Unit 1 Gilded Age Study Guide

A collection of 52 vocabulary and key concept flashcards covering the Gilded Age, key figures, industrialization, immigration, political corruption, and reforms.

Gilded Age

A late-19th-century period marked by rapid industrial growth and the rise of extremely wealthy individuals.

Vertical Integration

Owning all levels of production.

Horizontal Integration

Owning all the companies.

Monopoly

Exclusive control over the supply, sale, or trade of a good or service by a single person, company, or government.

Laissez-faire Capitalism

An economic approach meaning 'let go' that takes a hands-off approach to business regulation.

Labor Union

A group of workers who join together to fight for better pay, benefits, and working conditions.

Scabs

Temporary/replacement workers brought in to replace workers on strike.

Nativism

Anti-immigrant sentiment expressed by 'old stock' Americans.

Political Machine

A political organization that worked like a machine, exchanging favors for votes to stay in power.

Graft

Using political power for one's own benefit.

Philanthropy

The love of humanity and the active effort to promote the welfare and quality of life for others.

Tenements

Rundown and cramped apartments that many immigrants and poor Americans lived in.

Andrew Carnegie

An industrialist who owned a monopoly and controlled the American Steel Industry.

Gospel of Wealth

An 1889 essay arguing that the super-rich have a moral duty to use their surplus money to improve society during their lifetimes.

John D. Rockefeller

An industrialist who built a monopoly and controlled the oil business.

Jacob Riis

A photographer who took photos of immigrants and captured pictures of their terrible living situations.

Boss Tweed

A corrupt 19th-century New York politician who led the Tammany Hall political machine and stole millions of dollars from city taxpayers before being exposed and jailed.

Tammany Hall

A place that controlled elections, gave jobs, and bribed immigrants for votes/support.

Mother Jones

A labor activist who fought for the labor movement.

Theodore Roosevelt and Jacob Riis Connection

Jacob Riis's book exposing NYC slum life inspired Theodore Roosevelt to seek him out, leading them to become close allies in pushing for reforms against poverty and corruption during Roosevelt's time as police commissioner.

Post-Industrial Revolution Work Shift

The shift in labor from farm labor to big industrial factories following the Industrial Revolution.

Common Factory Worker Problems

Low pay and long hours faced by factory workers.

AFL vs. Knights of Labor

The Knights of Labor (KOL) included everyone, whereas the American Federation of Labor (AFL) was for white men.

Haymarket Riot

An event that began as a peaceful protest but turned into chaos when a bomb went off and police started shooting, resulting in seven protest leaders being arrested and put on death row.

Homestead Strike Significance

A strike for better pay that angered Americans because workers held a peaceful protest yet still got shot.

Reasons for Forming Labor Unions

Unsafe working environments and low pay in dangerous conditions.

Immigration Push Factors

Major factors driving immigrants to leave their homes, including poverty, lack of jobs, famine, war, religious persecution, political oppression, and poor living conditions.

Immigration Pull Factors

Major factors attracting immigrants to the United States, including jobs, religious freedom, political freedom, higher wages, and opportunities.

New Immigrants

Immigrants who primarily came from Southern and Eastern Europe.

Reasons for Slow Early 1800s Urbanization

America urbanized slowly in the early 1800s because most people lived and worked on farms, and transportation and industry were not yet developed enough to support large cities.

Urban Immigrant Challenges

Difficulties faced by immigrants in American cities, including poverty, overcrowded housing, low-paying jobs, poor working conditions, discrimination, and disease.

Tenement Housing Conditions

Poor, small, crowded apartment spaces with barely any windows.

Political Machine Power Acquisition

The process by which political organizations gained power by exchanging favors for votes to stay in control.

Boss Tweed's Corruption Method

Boss Tweed's method of using immigrants to gain votes and political power.

Crédit Mobilier Scandal

A major political corruption scandal where the Crédit Mobilier company overcharged the government for railroad construction and gave shares to members of Congress.

Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act

Legislation passed to reduce government corruption and end the spoils system by requiring government jobs to be based on merit instead of political connections.

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

Legislation that attempted to stop monopolies and business practices that restricted competition.

Robber Barons

A term for industrial leaders like Carnegie and Rockefeller who used unfair business practices, eliminated competition, and gained enormous wealth and power.

Captains of Industry

A term for industrial leaders like Carnegie and Rockefeller who built successful businesses, created jobs, and helped grow American industry and the economy.

Dual Impact of Industrialization

Industrialization created jobs, increased production, and encouraged economic growth, but also caused poor working conditions, low wages, pollution, and overcrowded cities.

Urban Transformation by Immigration

Immigration increased city populations and brought new cultures, languages, foods, and traditions, but also contributed to overcrowding and poverty.

Demands for Gilded Age Reform

Calls for government reform driven by widespread corruption, political machines, monopolies, and unfair business practices.

Flash Photography in Tenements

A photography technique used by Jacob Riis to illuminate and expose living conditions inside dark tenements that lacked windows and lighting.

Child Coal Workers Issues

Problems illustrated in period photographs including child labor, dangerous working conditions, long hours, and the exploitation of children for cheap labor.

Impact of Child Labor Photography

Photographs that exposed the harsh working conditions children faced and helped build public support for Progressive Era laws limiting child labor and improving workplace safety.

Gospel of Wealth Responsibilities

The principle that wealthy people should use their money to help others and improve society, such as supporting education, charities, and public institutions.

Tenement Housing Impact on Families

Harmful living conditions described by Jacob Riis that caused overcrowding, poverty, poor health, and unsafe environments for families and children.

Benefits of Industrialization to the U.S.

Positive developments including job creation, increased production, improved transportation, and national economic growth.

Industrial Challenges for Workers

Difficulties faced by workers including low wages, long hours, dangerous working conditions, and child labor.

Immigrant Experience in America

Immigrants arrived seeking jobs, freedom, and better opportunities, but faced poverty, discrimination, overcrowded housing, and difficult working conditions.

Crédit Mobilier Corruption and Reform Example

A scandal where railroad companies overcharged the government and bribed politicians, which increased demands for civil service laws and government reform.

Overall Evaluation of the Gilded Age

Considered more beneficial overall because industrialization created jobs, increased production, and grew the U.S. economy, despite poor working conditions and low wages.