Semester Test Blog

1. What are the main historic events that took place in 8th Grade US History that helped shape the United States up to 1877? Choose your top five. (10 points)-Chapters 1-4

-British Colonies: April of 1607, settlers sailed to North America from England. Sailed into the river leading to Chesapeake Bay after sailing for 3 months. Their first settlement was in Jamestown after building Fort James. This happened under King James VI, John Smith led the first settlement. This led to the United States of America because of these 13 original colonies.

-Founding of our Nation: July 4th, 1773. Boston Tea Party caused us to separate from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson signed the Declaration of Independence which is one reason we were able to become our own country. George Washington was then our 1st president.

-Indian Removal Act: 1830-1839 Indians were forced to leave their homeland and had to move to federal territory west of the Mississippi. Andrew Jackson was the president and this was enforced under his watch. Trail of Tears was during 1838-39. The Cherokee had to give up their land from East of the Mississippi to present day Oklahoma. It was a very cruel time as 4,000-15,000 Native Americans died. This happened because the Europeans wanted tribes to move in order to acquire more land for cotton farms.

-Civil War: 1861-1865. Northern part of the United States fought against the Southern part of the United States. This war was based on their different opinions on slavery. The north had general Ulysses S. Grant. South had general Robert E. Lee. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse.

-Reconstruction: 1865-1877. Happened right after the Civil War focusing on rebuilding the South and creating new terms and conditions for the southern states. This was still during Andrew Johnson’s presidency. This is when African American’s were given freedom.

2. How did the US change during the late 1800's and early 1900's?(10 points)-Chapters 5-8

Moving west/Industirial rev./ Immigration/Segregation

Moving West :

  • Ran into Native Americans
  • Young men hunted
  • Women butchered what the men hunted
  • Went to war with Native Americans
  • We had cowboys 
  • Homestead Act
    • Offering 160 acres of land free to any citizen who was to be head of the household. 
    • 600,00 families took advantage of the governments offer.

Industrial Revolution:

  • Railroads
    • People not happy because they got charged with large amounts of money
    • It was a better type of transportation
    • Was easier to transport goods to other people
  • Electric Streetcars and Automobiles
    • They were invented
    • Lack of good transportation 
    • Started out to be a slow process of cars around, eventually there were 260 times more cars around than there used to be 

Segregation:

  • Literary test
    • Before you could vote you had to prove you can read and write
  • Poll tax
    • Before you could vote you had to pay a little bit of tax
  • Grandfather Clause
    • If your grandfather could vote than you could vote
    • Made it hard for African Americans to vote
    • (1-1-1867)(Jan. 1st, 1867)
  • Jim Crows Law
    • Separation between the races Black-White
      • Telling blacks what they have to do 
  • Plessy vs. Ferguson
    • "Separate but equal"
    • Separate but not equal 

Immigration:

  • Came mostly for job opportunities
  • Reunite with family
  • Inspected at Angel Island and Ellis Island

Reforming Government:

  • Pendleton Civil Service Act- 1883

  • Required most government jobs to be given through a test

  • 1883: 14,000/17,000 gov't jobs required tests

  • 1900: 100,000/200,000 gov't jobs required tests

Advances and Technologies:

  • skyscrapers

  • Flatiron Building- 1902

  • Electric Streetcars

  • Subways- 1904

  • Cash Register- 1879

  • Automatic Dishwasher- 1889

  • Airplane- 1903

3. What impact did the Progressives have on the United States?(10 points)-Ch. 9

  • Four Goals of Progressivism
    • Protecting social welfare
    • Promoting moral improvement
    • Creating economic reform
    • Fostering efficiency 
  • The Progressive Era was when people tried to fix economic opportunities and to correct injustices in life

  • Better workplaces

    • Make them safer
    • Reduce working hours
    • Better wages for workers
    • End/reduce child labor laws
  • Teddy Roosevelt- passed Meat Inspection Act, Food and Drug Act, regulate railroads, conservation

  • William Howard Taft- Payne- Aldrich Tariff, Dollar Diplomacy, trusts, 16th amendment

  • Woodrow Wilson- Clayton Antitrust Act, 17th, 18th, and 19th amendments, Labor Unions

    • 17th - Direct election of senators
    • 18th - Allowed women to vote

4. Describe US Foreign Policy in the late 1800's and early 1900's and be able to give examples.(10

points)-Ch. 10

Missionary Diplomacy

New vs Old Diplomacy

old- stayed out of foreign affairs

weak army and navy

new- we would help other countries

military grew and could help out more

Open Door policy- China

making China available for trade, did this because the world thought China would stay isolated. America did this because we thought other countries would take over China.

Dollar Diplomacy- Taft

Used government to guarantee loans to other banks in businesses in other countries. This way we got money from them instead of going to war with them. “substituting dollars for bullets”

Big Stick Diplomacy

Teddy Roosevelt was said “Speak softly and carry a big stick” - we’re going to do what we want

Great White Fleet- send white ships around the world to show that we are everywhere and we are a threat

Addition to Monroe Doctrine

Police officer between Latin America and Europe

Missionary Diplomacy- Wilson

Cuba tried to get independence from Spain, we wanted to buy Cuba

USS Maine sinking- thought it was a spanish mine, it had internal problem

Declared war on April 25th, 1898

Teller Amendment was added saying that Cuba would get independence after the war

WWI

1.  Identify the main causes of WWI and how they led to war

  • Militarism

  • Imperialism

  • Nationalism

  • Economic Competition

  • Great Britain, France and Germany were competing worldwide for colonies, natural resources, and markets

  • System of Alliances

  • countries that you form bonds with in the time of war

  • forming alliances means you don't trust other countries

  • Assassination

2. Describe what fighting was like in WWI

Trench warfare/weapons

 

3.  Identify why the US was drawn into war and why we drew closer to the Allied Powers

PowerPoint

Zimmerman note/Sinking American ships/Trade with England

 

4. Identify the actions the US took at home to mobilize our country for war-US Homefront

War industries board/Propaganda/ food administration/Define what homefront is/National war labor board

 

5. Describe the Treaty of Versailles in detail and the impact it had on Germany and Europe.

 

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