19th-20th Century U.S. History: Gilded Age, Progressive Era, and Imperialism

Robber Barons

Wealthy and powerful 19th-century American industrialists accused of exploiting workers and using unethical business practices.

Robber Barons Time Period

Late 19th century (Gilded Age, ~1870s-1900).

Robber Barons Historical Context

Rapid industrialization and economic expansion in the U.S.

Robber Barons Significance

Symbolizes the inequalities and controversies of the Gilded Age economy.

Social Darwinism

Belief that the strong survive in business and society, applying Darwin's theory of natural selection to humans.

Social Darwinism Time Period

Late 19th century.

Social Darwinism Historical Context

Used to justify wealth disparities and laissez-faire capitalism.

Social Darwinism Significance

Rationalized economic inequality and limited government intervention.

Gospel of Wealth

Philosophy by Andrew Carnegie advocating that the rich should use their wealth to benefit society.

Gospel of Wealth Time Period

Late 19th century.

Gospel of Wealth Historical Context

Response to critiques of wealth concentration during the Gilded Age.

Gospel of Wealth Significance

Influenced philanthropy and attitudes toward wealth responsibility.

Wounded Knee

Massacre of Lakota Sioux by U.S. troops.

Wounded Knee Time Period

1890.

Wounded Knee Historical Context

End of Indian resistance in the Plains Wars.

Wounded Knee Significance

Marked a tragic and symbolic end to Native American armed resistance.

Ghost Dance

Native American religious movement promising the restoration of Native lands and way of life.

Ghost Dance Time Period

Late 1880s-1890.

Ghost Dance Historical Context

Reaction to U.S. government oppression and cultural loss.

Ghost Dance Significance

Sparked fear among settlers leading to violent suppression.

Dawes Act

Law that divided Native American tribal lands into individual plots.

Dawes Act Time Period

1887.

Dawes Act Historical Context

U.S. policy to assimilate Native Americans.

Dawes Act Significance

Led to loss of tribal lands and cultural disruption.

Homestead Act

Law providing 160 acres of free land to settlers who improved it.

Homestead Act Time Period

1862.

Homestead Act Historical Context

Encouraged westward expansion and settlement.

Homestead Act Significance

Accelerated settlement but often disadvantaged Native Americans and poor farmers.

Frederick Jackson Turner

Historian who argued that the American frontier shaped U.S. democracy and character.

Frederick Jackson Turner Time Period

1893 (Frontier Thesis).

Frederick Jackson Turner Historical Context

Post-Frontier closing period.

Frederick Jackson Turner Significance

Influenced interpretations of American identity and expansion.

Bonanza Farming

Large-scale commercial farming operations.

Bonanza Farming Time Period

Late 19th century.

Bonanza Farming Historical Context

Mechanization and railroads expanded agriculture.

Bonanza Farming Significance

Symbolized industrial agriculture and displaced small farmers.

Populism

Political movement advocating for farmers and laborers against elites.

Populism Time Period

1890s.

Populism Historical Context

Economic hardships in rural America.

Populism Significance

Influenced later Progressive reforms.

Omaha Platform

1892 Populist Party platform demanding economic reforms.

Omaha Platform Time Period

1892.

Omaha Platform Historical Context

Populist political mobilization.

Omaha Platform Significance

Called for reforms like free silver, government ownership of railroads.

Populism - of the People

Political ideology supporting the common people over elites.

Populism - of the People Time Period

19th century (mainly 1890s).

Populism - of the People Historical Context

Response to economic inequality and corporate power.

Populism - of the People Significance

Shaped American political discourse about democracy and fairness.

Chain Migration

Process where immigrants follow family or community members to new places.

Chain Migration Time Period

Late 19th to early 20th century.

Chain Migration Historical Context

Massive European immigration to U.S.

Chain Migration Significance

Helped immigrant communities establish and grow.

Nativism

Anti-immigrant sentiment favoring native-born citizens.

Nativism Time Period

Especially late 19th to early 20th century.

Nativism Historical Context

Response to waves of immigration.

Nativism Significance

Influenced restrictive immigration laws.

Scientific Racism

Pseudoscientific belief in racial hierarchies and superiority.

Scientific Racism Time Period

19th and early 20th centuries.

Scientific Racism Historical Context

Justified discrimination and imperialism.

Scientific Racism Significance

Supported policies of segregation and eugenics.

Great Railroad Strike

Nationwide strike by railroad workers protesting wage cuts.

Great Railroad Strike Time Period

1877.

Great Railroad Strike Historical Context

Early labor unrest during industrialization.

Great Railroad Strike Significance

Highlighted tensions between labor and capital.

Knights of Labor

One of the first major labor unions in the U.S.

Knights of Labor Time Period

Founded 1869; peaked 1880s.

Knights of Labor Historical Context

Early labor movement fighting for workers' rights.

Knights of Labor Significance

Open to all workers, helped shape labor activism.

Haymarket Square Riot

Violent clash during a labor protest in Chicago.

Haymarket Square Riot Time Period

1886.

Haymarket Square Riot Historical Context

Labor unrest and demand for 8-hour workday.

Haymarket Square Riot Significance

Led to backlash against labor unions and anarchists.

Sharecropping

System where freed slaves and poor farmers rented land for a share of crops.

Sharecropping Time Period

Post-Civil War Reconstruction era onwards.

Sharecropping Historical Context

Replaced slavery in the South but kept many in poverty.

Sharecropping Significance

Perpetuated economic dependence and racial inequality.

Poll Taxes

Fees required to vote, used to disenfranchise African Americans.

Poll Taxes Time Period

Late 19th to mid-20th century.

Poll Taxes Historical Context

Part of Jim Crow laws in the South.

Poll Taxes Significance

Suppressed Black political participation.

Literacy Tests

Tests used to prevent African Americans from voting.

Literacy Tests Time Period

Late 19th to mid-20th century.

Literacy Tests Historical Context

Jim Crow disenfranchisement tactics.

Plessy v. Ferguson

Supreme Court decision upholding racial segregation under 'separate but equal.'

The Lost Cause

Ideology romanticizing the Confederate cause in the Civil War.

Neurasthenia

Diagnosed as a condition of nervous exhaustion common in the late 19th century.

White Man's Burden

Poem by Rudyard Kipling encouraging imperialism as a moral duty.

Spanish American War

Brief war between the U.S. and Spain over Cuban independence.

Platt Amendment

U.S. legislation limiting Cuban sovereignty after Spanish-American War.

Filipino Insurrection

Armed Filipino resistance against U.S. colonization.

Roosevelt Corollary

Extension of the Monroe Doctrine asserting U.S. right to intervene in Latin America.

Muckrakers

Investigative journalists exposing corruption and social issues.

Settlement House Movement

Community centers providing social services to immigrants and the poor.

Women's Suffrage

Movement advocating women's right to vote.

Eugenics

Pseudoscience promoting selective breeding to "improve" human populations.

Lusitania

British passenger ship sunk by German U-boat.

Zimmerman Telegram

Secret German message to Mexico proposing alliance against the U.S.

Espionage Act

Law restricting interference with military operations and support for enemies.

Sedition Acts

Laws further restricting speech critical of the government.

Treaty of Versailles

Peace treaty ending WWI.