Untitled Flashcards Set

Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railroad Company v. Illinois

A Supreme Court case ruling that states could not regulate interstate commerce, leading to federal control of railroad rates.

Interstate Commerce Act

A federal law that established the Interstate Commerce Commission to regulate railroad rates and practices.

Vertical Integration

A business strategy where a company controls all stages of production, from raw materials to distribution.

Horizontal Integration

A business strategy where a company buys out or merges with competitors to monopolize a market.

Standard Oil Company

Founded by John D. Rockefeller, it became a powerful oil monopoly through horizontal integration.

Interlocking Directorates

The practice of placing the same people on the boards of multiple competing companies to reduce competition.

Social Darwinist

Believers in the idea that 'survival of the fittest' applies to society and justifies inequality and business monopolies.

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

A federal law making it illegal to form monopolies or trusts that restrained trade.

National Labor Union

One of the first national labor unions in the U.S. that fought for better working conditions and an eight-hour workday.

Knights of Labor

A labor union that was open to all workers and advocated for labor reforms.

Haymarket Square

A labor protest in Chicago that turned violent and hurt the reputation of labor unions.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

A workers union founded by Samuel Gompers focusing on higher wages, shorter hours, and better conditions.

Closed Shop

A workplace where only union members can be hired, promoting strong union control.

Cornelius Vanderbilt

A railroad and shipping magnate who consolidated U.S. railroads into powerful networks.

Alexander Graham Bell

Inventor of the telephone in 1876, revolutionizing communication.

Thomas Alva Edison

Inventor of the phonograph, motion picture camera, and electric light bulb, aiding the industrialization of life.

Andrew Carnegie

A steel tycoon who dominated the industry through vertical integration and became a major philanthropist.

John D. Rockefeller

Founder of Standard Oil, a pioneer of horizontal integration, and considered the richest man in history.

Samuel Gompers

Founder and longtime president of the AFL, focusing on practical union issues like wages and hours.

New Immigrants

Immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe arriving between 1880 and 1920, often poor and unskilled.

Settlement Houses

Community centers in urban areas providing education, child care, and job training for immigrants and the poor.

Tuskegee Institute

A school founded by Booker T. Washington aimed at providing vocational education to African Americans.

Yellow Journalism

Sensationalized news reporting aimed at attracting readers, associated with Hearst and Pulitzer.

National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA)

An organization that advocated for women's voting rights, contributing to the passage of the 19th Amendment.

Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)

A group advocating for prohibition and social reforms, linking women's roles to moral improvement.

Jane Addams

Founder of Hull House and a key figure in the settlement house movement and progressive social reform.

Booker T. Washington

An African American leader promoting vocational education and economic self-reliance over immediate civil rights.

W.E.B. Du Bois

An African American scholar and civil rights activist who co-founded the NAACP and advocated for full civil rights.

William Randolph Hearst

A powerful newspaper publisher who used yellow journalism to shape public opinion and politics.