America through the lens chapter 7

Progressive Era

A period from about 1890 to 1920 in which reformers sought to correct many social, economic and political inequalities and injustices in the US.

Conscription

The government requires men to enlist and serve in the armed forces.

Women's suffrage

Women's right to vote.

Children's Bureau

The First federal agency dedicated to improving the lives and children and families.

Enfranchisement

The act of granting full citizenship, including the right to vote.

Franchise

The right to vote.

Suffragists

People seeking the franchise of women.

Temperance movement

Reform movement encouraging people to temper, or moderate, their consumption of alcohol, or to abstain from alcohol altogether.

Prohibition

Governments creating laws restricting or prohibiting the production, sale, and consumption of alcohol.

Commission government

A form of city government in which voters elect a small number of officials called commissioners.

Direct primary

Party candidates are nominated by a direct vote of the voters.

Initiative

Enables citizens to bypass the legislature and propose new laws to be voted on.

Recall

The right of citizens to remove an elected official by direct vote.

Conservation

The management and protection of natural resources.

Mergers

Two or more companies combine as one.

Trustbuster

Someone who would fight to curb the power of big business by vigorously enforcing antitrust legislation.

Syndicate

Group of criminals.

Scientific management

A method of running factories and other workplaces efficiently.

Social security

A program in which the government provides money to the elderly, disabled, and unemployed.

Income tax

Money paid to the government based on how much a person earns.

Imperialism

A policy of exerting economic, political, or military control over weaker nations.

Isolationism

A policy or plan of avoiding entanglements in foreign countries.

Expansionism

A policy similar to imperialism, focusing on increasing a country's territory.

Protectorates

Countries that are partly controlled by a stronger country.

Annex

To take possession of a territory or country.

Spheres of influence

A country's claim of exclusive economic and trading authority, in parts of a foreign area or territory.

Open Door Policy

An American proposal that aimed to establish equal access to ports among countries trading with China in 1900.

Boxer Rebellion

A 1900 political uprising in northern China against foreigners in the country.

Reparations

The money paid to compensate for damages.

Yellow journalism

A type of sensationalized newswriting, using exaggeration, melodrama, and outright lies to attract readers.

Guerilla war

A war fought by unconventional means, such as sabotage, ambushes, and unexpected raids.

American Anti-Imperialist League

An organization that formed in 1898 to oppose the Unites States' annexation of the Philippines.

Exposes

Writings that publicize a scandal or injustice.