Key Events and Figures of the Second Industrial Revolution

Second Industrial Revolution

Period of rapid industrial growth in late 19th century.

Gilded Age

Era marked by economic growth and social issues.

Second Industrial Revolution

Period of rapid industrial growth in late 19th century.

Gilded Age

Era marked by economic growth and social issues.

Panic of 1893

Severe economic depression starting in 1893.

Union Pacific Railroad

Major transcontinental railroad in the U.S.

Central Pacific Railroad

Part of the first transcontinental railroad.

Pacific Railway Act of 1861

Legislation to promote railroad construction.

Cornelius Vanderbilt

Railroad magnate and business tycoon.

Jay Gould

Notorious railroad developer and financier.

Alexander Graham Bell

Inventor of the telephone in 1876.

Thomas Edison

Pioneering inventor known for the light bulb.

George Westinghouse

Inventor of the air brake for trains.

Nikola Tesla

Inventor known for AC electrical systems.

John D. Rockefeller

Founder of Standard Oil and industrialist.

Andrew Carnegie

Steel industry leader and philanthropist.

J. Pierpont Morgan

Banker who financed major corporations.

Sears, Roebuck and Company

Pioneering mail-order retail company.

Molly Maguires

Secret society of Irish miners.

Great Railroad Strike of 1877

Nationwide strike protesting wage cuts.

The Sand-Lot Incident

Anti-Chinese riots in San Francisco.

The Geary Act

Law extending Chinese Exclusion Act.

National Labor Union

First national labor federation in the U.S.

The Knights of Labor

Inclusive labor organization advocating for workers.

The Haymarket Affair

Violent labor protest in Chicago, 1886.

Samuel Gompers

Founder of the American Federation of Labor.

American Federation of Labor

National federation of labor unions.

Homestead Steel Strike of 1892

Major strike at Carnegie Steel Company.

Pullman Strike of 1894

Nationwide railroad strike led by Eugene Debs.

Eugene V. Debs

Labor leader and socialist politician.

Mother Jones

Labor activist and organizer.

The New South

Post-Civil War economic and social transformation.

Redeemers

Southern Democrats aiming to restore white supremacy.

Bourbons

Conservative Southern Democrats post-Reconstruction.

The New West

Expansion and development of western territories.

Benjamin "Pap" Singleton

Leader of African American migration to Kansas.

Panning

Method of gold prospecting using a pan.

George A. Custer

U.S. Army officer killed at Little Bighorn.

Great Sioux War

Conflict between U.S. and Sioux tribes.

Demise of the Buffalo

Decline of buffalo populations due to hunting.

Range Wars

Conflicts over land and resources in the West.

Frederick Jackson Turner

Historian known for the frontier thesis.

Ghost Dance Movement

Religious movement among Native Americans.

Ellis Island

Immigration processing center in New York.

Chinese Exclusion Act

Law prohibiting Chinese immigration in 1882.

Nativist

Person favoring native-born citizens over immigrants.

Frederick Law Olmsted

Landscape architect known for urban parks.

Education

Systematic instruction and learning process.

Life & Leisure

Cultural aspects of daily living and recreation.

Herbert Spencer

Philosopher known for Social Darwinism.

Social Darwinism

Application of Darwin's theory to society.

Pragmatism

Philosophy emphasizing practical consequences of beliefs.

William James

Philosopher and psychologist, pragmatism proponent.

Reform Darwinism

Idea that society can be improved through reform.

Political Machine

Political organization that controls votes.

William "Boss" Tweed

Leader of Tammany Hall, corrupt politician.

Stalwarts

Faction of the Republican Party supporting patronage.

James Gillespie Blaine

Republican politician and presidential candidate.

Mugwumps

Reform-minded Republicans opposing corruption.

Grover Cleveland

Only U.S. president to serve non-consecutive terms.

Election of 1888

Controversial election won by Benjamin Harrison.

Granger Movement

Farmers' organization advocating for economic reform.

Farmers' Alliances

Groups promoting farmers' interests and rights.

Populist Party

Political party representing farmers and laborers.

Mary Elizabeth Lease

Populist leader and women's rights advocate.

Depression of 1893

Severe economic downturn affecting the U.S.

William McKinley

President during the Spanish-American War.

William Jennings Bryan

Populist leader and three-time presidential candidate.

Jim Crow Laws

State laws enforcing racial segregation.

Mississippi Plan

Strategy to disenfranchise African American voters.

Plessy v. Ferguson

Supreme Court case establishing 'separate but equal'.

Separate but Equal

Doctrine justifying racial segregation.

Ida B. Wells

Journalist and civil rights activist.

Booker T. Washington

Educator advocating for African American self-help.

WEB Du Bois

Civil rights activist and co-founder of NAACP.

Yellow Journalism

Sensationalized news reporting to attract readers.

Roosevelt Corollary

Extension of Monroe Doctrine asserting U.S. intervention.

Open Door Policy

U.S. policy for equal trade in China.

Dr. Walter Reed

Physician who helped eradicate yellow fever.

De Lome Letter

Criticism of President McKinley by Spanish official.

Alfred Thayer Mahan

Naval officer advocating for sea power.

Social Gospel

Movement applying Christian ethics to social problems.

Settlement House

Community center providing services to immigrants.

Jane Addams

Founder of Hull House and social reformer.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Leader in women's suffrage movement.

Women's Christian Temperance Movement

Organization advocating for temperance and women's rights.

National Woman's Suffrage Association

Group fighting for women's voting rights.

Muckrakers

Journalists exposing corruption and social issues.

Upton Sinclair

Author of 'The Jungle', exposing meatpacking industry.

Taylorism

Management theory optimizing labor productivity.

Social Justice

Advocacy for equal rights and opportunities.

Progressive Movement

Social and political movement for reform.

Florence Kelley

Social reformer advocating for labor rights.