APUSH terms 6

homestead act

a landmark US law offering 160 acres of public land to settlers (citizens, women, immigrants) for a small fee, provided they lived on and improved it (built a home, farmed) for five years to gain full ownership, significantly driving westward expansion, settlement, and agriculture

wounded knee massacre

the brutal killing of approximately 150-300 Lakota Sioux (mostly women and children) by the U.S. 7th Cavalry at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota, marking the tragic end of the Indian Wars

dawes severalty act 1887

a U.S. law that broke up communal tribal lands into individual plots for Native Americans, aiming to assimilate them by promoting private land ownership and farming, ending tribal sovereignty, and granting citizenship to those who accepted allotments

turners frontier thesis

argument that the American frontier (the line of westward expansion) was the key force shaping American democracy, character (individualism, ruggedness, innovation, optimism), and identity

andrew carnegie

a Scottish-American industrialist who built a steel empire using vertical integration, became one of history's richest men, and then became a major philanthropist, giving away much of his fortune to promote education and culture, embodying the Gospel of Wealth philosophy

john d Rockefeller

founder of the Standard Oil Company, a ruthless industrialist who built a vast oil monopoly through horizontal integration and trusts, becoming a symbol of Gilded Age capitalism

plessy v Ferguson 1896

a pivotal U.S. Supreme Court case that established the doctrine of "separate but equal," legally sanctioning racial segregation in public facilities under the 14th Amendment, providing legal justification for Jim Crow laws and institutionalizing discrimination against African Americans for decades

robber barons

19th-century industrialists (like Rockefeller, Carnegie, Vanderbilt, Morgan) who built massive fortunes through ruthless, often unethical, practices, including exploiting workers with low wages and dangerous conditions, creating monopolies, and manipulating markets

social darwinism

the misapplication of Darwin's "survival of the fittest" to human society, arguing that the wealthy and powerful are inherently superior, while the poor and weak deserve their fate, justifying laissez-faire economics and inequality, often fueling racism

gospel of wealth

philosophy that the wealthy have a moral duty to use their fortunes to benefit society through philanthropy, acting as stewards to distribute surplus wealth for public good, especially in education and culture, rather than leaving it to heirs or indulging themselves

horatio Alger myth

the popular belief that anyone in America, regardless of humble origins, could achieve success and wealth ("rags-to-riches") through hard work, honesty, and virtue, embodying the American Dream of upward mobility during the Gilded Age, even though real opportunities for such mobility were often limited

chinese exclusion act

the first significant federal law banning Chinese laborers from immigrating to the U.S

political bosses and machines

powerful, organized groups in late 19th-century cities that controlled local government by exchanging favors (jobs, housing, services) for votes, often led by a "boss" like Boss Tweed, using patronage, bribery, and graft for self-enrichment and maintaining power, especially by securing loyalty from new immigrants

patronage

the practice where political parties or figures reward supporters with government jobs, contracts, and favors in exchange for votes and loyalty

great railroad strike of 1877

the nation's first major nationwide labor strike, triggered by massive wage cuts by railroad companies during the severe economic depression

knights of labor

a major, inclusive labor union led by Terence V. Powderly that united skilled and unskilled workers (including women and African Americans) for broad social reforms like the 8-hour day, ending child labor, and worker cooperatives

haymarket bombing 1886

a violent confrontation at a labor rally in Chicago's Haymarket Square, sparked by a bomb thrown at police during a protest for an eight-hour workday

american federation of labor

a federation of skilled craft unions founded by Samuel Gompers in 1886, focusing on "bread-and-butter" economic issues like higher wages, shorter hours, and better working conditions through collective bargaining, distinct from radical politics

homestead strike 1892

a violent labor dispute at Carnegie Steel's Homestead Works in Pennsylvania, triggered by management's wage cuts and lockout of the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers

pullman strike 1894

a major nationwide railroad strike in the U.S., sparked by wage cuts and high rents at the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago, leading to a boycott and stoppage of rail traffic across the Midwest

national grange movement

a late 19th-century organization for farmers, initially social, that grew into a political force to combat high railroad rates, monopolies, and middlemen, leading to state laws regulating railroads

wabash case

a Supreme Court decision that states cannot regulate interstate commerce, only the federal government can, invalidating state laws (like Illinois's) targeting railroad rates

farmers alliance

a major agrarian movement in the US, starting in Texas, that organized farmers to combat economic hardship from low prices, debt, and railroad monopolies by creating cooperatives

pendleton act 1881

a landmark law that ended the spoils system by creating a merit-based system for federal jobs, requiring competitive exams for selection, and establishing the Civil Service Commission to oversee hiring, aiming to reduce political corruption and increase government efficiency

interstate commerce act 1886

a landmark US law regulating railroads by requiring "just and reasonable" rates, banning rebates and pools, and outlawing long-haul/short-haul discrimination

sherman anti trust act 1890

the first U.S. federal law to outlaw monopolistic business practices, making illegal any contract, combination, or conspiracy in restraint of interstate trade, aiming to curb trusts and monopolies and promote competition

mckinley tariff 1890

a high protective tariff act that raised import duties to nearly 50%, aiming to shield American industries from foreign competition, but it backfired by increasing consumer prices, hurting farmers, and sparking calls for annexation of Hawaii due to its impact on sugar producers

panic of 1893

a severe economic depression in the U.S., triggered by railroad overbuilding, bank failures (especially after the Reading Railroad collapsed), and a gold standard crisis, leading to massive unemployment (around 20%), business failures, and political upheaval

coxeys army

a protest march of unemployed workers, led by populist Jacob Coxey, who marched to Washington D.C. during the Panic of 1893 to demand federal action, specifically a public works program

the populist party

a late 19th-century political movement representing farmers and laborers against elites, advocating for government control of railroads/banks, a graduated income tax, direct election of senators, and increased currency

cross of gold speech

powerful defense of bimetallism (free coinage of silver) to help farmers and debtors, arguing the gold standard oppressed the working class