Period 6 Vocab

1865-1898

Alexander Graham Bell

An inventor and scientist best known for inventing the telephone in 1876, revolutionizing communication.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

Founded in 1886 by Samuel Gompers, it was the first successful labor union in the U.S., focused on skilled workers and advocating for better wages, hours, and conditions.

Andrew Carnegie

A Scottish-American industrialist who became a leading figure in the steel industry and later donated much of his fortune to philanthropic causes.

Angel Island

An immigration station in San Francisco Bay, primarily used to process Asian immigrants, especially from China, between 1910 and 1940.

Battle of Wounded Knee (1890)

The massacre of at least 150 Native American Sioux at Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota by U.S. troops, marking the end of major Native American resistance in the Great Plains.

Battle of Little Big Horn (1876)

A battle in which a combined force of Native American tribes, led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, decisively defeated U.S. General George Custer’s 7th Cavalry.

Booker T. Washington

A prominent African American leader who advocated for vocational and industrial training for Black Americans and founded the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.

Bureau of Indian Affairs

A U.S. government agency responsible for managing Native American affairs, including land and education, often involved in policies that displaced Native Americans.

Chief Joseph

The leader of the Nez Perce tribe who led his people in a famous retreat toward Canada in 1877 in an attempt to escape U.S. government forces.

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

A federal law that banned Chinese immigration to the U.S. and restricted the rights of Chinese immigrants already in the country.

Cornelius Vanderbilt

A wealthy industrialist who dominated the railroad industry and later invested in shipping, becoming one of the richest men in America.

Coxey's Army

A protest march in 1894 led by businessman Jacob Coxey, aimed at demanding government action to create jobs for the unemployed during the economic depression.

Cross of Gold speech

A famous speech by William Jennings Bryan in 1896, advocating for the free coinage of silver and opposing the gold standard, symbolizing his populist views.

Dawes Severalty Act (1887)

A law that aimed to assimilate Native Americans by breaking up tribal lands into individual allotments, with the surplus sold to non-Native settlers.

Ellis Island

An immigration processing station in New York Harbor that handled millions of European immigrants arriving in the U.S. from 1892 to 1954.

Exodusters

African Americans who migrated to Kansas and other western states during the late 1870s to escape racial discrimination and economic hardship in the South.

Eugene V. Debs

A prominent labor leader and founder of the American Railway Union, who ran for president as a Socialist candidate five times.

Frederick Jackson Turner

A historian known for his 'Frontier Thesis,' which argued that the American frontier experience shaped the nation’s democracy and character.

Frederick W. Taylor/Taylorism

An engineer and management consultant who developed scientific management principles to increase industrial efficiency, often known as 'Taylorism.'

George A. Custer

A U.S. Army officer known for his defeat and death at the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876, also called 'Custer's Last Stand.'

Ghost Dance movement

A religious movement among Native Americans in the late 19th century, believed to restore their traditional way of life and remove European influences, often associated with the Wounded Knee Massacre.

Gilded Age

A period in U.S. history (late 19th century) marked by rapid industrialization, political corruption, and vast economic inequality, despite outward prosperity.

Gold-Bugs/Silverites

Supporters of the gold standard (gold-bugs) and those advocating for the free coinage of silver (silverites), which became a major issue in the 1896 election.

Gospel of Wealth

An article written by Andrew Carnegie in 1889, which argued that wealthy individuals had a moral obligation to distribute their wealth for the benefit of society.

Grandfather clause

A legal provision in Southern states that allowed whites to bypass literacy tests and poll taxes for voting, but disenfranchised African Americans.

Great Railroad Strike (1877)

A nationwide strike of railroad workers in response to wage cuts, which led to widespread violence and disruptions across the country.

Greenback Party

A political party formed in the 1870s that advocated for the issuance of paper currency (greenbacks) and inflationary policies to help the working class and farmers.

Half-Breeds

A faction of the Republican Party in the late 19th century that favored civil service reform and opposed political patronage.

Haymarket Riot (1886)

A violent labor protest in Chicago that resulted in the deaths of several police officers and civilians, leading to a backlash against labor movements.

Homestead Steel Strike (1892)

A major labor strike at the Homestead Steel Works in Pennsylvania, involving violent clashes between striking workers and Pinkerton agents, eventually leading to the defeat of the union.

Helen Hunt Jackson/A Century of Dishonor

An activist and author who wrote A Century of Dishonor (1881), a book that exposed the U.S. government’s mistreatment of Native Americans.

Herbert Spencer

A British philosopher and sociologist who applied Charles Darwin's theory of evolution to society, developing the concept of Social Darwinism.

Horizontal integration

A business strategy in which a company buys or merges with competitors to control a larger portion of the market in a particular industry.

How the Other Half Lives

A book by journalist Jacob Riis (1890) that exposed the harsh living conditions of the urban poor in New York City.

Injunction

A court order that requires a party to do or cease doing a specific action, often used against labor unions during strikes.

Interstate Commerce Act (1887)

A law that regulated railroads and required them to charge fair rates, establishing the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to enforce the law.

