Turner Thesis: Post Civil War Reality

Turner Thesis Reality After Civil War

• Frederick Jackson Turner argued that the frontier shaped American democracy, individualism, and innovation in his 1893 thesis.
• The Land Rush from 1889–1893, during which the government opened Native land for settlers to claim quickly, supports the Turner Thesis as it shows opportunity.
• The Transcontinental Railroad's completion in 1869, which connected the U.S. coast-to-coast, boosted migration and trade across the frontier.
• Rapid urbanization and industrialization from 1870 to 1900, especially in the West, demonstrates an expansion of traditional American society.
• The Homestead Act of 1862, which gave 160 acres to settlers who farmed it for 5 years, was often abused by speculators.
• The Grange, established in 1867, was a farmers' organization created to combat railroads and grain storage monopolies.
• The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was the first U.S. law to ban immigration based on race and targeted Chinese laborers.
• The Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890 resulted in the U.S. Army killing approximately 300 Lakota Sioux, effectively ending Native resistance.
• The Dawes Act of 1887 divided tribal land to force Native assimilation into American culture.
• The Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876 was a Native American victory over Custer, highlighting ongoing resistance against American expansion.

Second Industrial Revolution Transformation

• The Second Industrial Revolution (1870–1900) was a period marked by major industrial growth, particularly in steel, oil, railroads, and electricity.
• The Gilded Age saw massive wealth inequality, with 90% of the wealth owned by 10% of the population.
• Andrew Carnegie's Gospel of Wealth (1889) advocated that the rich should give back to society through philanthropy.
• Social Darwinism was the belief that only the strongest businesses and people would succeed, leading to harsh competition.
• Workers faced long hours, low wages, and dangerous conditions.
• Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle (1906) exposed horrors in the meatpacking industry, leading to federal reforms.
• The Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) was intended to stop monopolies but was often used against labor unions instead.
• John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil (1870) used horizontal integration to dominate the oil industry and cut costs.
• Jane Addams created settlement houses like Hull House (1889) which provided programs to help immigrants and the urban poor.
• Carnegie built libraries and universities through philanthropy.
• Rockefeller donated half his fortune to education, science, and public health.

Progressive Era's Impact on American Society

• W.E.B. DuBois advocated for full rights for African Americans and co-founded the NAACP.
• The 16th Amendment (1913) established a federal income tax.
• The 17th Amendment (1913) allowed for the direct election of Senators.
• The 18th Amendment (1919) enacted the prohibition of alcohol.
• The 19th Amendment (1920) granted women the right to vote.
• Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle (1906) exposed meatpacking horrors, leading to the Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food & Drug Act (1906).
• David Phillips' The Treason of the Senate (1906) revealed corruption within the Senate.
• Ida Tarbell’s The History of Standard Oil (1904) exposed Rockefeller’s unfair business practices.
• Ida B. Wells' Southern Horrors (1892) was a journalistic exposé on lynching.
• Theodore Roosevelt's Square Deal promoted fairness in business, labor, and environmental matters.
• The Department of Commerce & Labor (1903) was created to monitor business practices.
• The Hepburn Act (1906) strengthened the regulation of railroads.
• The Northern Securities Case (1904) resulted in the Supreme Court breaking up a trust.
• The Pure Food & Drug Act (1906) mandated accurate labeling of food and drugs.
• The Meat Inspection Act (1906) improved conditions in the meat industry.
• The National Conservation Commission (1908) was established to protect natural resources.
• Federal reserves for Forests (1905) led to the creation of the U.S. Forest Service.

Westward Expansion Context (1862–1890)

• The Great Plains was a large western region where Native Americans lived before settlers moved in.
• The Transcontinental Railroad (1869) was the first railroad to cross the U.S., connecting the east and west.
• The Homestead Act (1862) gave settlers free land if they farmed it for 5 years.
• The Grange (1867) was a group of farmers who worked together for better treatment and prices.
• The Comstock Lode (1859) was a significant silver discovery in Nevada that attracted miners to the west.
• The Long Drive (1866–1880s) involved cowboys moving cattle from Texas to northern railroads.
• The Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851, 1868) attempted to ensure peace with Plains tribes but was ultimately broken.
• The Treaty of Medicine Lodge (1867) moved Southern Plains tribes onto reservations.
• The Battle of Little Bighorn (1876) saw Native tribes defeat Custer’s army.
• Buffalo Soldiers (1866–1890s) were African American soldiers who fought in the West.
• The Land Rush (1889–1893) opened Native lands like Oklahoma to white settlers.
• The Dawes Act (1887) divided tribal lands to force Native assimilation.
• The Ghost Dance (1890) was a Native spiritual movement that believed it would protect them from settlers.
• The Wounded Knee Massacre (1890) resulted in the deaths of 300 Lakota Sioux at the hands of U.S. troops.
• Mormons moved to Utah in 1847 to escape persecution and establish their community.
• The Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) banned immigration from China for 10 years.

