Gilded Age Vocabulary

Trust

A company managed by members of a board rather than by owner or stockholders.

Monopoly

The complete and exclusive control of an industry by one company.

AFL

American Federation of Labor, founded in 1886 under leadership of Samuel Gompers, fought for better workers’ conditions, higher wages, collective bargaining rights, and shorter workdays.

Knights of Labor

A labor organization founded in 1869 that called for unity among all workers, rejected industrial capitalism, and favored cooperatively owned businesses.

Anarchist

An advocate for replacing the State with stateless societies and voluntary free association; someone who wishes to destroy government and law.

Social Darwinism

19th-century philosophy arguing that human society can be understood as a struggle between the wealthy and poor, with the strongest surviving.

Ellis Island

An island in New York Bay that was formerly the principal immigration station for the U.S.

Angel Island

An immigration and deportation facility where many Chinese and Japanese immigrants were detained under oppressive conditions.

Suburb

A community near or on the outskirts of a city.

Gilded Age

Period in history (1869-1889) that appeared prosperous externally but was politically corrupt internally.

Graft

The unscrupulous use of politicians' authority for personal gain.

Pendleton Act

A law passed in 1883 to eliminate political corruption in the officeholders and federal agents; it outlawed political contributions by appointed officials and established the Civil Service Commission to administer competitive examinations for covered govt jobs.

Imperialism

A policy or practice of exerting control over weaker nations or territories.

Gold standard

A monetary system in which a nation's currency is backed by gold.

Merger

The act of incorporating two or more businesses into one.

Populist Party

A political party in 1891, primarily by remnants of the farmers alliance and Greenback party, it sough to inflate currency with silver dollars and to establish an income tax but was adopted by Demos in 1896 and died after Willian Jenning Byrants defeat.

William Jennings Bryant

American orator and populist leader who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. president and advocated for income tax, direct election, and women's suffrage.

Strike

A labor stoppage by workers used as a tactic to press demands on employers.

Injunction

Court orders demanding or forbidding certain actions.

Tenement

A large building that rents rooms and apartments, usually overcrowded and badly maintained.

J.D. Rockefeller

Guiding force behind the creation and development of Standard Oil Company.

Andrew Carnegie

Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist who expanded the American steel industry.

Gospel of Wealth

The belief that God ordains a certain role to amass money and use it for good purposes.

J.P. Morgan

Known for reorganizing and gaining control of businesses to make them more profitable and stable.

Jacob Riis

Journalist and social reformer who publicized crises in housing and poverty at the height of European immigration to NYC.

Bessemer Process

A method in which forced air is used to remove impurities from iron, transforming it into steel.

Melting Pot

The idea that immigrants adopt American culture while preserving aspects of their own, forming a blended society.

Capitalism

An economic system in which private individuals or groups own economic resources and operate businesses for profit.

Nativism

The preference for the interests of native-born citizens over those of immigrants.

Samuel Gompers

A critic of the Knights of Labor focusing on higher wages, shorter hours, and better working conditions.

Laissez-Faire

A policy allowing businesses to operate with little or no government oversight.

Thomas Nast

A famous American political cartoonist known for exposing corruption through illustrations.

William Tweed

Also known as "Boss Tweed," he ran one of the most notorious political machines, Tammany Hall. He was infamous for corruption, using bribery and fraud to control city contracts and elections.

Tammany Hall

A Democratic political machine in New York City that controlled local politics and was known for corruption and the spoils system.

Cornelius Vanderbilt

An American entrepreneur who became wealthy through shipping and railroads.