AMH2020 Midterm Terms

Ida B Wells

African American journalist, educator, and activist who led an anti-lynching crusade in the 1890s. She co-founded the NAACP and fought for civil rights and women's suffrage, highlighting racial violence and injustice.

Jacob Riis

Danish-American social reformer and photographer who exposed the harsh living conditions of the urban poor in his book How the Other Half Lives (1890). His work spurred housing reforms and increased awareness of urban poverty.

Henry Clay Frick

Industrialist and steel magnate who partnered with Andrew Carnegie. He played a key role in the violent Homestead Strike (1892), symbolizing the harsh tactics used by industrialists against labor unions.

Eugene V. Debs

Labor leader and socialist who founded the American Railway Union and ran for president five times as the Socialist Party candidate. He was a prominent advocate for workers' rights and social justice.

Cyrus McCormick

Inventor of the mechanical reaper, which revolutionized agriculture by increasing productivity. His innovations contributed to the growth of industrial farming and the U.S. economy.

World's Columbian Exposition

A world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus's voyage. It showcased American innovation and culture but also highlighted racial and social inequalities.

The Great Railway Strike

A nationwide railroad workers' strike protesting wage cuts and poor working conditions. It was one of the first major labor uprisings in the U.S., leading to violent clashes and increased attention to labor issues.

Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

A tragic factory fire in New York City that killed 146 garment workers, mostly immigrant women. It exposed unsafe working conditions and led to significant labor reforms and workplace safety laws.

Wounded Knee Massacre

The U.S. Army's killing of approximately 300 Lakota Sioux in South Dakota, marking the end of armed Native American resistance to U.S. expansion. It symbolizes the brutal suppression of Indigenous peoples.

Election of 1896

A pivotal presidential election between William McKinley (Republican) and William Jennings Bryan (Democrat/Populist). McKinley's victory marked the triumph of industrial capitalism over agrarian populism.

The Dawes General Allotment Act

A law that divided Native American tribal lands into individual allotments, aiming to assimilate Indigenous peoples into American society. It resulted in the loss of millions of acres of Native land and cultural disruption.

The Chinese Exclusion Act

The first U.S. law to restrict immigration based on ethnicity, banning Chinese laborers. It reflected nativist and racist attitudes and set a precedent for future restrictive immigration policies.

Plessy v. Ferguson

A Supreme Court case that upheld racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine, legitimizing Jim Crow laws and perpetuating racial inequality until Brown v. Board of Education (1954).

Fourteenth Amendment

A constitutional amendment granting citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. It became a cornerstone for civil rights litigation.

Samar

a reference to the Philippine-American War (1899-1902), where U.S. forces committed atrocities against Filipino civilians on the island of Samar, highlighting the brutality of American imperialism.

Pullman, Illinois

A company town built by the Pullman Palace Car Company. The Pullman Strike (1894), led by Eugene V. Debs, protested wage cuts and high rents, leading to federal intervention and highlighting labor struggles.

Homestead, Pennsylvania

Site of the Homestead Strike (1892), where steelworkers clashed with Pinkerton agents and the National Guard over wage cuts and union busting, symbolizing the conflict between labor and capital.

Tuskegee Institute

A historically Black college founded by Booker T. Washington in 1881. It emphasized vocational education and became a symbol of African American self-reliance and progress.

The People's Party

A political party formed in the 1890s representing farmers and laborers. It advocated for economic reforms like free silver, graduated income tax, and railroad regulation, influencing later progressive movements.

The Holy Order of the Knights of Labor

A labor union founded in 1869 that sought to unite all workers, regardless of skill, race, or gender. It played a key role in early labor organizing but declined after the Haymarket Affair (1886).

The American Federation of Labor

A national federation of labor unions founded in 1886 by Samuel Gompers. It focused on skilled workers and collective bargaining, becoming a dominant force in the labor movement.

Social Darwinism

The application of Darwin's theory of natural selection to society, used to justify laissez-faire economics, imperialism, and racial hierarchies. It reinforced inequality and opposition to social reforms.

Muscular Christianity

A movement emphasizing physical strength, moral integrity, and Christian values, popular in the late 19th century. It influenced the rise of organized sports and the YMCA.

Dollar Diplomacy

A foreign policy under President William Howard Taft (1909-1913) that used economic investment to expand U.S. influence abroad, particularly in Latin America and East Asia

"The Significance of the Frontier in American History"

An 1893 essay by historian Frederick Jackson Turner arguing that the frontier shaped American democracy, individualism, and identity. It influenced interpretations of U.S. history and expansion.