. soldier, geologist, and explorer of the American West. He is famous for the 1869 Powell Geographic Expedition, a three-month river trip down the Green and Colorado rivers that included the first passage through the Grand Canyon.

Ghost Dance

a religious dance of native Americans looking for communication with the dead; Spiritual revival in 1890 by Indians that would lead to the massacre at Wounded Knee

Helen Hunt Jackson

an author who wrote A Century of Dishonor which chronicled the government's actions against the Indians. She also wrote Romona, which was a love story about Indians. Her writing helped inspire sympathy towards the Indians.