APUSH U6: All Vocab

buffalo

large herds of bison on the Great Plains, whose eventual vanishment helped force Native Americans onto reservations and opened land for settlement

Homestead Act of 1862

law that gave settlers 160 acres of free land if they farmed it for five years, encouraging westward settlement

deflation

decrease in prices caused by the overproduction of crops, which hurt farmers by reducing their profits

middlemen

railroads, bankers, and grain elevator owners who controlled transportation and loans, and charged farmers high fees

National Grange Movement (1870s)

organization of farmers that worked to protect farmers from unfair railroad rates and economic exploitation

cooperatives

farmer-owned businesses that allowed farmers to pool resources to buy supplies and sell crops at lower costs

Munn v. Illinois (1877)

Supreme Court case that allowed states to regulate private businesses that affected the public, such as railroads

Ocala Platform of 1890

political platform of farmers demanding government regulation of railroads, inflation through silver, and economic reforms

Frederick Jackson Turner

historian who argued that the frontier shaped American democracy and independence

"The Significance of the Frontier in American History"

Turner's thesis explaining that westward expansion defined American identity and self-reliance

Little Bighorn (1876)

battle where Great Plain Indians defeated U.S. troops due to conflicts over western land

Ghost Dance Movement (1890)

Native American religious movement seeking the restoration of land and traditional culture

assimilationists

reformers who believed Native Americans should abandon tribal culture and adopt white society

Helen Hunt Jackson

reform writer who exposed U.S. mistreatment of Native Americans and advocated for reform

Dawes Act of 1887

law that divided tribal lands to force Native Americans to assimilate into U.S. society

Yellowstone

first U.S. national park; created to preserve western land during westward settlement

conservationists

reformers who supported the careful, managed use of natural resources

preservationists

reformers who wanted natural land protected from development entirely

John Muir

preservationist who argued that the western wilderness should be protected from development and helped promote national parks

New South

idea that the South should industrialize and diversify its economy after the Civil War, while still relying on agriculture

Henry Grady

Southern journalist who promoted the "New South" vision of economic growth and industrialization

Tuskegee Institute (1881)

school founded to provide vocational and industrial education for African Americans

Booker T. Washington

African American leader who supported vocational education and economic self-help over immediate civil rights

Atlanta Compromise (1895)

speech where Booker T. Washington urged African Americans to accept segregation in exchange for economic opportunity

W.E.B Dubois

civil rights leader who demanded immediate political and social equality for African Americans

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

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

literacy tests

exams used to prevent African Americans from voting during the Jim Crow era

poll taxes

fees required to vote that disenfranchised poor and African American voters

grandfather clauses

laws allowing voting only if a person's ancestors had voted before the Civil War

lynch mobs

groups that used violence and terror, including lynching, to enforce white supremacy

Ida B. Wells

journalist and activist who led the anti-lynching movement and exposed racial violence

telephone

device that allowed people to communicate instantly over long distances, eventually transforming business and daily life

Alexander Graham Bell

inventor of the telephone who revolutionized communication in the late 1800s

Thomas Edison

inventor who developed practical electrical systems, including the electric light, and promoted industrial innovation

electric light

invention that provided safe, reliable indoor lighting and extended work and leisure hours

Sears, Roebuck & Co.

mail-order company that used catalogs to sell goods nationwide, expanding consumer access

advertising

marketing strategies used to persuade consumers to buy mass-produced goods

consumer economy

economy driven by the mass production and consumption of goods by the public

Cornelius Vanderbilt

railroad and shipping owner who built a transportation empire and increased national trade, with the popularization of steel rails

Jay Gould

railroad speculator and American financier known for corrupt business practices and stock manipulation

watering stock

inflating the value of a corporation's assets and profits before selling its stock to the public

pools

agreements between companies to maintain prices and reduce competition

rebates

discounted shipping rates given to large businesses by railroads

J.P. Morgan

powerful banker who consolidated industries and created large corporations

Andrew Carnegie

industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Carnegie Steel Company, who used vertical integration to dominate the American steel industry