Gilded Age (1870s–1900)

• Laissez-faire economics advocated that government should stay out of business affairs.
• Social Darwinism suggested that the strongest would survive in business and life.
• The Gospel of Wealth (1889) promoted the idea that the rich should use their wealth to help others.
• "Rags to Riches" signified the belief that anyone could become rich through hard work.
• Political machines were local groups like Tammany Hall that aided immigrants in exchange for votes.
• Settlement houses (1889) offered assistance to immigrants through education, housing, and childcare.
• Nativism favored native-born Americans over immigrants.
• Government legislation included laws passed to control business and improve society.
• John D. Rockefeller (Standard Oil, 1870) dominated the oil industry.
• Andrew Carnegie (Carnegie Steel, 1892) built a steel empire using vertical integration.
• J.P. Morgan (Banking, 1890s–1900s) controlled finance and helped stabilize markets.
• Trusts were legal entities that controlled multiple companies under a single board.
• Horizontal integration involved buying all competitors at the same level, a strategy used by Rockefeller.
• Vertical integration meant owning every step of production, a strategy used by Carnegie.
• Union busting tactics were used by companies to weaken or eliminate unions.
• Lockouts involved employers closing factories to force workers to accept conditions.
• Yellow dog contracts required workers to promise not to join unions.
• Scabs, or strikebreakers, were replacement workers hired during strikes.
• The Great Railroad Strike (1877) was a nationwide strike following wage cuts, which was ended by troops.
• The Homestead Strike (1892) was a steelworker strike at Carnegie’s plant that turned violent.
• The Pullman Strike (1894) was a railroad strike led by Eugene Debs that shut down rail traffic.
• Eugene Debs was a labor leader and founder of the Socialist Party.
• The Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) aimed to break up trusts.

Progressive Era (1890s–1920)

• The New South was a post-Civil War vision to modernize the Southern economy.
• Henry Grady was an editor who promoted Southern industry and business.
• W.E.B. DuBois advocated for full rights for African Americans and co-founded the NAACP.
• Booker T. Washington was a former slave who encouraged hard work and education.
• Populists (1890s) were a political group supporting farmers and workers.
• The Omaha Platform (1892) called for free silver, income tax, and government-owned railroads.
• In the Election of 1896, William Jennings Bryan (Populist-Democrat) lost to McKinley.
• Progressives (1890s–1920) were reformers who sought to fix corruption and inequality.
• The 16th Amendment (1913) established a federal income tax.
• The 17th Amendment (1913) allowed for the direct election of Senators.
• The 18th Amendment (1919) enacted the prohibition of alcohol.
• The 19th Amendment (1920) granted women the right to vote.
• Muckrakers (Early 1900s) like Upton Sinclair, exposed societal issues through investigative journalism.
• Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle (1906) led to the Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food & Drug Act (1906).
• David Phillips' The Treason of the Senate (1906) revealed corruption within the Senate.
• Ida Tarbell’s The History of Standard Oil (1904) exposed Rockefeller’s unfair business practices.
• Ida B. Wells' Southern Horrors (1892) highlighted the issue of lynching.
• Theodore Roosevelt's Square Deal promoted fairness in business, labor, and environmental matters.
• The Coal Miners Strike (1902) was settled with Roosevelt’s intervention.
• Roosevelt aimed to control corporations by regulating big businesses.
• The Department of Commerce & Labor (1903) monitored business practices.
• The Elkins Act (1903) ended special railroad rates.
• The Hepburn Act (1906) strengthened the regulation of railroads.
• The Northern Securities Case (1904) resulted in the Supreme Court breaking up a trust.
• The Pure Food & Drug Act (1906) required accurate labeling of food and drugs.
• The Meat Inspection Act (1906) improved conditions in the meat industry.
• The National Conservation Commission (1908) protected natural resources.
• Federal reserves for Forests (1905) led to the creation of the U.S. Forest Service.
• William Howard Taft (1909–1913) broke more trusts than Roosevelt ("Real Trust Buster").
• The Payne-Aldrich Bill (1909) kept tariffs high, angering Progressives.
• The Ballinger-Pinchot Quarrel (1910) was a dispute over land conservation.
• An Anti-Trust Suit on U.S. Steel (1911) sued a company Roosevelt had protected.
• Woodrow Wilson's New Freedom focused on smaller government and stronger regulation.
• Wilson's "Triple Wall of Privilege" targeted tariffs, banks, and trusts.
• The Underwood Tariff Bill (1913) lowered tariffs and introduced income tax.
• The Federal Reserve Act (1913) reformed the banking system.
• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC, 1914) was established to oversee businesses.
• The Clayton Antitrust Act (1914) protected workers and banned certain monopolies.