Problems, Pollution, Politics – Unit 2 Pt 2

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from late 19th- and early 20th-century United States topics: industry, health, labor, and politics.

Muckrakers

Investigative journalists who exposed corruption and abuse by large corporations, political leaders, and worker mistreatment.

The Jungle

Upton Sinclair's 1906 novel exposing unsanitary and exploitative practices in the Chicago meatpacking industry.

Great Chicago Fire

1871 blaze that destroyed much of Chicago, killed about 300 people, and left one-third of the city homeless.

Cholera

Waterborne disease spread through unsanitary conditions; caused major outbreaks in industrial cities.

Germ theory

Idea that disease is caused by microorganisms rather than miasma or bad air.

Pasteur

Louis Pasteur; scientist who helped establish germ theory and vaccines.

Koch

Robert Koch; identified bacteria responsible for diseases such as tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB)

Airborne infectious disease spread via saliva and air; treated in sanatoria.

Sanatorium

Institution specifically for long-term TB treatment; often known as a TB hospital.

The Great White Plague

Nickname for tuberculosis during the late 19th/early 20th century.

Open-air treatment

TB therapy involving exposure to fresh air, sun, and exercise.

Knights of Labor (KOL)

Early broad-based labor union promoting reform; active in the 1880s and opposed to some extreme methods.

Haymarket Riot

May 4, 1886 Chicago riot following labor demonstrations; several anarchists were executed.

8-hour workday

Labor demand to limit the workday to eight hours.

AFL (American Federation of Labor)

Founded by Samuel Gompers in 1886; union for skilled workers focusing on practical reforms.

Pullman Strike

1894 strike in South Side Chicago against the Pullman Company; led by Eugene Debs; federal intervention.

Eugene Debs

Labor leader and socialist who organized the American Railway Union and led the Pullman Strike.

William Jennings Bryan

Nebraska politician who championed bimetallism and delivered the Cross of Gold speech in 1896.

Bimetallism

Monetary system using both gold and silver with fixed exchange ratios.

Sherman Silver Purchase Act

1890 act requiring the government to purchase silver, expanding the money supply.

Panic of 1893

Severe economic depression exacerbating inflation and agricultural price declines.

Populist Party

The People’s Party; agrarian, left-leaning reform movement aligned with some Bryan platforms.

Cross of Gold

Bryan's famous 1896 speech opposing the gold standard and defending the common people.

Front Porch Campaign

McKinley’s 1896 campaign strategy of delivering speeches from his home porch.

Whistle Stop Tour

Bryan’s 1896 campaign by train, making many stops to speak across states.