Time Period 6 Key Terms

A set of flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from Time Period 6.

New Immigrants

Immigrants from southern and eastern Europe who arrived in the US in the latter half of the 19th century.

American Federation of Labor

An organization of various trade unions that fought for specific reforms.

Americanization

Process of assimilating immigrants into American culture.

anarchist

One who believes that formal, coercive government is wrong in principle.

Battle of Wounded Knee

Massacre of 300 unarmed Native Americans by US soldiers in 1890, ending the Indian Wars.

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Agency designed to assimilate Native Americans into American culture.

Chinese Exclusion Act

First law limiting immigration based on race, effectively halting Chinese immigration until WWII.

Civil Rights Cases of 1883

Legalized segregation with regard to private property.

concession

A privilege granted by a government to another government, private company, or individual.

cooperative

An organization for producing, marketing, or consuming goods where members share benefits.

Dawes Severalty Act

Law that allotted land to individual Indians to encourage farming and discourage tribalism.

despotism

Government by an absolute or tyrannical ruler.

filibuster

Technique to obstruct legislation, often by making long speeches.

free enterprise

Economic system allowing unrestricted business activity, associated with laissez-faire capitalism.

Frontier Thesis

Idea that the American West represents individualism, democracy, and economic freedom.

Gospel of Wealth

Essay by Andrew Carnegie emphasizing the responsibility of philanthropy.

Grange Movement and Farmers Alliance

Grassroots movements addressing farmers' issues in the late 1800s.

Haymarket Riot

Labor dispute in Chicago that turned violent, damaging the reputation of organized labor.

Homestead and Pullman Strikes

Industrial strikes showcasing the conflict between corporations and labor unions.

Horizontal Integration

Profit-maximizing strategy of acquiring competing companies within the same industry.

Interstate Commerce Act

Legislation aimed at regulating railroads; first federal effort to regulate corporations.

Jane Addams

Pioneering settlement activist and reformer, founder of Hull House.

Knights of Labor

Labor organization in the 1880s that included diverse workers and had broad reform goals.

Laissez-Faire Economics

Economic philosophy advocating minimal government interference in business.

lobbyist

A person who promotes an interest or cause before a political body.

lockout

Employer's refusal to allow employees to work until terms are agreed upon.

Pendleton Civil Service Act

Law that established merit-based hiring for federal employees.

People's (Populist) Party

Political party formed to represent the interests of farmers and labor.

Plessy v. Ferguson

Supreme Court decision that legalized segregation under 'separate but equal' doctrine.

Political Machine

An unofficial organization aimed at exercising power through local elections.

prohibition

Legal ban on the manufacture, sale, or consumption of alcohol.

rebate

A return of a portion of a payment for goods or services.

reserve

Money held back from circulation by a bank or treasury.

Sherman Antitrust Act

Legislation aimed at outlawing monopolistic business practices.

Social Darwinism

Belief that competition in society leads to 'survival of the fittest'.

Social Gospel

Movement advocating that Christians should help the poor and immigrants.

Socialist

Someone who advocates for community ownership of production means.

Tammany Hall

Corrupt political machine in New York City led by William Boss Tweed.

tenement

Overcrowded multi-dwelling building often associated with the poor.

The Gilded Age

Period in the late 19th century marked by economic growth and social problems.

trust

A group of companies managed in a way that limits competition.

U. S. v. E. C. Knight Co. (1895)

Court case that limited the federal government's power to regulate monopolies.

Vertical Integration

Strategy of owning every step in the manufacturing process.

Wabash v. Illinois (1886)

Case declaring state regulations on interstate commerce unconstitutional.

William Jennings Bryan

Notable politician and advocate for free silver; associated with the Populist Party.