APUSH Chapter 14 Terms

Robert Fulton

(1765-1815) American engineer and inventor, he built the first commercially successful full-sized steamboat, the Clermont, which lead to the development of commercial steamboat ferry services for goods and people Significance: Steamboats completely changed the way Americans in the early 1800's shipped and received goods and how people traveled.

Cyrus McCormick

(1809-1884) American inventor and industrialist, he invented the mechanical reaper and harvesting machine that quickly cut down wheat. Significance: Made it easier to harvest and increased agriculture production.

Pony Express

A Mail carrying service; ran from 1860-1861; was established to carry mail speedily along the 2000 miles from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California; they could make the trek in 10 days. Significance: The Pony Express proved to the eastern establishment that the Central Route could be used by the railroads to bind our country together.

Cotton Gin

A machine for cleaning the seeds from cotton fibers, invented by Eli Whitney in 1793 Significance: Increased production of cotton.

Transportation Revolution

A period of rapid growth in the speed and convenience of travel because of new methods of transportation. Significance: This allowed Americans to travel across the country and transport goods into new markets that weren't previously available. Shipping costs were lowered as much as 90 percent in this era, which gave a big boost to trade and the settlement of new areas of land.

Nativism

A policy of favoring native born Americans over immigrants Significance: Nativism fueled anti-immigrant policies in the late 1850's.

Industrial Revolution

A series of improvements in industrial technology that transformed the process of manufacturing goods. Significance: The industrial revolution was responsible for urbanization, increase in world trade, and availability of knowledge through mass production of books.

Cult of Domesticity

Also known as the Cult of True Womanhood. Women were supposed to embody perfect virtue in all senses. The women who abided by and promoted these standards were generally literate and lived in the northeast, particularly New York and Massachusetts. Women were put in the center of the domestic sphere and were expected to fulfill the roles of a calm and nurturing mother, a loving and faithful wife, and a passive, delicate, and virtuous creature. These women were also expected to be pious and religious, teaching those around them by their Christian beliefs, and expected to unfailingly inspire and support their husbands. Piety, Purity, Submission, Domesticity. Significance: It gave married women greater authority to shape home life; however, it limited opportunities outside the domestic sphere.

Clipper Ships

American boats, built during the 1840's in Boston, that were sleek and fast but inefficient in carrying a lot of cargo or passengers. Significance: The 'clippers' were the fastest most advanced sailing ships of the day giving the United States an advantage in speed of transport and range of ships.

Eli Whitney

An American inventor who developed the cotton gin. Also contributed to the concept of interchangeable parts that were exactly alike and easily assembled or exchanged Significance: The cotton gin enabled more cotton to be grown and sold. It also increased the need and demand for slavery as a major labor force in the South. Interchangeable parts enabled the modernization of weapons and other machine parts.

"Molly Maguires"

An active, militant Irish organization of farmers based in the Pennsylvania anthracite coal fields who are believed responsible for much violence Significance: One of the first of America's gangs.

Sewing Machine

Elias Howe invented this machine in 1846, which would very quickly be replaced by Isaac Merrit Signer Significance: Made the making of clothing faster and therefore increased demand for Clothing.

Clermont

First full-sized U.S. commercial steamboat; invented by Robert Fulton and tested in 1807 Significance: First full-sized U.S. commercial steamboat.

Samuel Slater

He was a British mechanic that moved to America and in 1791 invented the first American machine for spinning cotton. He is known as "the Father of the Factory System" and he started the idea of child labor in America's factories. Significance: He started the factory system that will increase industrialization.

Samuel Morse

United States portrait painter who patented the telegraph and developed the Morse code (1791-1872) Significance: The telegraph vastly improved communications throughout the world. It changed how people perceived time and distance, and the telegraph was the precursor of the telephone, radio, television and internet.

Tammany Hall

a political organization within the Democratic Party in New York city (late 1800's and early 1900's) seeking political control by corruption and bossism Significance: This is significant in that it gave immigrants rights to vote.