Unit 1 Study Guide: Western Expansion, Populism, and the Gilded Age

Vocabulary flashcards covering industrial growth, labor movements, populism, political machines, and urbanization from the Gilded Age.

Robber Baron vs Captain of Industry

Two contrasting views of Gilded Age business leaders: one as ruthless monopolists exploiting labor, and the other as visionary industrial leaders aiding national progress.

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

Federal law originally designed to prevent monopolies and restore market competition, but initially used to suppress labor union strikes.

Social Darwinism

A Gilded Age ideology applying natural selection to human society and business, used to justify wealth inequality and government non-intervention.

Yellow Dog Contracts

Agreements required by employers that prohibited workers from joining or remaining in a labor union as a condition of employment.

Populists

A political group formed primarily by farmers that advocated for monetary reform, government regulation of transportation, and agricultural relief.

Homestead Act

A federal law designed to promote Western expansion by providing land to settlers who fulfilled specific requirements, such as improving and cultivating the property.

Free Silver

A monetary policy demanded by Populists and farmers advocating for the unlimited coinage of silver to inflate the money supply and relieve debt.

Pendleton Civil Service Act

A reform measure enacted to combat political corruption by replacing the spoils system with merit-based testing for government jobs.

Political Machines

Urban political organizations that gained control of big cities like Tammany Hall by delivering essential services to immigrants and working-class residents in exchange for votes.

Tammany Hall

A famous New York City political machine that maintained control through patronage, political corruption, and immigrant outreach.

Gilded Age

A late 19th-century period marked by rapid industrialization, massive economic inequality, political corruption, and urban growth hidden beneath surface prosperity.

Laissez-faire

An economic principle advocating minimal government intervention, regulation, or oversight in business operations.

Urbanization

The mass movement of people to cities driven by industrialization, leading to rapid city growth and civic issues such as overcrowded housing and poor sanitation.

Gospel of Wealth

The philosophy that wealthy individuals had a moral obligation to practice philanthropy and distribute their fortunes for the public good.