Key Concepts in Gilded Age, Progressive Era, and Imperialism

Social Darwinism

Belief that success and wealth are the result of natural superiority; used to justify inequality in the Gilded Age.

Herbert Spencer

Philosopher who applied 'survival of the fittest' to society and economics.

National Labor Union (1866)

First major labor union; pushed for shorter hours and higher wages but collapsed in 1873.

Knights of Labor

Large labor union open to skilled and unskilled workers; declined after association with violence.

Haymarket Square Riot

Violent labor protest that led to public distrust of unions.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

Union led by Samuel Gompers focused on skilled workers and practical gains like wages and hours.

Scab

Replacement worker hired during a strike.

Pinkertons

Private security used to break strikes.

Blacklisting

Denying employment to workers involved in unions.

Yellow-Dog Contract

Agreement where workers promise not to join unions.

Open Shop/Closed Shop

Workplace where union membership is not required/is required

Dumbbell Tenement

Poorly built apartment housing with little ventilation.

Nativism

Anti-immigrant sentiment among native-born Americans.

Settlement House

Community centers that provided aid to immigrants.

Jane Addams

Founder of Hull House, helped immigrants adjust to city life.

Morrill Act (1862)

Granted land to states to fund colleges.

Booker T. Washington

Advocated vocational education and gradual equality.

W.E.B. Du Bois

Advocated immediate equality and helped found NAACP.

Plessy v. Ferguson

Upheld 'separate but equal' segregation.

Woman Suffrage Movement

Movement to gain voting rights for women.

Temperance Movement

Campaign to ban alcohol.

Dawes Act (1887)

Broke up tribal land to assimilate Native Americans.

Wounded Knee Massacre

U.S. Army killed hundreds of Lakota, ending major Native resistance.

Helen Hunt Jackson

Wrote A Century of Dishonor criticizing U.S. treatment of Native Americans.

Frederick Jackson Turner

Argued the frontier shaped American democracy and character.

Frontier Thesis

Claim that the frontier created individualism and democracy.

Populist Party (People's Party)

Political party of farmers advocating free silver and reform.

Free Silver

Policy to increase money supply by coining silver.

Pullman Strike

Nationwide strike crushed by federal troops.

Eugene V. Debs

Led American Railway Union and later Socialist Party.

Progressivism

Reform movement aimed at fixing problems of industrial society.

Muckrakers

Journalists who exposed corruption and social issues.

Ida Tarbell

Exposed Standard Oil monopoly.

Upton Sinclair

Wrote The Jungle exposing meatpacking industry.

Jacob Riis

Exposed poor living conditions in cities.

17th Amendment

Direct election of senators.

Theodore Roosevelt

Progressive president known for trustbusting and Square Deal.

Square Deal

Roosevelt's program of fairness for workers, consumers, and businesses.

Meat Inspection Act

Ensured sanitary meat production.

Pure Food and Drug Act

Required accurate labeling of food/medicine.

William Howard Taft

Progressive president who angered reformers.

Woodrow Wilson

Progressive president with 'New Freedom' reforms.

Clayton Antitrust Act

Strengthened Sherman antitrust laws and protected unions.

16th Amendment

Federal income tax.

18th Amendment

Prohibition of alcohol.

19th Amendment

Women's suffrage.

Imperialism

Extending a nation's power through territories.

Alfred Thayer Mahan

Advocated strong navy for global power.

Spanish-American War

U.S. defeated Spain and gained overseas territories.

Treaty of Paris

Ended war; U.S. gained Philippines, Guam, Puerto Rico.

USS Maine explosion

Helped spark war with Spain.

Yellow Journalism

Exaggerated news to influence public opinion.

Effect of Social Darwinism on government policy

Encouraged laissez-faire policies and limited regulation of big business.

Growth of labor unions like the AFL

Poor working conditions, low wages, and long hours during industrialization.

Effect of the Haymarket Square Riot on labor unions

Increased fear of radicalism → decline in public support for unions.

Failure of the Knights of Labor

Inclusion of all workers + association with violence → loss of credibility.

Effect of the Pullman Strike

Federal government intervened → set precedent for siding with business.

Effect of settlement houses like those run by Jane Addams

Improved immigrant living conditions and promoted social reform.

Passage of the Dawes Act

Belief that Native Americans should assimilate into American culture.

Effect of the Dawes Act

Loss of tribal land and destruction of Native culture.

Effect of the closing of the frontier (Turner Thesis)

Concern that American democracy and individualism would decline.

Rise of the Populist Party

Economic hardship of farmers, especially after the Panic of 1893.

Causes of Progressivism

Problems of industrialization (corruption, inequality, unsafe conditions).

Effect of muckrakers like Upton Sinclair

Government passed reforms like the Meat Inspection Act.

Rise of imperialism in the 1890s

Desire for new markets, military power, and cultural superiority.

Effect of the Spanish-American War

U.S. became a global imperial power with overseas territories.

Industrialization's impact on American society from 1865-1900

Created urban growth, labor conflict, and massive wealth inequality.

Populist movement and economic tensions

Farmers vs banks/railroads → conflict over money supply and control.