Study Guide for CRCT - Forsyth County Schools

1 Study Guide for CRCT Social Studies 1. Civil War (1861-1865) President Lincoln s role in keeping the country together as one nation. Assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. John Brown was an Abolitionist who decided to fight against slavery and he was the leader of a famous raid we call the John Brown raid on Harper s Ferry. He was captured and hanged. Many people in the north saw him as a hero. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote a famous book called Uncle Tom s Cabin and this was the first book published about how terrible slavery was and it helped to bring attention to the world about the tragedy of slavery in the The President of the Confederate States of America (South) was Jefferson Davis. The North (Union) won because they had factories which could make military supplies, money, and the cripples the South by destroying their railroads and burning their own towns and cities.

2 General Sherman (North) burned Atlanta all the way to Savannah and the South was forced to surrender. This was known as Sherman s March to the Sea. General Lee (South) was a great general but he finally agreed to end the war and he signed the peace treaty at Appomattox Court House, VA to end the Civil War. Margaret Mitchell (author) wrote a famous novel called Gone with the Wind in 1939 about the South in the Civil War and it was made into one of the most popular films in history. States Rights 2. Reconstruction After the Civil War ended the Freedman s Bureau was created by Congress to help provide food, clothing, medical care, and legal advice to poor blacks and whites. It set up hospitals and Schools and helped many people find jobs.

3 The Republican Party took control during Reconstruction. Carpetbaggers northern people who moved to the south after the civil war. Scalawags southern people who supported Republican policies during Reconstruction. Sharecropping rented the land he farmed by paying a share of his crop to the landowner. 3. Rights of former slaves Former slaves struggled for many years after the Civil War even though Congress passed laws; the South was determined to cause problems for them. They passed the Jim Crow Laws in the South which segregated whites and blacks so they had separate Schools , hospitals, restaurants, everything was separate. The South was determined to control the blacks and the Congress did little to help them for almost 100 years.

4 4. Purpose of the Bill of Rights The first 10 Amendments to the Constitution are called the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights is like a promise to the people of the and it provided individual rights the U. S. government promises to protect. Example: Freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, voting rights, etc. 5. Amendments to the Constitution An amendment is an official change or addition to a law. Amendments to remember: 7th Amendment you have a right to a trial by jury. 13th Amendment end of slavery forever in the J 15th Amendment VOTING RIGHTS this gave rights of citizens to vote and they would not be denied the right based on race, or color. (Only men we able to vote.) 19th Amendment Women s Right to Vote (You go girls!)

5 ! J) 23rd Amendment allows people who live in the District of Columbia (DC) to vote in elections. 24th Amendment ban on poll tax. This means no one would be required to pay money to register to vote. 26th Amendment voting age 18 years or older. E pluribus Unum Out on many one The great seal of the United States. Know what it looks like and what if means. 6. How can the Constitution be amended, or changed? It s not easy and for good reason. The Constitution protects rights of the people and it needs to be difficult to amend. **2/3 of the House of Representatives and the Senate must approve the change and 3/4 of the states must accept any amendment, or change. 7. Westward Expansion: Transcontinental Railroad Promontory Point, UT.

6 The development of the railroad made the United States population move westward. Cities were dirty and overcrowded and many people moved west to start a better life. Think of Little House on the Prairie. These people moved to farm crops, have their own land, farm cattle, etc. The Chisholm Trail was a famous cattle trail for moving cattle in the Great Plains to areas where there were railroad depots. The big cities needed the cattle for food so this made many cattle farmers very wealthy. The Grand Canyon is located in the southwest in the state of Arizona. 8. Industrial Revolution (just before the Civil War to 1900) During the years after the Civil War, the went through great changes. Immigrants from other countries were coming by the millions to the to find work and to escape persecution, famine, etc.

7 In their own countries. Cities like New York and Chicago grew large and big businesses in oil, steel, and manufacturing of goods Inventions: (improved life for many people) 1. Telephone by Alexander Graham Bell 2. Thomas Edison created the first light bulb this was safer than oil lamps and cities were the first to have electric light electric lighting also allowed for the first time businesses such as factories to work at night and businesses in cities to remain open after dark. 3. It would be years and years later before rural homes had electricity. 4. Thomas Edison (record player) 5. Typewriter was invented. 9. Immigration About 25 million people moved to the between 1880-1924. Many came from Ireland, Germany, England, Sweden, Denmark, and other countries in Europe.

8 Other areas were Russia, Italy, Hungary, Greece, Poland, and even some from Mexico. Ellis Island New York mostly immigrants from Germany. Entered the easily. Angel Island San Francisco, CA mostly Asian immigrants. Much harder to get into the Could take up to a year, and many were sent away. Immigrants came by large boats (think of the Titanic) and most settled in cities and often found work doing the most terrible jobs (shucking oysters, dangerous factory jobs, mining coal, etc. They often left their countries to escape persecution only to come to the and find discrimination here as well. People from other countries saw the as the Promised Land and they thought the streets were paved with gold and everything was perfect here.)

9 Most families however, made a life here which is why millions can trace their family history back to the immigrants from Europe and other areas during this time. Many families lived in dirty, overcrowded apartment houses in the big cities called tenement houses. The Asian people such as the Chinese were treated harshly by many Americans, more so than any other immigrant group. Child Labor: There were no laws back then to protect children and often children were forced to work in very dangerous jobs, for long hours, and with little pay. It wasn t until well after 1910 did they finally pass laws to protect children. That s why you really cant get a full-time job at your would be illegal. 10. Income Tax The government started to tax people on their income (money a person earns) this helped the government with money for: Schools , roads, cleaner water, etc.

10 Everyone who works has to pay a portion of their income to the government called an income tax. 11. The Spanish American War (1898) The showed the world it was becoming a more powerful nation when it added Alaska and Hawaii. Some leader wanted more and they wanted to build an empire. A conflict with Spain added new territories to the United States. A Ship in Havana, Cuba exploded and reporters immediately blamed Spain. (This is called Yellow Journalism- which means making up things that exaggerate news). The declared war on Spain and the won. We ended up getting Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and the island of Guam as territories. These territories owned by the but not states. Theodore Teddy Roosevelt was famous for fighting in the Spanish American later became president of the United States.