Gilded Age to Progressive Era Study Guide

Industrialization

The progression of manufacturing from hand-made goods to making things with machines. Workers left farms for factories because the machines replaced them, and the U.S. was the leading industrial nation.

Progressivism

A reform movement that happened in the late 1800s to address the problems that urbanization and industrialization had created. It restored economic opportunities and corrected the injustices in America.

Capitalism

An economic system where most businesses are privately owned by people and not the government. This gave business owners a lot of power.

16^th Amendment

Congress takes a certain percentage of taxes based on an individual's income. It wouldn’t be fair if everyone paid the same amount of taxes, which is why the more money you make, the more taxes you pay.

17^th Amendment

Voters have the power to elect their U.S. Senators. This gave Americans more of a voice when creating laws and electing legislators. It also gave attention to women's suffrage.

 Laissez Faire

Means “Leave Alone” or “Hands Off”. The government can’t interfere with companies.

Entrepreneur

People who take the risk to start a business. _________ collect information about businesses, become educated on taxes and laws, and try to get investors for their business.

Monopoly

One company takes over an entire industry. The company can then raise prices and lower the quality of their products. This is bad for the consumers since they do not have a choice in what product to buy anymore.

Graduated Income Tax

The more money you make, the more taxes you pay. It’s fair that people with a greater income pay more because they have more money.

Ellis Island

A place where immigrants were background checked and health checked. This is how millions of people came to America, and only about 2% were deported this way.

Unions

People come together to form boycotts and strikes. In 1886, there were around 1500 strikes over wage cuts.

Settlement Houses

Community centers made in slum neighborhoods. These houses were for less fortunate immigrants who were taught English and American history and culture.

Conservation

This is the protection of natural resources. If it didn’t happen, then all of our natural resources would either be gone or be almost gone.

Andrew Carnegie

A Scottish immigrant who came to America. _______ Steel provided materials for things like cars, skyscrapers, and railroads, and his net worth would be $122 billion if he hadn’t given away so much of his money.

 John D. Rockefeller

He took over 90% of the Oil industry. He was the first American billionaire, and his Net worth today would be $306 billion.

Muckrakers

Journalists who were reform-minded and wrote about their encounters with injustices and other horrors. They exposed how filthy the meat-packing places were.

Jane Addams

In 1889, she opened the Hull House/ Settlement House in Chicago. This was helpful to immigrants who weren't familiar with the country. She also practiced Social Gospel-advocates and worked to improve the city by using philanthropy and social work.

The Jungle

A book written by a Muckraker named Upton Sinclair. This book exposed the horrible conditions of the meat-packing plants.

Teddy Roosevelt

He was a progressive president. He wanted to limit the power that the monopolies had, improve the harsh working conditions, and promote public safety and health.

William H. Taft

He is the 27th president of the United States. He angered the progressives and lost Roosevelt’s support when he moved towards reforms and agreed with the Payne-Aldrich Tariff. He never wanted to be president.

Woodrow Wilson

-He is the 28th president of the United States. He made a reform legislation that had direct election of senators, women's suffrage, and prohibition. He is also the creator of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Trade Commission, and he enforced child labor laws.

Election of 1912

This is an election between Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson. Democrats voted for Wilson, and he won.

Urbanization

Rural places were turned into cities. There where an increased number of industrial jobs, which encouraged Americans to go to cities and immigrants to also go to American cities.

Gifford Pinchot

He was the first chief of the U.S. Forest Service. He increased the number of national forests by 117.

 Sherman/Clayton Antitrust Act

This act didn’t let trusts become monopolies and reduce competition. Roosevelt used this act to file lawsuits against 43 trusts, which included the American Tobacco Company and Rockefeller’s Standard Oil.

Recall

A type of election where an elected official has to run for re-election before their term is over. This is for STATE elections, usually for Governors, and is one of the reforms made during the Progressive Era.

Referendum

If the people don’t like a law, then they can all take a vote to change it. This gives citizens more of a say in what laws they like and don’t like.

Samuel Gompers

He was a leader in 1886. He formed the American Federation of Labor.

Eugene V. Debs

He was a Union Leader who supported Marxism-Class struggle between owners and workers. He set up the Pullman Strike.