Jacob Riis

A journalist and social reformer known for his photojournalism in How the Other Half Lives, which highlighted the poverty and living conditions in New York City.

James G. Blaine

A Republican politician who served as Secretary of State and ran for president in 1884. He was a leader of the 'Half-Breed' faction of the Republican Party.

Jim Crow laws

State and local laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States after Reconstruction until the 1960s.

J. Pierpont Morgan

A powerful banker and financier who played a key role in the consolidation of industries, including railroads and steel.

John D. Rockefeller

The founder of Standard Oil, one of the most powerful monopolies in U.S. history, and a major figure in the development of the oil industry.

Knights of Labor

A labor organization founded in the 1860s that sought to organize all workers into one union and advocated for social reforms such as an 8-hour workday.

Louis Sullivan

An architect known for his work in developing the modern skyscraper and for promoting the idea that 'form follows function' in design.

Mark Twain

The pen name of Samuel Clemens, a famous American author and humorist best known for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

McKinley Tariff of 1890

A high tariff law passed during President William McKinley’s administration that raised duties on imports to protect domestic industries.

Melting Pot

A metaphor describing the U.S. as a place where people of various ethnicities, cultures, and backgrounds blend together into a single national identity.

Mugwumps

Reform-minded Republicans in the late 19th century who supported the Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland in the 1884 presidential election due to their opposition to corruption in the Republican Party.

Munn v. Illinois (1877)

A Supreme Court case that upheld the right of states to regulate businesses that operate in the public interest, such as railroads and grain elevators.

National Labor Union

The first national labor organization in the U.S., founded in 1866, which advocated for workers' rights, including the 8-hour workday, though it dissolved in the 1870s.

National Grange

An organization of farmers founded in 1867 that sought to promote social and economic activities for farm families, and advocated for political reforms to protect farmers’ interests.

Open shop/closed shop

An 'open shop' is a workplace where union membership is not required for employment, while a 'closed shop' is one where employees must join a union to work.

Panic of 1893

A severe economic depression triggered by the collapse of railroad companies, leading to widespread bank failures, high unemployment, and strikes.

Pendleton Act (1883)

A law that established a merit-based system for hiring federal employees, reducing political patronage and corruption in government jobs.

Pinkerton Agency

A private security and detective agency that was often hired by companies to break strikes and spy on labor movements.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

A Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

Populist [Peoples'] Party

A political party founded in the 1890s, representing farmers and laborers, that advocated for free coinage of silver, government ownership of railroads, and reforms to benefit the working class.

Pullman Strike (1894)

A nationwide railroad strike that began at the Pullman Company and led to federal intervention, ultimately resulting in a setback for labor unions.

Samuel Gompers

The founder and long-time president of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), who focused on improving wages and working conditions for skilled workers.

Sand Creek Massacre (1864)

A massacre in Colorado where U.S. troops killed over 150 Cheyenne and Arapaho Native Americans, mostly women and children, despite their surrender.

Scabs

Workers who replaced striking workers during labor strikes, often resented by union members.

Sherman Antitrust Act (1890)

The first federal law aimed at breaking up monopolies and promoting competition by outlawing business practices that restrained trade.

Sherman Silver Purchase Act (1890)

A law that increased the amount of silver the government was required to purchase, in an effort to inflate the currency and help farmers and laborers.

Sitting Bull & Crazy Horse

Native American leaders of the Sioux who resisted U.S. government policies and fought in major battles like the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Stalwarts

A faction of the Republican Party in the late 19th century that supported political patronage and opposed civil service reform.

Tammany Hall

A political machine in New York City, dominated by the Democratic Party, known for its corrupt practices and control over city politics in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Thomas Edison

An American inventor who developed many devices, including the electric light bulb, phonograph, and motion pictures, revolutionizing industry and technology.

Thomas Nast

A political cartoonist who helped bring down the corrupt Tammany Hall political machine through his cartoons exposing its corruption.

Trusts

Large corporate combinations that reduced competition and controlled entire industries, often criticized for creating monopolies.

Turner Frontier Thesis

The theory by historian Frederick Jackson Turner that American democracy was shaped by the frontier experience, with the frontier providing opportunities for individualism and growth.

Tuskegee Institute

An African American vocational and agricultural school founded by Booker T. Washington in 1881, aimed at promoting self-reliance among Black Americans.

Vertical integration

A business strategy in which a company controls every step of the production process, from raw materials to finished products, often used by industrial magnates like Andrew Carnegie.

Wabash v. Illinois (1886)

A Supreme Court case that ruled individual states could not regulate interstate commerce, leading to the creation of the Interstate Commerce Commission.

W. E. B. DuBois

An African American intellectual and civil rights activist who co-founded the NAACP and advocated for immediate political and social equality for Black Americans.

William "Boss" Tweed

The leader of Tammany Hall in New York City, known for his corrupt control over city politics during the 1860s and 1870s.

William Jennings Bryan

A three-time presidential candidate and leading advocate for the free coinage of silver, who gave the famous 'Cross of Gold' speech.

William & Orville Wright

The brothers credited with inventing and building the first successful airplane, making their first powered flight in 1903.