[US History, S1] Semester 1 Final Study Guide (1-6) -- v2

Bimetallism

a belief held by Populists that supported the US government making money backed by silver and gold, would in turn cause inflation

Civil Service

working for the government; used to be based on patronage until the Pendleton Civil Service Act

Tenements

crowded multifamily living spaces in urban areas

Social Gospel

a movement where salvation was derived from helping the poor, created settlements houses that provided services/goods

Problems in the Cities

included: crime, fires, disease/lack of sanitation, lack of housing, water

Sherman Antitrust Act

an act that attempted to curb the influence of trusts on free trade, was not well enforced

Nativism

a negative sentiment against immigrants brought about by natives of the land

Immigration

moving into a country

Graft

unethical use of political influence for personal gain, often utilized by political machines

Political Machines

unofficial political organizations that attempted to control cities at all costs, often illegally

Chinese Exclusion Act

an act signed by Chester Arthur that prohibited Chinese people from immigrating into the country.

Patronage

providing jobs based on favors

Vertical Integration

buying out suppliers to control an industry, utilized by Andrew Carnegie

Horizontal Integration

buying out competitors to control an industry, utilized by John D. Rockefeller

Laissez Faire

a hands off approach used by the US government that allowed corporations to control America

Monopolies

companies that control an industry

1896 Election

an election between William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan, had many issues, like bimetallism. McKinley ultimately won.

William McKinley

candidate for the Republican Party in the 1896 election, was a gold bug. Won the election.

William Jennings Bryan

candidate for the Democratic Party, well-liked by Populists. Silverite, also lost the election.

Cross of Gold speech

a speech made by William Jennings Bryan that addressed many points, such as bimetallism and the importance of all groups in the economy

Populism

a political viewpoint that attempted to make the government more concerned w/ farmers/workers, merged with the Democratic Party

The Grange

originally started as a social gathering for farmers, became pro-farmer political organization

Settlement House Movement

from the Social Reform Movement, created settlement houses that provided services

Americanization

the process that assimilated immigrants into American culture

Social Darwinism

a theory that claimed the best deserved their riches

Industrialization

mass development that occurred in the US Gilded Age

Economies of Scale

a process that allowed for mass production, decreasing production costs

Pullman Strike

strike where workers refused to handle Pullman Carts, government order issued to stop it

Haymarket Riot

strike caused due to the want for an 8 hour workday, after many deaths, many others were executed/arrested - caused the Knights of Labor's reputation to disintegrate

Samuel Gompers

led the American Federation of Labor, pioneered collective bargaining and closed shops

Eugene V. Debs

prominent in the Industrial Workers of the World, as well as the AFL, socialist + ran for pres

Great Railroad Strike

a strike due to the want for an 8h/day workday, where the workers destroyed railroads - federal troops sent to stop it; 100+ deaths, 10 mil in damage

Workforce

the laborers/working citizens of a nation, allowed the US to industrialize

Strategies pioneered by Samuel Gompers

collective bargaining, closed shops, eight hour workday

Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883

made federal jobs based on expertise instead of favors

Tammany Hall

political machine in NY, run by William Boss Tweed

Corporation

a big business owned by many but treated as one person?

Fixed Costs

costs that are constant, like taxes

Effects corporations had on small businesses

put them out of business

Pools

agreements between companies to keep things at a certain price

Holding Company

company that does not produce goods, but owns stock in companies that do

Retail Catalogs

advertisements to those in rural areas

Deflation

rise in the value of money

Craft Worker

a worker that had specialized skills and paid more

Trade Unions

types of unions made by specialized workers

Blacklist

company technique that prevented workers from getting hired elsewhere

Reason courts ruled against unions

they disrupted free trade

Steerage

cheapest accommodations on a ship that carried immigrants to the US

Trust

combination of firms/corporations formed legally to reduce competition, can act like a monopoly

Andrew Carnegie

created Carnegie Steel, used Vertical Integration, attempted to control the steel industry with new technology

