Vocab Unit 2

Casey Schulken

Industrialization

The period of social and

economic change that

transforms a human group

from an agrarian society

into an industrial society.

Capitalism

An economic system

based on the private

ownership of the means of

production and their

operation for profit.

Urbanization

The population shift

from rural to urban areas.

Telegraph

Long-distance transmission

of messages where the

sender uses symbolic

codes, known to the

recipient, rather than a

physical written exchange

of an object.

John D. Rockefeller

He was one of

the wealthiest Americans of

all time, who founded

the Standard Oil Company

in 1870.

Cornelius Vanderbilt

An American business

magnate who built his

wealth in railroads and

shipping. He was a pioneer

in in the rapidly growing

railroad industry, effectively

transforming the

geography of the United

States.

Andrew Carnegie

A Scottish-American

industrialist and

philanthropist, he led the

expansion of the American

steel industry in the late

19th century and became

one of the richest

Americans in history.

Environmentalism

Concern about and action

aimed at protecting the

environment.

Robber Barons

A term first applied

as social criticism by 19th

century muckrakers and

others to certain wealthy,

powerful, and unethical

19th-century American

businessmen.

Child Labor

The exploitation of children

through any form of work,

that interferes with their

ability to attend regular

school, or is mentally,

physically, socially and

morally harmful.

Labor Strike

A work stoppage caused

by the mass refusal

of employees to work.

Tenements

Multifamily apartments,

usually dark, crowded, and

barely meeting minimum

living standards.

Imperialism

The actions used by one

nation to exercise political

or economic control over a

smaller or weaker nation.

Transcontinental Railroad

The contiguous railroad

trackage, that crosses a

continental land mass and

has terminals at different

oceans or continental

borders.

Monopoly

Total control of a type of

industry by one person or

one company.

Lockouts

A company tool to fight

union demands by refusing

to allow employees to enter

its facilities to work.

Nativism

Hostility towards

immigrants.

Inflation

An ongoing increase in

prices and decrease in the

value of money.

Americanization

The process of acquiring or

causing a person to

acquire American traits and

characteristics.

Ida B. Wells

An American investigative

journalist educator, and

early leader in the civil

rights movement.