U.S. Steel

powerful and wealthy 19th-century steel corporation created by J.P. Morgan

John D. Rockefeller

revolutionized the petroleum industry with Standard Oil; defined the structure of modern philanthropy

Standard Oil

John D. Rockefeller's company that gained a monopoly over the world petroleum market with the practice of trusts and swift elimination of competition

monopoly

complete control of a product or business by one person or group

trust

legal arrangement allowing one company to control multiple businesses

horizontal integration

business strategy of controlling one stage of production by buying competitors

vertical integration

business strategy of controlling all stages of production

Laissez-faire

Idea that government should play as small a role as possible in economic affairs

Social Darwinism

belief that only the fittest survive in human political and economic struggle

"self-made men"

belief that individuals can rise through hard work and determination

Horatio Alger

popular novelist during the Industrial Revolution who wrote "rags to riches" books praising the values of hard work

collective bargaining

process by which a union representing a group of workers negotiates with management for a contract

Railroad Strike of 1877

nationwide strike over wage cuts that was suppressed by federal troops

Knights of Labor

inclusive labor union that sought broad reforms like an eight-hour workday

Haymarket Bombing (1886)

labor rally in Chicago that turned violent, weakening public support for unions

American Federation of Labor (1886)

skilled-workers union focused on higher wages and better working conditions

Samuel Gompers

leader of the AFL who supported practical, limited labor goals

Homestead Strike (1892)

violent steelworkers' strike against Carnegie Steel that ended in union defeat

Pullman Strike (1894)

railroad strike led by workers protesting wage cuts; ended by federal intervention

Eugene V. Debs

labor leader who led the Pullman Strike; eventually became a socialist political figure

old immigrants

immigrants from Northern and Western Europe who came to the U.S. before the late 1800s

new immigrants

immigrants from Southern/Eastern Europe and Asia who came to the U.S. in the late 1800s-early 1900s

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

law that banned most Chinese immigration to the U.S.

ethnic neighborhoods

city communities formed by people of the same ethnicity or culture

American Protective Association (APA)

nativist group that opposed Catholic and immigrant influence in U.S. society

Tammany Hall

powerful New York political machine known for corruption and immigrant support

Jane Addams

reformer who founded settlement houses to help immigrants adapt to U.S. life

settlement houses

community centers that helped immigrants with language, education, and jobs

expanding middle class

growth of a new social class between the rich and poor during industrialization

white - collar workers

office and clerical workers; not factory laborers

middle management

supervisors who manage workers in businesses and corporations

"Gospel of Wealth"

idea that the rich should use wealth to help society

growth of leisure time

increase in free time for recreation due to shorter work hours

mass - circulation newspapers

cheap newspapers for large audiences that spread news and culture

circuses

popular traveling entertainment shows

jazz

music style developed in African American communities

blues

music style expressing African American experiences

baseball

popular American spectator sport

amateur sports

recreational sports played for fun, not money

Henry George

reformer who argued wealth should benefit society and supported land reform

Social Gospel

religious movement that promoted social justice and helping the poor

Susan B. Anthony

leader of the women's rights and suffrage movement

Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)

women's group that fought alcohol use and supported social reform

Carrie A. Nation

temperance activist known for attacking saloons with a hatchet

federal land grants

government gave land to railroads and businesses to promote expansion and trade

Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890

law that banned monopolies to encourage competition in business

Assassination of President Garfield

1881 event that exposed problems with the spoils system and led to civil service reform

Pendleton Act of 1881

law requiring government jobs to be awarded based on merit, not political connections

Populists

members of the People's Party who supported farmers and laborers

Omaha Platform of 1892

Populist Party plan calling for economic reforms like silver coinage and government regulation

"Coxey's Army"

protest march of unemployed workers demanding government jobs during economic depression

William Jennings Bryan

politician and Populist supporter who advocated for farmers and workers, famous for silver coinage

"Cross of Gold" Speech

1896 speech by Bryan supporting unlimited silver to help farmers and debtors

unlimited coinage of silver

policy to mint silver freely to increase money supply and aid farmers and debtors

Gold Standard

monetary system where currency was backed only by gold; supported by Republicans, opposed by Populists