John D. Rockefeller

created Standard Oil, used Horizontal Integration, controlled 90% of the oil refinery industry

Robber Baron

those rich through ruthless business practices

Industrialization in the South

an economy still agricultural/undeveloped, still recovering from Civil War

Worker's View of the 19th Century

bad, long hours

Strike

refusal to work

Boycott

not buying a company's products

Unionizing

workers joining together to fight for better conditions

Knights of Labor

union formed by Terence Powderly in 1869, open to all types of workers

AFL

American Federation of Labor, formed by Samuel Gompers

Lock-out

owners closing a business to stop a strike

Scab Labor

companies hiring replacements during a strike

Child Labor

children were paid less and were more obedient to the factory owner

Migration

people moving from one place to another

Emigration

people moving out of a country

1st Wave Immigration

consisted of well-off families, mostly from Northern/Western Europe

2nd Wave Immigration

consisted of single, not well-off young men from Eastern/Southern Europe, as well as Asians

William Boss Tweed

led the political machine Tammany Hall in NY

Services provided by Political Machines

public services, employment, less crime

Voter Fraud

using fake names and voting twice

Thomas Nast

exposed Boss Tweed's corruption using political cartoons, got him arrested

Jane Addams

founded Hull House, a settlement house in Chicago

Jacob Riis

showed the terrible conditions of tenements, helped get many laws passed

Gold Standard

where money was only backed with gold

Gold Bugs

those that supported the Gold Standard

Silverites

those that supported bimetallism

First things Immigrants did when Arriving in the US

form communities with people like them

Taiping Rebellion + its effect on Chinese immigration

contributing factor to the influx of Chinese immigrants

American Protective Association

association formed that discriminated against Catholics

Wait Times of Different Immigrants

European immigrants waited significantly shorter times than Chinese immigrants

Reason immigrants wanted to live in cities

they couldn't afford to live anywhere else

Reason rural Americans moved to cities

better job opportunities

Skyscrapers

made possible by Carnegie steel, created because land started to get expensive with more people

Division of US cities

division by social class

Effects of city growth on the middle-class

the middle class began moving to suburbs

Typhoid/Cholera

diseases caused by contaminated water, usually in cities

True Meaning of "The Gilded Age"

seemed good on the outside, many problems internally

Individualism

belief anyone could become rich with hard work

Gospel of Wealth

Carnegie's belief that the wealthy should donate to the poor

Realism

movement that dominated art and literature in the Gilded Age

Effects of increased standard of living on the overall population

people started doing things for leisure more often

Reform Darwinism

challenged the idea of Social Darwinism, pioneered in the book Dynamic Sociology

Progressive Movement

aimed to restore economic opportunities and correct injustices in American life as a response to laissez-faire capitalism; borrowed many ideas from the Populists; wanted to use scientific/business methods + more government

Social Welfare (Goal #1 of the PM)

helping the poor through things like community centers, cared for women, children, and poor immigrants

Promote moral improvement (Goal #2 of the PM)

improve personal behavior (e.g. Prohibition, which wasn't liked by immigrants due to their need for saloons); kindergartens for immigrants, visiting inmates, working for suffrage

Create economic reform (Goal #3 of the PM)

a need for economic change after many were starting to question capitalism, due to the Panic of 1893

Muckrakers

journalists that wrote about business corruption and published it

Fostering efficiency (Goal #4 of the PM)

as not all workers could work at the same rate, some attempted to change workplace conditions (e.g. Henry Ford, 8hr/day, $5/hour)

Scientific Management in the Progressive Era

the application of scientific principles to increase efficiency in the workplace

Cleaning up Local Government

made local government fairer + less corrupt; better/more advanced public goods, like parks and public transport; many utilities were converted to publicly owned entreprise

Child Labor Reforms

states passed laws to prevent child labor, as they were more prone to fatigue, health problems, and stunted growth; did not sit well with businesses however, as they wanted to pay them lower wages + needed small hands