Chapter 18 Apush Vocabulary

Plessy v. Ferguson

An 1896 Supreme Court case that upheld racial segregation under the doctrine of "separate but equal."

Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA)

A Christian organization that promoted social welfare, education, and physical fitness, especially for urban men.

Negro Leagues

Professional baseball leagues formed for African American players who were excluded from Major League Baseball due to segregation.

Sierra Club

An environmental organization founded in 1892 to promote conservation and protect natural resources.

National Park Service

A federal agency created in 1916 to manage and preserve national parks and monuments.

National Audubon Society

A conservation organization dedicated to protecting birds and wildlife, especially from commercial exploitation.

Comstock Act

An 1873 federal law that banned the distribution of "obscene" materials, including birth control information.

liberal arts

A broad educational curriculum focused on humanities, sciences, and critical thinking rather than vocational training.

Atlanta Compromise

Booker T. Washington's 1895 speech advocating economic opportunity for African Americans over immediate social and political equality.

maternalism

The belief that women should use their nurturing roles as mothers to promote social reform and public welfare.

Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)

A women-led organization that fought alcohol consumption and promoted moral and social reforms.

National Association of Colored Women (NACW)

An organization founded by Black women to combat racism, sexism, and promote education and social reform.

National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA)

A women's rights organization that worked to secure women's right to vote through state and federal efforts.

feminism

The belief in and movement for political, economic, and social equality between men and women.

natural selection

Charles Darwin's theory that organisms best adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce.

Social Darwinism

The application of Darwin's ideas to society, arguing that social inequality is the result of "survival of the fittest."

eugenics

A pseudoscientific movement that sought to improve human society by controlling reproduction, often through discriminatory policies.

realism

A literary and artistic movement that focused on portraying everyday life and society as it truly was.

naturalism

A literary movement emphasizing that human behavior is shaped by environment, heredity, and social conditions.

modernism

A cultural movement that rejected traditional styles and embraced experimentation in art, literature, and thought.

American Protective Association

A nativist organization that opposed Catholic immigration and promoted anti-immigrant sentiments.

Social Gospel

A Protestant movement that applied Christian ethics to social problems like poverty and inequality.

fundamentalism

A religious movement that emphasized a literal interpretation of the Bible and resisted modern scientific and cultural changes.