Turn of the Century Study Guide
Cattle Trails
1. What was the main reason for having the Texas cattle trials? The main reason for the growth of the Texas cattle drives was ranchers could make more money selling their cattle in the East.
2. Why did the Eastern states need beef? They needed beef because the Union and Confederate troops ate much of it during the Civil War.
3. How long did the cattle trail era last? The cattle trail era lasted for 20 years from 1866 to 1886.
4. What is an Era? a long and distinct period of history with a particular feature or characteristic.
5. Why was the Chisholm Trail important to America? It was important because it allowed cattle to be herded up to the railroad, so they could be sold for more profit back east.
6. Who was the Chisholm Trail named after? Jesse Chisholm
7. Where did the Chisholm Trail start and end? It started in San Antonio, Texas and finished in Abilene, Kansas.
8. How many cattle were herded along the Chisholm Trial? Over six million cattle were herded up the Chisholm Trail
9. Where did the Great Western Cattle Trail start and end? The Great Western Cattle Trail was established through Western Texas up to Nebraska.
10. What was the main trial for cattle herding during the cattle era? The Great Western Cattle Trail was the main trail for herding cattle.
11. What is supply and demand? Supply is the amount of something that people are willing to sell. Demand is the amount of something that people want to buy at certain prices.
12. How does supply and demand relate to the cattle trails? Cattle sold for a high price in northern cities because the demand there was high.
The price of cattle was low in Texas because the supply there was high.
13. Why were cowboys motivated to drive their cattle all the way to Kansas or Nebraska? They were motivated because they could sell their cattle for more money on the east coast.
14. Where was there a great demand for beef after the Civil War? There was a great demand for beef in the eastern states.
15. What was the most used cattle trail during the cattle era? The Great Western Cattle Trail was the most used cattle trail during the cattle era.
16. Why did Black Cowboys go to Texas after the Civil War?
- They went to Texas because they were treated more equally.
- Their bosses only cared about the skills that they possessed and not their
skin color.
- On the trail racial segregation was minimal.
- Black and white cowboys worked, ate, and slept together.
- It was a much better job than sharecropping.
17. Why did the cattle trail era come to an end?
- Trails came to an end when people settled the land out west.
- They would build homes on the land where the trial was.
- They would also claim to own the lakes and ponds that were on trails.
- They would often try and charge the cowboys for using their water.
- Settlers would also use barbed wire to keep the cowboys and cows of there
property.
- Lastly, Texas started building railroads in their state. There was no need to move the cattle to the railroads in Kansas and Nebraska.
America and World Affairs at the turn of the century: Spanish American War
18. The Spanish-American War was conflict between, which two countries? The Spanish American War was a conflict between the United States and Spain. The war took place in Cuba.
19. Why did the war take place in Cuba? Cuba was under the rule of Spain but wanted to be free. They asked the United States for help but President McKinley (President during the Spanish American War) didn’t want to get into another war, after his experiences in the Civil War.
20. Who was the major US political figure that wanted the US to get involved in the Spanish-American War? Theodore Roosevelt
21. What did McKinley do instead of declaring war? McKinley sent a battleship (USS Maine) to Cuba to help calm the situation.
22. Did the USS Maine help calm the situation in Cuba? The plan worked for weeks until the USS Maine exploded on February 15th, 1898.
23. Why did the USS Maine explode? Nobody knew why it exploded. Not even the soldiers on the ship.
24. Who did the American Newspapers blame for the explosion? American newspapers blamed Spain for the explosion, which caused the American people to demanded that Spain be punished. The American papers used a form of journalism known as Yellow Journalism. Yellow journalism is based on exaggerated stories. The explosion on the USS Maine forced President McKinley to enter the war.
25. How long did the Spanish-American War last? The Spanish-American War lasted from April – August 1898. It was a very short war that is why it was nicknamed “The Splendid Little War”.
26. What was the name of the regiment of volunteer soldiers who fought under Teddy Roosevelt during the Spanish American War? The name of the group was The Rough Riders. The Rough Riders were a cavalry unit. A cavalry is an infantry that moves on horseback.
27. Which counties were acquired after the Spanish-American War? Cuba, Guam, Philippines, and Puerto Rico.
28. What did the Teller Amendment do? It said that the US would annex (add (territory to one's own territory) Cuba but leave control of it to the Cuban people.
29. How did the Platt Amendment change the Teller Amendment? It allowed the US to intervene in Cuba and gave it a military base at Guantanamo Bay.
30. Which was the main benefit that America gained from the Spanish-American War? America gained many things but the most important was that they became a World Power. They also gained territories and were able to gain a new trading partner (Cuba).
America and World Affairs at the turn of the century: Panama Canal
31. Which country was the first to try and build the Panama Canal? The French.
32. Why weren’t the French able to complete the building of the Panama Canal? There were many reasons including: they didn’t have engineers or the experts to build it, they tried to build it at sea-level, and lastly the majority of their workers died from yellow fever and malaria.
33. Who was President during the building of the Panama Canal? Theodore Roosevelt
34. What were the main reasons for building the Panama Canal? The Panama Canal was built to improve America’s economic and military standing.
