U.S. History Vocab

barbed wire

• Wounded Knee, located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota, was the site of two conflicts between North American Indians and representatives of the U.S. government. An 1890 massacre left some 150 Native Americans dead, in what was the final clash between federal troops and the Sioux.

• Tension between plains Indians settlers and the u.s. army grew into a long period of violence known as the Indian Wars 1864-1876. ended at the massacre of Wounded Knee.

• the first wire technology capable of restraining cattle. Wire fences are cheaper and easier to erect than their alternatives 

• African Americans that moved to Kansas, thought that land was set aside for slaves by the government. 1870s 

Answer explanation

The correct choice describes barbed wire as the first wire technology for restraining cattle, highlighting its cost-effectiveness and ease of installation compared to other fencing methods.

Plain Indians War

• was an expression of deepest grief about the loss of native americans ways of life. A special dance to communicate with the dead. 

• The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also called Custer's Last Stand, marked the most decisive Native American victory and the worst U.S. Army defeat in the long Plains Indian War. The demise of Custer and his men outraged many white Americans and confirmed their image of the Indians as wild and bloodthirsty

• the first wire technology capable of restraining cattle. Wire fences are cheaper and easier to erect than their alternatives 

• Tension between plains Indians settlers and the u.s. army grew into a long period of violence known as the Indian Wars 1864-1876. ended at the massacre of Wounded Knee.

Answer explanation

The correct choice highlights the tension between Plains Indians and the U.S. Army, leading to the Indian Wars from 1864-1876, culminating in the Wounded Knee massacre, marking a significant period of conflict.

Reservations

• land set aside to Native Americans by the U.S. government.

• the first wire technology capable of restraining cattle. Wire fences are cheaper and easier to erect than their alternatives 

• Tension between plains Indians settlers and the u.s. army grew into a long period of violence known as the Indian Wars 1864-1876. ended at the massacre of Wounded Knee.

• soldiers referred to the black cavalry troops as "buffalo soldiers" because of their dark, curly hair, which resembled a buffalo's coat and because of their fierce nature of fighting.

Answer explanation

The correct answer is 'land set aside to Native Americans by the U.S. government.' This definition accurately describes reservations, which were designated areas for Native American tribes.

Transcontinental Railroad

• the advancing border that marked those lands that had been settled by Europeans. It is characterized by the westward movement of European settlers from their original settlements on the Atlantic coast

• Meant to curb the influx of Chinese immigrants to the United States, particularly California, The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 suspended Chinese immigration for ten years and declared Chinese immigrants ineligible for naturalization. President Chester A. Arthur signed it into law on May 6, 1882

• a confederacy of several tribes that speak three different dialects, the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota. The Lakota, also called the Teton Sioux, are comprised of seven tribal bands and are the largest and most western of the three groups, occupying lands in both North and South Dakota

• Railroad that crossed the country. Union Pacific Railroad and Central Pacific Railroad built the railroad in Promontory, Utah during 1869.

Answer explanation

The correct answer describes the Transcontinental Railroad, which was built by the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads and completed in Promontory, Utah in 1869, connecting the east and west coasts of the United States.

Boom towns

• Large area of grazing land without fences or barriers. Prairies of the mid west. Stretched from Texas to Canada.

• The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also called Custer's Last Stand, marked the most decisive Native American victory and the worst U.S. Army defeat in the long Plains Indian War. The demise of Custer and his men outraged many white Americans and confirmed their image of the Indians as wild and bloodthirsty

• A town that has grown very rapidly as a result of sudden prosperity by gold and silver mining .

• was an expression of deepest grief about the loss of native americans ways of life. A special dance to communicate with the dead. 

Answer explanation

Boom towns are defined as towns that experience rapid growth due to sudden prosperity, particularly from gold and silver mining. This choice accurately describes the phenomenon associated with boom towns.

Open Range

•  Large area of grazing land without fences or barriers. Prairies of the mid west. Stretched from Texas to Canada.

• Railroad that crossed the country. Union Pacific Railroad and Central Pacific Railroad built the railroad in Promontory, Utah during 1869.

• the belief that Americans had the right, or even the duty, to expand westward across the North American continent from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

• A town that has grown very rapidly as a result of sudden prosperity by gold and silver mining .

Answer explanation

The correct choice describes 'Open Range' as a large area of grazing land without fences, typical of the Midwest, extending from Texas to Canada, which aligns with the historical context of cattle ranching.

Morrill Act

• African Americans that moved to Kansas, thought that land was set aside for slaves by the government. 1870s 

• A law passed by congress to encourage settlement in the west. By giving government sold land to small farmers. 160 acres. $1.00 per acre. Make improvements to the land and live there for 5 years.

• Tension between plains Indians settlers and the u.s. army grew into a long period of violence known as the Indian Wars 1864-1876. ended at the massacre of Wounded Knee.

• Land-Grant College Act of 1862 that provided grants of land to states to finance the establishment of colleges specializing in “agriculture and the mechanic arts.”

Answer explanation

The correct answer is the Land-Grant College Act of 1862, which provided land grants to states for establishing colleges focused on agriculture and mechanic arts, promoting education and development in these fields.

Battle of Wounded Knee

• Wounded Knee, located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota, was the site of two conflicts between North American Indians and representatives of the U.S. government. An 1890 massacre left some 150 Native Americans dead, in what was the final clash between federal troops and the Sioux.

• the belief that Americans had the right, or even the duty, to expand westward across the North American continent from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

• The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also called Custer's Last Stand, marked the most decisive Native American victory and the worst U.S. Army defeat in the long Plains Indian War. The demise of Custer and his men outraged many white Americans and confirmed their image of the Indians as wild and bloodthirsty

• Land-Grant College Act of 1862 that provided grants of land to states to finance the establishment of colleges specializing in “agriculture and the mechanic arts.”

Answer explanation

The correct choice details the 1890 massacre at Wounded Knee, which was the last major conflict between the U.S. government and the Sioux, resulting in the deaths of around 150 Native Americans.

Dawes Act

• the advancing border that marked those lands that had been settled by Europeans. It is characterized by the westward movement of European settlers from their original settlements on the Atlantic coast

• legislation passed by congress that split up Indian reservation lands among individual Indians and promised them citizenship in 1887

• A law passed by congress to encourage settlement in the west. By giving government sold land to small farmers. 160 acres. $1.00 per acre. Make improvements to the land and live there for 5 years.

• land set aside to Native Americans by the U.S. government.

Answer explanation

The Dawes Act was legislation passed by Congress in 1887 that aimed to assimilate Native Americans by dividing reservation lands into individual plots and granting citizenship, contrasting with other options that do not accurately describe it.

Frontier

• soldiers referred to the black cavalry troops as "buffalo soldiers" because of their dark, curly hair, which resembled a buffalo's coat and because of their fierce nature of fighting. 

• the advancing border that marked those lands that had been settled by Europeans. It is characterized by the westward movement of European settlers from their original settlements on the Atlantic coast

• was an expression of deepest grief about the loss of native americans ways of life. A special dance to communicate with the dead.

• African Americans that moved to Kansas, thought that land was set aside for slaves by the government. 1870s 

Answer explanation

The correct answer describes the frontier as the advancing border of lands settled by Europeans, highlighting the westward movement from the Atlantic coast, which is a key aspect of American expansion history.