Gilded Age Study Guide

Gilded Age Immigration

all the new immigrants sped up the growth of American industry

Effects of Industrialization

led to the growth of the middle class

Civil Service Commission

designed to stop the abuses of the spoils system

Railroad Regulation

supported by the majority of American citizens

Knights of Labor

a relatively conservative labor union that was against strikes

Homestead Strike

failed to achieve most of its goals

Reform Darwinism

taught that man was inherently good

Materialism

popular philosophy in America in the late 1800s

Alexander Graham Bell

inventor of the telephone

Andrew Carnegie

steel entrepreneur

James Buchanan Duke

tobacco entrepreneur

Thomas Alva Edison

America’s most prolific inventor

Samuel Gompers

labor union leader

J.P. Morgan

financer

John D. Rockefeller

oil refining entrepreneur

Cornelius Vanderbilt

shipping entrepreneur

Chester A. Arthur

 reformed the civil service system

William Jennings Bryan

called the “Great Commoner”

Grover Cleveland

first democratic president since the civil war

Roscoe Conkling

corrupt new york politician who controlled the customs house

Eugene V. Debs

leader of the socialist party

James A. Garfield

reformer president who was asassinated

Benjamin Harrison

for the monopoly reform

James J. Hill

built the great northern railroad

Wiliam McKinley

 won the first considered presidential campaign

Terrence V. Powderly

leader of the knights of labor

Panic of 1893

severe economic depression

Injunction

when a court forbids an action

Socialism

philosophy that advocated collective (usually government) ownership or regulation of the means of production

Populist Party

main issue was free silver

Charles Darwin

developed the theory of natural selection

Gilded Age Growth

immigration, innovation, a high tariff, and new sources of power and energy

Oil Refining

chosen by J.D. Rockefeller because it was considered a safe investment

Standard Oil Company

Rockerfeller’s company - was the first major trust that inspired many others to follow

“New South”

twin pillars were textiles and tobacco

Telephone

considered the most significant communication invention in the gilded age

Politics during the Gilded Age

dominated by three issues: civil service reform, tariff revision, and regulation of the trusts

Mongrel Tariff

named this because numerous amendments made the tariff revision ineffective

Interstate Commerce Act

driven by problems in the railroad industry

McKinley Tariff

claimed for the panic of 1893

Pullman Strike

took place because American railway union defied an injunction

Haymarket Riot

discredited the knights of labor

The Grange

main issue was the state regulation of the railroads

Romanticism

not a major element of American society

Dwight L. Moody

plain-spoken, organized, gave a message with a simple theme of salvation

Ira Sankey

prolific writer of gospel songs and hymns

What were the reasons Americans feared the "New Immigration"?

* Previously most Americans came from north-western Europe and were generally fair-skinned and protestant
* New immigrants from eastern Europe had a tannish skin color and were orthodox or catholic

What were some of the causes of American industrial growth after the Civil War?

* Increased population meant large supply of laborer and increased consumer demand
* inventive/innovative spirit led to the creation of time and labor-saving methods and inventions
* Gov. policies encouraged economic growth to throw limited gov. interference: low taxes, balanced budgets, and increased economic freedom 
* Creation of new sources of power such as electricity, petroleum, and kerosene enabled people to work longer days which led to increased productivity