Unit 6 Terms

A series of flashcards covering key historical terms and events from the late 19th century in the United States.

Homestead Act

A law passed in 1862 that encouraged Western migration by providing settlers 160 acres of public land; in exchange, homesteaders were required to live on the land and improve it for at least five years.

Wounded Knee Massacre

A tragic event in 1890 where U.S. troops killed hundreds of Lakota Sioux at Wounded Knee Creek, marking the end of the armed conflict between Native Americans and the U.S. government on the Great Plains.

Dawes Severalty Act (1887)

Legislation that aimed to assimilate Native Americans by breaking up tribal lands into individual plots; it sought to replace communal land ownership with private property and farming culture.

Turner’s Frontier Thesis

An argument by historian Frederick Jackson Turner in 1893 that American democracy and national character were uniquely shaped by the experience of the Western frontier and its 'closing' marked the end of an era.

Andrew Carnegie

A leading figure in the American steel industry who utilized vertical integration to build his empire and later became a philanthropist, famous for his 'Gospel of Wealth' philosophy.

John D. Rockefeller

An industrial giant who founded the Standard Oil Company; he used horizontal integration and the trust business model to control approximately 90\% of the U.S. oil refining industry.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

A landmark Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine, providing legal cover for Jim Crow laws for decades.

Robber Barons

A derogatory term used to describe powerful 19^{th}-century industrialists who were accused of amassing wealth through exploitative business practices and unfair labor conditions.

Social Darwinism

The belief that 'survival of the fittest' applies to human society and economics; it was frequently used to justify extreme wealth inequality and the lack of government intervention in business.

Gospel of Wealth

An essay written by Andrew Carnegie arguing that the rich have a moral responsibility to use their surplus wealth for the benefit of society through philanthropy, such as building libraries and universities.

Horatio Alger Myth

The popular belief, fueled by Alger's novels, that any individual could achieve success and 'rags-to-riches' upward mobility through hard work, honesty, and a bit of luck.

Chinese Exclusion Act

A U.S. federal law enacted in 1882 that prohibited all immigration of Chinese laborers; it was the first major law to restrict immigration based on a specific ethnic or national group.

Political Bosses & Machines

Corrupt political organizations, like Tammany Hall in New York, that controlled local government by providing services to immigrants and the poor in exchange for their votes and loyalty.

Patronage

The 'spoils system' practice where political victors rewarded their loyal supporters with government jobs, regardless of their qualifications, which led to widespread bureaucracy inefficiency.

Great Railroad Strike of 1877

A spontaneous nationwide strike triggered by wage cuts that resulted in violent clashes; it only ended when President Rutherford B. Hayes deployed federal troops to restore order.

Knights of Labor

One of the most important labor organizations of the 1880s that was inclusive of both skilled and unskilled workers, women, and African Americans, advocating for an eight-hour workday.

Haymarket Bombing (1886)

A labor protest rally in Chicago that turned violent after a bomb was thrown at police; the incident led to a public backlash against labor unions and the decline of the Knights of Labor.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

A national federation of labor unions led by Samuel Gompers that focused on 'bread and butter' issues like higher wages and shorter hours specifically for skilled craft workers.

Homestead Strike (1892)

A violent labor dispute at Carnegie's steel plant in Pennsylvania between the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers and the Pinkerton Detective Agency hired by management.

Pullman Strike (1894)

A nationwide railroad strike led by Eugene V. Debs; it was eventually crushed by a federal court injunction because it interfered with the delivery of the U.S. mail.

National Grange Movement

A social and educational organization for farmers that turned political, successfully lobbying for 'Granger Laws' to regulate the rising prices charged by railroads and grain elevators.

Wabash Case

An 1886 Supreme Court decision that ruled states could not regulate interstate commerce; this decision created a vacuum that led to the creation of the Interstate Commerce Commission.

Farmers Alliance

Massive movements of farmers in the late 19^{th} century that organized to fight against high interest rates and falling crop prices, eventually evolving into the Populist Party.

Pendleton Act (1881)

A reform law passed after the assassination of President Garfield that established a merit-based system for federal jobs, requiring competitive exams instead of political patronage.

Interstate Commerce Act (1887)

The first federal law to regulate private industry in the U.S.; it required railroad rates to be 'reasonable and just' and created the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC).

Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890)

A landmark federal statute designed to prevent monopolies and artificial price hikes; however, it was initially weak and ironically used mostly to break up labor unions.

McKinley Tariff (1890)

A law that raised protective tariff rates to nearly 50\% on imports; it was intended to protect U.S. business but angered farmers who faced higher costs for manufactured goods.

Panic of 1893

A severe four-year economic depression marked by the collapse of railroad companies and bank failures, leading to an unemployment rate of nearly 20\%.

Coxey’s Army

A group of unemployed workers led by Jacob Coxey who marched to Washington D.C. in 1894, demanding that the government create jobs through a massive public works program.

The Populist Party

Also known as the People's Party, they represented farmers and laborers; their Omaha Platform called for the unlimited coinage of silver, a graduated income tax, and direct election of senators.

Cross of Gold speech

An impassioned speech delivered by William Jennings Bryan at the 1896 Democratic National Convention, attacking the gold standard and advocating for the free coinage of silver.