U.S. History Key Terms and Events

A set of vocabulary flashcards defining key historical terms, court cases, legislation, and organizations in U.S. history from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Plessy v. Ferguson

An 1896 Supreme Court case that ruled racial segregation was legal under the idea of "separate but equal." It gave legal support to Jim Crow segregation and discrimination against Black Americans.

Poll Tax

A fee that people were required to pay in order to vote, mainly used from the late 1800s to mid-1900s. Southern states used poll taxes to prevent many Black Americans and poor people from voting.

Gospel of Wealth

An 1889 essay by Andrew Carnegie arguing that wealthy people had a responsibility to use their money to benefit society. It helped justify the enormous wealth of Gilded Age businessmen while encouraging philanthropy.

Scientific Management

Frederick Winslow Taylor's system (late 1800s to early 1900s) for making workers and factories more efficient. It increased productivity but also made many factory jobs repetitive and reduced workers' control over their work.

Knights of Labor

Founded in 1869 and strongest in the 1880s, it was one of the first major national labor organizations in the United States. It brought different types of workers together and pushed for reforms such as the eight-hour workday.

National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA)

An organization founded in 1890 that fought for women's right to vote. It became a major organization in the women's suffrage movement and helped build support for the 19th Amendment.

Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC)

A federal agency created in 1887 to regulate interstate railroads. It was one of the first major attempts by the federal government to regulate private businesses.

Hull House

A settlement house in Chicago founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr that helped immigrants and poor families. It became an important example of Progressive Era reform and efforts to address urban poverty.

Teller Amendment

An 1898 resolution stating that the United States would not annex Cuba following the Spanish-American War. It showed that the U.S. claimed its intervention in Cuba was meant to help Cuba gain independence rather than become an American territory.

Filipino-American War

A war from 1899 to 1902 between the United States and Filipinos who wanted independence after the U.S. gained control of the Philippines. It demonstrated the growth of American imperialism and raised questions about America's commitment to freedom and self-government.

17th Amendment

A 1913 constitutional amendment allowing Americans to directly elect U.S. senators. It made the government more democratic and was an important Progressive Era political reform.

The Jungle

A 1906 novel by Upton Sinclair describing terrible conditions surrounding workers in Chicago's meatpacking industry. Public reaction helped create support for stronger federal food-safety laws, including the Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food and Drug Act.

Lusitania

A British passenger ship sunk by a German submarine on May 7, 1915, during World War I. The deaths of American passengers increased anger toward Germany and helped move American public opinion toward the Allies.

Selective Service Act

A 1917 law that created a military draft after the United States entered World War I. It allowed the U.S. to quickly build a much larger military to fight in the war.

NAACP

Founded in 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is an organization created to fight racial discrimination. It became a major civil rights organization that fought segregation, discrimination, disenfranchisement, and racial violence.

National Origins Act

A 1924 law that established strict immigration quotas based on national origin. It greatly restricted immigration and showed the strong nativism and anti-immigrant attitudes of the 1920s.