History of American People Since 1877 Exam 1

W.E.B DuBois

He was a civil rights activist. He was part of the NAACP and the first African American with a doctorate from Harvard. He thought black people should train for the professions and demand equality. He went to school in the north, so he was more willing to fight for equality rather than moving in silence and with peace. I think he had a positive effect on the U.S.

Booker T. Washington

He advocated vocational education for black people and founded the Tuskegee Institute. He wanted to focus on the black community’s self-improvement and prove that they were productive members of society. He was willing to accept segregation and inequality in exchange for economic advancement

William McKinley

He won the election of 1896 against Bryan. He supported a gold-based standard for the American economy and high protective tariffs. During his presidency, he supported the annexation of Hawaii despite native opposition and went to war with Spain for Cuban independence. He was then assassinated in 1901. His presidency brought America to a new age and for that reason only, I believe he had a positive effect on the U.S.

Theodore Roosevelt

He was president after Mckinley was assassinated. He was the first of three progressive presidents and supported the conservation movement, established national parks, forest, and monuments to preserve natural resources. During his presidency he began construction of the Panama Canal. I believe he had a positive effect on the U.S. He wasn’t like any of the previous president and did things like intervening to negotiate an end to the Coal Strike which I find influential.

William H. Taft

during his presidency, he launched 70 antitrust lawsuits, helped passed the 16th amendment authorizing congress to collect national income tax, and the 17th amendment making U.S. senators being elected by popular vote. I believe he had a good impact on the U.S.

Woodrow Wilson

he won the election of 1912 against Theordore Roosevelt and William Taft. He was an excellent speaker, very sure of himself, but also racist. He signed the Federal Reserve Act, passed the Clayton Antitrust Act to fight monopolies, reduced tariffs, provided an 8 hour workday for rail workers, and gave women the right to vote through the 19th Amendment. Based on his accomplishments, I believe he had a very postive effect on the U.S.

Thomas Edison

is an American Inventor who is considered one of America’s leading businessmen and innovators. His accomplishments include the first commercially viable incandescent light bulb. He is credited for helping build America’s economy during the Industrial Revolution

Nikola Tesla

developed the AC system for the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company. power supplies for lights and other factory equipment could extend for miles from the power source.

J.P Morgan

helped organize major corporations such as U.S. Steel and General Electric

Cornelius Vanderbilt

the shipping tycoon who controlled much of the traffic across Nicaragua between the Atlantic and the Pacific, clashed with Walker and ultimately supported Costa Rica in its war against him.

Andrew Carnegie

steel magnate: didn’t know much about steel but was a great salesperson and promoter. rags-to-riches

Samuel Gompers

president of the American Federation of Labor; during the effort to establish industrial unionism in 1886

William Tweed

ran the corrupt political machine “Tammany Hall”

Frederick Law Olmsted

designed the Central Park in New York City

Rutherford Hayes

president from 1877 to 1881; lost the popular vote to Tilden; tested the constitution and ended reconstruction

James Garfield

president during 1881 who was shot less than four months into his presidency

Chester Arthur

president during 1881-1885; he signed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act which listed all government patronage jobs and set aside 10% as appointments to be determined

James G. Blaine

leader of the Half-Breeds; republican senator from Maine

Grover Cleveland

was the first to serve two non-consecutive terms in the white house; first federal regulatory agency

Benjamin Harrison

president 1889-1893

Sherman antitrust act of 1890- made it a crime to monopolize an area of commerce

Deflation

William Jennings Bryan

defended the importance of a silver-based monetary system and urged the government to coin more silver

Hearst and Pulitzer

part of yellow journalism that competed for readership and sensationalistic stories; printed stories for maximum drama and effect

Emilio Aguinaldo

philippine president was captured after three years of fighting with U.S. Troops

Queen Liliuokalani

queen of Hawaii; was unhappy with the one-sided trade agreement Hawaii held with the United States, but protests were squashed by an American-armed revolt.

Mark Twain

an author known for realism, writing about the corruption during the Gilded Age

Upton Sinclair

was known as a muckraker; wrote the 1905 novel and exposé on the meatpacking industry, The Jungle.

Jane Addams

pioneer woman who opened Hull House in Chicago that offered services and supported the city’s working poor class.

Sharecropping

a crop-lien system in which people paid rent on land they farmed (but did not own) with the crops they grew

Plessy v. Ferguson

gave legal sanction to segregated school’s systems, separate but equal

Dawes Act

permitted the federal government to divide the lands of any tribe and grant 160 acres of farmland or 320 acres of grazing land to each head of family, with lesser amounts to single persons and others,

Wounded Knee

an attempt to disarm a group of Lakota people near Wounded Knee, South Dakota, which resulted in members of the seventh calvary of the U.S. Army opening fire and killing over 150 Lakota

Laissez-faire

means “allow to do” with the idea being “let people do as they choose”

social Darwinism

Herbert Spencer’s theory, based upon Charles Darwin’s scientific theory, which held that society developed much like plant or animal life through a process of evolution in which the most fit and capable enjoyed the greatest material and social success

knights of labor

a labor organization that emerged after the National Labor Union and advocated for the eight-hour day, a graduated federal income tax, as well as other worker protections

Haymarket Riot

an anarchist group had gathered in response to a death at an earlier nationwide demonstration for the eight-hour workday. the protest was quiet until someone in the crowd threw a bomb at the police

American Federation of Labor

a national federation of labor unions in the united states.

