Western Expansion and the Glided Age Vocab

Assimilation

– the process in which someone loses their own cultural identity and takes on the characteristics of another group

Andrew Carnegie

industrialist who made a fortune in steel in the late 1800s, as a philanthropist he gave away some $350 million

Bessemer process

– a process for making steel more efficiently; increasing steel production

Big Business

– during the Gilded Age, businesses that controlled major industries and so had influence over the government

Chinese Exclusion Act

– law passed that prohibited Chinese laborers from entering the country, but did not prevent entry of those who had previously established U.S. residence

Dawes Act

– law that divided Native American reservation land into private family plots

Gilded Age

– a time period in American History with significant economic prosperity and population growth which overshadowed political corruption and widespread poverty

Homestead Act

– law that gave 160 acres of farmland to citizens who met certain requirements

Homogenous

– of the same kind; alike

Land Grant

– A piece of land given by the government for roads, railroads, or agriculture

Laissez faire

– doctrine stating that government generally should not interfere in private business

Nativism

– favoring native citizens as opposed to immigrants

Western Expansion

– a time period in American History where many different groups of people migrated west in large numbers

Political machines

– organization headed by a boss that maintains political and administrative control of a city

Social Darwinism

– derived from Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection, the belief that society should do as little as possible to interfere with people’s pursuit of success