Western Expansion and the Gilded Age Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key historical terms from the Western Expansion and Gilded Age unit.

Dawes Act

law that divided Native American reservation land into private family plots

Homestead Act

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

Gilded Age

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

Bessemer Process

a process for making steel more efficiently; increasing steel production

Laissez-faire

doctrine stating that government generally should not interfere in private business

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

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

Andrew Carnegie

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

Assimilation

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

Big Business

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

Nativism

favoring native citizens as opposed to immigrants

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.

Homogenous

of the same kind; alike

Land Grant

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