APUSH TERMS 631-665

Sherman Antitrust Act

1890 - A federal law that committed the American government to opposing monopolies, it prohibits contracts, combinations and conspiracies in restraint of trade.

E.C. Knight Company case

1895 - The Supreme Court ruled that since the Knight Company's monopoly over the production of sugar had no direct effect on commerce, the company couldn't be controlled by the government. It also ruled that mining and manufacturing weren't affected by interstate commerce laws and were beyond the regulatory power of Congress.

Knights of Labor: Uriah Stephens, Terence Powderly

An American labor union originally established as a secret fraternal order and noted as the first union of all workers. It was founded in 1869 in Philadelphia by Uriah Stephens and a number of fellow workers. Powderly was elected head of the Knights of Labor in 1883.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

Began in 1886 with about 140,000 members; by 1917 it had 2.5 million members. It is a federation of different unions.

Samuel Gompers

President of the AFL, he combined unions to increase their strength.

Collective bargaining

Discussions held between workers and their employers over wages, hours, and conditions.

Strikes

The unions' method for having their demands met. Workers stop working until the conditions are met. It is a very effective form of attack.

Closed shop

A working establishment where only people belonging to the union are hired. It was done by the unions to protect their workers from cheap labor.

Black list

A list of people who had done some misdeed and were disliked by business. They were refused jobs and harassed by unions and businesses.

Yellow Dog contracts

A written contract between employers and employees in which the employees sign an agreement that they will not join a union while working for the company.

Great Railroad Strike

July, 1877 - A large number of railroad workers went on strike because of wage cuts. After a month of strikes, President Hayes sent troops to stop the rioting. The worst railroad violence was in Pittsburgh, with over 40 people killed by militia men.

Haymarket Square Riot

100,000 workers rioted in Chicago. After the police fired into the crowd, the workers met and rallied in Haymarket Square to protest police brutality. A bomb exploded, killing or injuring many of the police. The Chicago workers and the man who set the bomb were immigrants, so the incident promoted anti-immigrant feelings.

Homestead Strike

The workers at a steel plant in Pennsylvania went on strike, forcing the owner to close down. Armed guards were hired to protect the building. The strikers attacked for five months, then gave in to peace demands.

Pinkertons

Members of the Chicago police force headed by Alan Pinkerton, they were often used as strike breakers.

American Railway Union

Led by Eugene Debs, they started the Pullman strike, composed mostly of railroad workers.

Pullman Strike, 1894

Started by enraged workers who were part of George Pullman's "model town", it began when Pullman fired three workers on a committee. Pullman refused to negotiate and troops were brought in to ensure that trains would continue to run. When orders for Pullman cars slacked off, Pullman cut wages, but did not cut rents or store prices.

Eugene V. Debs

Leader of the American Railway Union, he voted to aid workers in the Pullman strike. He was jailed for six months for disobeying a court order after the strike was over.

"Honest Graft"

Justified bribery or cheating

Boss Tweed

Large political boss and head of Tammany Hall, he controlled New York and believed in "Honest Graft".

Tammany Hall

Political machine in New York, headed by Boss Tweed

Thomas Nast

Newspaper cartoonist who produced satirical cartoons, he invented "Uncle Sam" and came up with the elephant and the donkey for the political parties. He nearly brought down Boss Tweed.

"New Immigration"

The second major wave of immigration to the U.S.; between 1865-1910, 25 million new immigrants arrived. Unlike earlier immigration, which had come primarily from Western and Northern Europe, the New Immigrants came mostly from Southern and Eastern Europe, fleeing persecution and poverty. Language barriers and cultural differences produced mistrust by Americans.

Streetcar suburbs

The appearance of the streetcar made living within the heart of the city unnecessary. People began moving to the edges of the cities and commuting to work by streetcar. Led to growth of suburbs.

Tenements

Urban apartment buildings that served as housing for poor factory workers. Often poorly constructed and overcrowded.

Jane Addams, Hull House

Social reformer who worked to improve the lives of the working class. In 1889 she founded Hull House in Chicago, the first private social welfare agency in the U.S., to assist the poor, combat juvenile delinquency and help immigrants learn to speak English.

Denis Kearney

Irish immigrant who settled in San Francisco and fought for workers rights. He led strikes in protest of the growing number of imported Chinese workers who worked for less than the Americans. Founded the Workingman's Party, which was later absorbed into the Granger movement.

Chinese Exclusion Law 1882

Denied citizenship to Chinese in the U.S. and forbid further immigration of Chinese. Supported by American workers who worried about losing their jobs to Chinese immigrants who would work for less pay

Immigration Literacy Tests

Immigrants were required to pass a literacy test in order to gain citizenship. Many immigrants were uneducated or non-English-speakers, so they could not pass. Meant to discourage immigration

James Bryce, The American Commonwealth

Opposed the Nativists sentiment and promoted the "melting pot" idea of American culture.

John A. Roebling, Brooklyn Bridge

Roebling pioneered the development of suspension bridges and designed the Brooklyn Bridge, but died before its construction was completed.

Louis Sullivan

Known as the father of the skyscraper because he designed the first steel-skeleton skyscraper. Mentor of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Frank Lloyd Wright

Considered America's greatest architect. Pioneered the concept that a building should blend into and harmonize with its surroundings rather than following classical designs.

Ashcan School

Also known as The Eight, a group of American Naturalist painters formed in 1907, most of whom had formerly been newspaper illustrators, they believed in portraying scenes from everyday life in starkly realistic detail. Their 1908 display was the first art show in the U.S.

Charles Darwin, Origin of Species

Presented the theory of evolution, which proposed that creation was an ongoing process in which mutation and natural selection constantly give rise to new species. Sparked a long-running religious debate over the issue of creation.

Social Darwinism

Applied Darwin's theory of natural selection and "survival of the fittest" to human society -- the poor are poor because they are not as fit to survive. Used as an argument against social reforms to help the poor.