MIDTERM

The Jungle

Upton Sinclair’s 1906 novel exposing horrific conditions in Chicago’s meatpacking industry, leading to public outrage and government reforms like the Pure Food and Drug Act and Meat Inspection Act.

Pure Food and Drug Act

A government reform enacted after the publication of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, aimed at regulating food and drug safety.

Meat Inspection Act

A government reform enacted after the publication of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle to ensure sanitary conditions in the meatpacking industry.

World’s Columbian Exposition

A fair held in Chicago in 1893 that celebrated America’s technological and cultural achievements, also known as the 'White City,' but highlighted racial and class divisions.

“The White Man’s Burden”

Rudyard Kipling’s 1899 poem that urged the United States to 'civilize' nonwhite peoples, reflecting imperialist and racist ideologies to justify colonization.

Dawes Act of 1887

Legislation that aimed to assimilate Native Americans by dividing tribal lands into individual plots, leading to the loss of millions of acres of Native land and destruction of traditional cultures.

Plessy v. Ferguson

Supreme Court decision in 1896 that upheld racial segregation under the doctrine of 'separate but equal,' legitimizing Jim Crow laws for decades and marking a setback for civil rights.

Hull House

A settlement house founded by Jane Addams in Chicago in 1889 to support poor and immigrant communities, offering services like education, childcare, and healthcare, and promoting Progressive reform.

Jane Addams

Founder of Hull House, a settlement house in Chicago that supported poor and immigrant communities, and a key figure in Progressive reform and women's activism.

Ku Klux Klan (new KKK)

Reemerged in the 1910s and 1920s, targeting Black Americans, immigrants, Catholics, Jews, and radicals, claiming to defend '100% Americanism' and reflecting widespread nativism and fear of social change.

Queen Liliuokalani

The last monarch of Hawaii, overthrown in 1893 by American planters and businessmen, reflecting the rise of American imperialism in the Pacific.

U.S.S. Maine

An American battleship that exploded in Havana Harbor in 1898, fueling public outrage and becoming a rallying cry for the Spanish-American War, leading to U.S. control over new territories.

Spanish-American War

A conflict sparked by the U.S.S. Maine explosion, marking a turning point in U.S. foreign policy toward intervention and empire-building, resulting in U.S. control over Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

Knights of Labor

One of the first major national labor unions in the U.S., founded in 1869, which sought to unite all workers and advocated for an eight-hour workday and equal pay; its influence declined after the Haymarket Riot.

Haymarket Riot of 1886

An event that associated labor movements with violence, contributing to the decline of the Knights of Labor.

Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points

Outline for world peace proposed by President Woodrow Wilson after World War I, emphasizing self-determination, free trade, open diplomacy, and the creation of a League of Nations, though mostly rejected by European powers.

League of Nations

An international organization proposed by Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points to prevent future wars through cooperation; included in the Treaty of Versailles, but the U.S. refused to join.

Treaty of Versailles

The peace treaty that officially ended World War I, which included the League of Nations but largely rejected Wilson's idealism in favor of punishing Germany.

Jacob Riis

A Danish-American journalist and photographer whose 1890 book How the Other Half Lives exposed the harsh living conditions of immigrants in New York City’s tenements, inspiring housing and sanitation reforms.

Pullman Strike of 1894

A nationwide railroad strike led by Eugene V. Debs protesting wage cuts and high rents, which the federal government suppressed with troops, highlighting tensions between labor and corporate power.

Eugene V. Debs (Pullman Strike)

Labor leader who organized the American Railway Union and led the Pullman Strike of 1894; also a five-time Socialist Party presidential candidate imprisoned under the Espionage Act during World War I.

Flapper

Symbol of the new, modern woman of the 1920s who embraced independence, short dresses, bobbed hair, and jazz, representing broader cultural shifts and women's liberation.

Frederick Law Olmsted

Pioneering landscape architect who designed major parks like Central Park, believing green spaces improved public health and promoted democracy, shaping city planning and the American park movement. CITY THE BEAUTIFUL MOVEMENT

Central Park

A major urban park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in New York City, exemplifying his belief in the social benefits of natural green spaces.

Populist Party

Also known as the People’s Party, emerged in the 1890s from farmers’ frustrations, demanding government control of railroads, a graduated income tax, and free coinage of silver, giving voice to rural discontent.

Scopes “Monkey Trial”

The 1925 trial in which high school teacher John Scopes was prosecuted for teaching evolution in Tennessee, becoming a national spectacle pitting science against religion and modernism against traditionalism.

