APUSH Period 6 and Progressive Era Vocabulary Study Guide

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering APUSH Period 6 and the Progressive Era, detailing key concepts, individuals, legislation, and their historical significance.

Transcontinental Railroad

Railroad connecting the eastern and western United States; connected markets, encouraged western settlement, and accelerated Native American displacement.

Barbed Wire

Fencing made of wire with sharp points; divided western land into farms and ranches, ending much open-range grazing.

Homestead Act (1862)

Gave settlers land if they lived on and improved it for five years; encouraged western settlement and farming.

National Grange Movement

Organization supporting farmers and their interests; helped farmers fight unfair railroad rates and pushed for government regulation.

Reservation System

Government policy forcing Native Americans onto designated lands; restricted Native American land and freedom, opening more territory to white settlers.

Ghost Dance Movement

Native American spiritual movement promising renewal and restoration of traditional life; U.S. officials feared resistance, and tensions contributed to the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890.

Dawes Severalty Act (1887)

Divided tribal lands into individual Native American allotments; weakened tribal traditions and transferred millions of acres to non-Native settlers.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Supreme Court case approving racial segregation under "separate but equal"; gave constitutional support to segregation laws.

Jim Crow Laws

State and local laws enforcing racial segregation; enforced white supremacy and restricted African Americans' rights.

Literacy Tests

Reading or writing tests used to restrict voting; disenfranchised many African Americans, especially in the South.

Poll Taxes

Fees required to vote; prevented many poor African Americans and some poor white citizens from voting.

Ida B. Wells

Journalist and anti-lynching activist who exposed lynching and campaigned against racial violence.

Booker T. Washington

Black leader who emphasized vocational education and economic advancement; promoted gradual progress and self-reliance as a strategy against racial inequality.

W. E. B. Du Bois

Black scholar and civil rights activist demanding immediate equality; challenged gradualism and helped establish the NAACP in 1909.

Bessemer Process

Method of producing steel cheaply and quickly; made steel production faster and supported railroads, bridges, and skyscrapers.

Andrew Carnegie

Steel industrialist who used vertical integration; helped expand the U.S. steel industry and became a major philanthropist.

John D. Rockefeller

Founder of Standard Oil who used horizontal integration; built an oil monopoly, increasing concerns about corporate power.

Monopoly

Control of an industry by one company; reduced competition and encouraged demands for antitrust laws.

Laissez-Faire

Belief that government should interfere minimally in business; supported limited regulation and helped businesses grow with fewer restrictions.

Social Darwinism

Applied "survival of the fittest" ideas to society and business; was used to justify wealth inequality and oppose government assistance.

Labor Union

Organization of workers seeking better wages and working conditions; organized strikes and pressured employers to improve workers' rights.

“Old Immigrants”

Mainly northern and western Europeans who arrived before the 1880s; generally faced less discrimination because they were more culturally familiar to established Americans.

“New Immigrants”

Mainly southern and eastern Europeans arriving in larger numbers after the 1880s; increased cultural diversity but faced nativism and demands for immigration restrictions.

Tenements

Crowded, often unsafe apartment buildings in cities; revealed poor urban living conditions and encouraged housing reforms.

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

Federal law restricting Chinese labor immigration; first major federal law to broadly exclude an immigrant group based on nationality.

Political Machines

Organizations that gained votes by exchanging services or favors for political support; helped immigrants access assistance but often relied on corruption.

Tammany Hall

Powerful Democratic political organization in New York City; became a famous example of machine politics and political corruption.

Settlement Houses

Community centers providing services to immigrants and the poor; offered education and social services, with Jane Addams's Hull House serving as a famous example.

Philanthropy

Giving money or resources to help others; funded schools, libraries, universities, and social programs.

Social Gospel

Belief that Christians should address social problems and injustice; inspired reform efforts to fight poverty and improve urban conditions.

National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA)

Organization campaigning for women's voting rights; led the movement that helped secure the 19th Amendment.

Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)

Organization promoting temperance and other social reforms; helped build support for prohibition and women's reform activism.

Sherman Antitrust Act (1890)

Federal law prohibiting certain restraints of trade and monopolistic practices; established a federal basis for challenging monopolies, though early enforcement was weak.

Interstate Commerce Act (1887)

Law regulating railroads engaged in interstate commerce; created the Interstate Commerce Commission, the first federal regulatory agency.

Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883)

Law requiring merit-based exams for certain federal jobs; reduced the spoils system and political patronage in government hiring.

Omaha Platform (1892)

Populist Party platform calling for economic and political reforms; demanded reforms such as a graduated income tax, railroad regulation, and direct election of senators.

Populists

Political movement representing mainly farmers and other working people; challenged big business and demanded reforms to help ordinary Americans.

Muckrakers

Journalists who exposed corruption and social problems; increased public support for reforms and government regulation.

17th Amendment (1913)

Established direct election of U.S. senators by voters; made the Senate more directly accountable to the public.

Initiative, Referendum, and Recall

Reforms allowing voters to propose laws, vote on laws, or remove officials; expanded direct democracy and weakened political machines.

Florence Kelley

Social reformer who advocated for workers, women, and children; helped advance labor protections and child labor reform.

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911)

Factory fire in New York City that killed 146 workers; led to stronger workplace safety and labor regulations.

Square Deal

Theodore Roosevelt's program promoting fairness for workers, consumers, and businesses; expanded federal action against corporate abuses and supported conservation.

The Jungle

Upton Sinclair's novel exposing dangerous meatpacking conditions; helped build support for federal food safety laws.

Meat Inspection Act (1906) & Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)

Laws regulating meat inspection, food, and drug safety; increased federal protection against contaminated food and unsafe products.

Conservation

Protection and careful management of natural resources; Roosevelt's administration expanded forest protection and public lands conservation.

16th Amendment (1913)

Authorized a federal income tax; gave the federal government a major source of revenue without relying only on tariffs.

Bull Moose Party (1912)

Progressive Party formed by Theodore Roosevelt after leaving the Republicans; split Republican votes and helped Democrat Woodrow Wilson win the presidency.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

Civil rights organization founded in 1909 to fight racial discrimination; used legal action and activism to challenge segregation and defend African American rights.

19th Amendment (1920)

Prohibited denying voting rights on the basis of sex; secured constitutional voting rights for women, though many women of color still faced discriminatory voting barriers.