Lesson 10: Labor Movements and Social Welfare History

Advocate

endorse or speak on the behalf of an idea

Privation

lack or loss of the basic things that people need to live properly

Industrialization

transitional process of going from an agricultural society to a manufacturing based one

Urbanization

development of small settlements into large cities

Robber barons

19th century businessman who used dishonest methods to become rich

Monopolize

to corner the market on an item to control supply

Sweatshops

factories set up in buildings not intended for business that are jammed with workers laboring in poor conditions for low pay

Collective bargaining

negotiations between a group of workers and an employer concerning wages, benefits, and safety concerns

Solidarity

agreement about ideas and actions that creates unity among people with shared goals

Strikes

stoppage of work organized by a group of workers as a form of protest

Agitate

excite feelings or cause concern about an issue

Social welfare

social and political effort to assist individuals in need with material well-being

Zakat

charity; one of the five pillars of Islam

Emergency Banking Act

1993 legislation that was part of the first major government run social welfare system in the US

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

a government agency created to provide deposit insurance to depositors in US banks

Social Security Act

1935 legislation that established a system of old-age benefits and unemployment insurance

War on Poverty

legislation introduced by President Lyndon Johnson during his 1964 State of Union Address aimed at reducing poverty

Job corps

a program created as part of Johnson's Great Society to provide job training for young people

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

a program focused on putting Americans back to work through assistance and education

Food Stamp Act

1964 legislation that provided food assistance to low-income individuals and families

Economic Opportunity Act

1964 legislation aimed at eliminating poverty through various programs

Social Security Act (1965)

legislation that created Medicaid and Medicare

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (1965)

legislation aimed at funding primary and secondary education

Obamacare

officially called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010), it expanded access to health insurance

Taft-Hartley Act

1947 legislation that made the right to work a federal law

Huey Long

populist politician who created the Our Wealth program in 1934 with the motto 'Every man a king'

Child labor reform

In 1903 few laws limited the employment of children, so workers as young as 8-years-old worked 60-hour weeks in textile mills and coal mines

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Tragedy of 1911

On March 25, 1911 a fire broke out and the only available exit was engulfed in flames; 146 people of mostly women and girls died

Right to work

Unions insisted that once a workplace was organized every worker should be required to join the union; Right-to-work laws declared that workers were not required to join unions

Taft-Hartley Act of 1947

made the right to work a federal law which remained controversial

History of Welfare

Welfare is found in a majority of civilization throughout human history, understood as a religious and social responsibility

Welfare in the US

The Great depression brought the first major government run social welfare system

Head start

a program designed to promote school readiness for children from low-income families

Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Act

Signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996, focused on putting Americans back to work through assistance and education

Elementary and Secondary Education Act

(1965) aimed to provide equal access to education for all children

Grassroots

most basic level of activity, undertaken by ordinary people

Abolition

act of ending the institution and practice of slavery

Prohibition

forbidding an action by law; when capitalized, the period when selling or consuming alcohol in the US was illegal

Suffrage

the right to vote in political matters

Populist

person who advocates for everyday people

Boycott

to protest by withdrawing social, political, and/or economic support of a person, group, or business

Activism

a doctrine of working toward or advocating political or social change

Cannabis

genus in the hemp family from which marijuana is cultivated

Vilify

to talk or write abusively about another; to defame

Cabal

secret political group

Conspiracy

secret agreement between two or more people to carry out a crime of harmful activity at a future time

Referendums

decision about a single political issue, put to the general electorate for a vote

Decriminalized

possession of small amounts permitted, or considered a minor crime that carries only a fine and not imprisonment

Legalized

Marijuana may be used, bought and sold

Medical use

Marijuana permitted for medical use

Medical and decriminalized

marijuana permitted for medical use and possession of small amounts for nonmedical use isn't considered a major crime

Analgesic

a drug used to relieve pain

Controlled substances act

a law that denied the use of marijuana even for medical purposes

Marijuana Tax Act

the federal government act that prohibited the production of hemp and led to the vilification of cannabis

Recreational use

the use of marijuana for enjoyment rather than for medical purposes

Mainstream medical systems

medical systems that prescribe and pay for marijuana with medical insurance