Period 6 Apush terms

Transcontinental Railroad

A contiguous network of railroad trackage that crosses a continental land mass, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States.

2nd Industrial Revolution

Occurred from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, marked by the expansion of electricity, steel production, and the development of new technologies such as the telephone and internal combustion engine.

Taylorism

A management theory developed by Frederick Winslow Taylor, emphasizing scientific management and efficiency through time studies, standardization of tasks, and work specialization.

Monopoly

Trust

A market structure where a single seller or producer controls the entire supply of a product or service, allowing them to set prices and restrict competition.

Holding Company

A business entity that owns the outstanding stock of other companies, allowing it to control those companies and manage them while having limited direct involvement in their operations.

Vertical Integration

A business strategy where a company expands its operations by taking control over more than one stage of production or distribution of a product, from raw materials to manufacturing to retail.

Horizontal Integration

A business strategy where a company acquires or merges with other companies at the same stage of production to increase market share, reduce competition, and achieve economies of scale.

Laissez-faire economics

An economic theory of free market capitalism that opposes government intervention in the economy, advocating that economic success is best achieved when businesses operate freely without restrictive regulations.

Nativism/Xenophobia

Nativism is a political and social policy that favors the interests of native-born or established inhabitants over those of immigrants, often accompanied by a fear or distrust of foreigners.

Xenophobia is an irrational fear or dislike of people from other countries or cultures, often leading to prejudice and discriminatory behavior.

Union Movements

Collective efforts by workers to organize into unions to promote their interests, negotiate better wages, working conditions, and benefits, and protect their rights in the workplace.

Pullman Strike

A nationwide railroad strike in the United States that occurred in 1894. It began as a protest against wage cuts and the high rents in the company town of Pullman, Illinois, leading to a major disruption in rail traffic and a federal intervention that ultimately resulted in violent clashes.

New South

The post-Civil War southern United States, especially during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, where there was a push for economic diversification and modernization, moving away from reliance on agriculture and towards industrialization and urban development.

The Grange

An American agricultural organization that aims to advance the interests of farmers and promote rural communities. Founded in 1867, it focuses on education, social activities, and legislative advocacy for agricultural issues.

Farmers Alliance

People’s (Populist) Party

A late 19th-century agrarian movement in the United States that sought to improve the economic conditions for farmers through cooperative purchasing and marketing of agricultural products. It aimed to address issues such as price fluctuations, high debt levels, and monopolistic practices by railroads and other industries.

Urbanization

The process by which an increasing percentage of a population comes to live in urban areas, often leading to the growth of cities and towns as a result of migration from rural areas, industrialization, and the development of infrastructure.

New Immigration

The wave of immigrants who arrived in the United States from Southern and Eastern Europe, Asia, and other regions during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, characterized by a significant increase in diversity and a shift from earlier patterns of immigration.

Assimilation

Americanization

The process through which individuals or groups of differing ethnicity, culture, or social background are absorbed into the dominant culture of a society, often resulting in the loss of their original cultural identity and practices.

Chinese Exclusion Act

A U.S. federal law enacted in 1882 that prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers to the United States. It was the first significant law to restrict immigration based on nationality and set a precedent for further immigration restrictions in U.S. history.

Political Machines

A political machine is a party organization that recruits its members by the use of tangible incentives—money, political jobs—and that is characterized by a high degree of leadership control over member activity.

Consumer culture

The societal shift towards prioritizing the acquisition and consumption of goods and services, influencing values, activities, and social status

Dawes Act

A 1887 U.S. law that authorized the President to break up Native American tribal lands into individual allotments, aiming to assimilate Native Americans into mainstream society by promoting individual land ownership and farming.

Indian Wars

The protracted series of conflicts between Native Americans and European settlers, primarily over land and resources, spanning from the colonial era to the late 19th century

Social Darwinism

A pseudoscientific theory that emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries suggesting that certain groups are naturally superior and destined to dominate others, often used to justify social inequalities and imperialism. Social Darwinism has been used to justify imperialism, racism, eugenics and social inequality at various times over the past century and a half

Gospel of Wealth

Treatise published in 1889 with the North American Review, written by billionaire steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie. Arguing that the wealthy had a moral responsibility to use their fortunes for the betterment of society and that they have a social responsibility to give to the greater good

Socialism

An economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse economic and social systems characterized by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership.

Hull House

A pioneering settlement house in Chicago that provided social, educational, and artistic programs to help recently arrived European immigrants and the poor

Plessy v. Ferguson

The court upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the doctrine of "separate but equal," effectively legitimizing Jim Crow laws and paving the way for decades of discrimination against African Americans