Final Exam Review - Gilded Age to Civil Rights Movement

Flashcards covering key terms and definitions from the Gilded Age to the Civil Rights Movement.

Gilded Age

The era from c. 1865-1900 characterized by economic growth and inequality.

Robber Barons

Business magnates who used exploitative practices to amass wealth during the Gilded Age.

Monopolies

The exclusive control of a commodity or service in a market.

Labor Movements

Collective efforts by workers to improve their conditions and rights.

Immigration

The action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country.

(Forced) Assimilation

The process where individuals or groups are made to adopt the culture of another group.

Social Darwinism

The belief that only the fittest survive in human political and economic struggle.

Frontier Theory

The idea that the American frontier was a key factor in shaping the nation's democracy and character.

The Carlisle School

A Native American boarding school aimed at assimilating Indigenous children into American culture.

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

A federal law that prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

A landmark Supreme Court decision that upheld racial segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

Lynching; Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

Violent acts and organizations that targeted African Americans and other minorities to enforce white supremacy.

Progressive Era

The period from c. 1890-1920 marked by social activism and political reform.

Progressive Era Amendments

Constitutional amendments that addressed issues such as women's suffrage and prohibition.

Muckrakers

Journalists who exposed corruption and social injustices during the Progressive Era.

Immigration

The influx of people, particularly from Europe and Asia, into the U.S., seeking economic opportunities and freedom.

Nativism

The policy of protecting the interests of native-born or established inhabitants against those of immigrants.

Scapegoating

Blaming an individual or group for problems or negative outcomes.

Jacob Riis and How the Other Half Lives

A book by Jacob Riis that documented the living conditions of the urban poor.

Mother Jones

A prominent labor and community organizer known for her work in the labor movement.

Tenement

A type of housing that was often overcrowded and poorly maintained, typically inhabited by low-income families.

Organized Labor / Unions

Groups of workers who come together to make decisions about the terms of their work.

Pullman Strike

A nationwide railroad strike that occurred in 1894, which ended in federal intervention.

Women’s Suffrage Movement

The movement aimed at granting women the right to vote.

“The New Colossus”

A sonnet by Emma Lazarus that describes the Statue of Liberty as a welcoming symbol for immigrants.

Upton Sinclair and The Jungle

A novel that exposed the harsh conditions of the meatpacking industry and led to food safety reforms.

18th Amendment

The constitutional amendment that established the prohibition of alcohol in the United States.

Suffragettes; 19th Amendment

Women who campaigned for the right to vote, culminating in the 19th Amendment granting women's suffrage.

W.E.B. Du Bois

An African American sociologist, historian, and civil rights activist who co-founded the NAACP.

Monroe Doctrine

A U.S. policy opposing European colonialism in the Americas.

U.S.S. Maine

The sinking in Havana Harbor sparked the Spanish-American War.

Imperialism

The policy of extending a nation's authority over other countries by economic, political, or military means.

Imperialism

Policy of extending a country's power through diplomacy or military force.

Muckrakers

Journalists who exposed social injustices and corruption, like Upton Sinclair and Jacob Riis.

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

Federal law prohibiting Chinese labor immigration, reflecting widespread anti-Chinese sentiment.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Supreme Court decision upholding racial segregation under the separate but equal doctrine.

Suffragettes; 19th Amendment

Women activists who fought for and secured women's voting rights.

Imperialism

The policy of extending a nation's authority over other countries by economic, political, or military means.

Gilded Age

A period (c. 1870–1900) marked by rapid industrialization, economic growth, and ostentatious wealth, masking deep social inequalities and political corruption.

Monroe Doctrine

U.S. policy opposing European colonialism in the Americas.

Cold War

A global political and ideological struggle between so-called capitalist and so-called communist countries

Tenement

Overcrowded and unsanitary apartment buildings where many urban poor lived.