100 Facts You Need to Know About Virginia’s Version of United States History, 1865 - Present

A Study Guide for the Virginia Standards of Learning Test - US History from 1865 to the Present.

1. The Reconstruction AmendmentsThe 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were passed to give African Americans liberty and equal rights under the law. The 13th

Amendment freed all enslaved people and ended slavery in the United States.

The 14th Amendment provided “equal protection under the law” and gave formerly enslaved people citizenship rights.

The 15th Amendment allowed African-American men the right to vote.

2. The Compromise of 1877The Compromise of 1877 brought the Reconstruction to an end in the American South. In exchange for the Presidency, Rutherford B. Hayes agreed to remove most Union soldiers from the South and allow state governments to reinstate discriminatory and racist laws without interference from the Federal Government.

3. Black CodesBlack Codes and “Jim Crow” laws allowed discrimination to continue in most Southern States for the next 100 years.

In the Supreme Court case of Plessy V. Ferguson, the ruling stated that segregation was legal, as a long as the institutions created were “separate but equal.” 4. The Supreme Court Case of Plessy V. Ferguson

5. The Environment on the Great PlainsSince the Great Plains was an environment with low rain fall, it was one of the last parts of the country settlers moved onto. When they began settling the area in the late 1800s, many lived in sod houses and most used “dry farming” techniques.

6. Reasons for Settling the WestCheap Land was

available – The Homestead Act of 1862

Advancements in Transportation – The Transcontinental Railroad, completed in May of 1869

Opportunities in Mining – Gold, Silver, and Copper

Cattle Ranching and other Business Opportunities

7. The Growth of Major Cities

Major cities grew due to: 1.Heavy

immigration2.The

development of particular industries

3.Mechanized farming reduced the need for farm workers

Chicago: Meatpacking

Detroit: Automobiles

Pittsburgh: Steel

New England: Textiles

8. Reasons for Immigration: Immigrants came to the United States: To escape religious persecution (The United

States offers Freedom of Religion) To escape oppressive governments (The USA

offers democracy and individual rights) To acquire land (Land shortages existed in

Europe; the United States had acres of cheap, cheap land.)

To find economic opportunity (Jobs and prospects for the future were much better in the United States!)

9. Thomas Alva EdisonThe “Wizard of Menlo Park” invented: The Electric

Light Bulb The Battery

Cell The

Phonograph The Motion

Picture Machine

10. Alexander Graham BellHe was the inventor of the telephone and the first ever telephone company: Bell Telephone and Telegraph.

11. Jane Addams Founded Hull House.Jane Addams was the founder of Hull House in Chicago and a leader of the settlement house movement. Settlement houses helped out poor immigrants and working families in major cities during the late 1800s.

12. The Reservation Policy for Native American TribesIn order to enforce the reservation policy the US Army was frequently in conflict with Native American tribes: A.The US Army’s

Seventh (7th) Cavalry Division was massacred at Little Bighorn in 1876 – Custer’s Last Stand. (This was a rare victory for Native American tribes.)

B.The Nez Perce Tribe was tracked down, militarily defeated, and forced to accept life on the reservation. Their chief, Chief Joseph, stated, “I will fight no more forever.”

Heavy Discrimination existed against Chinese migrants in the West (the same laborers who had practically built the Transcontinental Railroad from Sacramento to Promontory Point, UT.) The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 forbid Chinese immigration.13. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

14. Political Machines, Political Bosses.Political Machines, run by political bosses, bought the votes of poor immigrants in the slums of major cities by doing them favors. They were usually very corrupt, accepting kickbacks and bribes at the local government level.

15. John D. RockefellerJohn D. Rockefeller was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, who dominated the oil industry during the late 19th Century. He used unfair business practices – violating the Sherman Anti-Trust Act – to take control of the industry.

16. Andrew CarnegieAndrew Carnegie controlled the steel industry in the United States during the 19th Century. His Homestead Plant provided the steel for railroads, skyscrapers, and even the Brooklyn Bridge.

17. Henry Ford and the Assembly LineHenry Ford Used the assembly line to mass produce the Model-T Ford and became the leader of the automobile industry in the process. His famous “Tin Lizzy” – the Model-T – came in “any color you like, as long as it is black!”

18. Reasons for Urbanization After the Civil War, cities grew (urbanization

took place) because: Fewer workers were needed on farms due to

mechanization and new farming practices. More workers were required in major cities in

order to run industrial factories. Northern industries developed and expanded. Heavy immigration led to population growth.

19. Booker T. WashingtonBooker T. Washington was the founder of the Tuskegee Institute in order to teach job skills to African-Americans. He believed that gradually, through education and the learning of vocations, African-Americans would achieve equality.

20. W.E.B. DuBoisW. E.B. DuBois demanded immediate political, civil, social, and economic equality for African Americans. He was the author of The Souls of Black Folk and the founder of the very important civil rights organization the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP.)

21. The American Federation of LaborThe American Federation of Labor was founded in 1886 by Samuel Gompers in order to demand: Higher Pay Shorter Working Hours Safer Working Conditions An End to Child LaborMany of the goals of the labor unions were achieved with cooperation from Progressive reformers.

The symbol of the AFL includes an expression of one of its goals, the 8-Hour workday. Can you see it?

Workers at Andrew Carnegie’s Homestead Plant went on strike to protest a slash in their wages in 1892. The violence which broke out ruined Carnegie’s reputation, and resulted in little gain for workers.22. The Homestead Plant Strike

23. Susan B. Anthony and the Woman’s Suffrage MovementThe woman’s suffrage movement, led by Susan B. Anthony, won the right to vote, greater educational opportunities, more political participation, and more social equality and freedom for women.

24. The Nineteenth AmendmentThe Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution gave women the right to vote in national elections.

25. The Temperance Movement and the 18th AmendmentLeaders of the temperance movement succeeded in banning alcohol in the United States by passing the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. (It was later repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933 – it was ineffective due to organized crime and the refusal of many Americans to follow the law.

26. Yellow Journalism caused the Spanish-American WarYellow Journalism, and especially the sensational stories about Spanish atrocities in Cuba during the late 1890s, was a major cause of the Spanish-American War in 1898.

27. The Explosion of the USS Maine:

“Remember the Maine!”

The explosion of the USS Maine was blamed on Spanish enemies – despite no evidence to prove such a charge – by yellow journalists’ articles. The explosion of the Maine was a major cause of the Spanish American War, as well, and the battle cry of Americans during the war was “Remember the Maine!”

28. William McKinley was the President of the United States during the Spanish American War.

29. The Results of the Spanish-American War.The United States of America

emerged as a world power.Cuba was granted independence

and became an American protectorate.

The Philippines was taken as a US colony.

Guam and Puerto Rico were taken as American colonies. as well.

30. At the start of World War I, President Woodrow Wilson encouraged Americans to remain neutral!

“He Kept

US Out of

War.”1916 Campaign Slogan of Woodrow Wilson.

31. Germany used U-Boats to engage in unrestricted submarine warfare against American vessels; by sinking the Lusitania, Germans killed over 1000 civilians, including 128 Americans. This was a major cause of the United States entry into World War I.

32. The Allied Powers: WW I Great BritainFranceRussiaSerbiaBelgium

Later, the United States of America would join the Allied Powers – but not until 1917.

33. The Central Powers: WW IOur enemies during World War I were the Central Powers nations:

GermanyAustria-HungaryThe Ottoman EmpireBulgaria