35. What country did not want the US to build the Panama Canal? Columbia objected to the US building the Panama Canal.
36. What two oceans did the Panama Canal connect? The Atlantic and Pacific Ocean.
38. When did the Panama Canal open? It opened in 1914
39. Give an example of an Isthmus from the countries that we have been studying? Panama is an Isthmus because it is surrounded by water on two sides.
40. What were the two main advantages for the United States when it came to the Panama Canal?
1. It was a shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
2. Americans now had access to world trade.
3. The US Navy could defend the country’s interest all across the globe.
Immigration
41. Why did people immigrate to the USA? Their were many reasons that included: religious freedom, political freedom, escaping famine, better land, a means to make money, a better life for family.
42. How many people immigrated to the United States at The Turn of the Century?
25 million people immigrated to the United States.
43. Remember that immigration involves moving from one country to another. Moving from Florida to Atlanta is not a form of immigration.
44. Where did immigrants arrive when they came to the east coast of the US? They would land on Ellis Island.
45. Where did the Immigrants arrive on the west coast? They would arrive on Angel Island.
46.Where race were the majority of the immigrants that landed on Angel Island? They were mostly Asians from Japan and China.
47.How were immigrants separated while traveling to the US? Class is what the immigrants were separated by.
48. What happened to immigrants who couldn’t pass the questioning after they arrived to the US? If they could not pass the test they would be deported.
49. Where did most of the immigrants come from at the turn of the century? While they came from all over the world they majority of immigrants came from Germany, Great Britain, and Ireland.
50. Why did most immigrants’ settle near they place where they arrived in the US? Most immigrants settled where they arrived because they were poor and couldn’t afford anymore travel. The majority of immigrants settled in America’s most growing cities such as New York, Chicago, and Boston.
51. Where would immigrants in big cities live? They would often live in neighborhoods with other immigrants who spoke the same language and shared the same culture.
52. What kind of building would most immigrants live in? Most immigrants were so poor that they lived in unsafe, crowded apartments without running water.
53. Other than they were poor what was another reason that immigrants migrated to the bigger cities? Immigrants also went to big cities because they couldn’t get work on farms because machines were taking peoples jobs on farms.
54. Why did some Americans want immigration to end? Some Americans wanted emigration to end because they worried that immigrants would take their jobs. They were especially worried because immigrants were willing to work long hours for little pay.
55. Why did labor unions form at the Turn of the Century?
Labor unions were formed to fight against unsafe working conditions and poor pay in large factories. They wanted to improve the lives of citizens and protect workers. Labor unions would:
1. Reduce the amount of time that people worked in factories.
a. People went from working 10 to 12 hours a day to 8 hours or less
2. They would make sure that people would get equal pay.
3. They would fight to make sure that employees were being treated fairly
56. How were first and second-class travelers treated differently from third class travelers once they arrived to the US? First and second class were basically just given a quick check and then allowed to go on their way. Third class immigrants went through an entire process of steps: quick health check with a more detailed health inspection if needed. They were then given 29 questions to answer. The process could take hours, weeks, and even months before they were sent on their way.
57. Which immigrants faced the most prejudice? Asian immigrants faced the most prejudice.
Inventors:
58. Where did the Wright Brothers first flights take place? It took place in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
59. How did the Wright Brothers invention change the world? Their invention would change the world forever. It was the beginning of the aviation and space exploration industries. It also made People’s ability to travel would be made easier and faster because of planes.
60. Which inventor taught the benefits of crop rotation to Southern Farmers? George Washington Carver.
61. What is crop rotation? Crop rotation is when you plant different crops each year to help put nutrients back into soil.
62. Who came up with more than 300 uses for peanuts and sweet potatoes? George Washington Carver.
63. Who invented electrical generating systems? Thomas Edison invented power stations.
64. How did the electrical generating system impact American life? The electrical generating system allowed electricity to reach homes and businesses. It also increased the amount of things that could be made and how quickly they could be made.
65. What was the telegraph? The telegraph sent electronic signals over long distances quickly
66. What was the biggest benefit of the inventions at the turn of the century?
Inventions changed people’s lives because they could now do more work in less time. People could now work faster and complete more work. They could also work longer hours because of inventions such as the light bulb, which allowed you to work at night.
67.Which inventor invented the telephone and what were its benefits? Alexander Graham Bell. The telephone made keeping in touch and conducting business with people a lot easier.
68. What are some of Edison’s inventions?
a. Phonograph - a device that recorded sound
b. Kinescope - a camera-like device that was the first successful form of motion pictures.
c. Light Bulb – While he didn’t invent the light bulb, he did make it last longer and shine brighter.
Native Americans and Westward Expansion
69. Why didn’t people want to live in the Great Plains at first? People didn’t want to live on the Great Plains because the land was flat and dry. The Great Plains would often experience droughts that would cause grass fires. They didn’t think they could farm the land because of these conditions.
70. Why did people start moving to the Great Plains? The government offered settlers a price incentive for moving to the Great Plains. The Homestead Act said that as long as the settlers would farm the land they could rent it at a cheap price for five years. After five years they would own the land.
71. What is a Price Incentive? A price incentive is a special price that motivates a person to buy something.
72. What did Americans do because of the overcrowding of cities on the east coast? As cities became more crowded Americans started heading out west.