Gilded Age & Progressive Era

Homestead Act of 1862

provided 160 acres of free land to those that would live in the western states

Dawes Act of 1887

allowed the federal government to breakup tribal lands to encourage farming and assimilation into US society

what did How the Other Half Lives expose?

overcrowded and unsafe living conditions in tenement housing

Gilded Age

time period of rapid economic growth from approximately 1877-1900

exodusters

African Americans who would leave southern states for Kansas to create black communities

Henry Ford’s Assembly Line

— speeds up the process which allows for unskilled labor to do the work

— leads to industrialization and mass production of all industries

Bessemer Process

steel making method that removes impurities

consumerism

social practice that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts

big business

a company, organization, or corporation that controls an industry and the prices they charge (aka a monopoly)

laissez-faire economics

idea that the market will take care of itself as a free market with no government interference

horizontal integration

the consolidation of many firms that handle the same part of the production process

vertical integration

one company owns all of the means of production necessary to supply, create, and ship their product

robber baron

rich industrialist who exploited workers for their own gain

captain of industry

a business leader whose personal fortune and company/innovations contributed positively to the country

Cornelius Vanderbilt

railroads

Andrew Carnegie

steel

JD Rockefeller

oil

JP Morgan

banking

“old” immigration

prior to 1870, mainly came from Northern and Western Europe (England, Ireland, Germany)

“new” immigration

1870 until 1921, mainly came from Southern and Eastern Europe and Asia (Italy, Greece, Poland, China, Japan)

reasons for i”new” immigration from 1870-1921

seeking better lives and freedoms from oppressive governments, famines, political dissent, and religious intolerance

Ellis Island

port in New York City Harbor that was the first stop for most European immigrants

Angel Island

port in San Francisco that was the first stop for most Asian immigrants

melting pot

describes the US as a place where cultures blend, creating a unique American culture

assimilation

new immigrants blended into American society and adapted new ways of doing things

nativism

policy of protecting the interests of native-born inhabitants against those of “new” imigrants

nativist movement

— against immigration

— blamed increasing crime, unemployment, and other problems on immigrants

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

suspended immigration from China for 10 years

political machines

offered jobs and housing in exchange for votes for their political candidates

settlement houses

provided temporary shelter, medical care, childcare, and education for immigrants

— Hull House founded in Chicago by Jane Addams

working condutions

— laws to improve workplace safety

— workers compensation for injuries on the job

— laws limiting workday hours

— state and federal governments urged to adopt a minimum wage

labor union

composed of all the workers in a given industry, regardless of skills, craft, or occupation

Knights of Labor

— first major labor union

— recruited people who had been kept out of unions (women, African Americans, etc.)

American Federation of Labor

represented skilled workers only

collective bargaining

a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees to improve working conditions and ways to balance work and family life

International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union

founded by representatives from urban garmeny companies and grew in scope after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in 1911

American Railway Union

— united railway workers and workers of different crafts together

— first industrial union

examples of gains of labor unions

— 8 hour days, 40 hour weeks

— regulated the conditions of factories

— overtime pay

— equal pay

— minimum wage

right to work

an employer cannot force a worker to join a union as a condition of employment

strike

union members refuse to work until the stated problem is fixed

suffrage

the right to vote

Plessy v. Ferguson case

supreme court decision that racial segregation was legal as long as it was “separate but equal”

Ida B Wells

— investigative journlist and civil rights activist

— led an anti-lynching crusade and exposed crimes in southern newspapers

— helped found the NAACP

Booker T Washington

— argued for self improvement for African Americans (did not support desegregation- felt it needed to be earned)

— founded the Tuskegee Institute

WEB Du Bois

— helped found the NAACP and published its official journal The Crisis

— opposite views of desegregation from Washington- felt immediate desegregation was needed

Haymarket Square Riot 1886

— peaceful protest for an 8 hour workday at the McCormick Harvester Company

— escalated tensions between protesters and police, multiple people died

— labor unions began to be associated with terrorism and disorder

Homestead Strike 1892

— union organized and went on strike for their pay after Carnefie reduced wages at his steel mill

— led Americans to further turn against unions and organized labor

Pullman Strike 1894

— workers went on strike for cut wages and high housing costs at the Pullman Railway plant

— American Railway Union supported the workers and 260,000 workers went on strike nationwide

— broken up by the US Army sent in by Pres. Cleveland

16th Amendment

Congress can established a federal income tax

17th Amendment

allows voters to cast direct votes for US Senators1

18th Amendment

prohibited the manufacture and sale of alcohol

19th Amendment

gave women the right to vote (can’t discriminate the right to vote based on gender)

Upton Sinclair

— wrote The Jungle

— led to the passage of the Meat Inspection Act of 1906 and the Pure Food and Drug Act

Thomas Nast

father of the american cartoon (political cartoons)

Ida Tarbell

broke up the Standard Oil Company’s monopoly

Jacob Riis

photographer for How the Other Half Lives

goals of progressive era

— increase democracy

— provide economic opportunities

— eliminate social injustices

Keating-Owens Act 1916

limited working hours and banned interstate sales for companies using child labor

Revenue Act of 1919

government tried to levy taxes as an indirect route to regulate child labor

1938 Fair Labor and Standards Act

banned child labor

Sherman Antitrust Acr of 1890

prevents monopolies from forming to help small businesses

Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914

— expanded Sherman Act by outlawing price fixing

— legalized strikes and boycotts

local government reform

created a city manager or commissioner to meet the needs of urbanization

state government reforms

— referendum

— initiative

— recall

referendum

general vote by the electorate (voting population) on a single political question

initiative

a bill that came from people rather than lawmakers

recall

enabled voters to remove public officials from positions with an election if enough voters asked for it

Theodore Roosevelt (26th President)

— Square Deal goals:

— keep the wealthy and powerful from taking advantage of small business owners and the poor

— 3 C’s: consumer protection, corporate regulation, land conservationism

— formed the National Conservation Commission in 1909

William Howard Taft (27th President)

— supported safety standards for mines and railroads

— continued to break up monopolies, expand National Parks, and social reforms

— only president to have also served in Congress and on the US Supreme Court

Woodrow Wilson (28th President)

— New Freedom: smaller government interference and healthy markets to support small business

Revenue Act of 1913

lowered tariffs and started a federal income tax

Federal Reserve Act of 1913

created a central banking shystem under government control