Chapter 19-20: Urbanization, Gilded Age, and Westward Migration - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the lecture notes.

Electric lighting

Technological factor that fueled explosive growth of American cities by improving urban illumination.

Elevators

Device enabling tall buildings and the rise of skyscrapers; part of urban growth.

Steel-frame construction

Building technique using a steel skeleton, allowing taller, stronger structures.

Public transportation

Streetcars and subways that facilitated commuting and city expansion.

Nativism

Belief that immigrants are culturally different and economically threatening; fueled discrimination.

Restrictive immigration laws

Laws aimed at limiting immigration in response to nativist sentiment.

Tenements

Crowded, often unsanitary urban housing for workers.

Poor sanitation

Sanitation problems associated with crowded urban life.

Suburban growth

Expansion of middle-class housing into suburbs around cities.

Consumer culture

Middle-class emphasis on purchasing goods and leisure as urban life evolved.

Elite opulent lifestyles

Wealthy-class displays of wealth and social prominence.

Philanthropy

Charitable giving by wealthy individuals to urban causes.

Industrial boom

Significant surge in industrial growth during the late 19th century.

Urban expansion

Growth and outward spreading of cities in response to industry and population.

Poverty

Widespread poverty accompanying rapid urbanization and industrialization.

Disease

Public health challenges and disease in crowded urban areas.

Labor unrest

Strikes and protests by workers seeking better conditions and wages.

Sanitation departments

City agencies established to improve sanitation and public health.

Police forces

Urban police organized to maintain order and support new urban governance.

Unions

Labor organizations formed to bargain for workers' rights and benefits.

Mutual aid societies

Volunteer groups offering support to workers and immigrant communities.

Gilded Age

Term describing late 19th-century America of wealth disparity, corruption, and showy abundance.

Wealth gap

The large disparity between the rich and the poor.

Corruption

Political and business corruption associated with the era.

Reform movements

Efforts to address corruption, labor rights, and social issues.

Pullman Strike

Major 1894 railroad strike illustrating labor resistance and federal response.

Populist Party

Farmers' political movement advocating inflation and regulation to aid agrarian interests.

Inflation

Rise in prices that affected farmers and workers.

Regulation

Government actions intended to regulate industry and protect the public.

Laissez-faire policies

Philosophy of limited government intervention in the economy.

Political patronage

System of political appointments and favors reflecting corruption.

Westward migration

Movement to settle and expand territory; expanded U.S. economy but displaced Native Americans.

Expansionism

Policy of expanding U.S. territory and influence beyond existing borders.

Native Americans displacement

Displacement of Indigenous peoples as settlers moved west.