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Alexander Graham Bell
Invented the first telephone. A teacher of the deaf. He was significant because his invention sparked the creation of a gigantic communication network across the United States.
Populism
A political movement, that became a platform for the People's Party; promoted the power of the common man instead of the select elite; many claim the root of this movement came from farmers and the Farmer's Alliance; wanted to democratize government to protect the people
American Federation of Labor
Labor union founded in 1886 in response to the growth of unskilled labor unions; it accepted only skilled laborers excluding women and many minority groups; they fought for closed-shops (companies hiring only union workers), collective bargaining, and an eight hour workday
Dumbbell Tenement
Often poorly constructed apartment buildings in urban areas; named for their shape
Haymarket Square Riot
In 1886, a strike broke out at the McCormick plant in Chicago; the rally was moved to a public area where someone in the crowd threw a bomb causing a riot; several policemen died, and as a result 8 innocent German immigrants were arrested and anarchists and labor unions were blamed for the riot
Great Railroad Strike
Protest that began with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad that quickly spread across 11 states and shut down most of the country's railroads; as the strike escalated to as many as 500,000 from railroads and other industries, President Hayes had to send in federal troops to end it
Homestead Strike
Strike that broke out at the Carnegie plant near Pittsburgh because of drastic pay cuts; strikebreakers were brought in and workers responded with violence by putting oil in the river and setting fire to it; Pinkerton guards had to be brought in to restore order
Pullman Strike
Strike that was led by Eugene Debs and the American Railway Union; when a depression hit, this luxury and sleeper railcar company refused to increase wages or lower rent in its company town; workers went on strike until President Cleveland was forced to intervene to protect the U.S. postal service
Wounded Knee
The last of the major "Indian Wars"; in an effort to enforce the ban of the Ghost Dance, U.S. military engaged in a battle with the Lakota Sioux in South Dakota; resulted in a massacre of 200-300 Sioux including many women and children
Little Bighorn
1876 battle that broke out in the Dakota Territory after gold was discovered there; ignoring previous treaties, General George Custer led his 7th cavalry to a disastrous defeat against the Sioux as they defended their land; known as Custer's Last Stand
Laissez-faire
A lack of government regulation/interference; the economy is controlled instead by the law of supply and demand; in the Gilded Age, this led to horrible working and living conditions
political machine
A political group who controlled local politics and influenced voting and legislation at the state and federal level; often committed voting fraud, bribery, and graft to maintain power
Helen Hunt Jackson
author of A Century of Dishonor that chronicled the broken promises made to Native Americans by the U.S. government
Dawes Act
Dissolved many tribes as legal entities, wiped out tribal ownership of land, and set up individual Indian family heads with 160 free acres; promoted a forced assimilation of Native Americans to become "good white settlers" on their path to citizenship
Frederick Jackson Turner
Historian who presented a "frontier thesis" that claimed the true American culture was found on the frontier, not in eastern cities; declared the frontier was closed implying Americans would have to become imperialistic outside of its borders to continue growth
Jacob Riis
Muckraking journalist who wrote How the Other Half Lives exposing the living conditions in urban tenements
Sitting Bull
Responsible for the defeat of General Custer; Sioux leader, along with Crazy Horse, who successfully defended the Black Hills on their Dakota reservation
Andrew Carnegie
Scottish immigrant who became the "Steel King," the mastermind behind the steel industry; bought out hundreds of iron-ore supplying towns to be directly fed to his huge factories to create a vertically integrated company; sold his company to J.P. Morgan
Social Gospel
The idea that it is a Christian's duty to make money in order to give back to the community that fostered the wealth (philanthropy)
Urbanization
The rapid growth of cities due to migration and immigration; led to problems such as poorly constructed buildings, overcrowding, and sanitation issues
Chinese Exclusion Act
A turning point in immigration policy because it banned immigration from a specific nationality; in response to employment in the mining and railroad industries; first passed in 1882 to ban immigration for ten years
Social Darwinism
Coined by Herbert Spencer; survival of the fittest in business or society; often used to justify unethical business practices
Vertical Integration
Combining into one organization all phases of manufacturing from mining to marketing; goal was to improve efficiency by making supplies more reliable, controlling the quality of the product at all stages of production, and eliminating the middleman
Henry Ford
Entrepreneur who used his experience from a Michigan engine company to introduce the first automobile that was mass produced using the assembly line; paid his workers $5 a day
Thomas Edison
Famous inventor known as "The Wizard of Menlo Park"; invented the incandescent light bulb, phonograph, and motion pictures along with over 1000 other patents in his lifetime
J.P. Morgan
Financial giant who reorganized the railroads, had insurance companies, and also had banks; launched the United States Steel Corporation, invested in General Electric and AT&T
National Labor Union
Founded in 1866, the first major nation-wide labor union that accepted skilled and unskilled laborers; effective until it was basically replaced by the Knights of Labor
Samuel Gompers
He is responsible for the formation of one of the first labor unions; President of the American Federation of Labor worked on getting better hours and better wages for skilled laborers
John D. Rockefeller
He was the owner of the notorious Standard Oil Company that originally practiced horizontal integration to consolidate with competitors and eliminate competition to monopolize his company; target of antitrust legislation; country's first billionaire
Horizontal Integration
Involves one level of a business, such as manufacturing, or the production of the product; controlling one part as opposed to entire product; could involve buying out competitors to monopolize a specific part of a product
Frederick Taylor
Known as the "Father of Efficiency"; his methods in companies were used to count steps, cut costs, and organize business through scientific management
Knights of Labor
Labor union that accepted unskilled laborers; fought for an 8 hour workday and safety regulations; membership dropped after people associated the union with anarchy in the wake of the Haymarket Square Riot
Boss Tweed
Leader of Tammany Hall, the New York Democratic political machine; used bribery and graft to gain political power for his party; supported by immigrants who acquired housing and employment in exchange for votes
Ellis Island
New York immigrant depot for European immigrants; new arrivals had to pass rigorous medical and document examinations and pay entry before being allowed into the U.S.
Cornelius Vanderbilt
New York railroad tycoon who controlled 40% of the nation's railroads after consolidating New York Central, building Grand Central Station, and gaining control of the Erie Railroad
Jane Addams
Progressive reformer who founded the Hull House in Chicago, one of the first of the settlement house movement to help immigrants with housing, finding jobs, daycare, literacy among many other services
Bessemer Process
Used by Carnegie to efficiently make steel from iron; originally created by William Kelley, but he failed to get the patent first