John Scopes

High school teacher prosecuted in the 1925 Scopes Trial for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution, symbolizing the cultural conflicts of the 1920s.

Clarence Darrow

Lawyer who defended John Scopes during the Scopes Trial.

William Jennings Bryan

Argued for creationism in the Scopes Trial.

Committee on Public Information (CPI)

Created during World War I and led by George Creel to promote patriotism and support for the war effort through posters, films, and pamphlets, serving as one of the first large-scale government propaganda efforts.

George Creel

Journalist who led the Committee on Public Information (CPI) during World War I.

Robert La Follette

Progressive governor and senator from Wisconsin, known for his 'Wisconsin Idea' promoting direct primaries, tax reform, and corporate regulation; opposed U.S. involvement in World War I. TRUST EXPERTS

Wisconsin Idea

Robert La Follette’s progressive policies promoting direct primaries, tax reform, and regulation of corporations, aimed at making government serve the public interest.

Margaret Sanger

Nurse and activist who led the birth control movement in the early 20th century, arguing for women's reproductive rights and establishing organizations that became Planned Parenthood.

Planned Parenthood

Organization established through Margaret Sanger's efforts, advancing women's health and reproductive freedom.

NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)

Founded in 1909 by W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells, and others to fight racial injustice through legal challenges, public advocacy, and journalism, laying groundwork for the later civil rights movement.

W.E.B. Du Bois

Co-founder of the NAACP and editor of its magazine The Crisis.

Ida B. Wells

Co-founder of the NAACP, known for her anti-lynching activism and journalism.

The Crisis

The magazine of the NAACP, which raised awareness of civil rights issues.

American Railway Union

Labor union organized by Eugene V. Debs, notably involved in the Pullman Strike.

Espionage Act

Legislation under which Eugene V. Debs was imprisoned during World War I for speaking against the draft.

Frederick Winslow Taylor

Developed the system of scientific management to improve industrial efficiency by studying workers’ movements, which increased output but also made work repetitive and dehumanizing.

Scientific management

A system developed by Frederick Winslow Taylor to improve industrial efficiency by studying and standardizing workers' movements.

The Redeemers

Southern Democrats who regained control after Reconstruction ended in 1877, aiming to restore white supremacy, cut government spending, and ushered in the era of Jim Crow laws.

Jim Crow laws

Laws enforced by the Redeemers in the South, mandating racial segregation and Black disenfranchisement, following the Plessy v. Ferguson decision.

Presidential Reconstruction

The early phase of Reconstruction under Andrew Johnson, which sought to quickly reunite the Union with lenient terms but led to dissatisfaction due to its failure to protect freedpeople's rights.

Radical Reconstruction

A political phase initiated by Congress that placed the South under military rule, passed Reconstruction Acts, and required new state constitutions guaranteeing Black suffrage, in response to the failures of Presidential Reconstruction.

Reconstruction Acts

Legislation passed during Radical Reconstruction that placed the South under military rule and mandated new state constitutions guaranteeing Black suffrage.

13th Amendment

Constitutional amendment abolishing slavery.

14th Amendment

Constitutional amendment granting citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the United States, including formerly enslaved people.

15th Amendment

Constitutional amendment prohibiting the denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Gilded Age

A period of rapid industrialization, urbanization, and economic growth in America, characterized by both progress and significant social and economic inequality, crime, and political corruption.

Tammany Hall

A powerful political machine that dominated urban politics in cities like New York during the Gilded Age.

American Federation of Labor

A major labor union that emerged during the Gilded Age, seeking better wages and working conditions for skilled workers.

Progressive Era

A period of widespread social activism and political reform from the 1890s to the 1920s, aimed at addressing problems caused by industrialization, urbanization, and immigration in the Gilded Age.

Theodore Roosevelt (Progressive Era)

A key Progressive figure who pushed for political reform, corporate regulation, and social justice.

Alfred Thayer Mahan

Writer who argued that a strong navy was essential for global power, fueling American imperialism in the late 19th century.

Mark Twain (Anti-imperialist)

A prominent anti-imperialist who criticized empire-building as hypocritical and a violation of America’s founding ideals.

Andrew Carnegie (Anti-imperialist)

A prominent anti-imperialist businessman who argued against American empire-building.

Roosevelt Corollary

A foreign policy assertion under Theodore Roosevelt that justified U.S. intervention in Latin American affairs, showcasing American economic and military power.

19th Amendment

Constitutional amendment ratified in 1920 that granted women the right to vote, expanding their political power.