U.S. History Vocabulary Review

This set of flashcards includes vocabulary terms and definitions covering key concepts from U.S. history related to immigration, industrialization, and social movements.

Migration

Movement of people from one place to another, shaping U.S. population growth, cities, and labor supply.

Immigration

Movement of people into the U.S.; supplied workers, grew cities, and changed American culture.

Emigration

Leaving one’s home country; explains why millions left Europe and Asia for America.

Push Factors

Conditions that compel people to leave their home country, including war, poverty, and famine.

Pull Factors

Conditions that attract people to a new country, such as jobs, freedom, land, and opportunity.

Industrial Revolution

Shift from hand production to machine production, driven by new inventions, resources, transportation, labor supply, and capital.

Railroads

Transportation medium that connected raw materials, factories, and markets, speeding up industrial growth.

Public Education

Expanded in the 1800s to create literate workers and citizens, helping immigrants and children in an industrial society.

Political Machines

Organizations that grew in cities trading services for votes, often backed by immigrants and the poor.

Boss Tweed

Symbol of corruption within political machines, notably Tammany Hall in New York.

Bessemer Process

Technological method that made steel cheaper and faster to produce, aiding infrastructure development.

Gilded Age

Late 1800s marked by rapid growth and surface wealth, but underlying corruption and poverty.

Laissez-Faire

Economic policy that advocates minimal government intervention in economic affairs.

Monopoly

When one company dominates an industry, reducing competition and concentrating power.

Trusts

Business combinations that put multiple companies under one control, facilitating monopolies.

Social Darwinism

Idea that the wealthy succeed due to greater fitness; used to justify inequality.

Labor Conflict

Struggle between business owners seeking profits and workers demanding better wages, safety, and shorter hours.

Interstate Commerce Act

1887 legislation aimed at regulating railroad rates and practices.

Dawes Act

1887 legislation aimed at assimilating Native Americans by breaking up tribal lands.

Sherman Antitrust Act

First federal law aimed at curbing monopolies and trusts.

Chinese Exclusion Act

1882 law prohibiting immigration from China, highlighting anti-Asian sentiment.

Nativism

Anti-immigrant sentiment favoring native-born Americans, leading to restrictions.

Populism

Movement advocating for farmers and ordinary people against entrenched interests like banks and railroads.

Progressive Movement

Social and political movement aimed at reducing corruption, regulating business, and improving workers' rights.

Teddy Roosevelt

Progressive president who prioritized federal regulation of corporations and conservation.

Square Deal

Roosevelt’s domestic policy focused on fair treatment for workers, consumers, and the public.