Gilded Age Part 2 Flashcards

Andrew Carnegie

An industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Carnegie Steel Company in 1892. By 1901, his company dominated the American steel industry. He wrote the Gospel of Wealth.

Birds of Passage

Immigrants who came to America to earn money for a time and then returned to their native land - term usually applied to Chinese immigrants during the Gilded Age

Chinese Exclusion Act

1882 law that prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers - many were brought to work on the railroads and this led to nativism and anti-immigrant feelings

Credit Mobilier Scandal

This scandal occurred in the 1870s when a railroad construction company's stockholders used funds that were supposed to be used to build the Union Pacific Railroad for railroad construction for their own personal use. To avoid being convicted, stockholders even used stock to bribe congressional members and the vice president. Occurred under Grant - example of patronage and corruption

Gospel of Wealth

This was a book written by Carnegie that described the responsibility of the rich to be philanthropists. This softened the harshness of Social Darwinism as well as promoted the idea of philanthropy. They were expected to give but not directly ex. libraries

Government and business link Gilded Age

After the Pendleton Civil Service act was passed, politicians had to look to business for campaign contributions - increased accusations of corruption

James Garfield

Gilded Age president who was assassinated by an office seeker - his death led to the Pendleton Act being passed

Nativism

A policy of favoring native-born individuals over foreign-born ones

Patronage System

AKA Spoils System. Filling government bureaucracy based on connections & political favors not merit (cronyism); ended by Pendleton Act (1883) - increased under the Grant administration

Pendleton Civil Service Act

Passed in 1883, an Act that created a federal civil service so that hiring and promotion would be based on merit rather than patronage. Passed after Garfield's assassination under Arthur - politicians were now pushed to big business for support

Political Machines/Bosses

Corrupt organized groups that controlled political parties in the cities. A boss leads the machine and attempts to grab more votes for his party.

Interstate Commerce Commission

formed in 1887 - an agency that sets the laws for all the companies that do business across state lines - early attempt at regulating monopolies - Monopolies proved to be too powerful at first

Sherman Antitrust Act (1890)

First federal action against monopolies, it was signed into law by Harrison and was extensively used by Theodore Roosevelt for trust-busting. However, it was initially misused against labor unions

Tammany Hall/Boss Tweed

William Tweed, head of Tammany Hall, NYC's powerful democratic political machine in 1868 - a group of corrupt politicians in defrauding the city. Example: Responsible for the construction of the NY court house; actual construction cost $3 million. Project cost tax payers $13 million.

Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

March 1911 fire in New York factory that trapped young women workers inside locked exit doors; nearly 50 ended up jumping to their death; while 100 died inside the factory; led to the establishment of many factory reforms, including increasing safety precautions for workers

Ulysses S. Grant

an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States (1869-1877). Had issues with scandals though not directly related to things he did - appointed many friends that turned out to be questionable

American Protective Association

An organization created by nativists in 1887 that campaigned for laws to restrict immigration - favored segregation

Grover Cleveland

22nd and 24th president, Democrat, achieved the Interstate Commerce Commission and civil service reform, violent suppression of strikes, was against a literacy test but supported immigration restrictions due to fear of New Immigrants bringing over radical ideas

Immigration restrictions

Push to limit immigrants coming into the country - proposal of a literacy test for immigrants - Chinese Exclusion Act

Industrial Development

Major expansion during the Gilded Age - many immigrants expanded population numbers - many cities were controlled by political machines.

Nativism

A policy of favoring native-born individuals over foreign-born ones - pushed for immigration restrictions

New Immigrants

immigrants who had come to the US after the 1880s from southern and eastern Europe - feared for bringing radical ideas into the country

Urbanization

An increase in the percentage and in the number of people living in cities - expanding population made elections decided by the cities rather than rural areas

WEB DuBois

Opposed Booker T. Washington. Wanted social and political integration as well as higher education for 10% of African Americans-what he called a "Talented Tenth". Founder of the Niagara Movement which led to the creation of the NAACP. Pushed for full and complete equality. Felt that extreme measures may be needed to push for equality

Social Gospel

A social reform movement that developed within religious institutions and sought to help the poor in the cities as part of their religious duty

Henry Cabot Lodge

Pushed for the addition of a literacy test to regulate immigration during the Gilded Age

William Tweed/Tammany Hall

William Tweed, head of Tammany Hall, NYC's powerful democratic political machine in 1868 - a group of corrupt politicians in defrauding the city. Example: Responsible for the construction of the NY court house; actual construction cost $3 million. Project cost tax payers $13 million.