1. America in Transition Unit 1
American Expansion, Industry and Immigration at the turn of the Century

2. How did we get here?
The task of bringing together the nation and rebuilding the South marked the beginning of “Reconstruction”
Reconstruction Amendments:
13: Freed Slaves
14: Made Blacks Citizens
15: Gave Black MEN the right to vote
It was a whole race trying to go to school. Few were too young, and none too old, to make the attempt to learn. As fast as any kind of teachers could be secured, not only were day-schools filled, but night-schools as well. The great ambition of the older people was to try to learn to read the Bible before they died.
—Booker T. Washington, Up from Slavery: An Autobiography, 1901
Charleston; April, 1865

3. The “Jim Crow” South
“Black Codes” were often used in the South to continue to restrict the freedom and opportunities of Black Americans
Segregation – Plessy v. Ferguson
Jim Crow Laws
Sharecropping & Tenant Farming
Literacy Tests & Poll Taxes
Lynchings
Included Hyperlink to a great music style video in the pic on Plessy v Ferguson
The Reconstruction Era lasted from [approximately]

4. Identify the major characteristics of: (1) Industry, (2) Immigration, & (3) The Gilded Age [America in Transition] (US2A)
Industry
Immigration
The Gilded Age
New Inventions
Expansionism  U.S. leading in industry
Global Market
Frontier  Factory
Poor working conditions and low pay  Labor Unions & better working conditions
Political Corruption & Political “machines”
Entrepreneurship
Philanthropy
Labor Unions
Laissez Faire

5. Cultures Clash on the Great Plains
Indian Removal Act (1830): forced tribes living east of the Mississippi River to move west to Oklahoma Territory on the Great Plains
Assimilation furthered with the Dawes Act of 1887: A tribe no longer owned land – individuals were given land
The Homestead Act: provided tracts of land called homesteads to settlers in the West – 160 acres of public land for a small fee to anyone who agreed to work the land and live on it for five years

6. Frontier Roads & Trails

7. America’s First Major Industry: The Railroad
There was a population explosion in the West.
There was a need for better communication and transportation, especially through the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains.
Working the railroad was strenuous and dangerous.
4/5 of the labor force were Chinese workers who were paid lower wages than white workers and were targets of racism.

8. Economic Issues of Railroads…
Industrialization
Industries relied on railroads for shipping
Increased industrialization
Ranching, farming, and mining were dependent
Expansionism
Expanded western settlement and growth
Created a global market
Innovations
Innovations enabled rapid growth (i.e. steal & communication)
Production Boom!
Homestead Act!

9. The Government Takes Action!
The Interstate Commerce Act (1887): Ruled that only Congress had the power to regulate interstate commerce which prohibited unfair practices by railroads, such as charging higher rates for shorter routes
The Chinese Exclusion Act (1882): The first federal law to restrict immigration to the U.S. and banned the immigration of Chinese workers and residents for employment purposes

10. The Government Takes Action!
Homestead Act (1862) : Any citizen could occupy 160 acres of government land. If the settler “improved” the land by making a home and growing crops, after 5 years the homesteader would own the property