Chinese Exclusion Act

provided an absolute 10-year ban on Chinese laborers immigrating to the United States

political machines

organized groups that maintained political control through a system of patronage, bribery, and manipulation

dumbbell tenements

designed to maximize the available space on narrow city lots, while also providing better ventilation and natural light

Gilded age

the period in American history during which materialism, a quest for personal gain, and corruption dominated both politics and society

Armory show

a show organized by the Association of American Painters and Sculptors in 1913. It was the first large exhibition of modern art in America. The show was held in New York Cityde

central park

Designed by Federick Law Olmsted. The “City Beautiful” movement sought to increase the quality of life in cities.

election of 1876

Rutherford B. Hayes (republican) was going against Samuel Tilden. Hayes lost the popular votes but won the electoral votes. Hayes wanted to take out the federal troops.

Pendleton civil service act

This law created the Civil Service Commission, which listed all government patronage jobs and then set aside approximately 10 percent of the list as appointments to be determined through a competitive civil service examination process. Future presidents could enlarge the list but could never shrink it

Currency Debate

free silver or sound money

interstate commerce act

addressed the problem of railroad monopolies by setting guidelines for how railroads could do business.

Sherman antitrust act

the first federal act that outlawed monopolistic business practices; passed during Benjamin Harrison’s presidency

deflation

a general decline in prices for goods and services, typically associated with a contraction in the supply of money and credit in the economy; bad on farmers

populism (agrarian revolt)

a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of the common 'people' and often position this group in opposition to a perceived 'elite'. The common man should have more of a say in politics

tariff debate

The Democrats' hypothesis stated that tariff revenue could be reduced by reducing the tariff rate. Conversely, the Republicans' belief was that by increasing the tariff, imports would be lessened, and total tariff revenue would drop.

cross of gold

a speech given by William Bryan to argue in favor of allowing silver to be a part of the American economy as well as gold. Second, it was meant to earn William Jennings Bryan the nomination for president from the Democratic Party in 1896, which it did.

white man’s burden

the task that white colonizers believed they had to impose their civilization on the inhabitants of their colonies.

Spanish-American war

it began with the sinking of the USS Maine. conflict between the United States and Spain that ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and resulted in U.S. acquisition of territories in the western Pacific and Latin America.

Rember the Maine

an unknown explosion of the battleship USS Maine in the Havana, Cuba harbor that caused US passions against Spain

rough riders

the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry under the leadership of Theodore Roosevelt

Philippine- American War

most people in the Philippines were not happy to become a colony of the United States; It began after the United States assumed sovereignty of the Philippines following the defeat of Spain in the Spanish-American War.

Acquistion of Hawaii

Spurred by the nationalism aroused by the Spanish-American War, the United States annexed Hawaii in 1898 at the urging of President William McKinley. Hawaii was made a territory in 1900, and Dole became its first governor.

Boxer Rebellion

an uprising against foreigners that occurred in China about 1900, begun by peasants but eventually supported by the government. A Chinese secret society known as the Boxers embarked on a violent campaign to drive all foreigners from China

Progressive Movement

political movement interested in furthering social and political reform, curbing political corruption caused by political machines, and limiting the political influence of large corporations.

muckrakers

investigative journalists and authors who wrote about social ills, from child labor to the corrupt business practices of big businesses, and urged the public to take action

Pure Food & Drug Act

required labels on all food and drug products that clearly stated the materials in the product. The law also prohibited any “adulterated” products, a measure aimed at some specific, unhealthy food preservatives. For

The Jungle

exposed unsanitary conditions in slaughterhouses. Sinclair’s work prompted stricter laws governing meat industry.

speak softly and carry a big stick

saying by Theodore Roosevelt and the big stick is building up the US Navy

Panama Canal

a waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean sea with the Pacific. T.R started involvement in the canal.

16th Amendment

during Taft’s presidency; gives national income tax

17th amendment

during Taft’s presidency; U.S. Senators are elected by popular vote

progressive party (Bull Moose)

a third party in the United States formed in1912 by former president Theodore Roosevelt after he lost the presidential nomination of the Republican Party to Taft

election of 1912

Democratic Woodrow Wilson defeated Republican incumbent president William Howard Taft while defeating former president Theodore Roosevelt (who ran under the banner of the new Progressive/"Bull Moose" Party) and Socialist Party nominee Eugene V. D

underwood tariff

lowered average tariff rates from about 40% to about 28% and reintroduced a federal income tax

Federal Reserve Act

regulate the banking industry and establish a federal banking system; designed to remove power over interest rates from the hands of private banker

he kept us out of war

a slogan used by the Woodrow Wilson campaign that led the incumbent president to a narrow victory over Charles Evan Hughes