ameircan history

Subsidies

Government money or land given to businesses.

Time Zones

Areas that follow the same standard time.

Cooperatives

Businesses owned and operated by a group.

Inflation

Prices increase and money loses purchasing power.

Deflation

Prices decrease.

Gold Standard

Money backed by gold.

Free Silver

Adding silver to the money supply.

Populist Party

Political party that supported farmers and workers.

Buffalo Soldiers

Black U.S. Army soldiers who fought in the Indian Wars.

Nomadic

Moving from place to place instead of living in one location.

Reservations

Land set aside for Native Americans.

Assimilation

Forcing people to adopt another culture.

Dawes Act

Divided tribal land into private plots.

Ghost Dance

Religious movement taught by Wovoka.

Bessemer Process

Method of making steel cheaply and quickly.

Assembly Line

Production method where workers complete different steps.

Horizontal Integration

Buying competing businesses.

Vertical Integration

Owning different stages of production.

Monopoly

When one company controls an entire industry.

Robber Barons

Powerful business leaders who became wealthy through unfair practices.

Social Darwinism

Belief that the wealthy were successful because they were stronger or better.

Gospel of Wealth

Belief that wealthy people should give money to help society.

Philanthropist

Person who donates money to help others.

Trust

Group of businesses controlled together.

Labor Union

Group of workers fighting for better conditions.

Collective Bargaining

Workers negotiate with employers as a group.

Immigration

Moving to another country.

Nativism

Favoring native

Chinese Exclusion Act

Law that banned Chinese laborers from immigrating.

Melting Pot

Different cultures blending together.

Urbanization

Growth of cities.

Tenements

Crowded apartment buildings for poor families.

Slums

Poor neighborhoods with bad living conditions.

Skyscrapers

Very tall buildings.

Suburbs

Residential areas outside cities.

Political Machines

Groups that controlled local politics through favors and corruption.

Muckrakers

Writers who exposed corruption and social problems.

Spoils System

Giving government jobs to political supporters.

Merit

Getting a job based on skills and qualifications.

Initiative

Citizens propose a new law.

Referendum

Citizens vote on a proposed law.

Recall

Citizens vote to remove an elected official.

Suffrage

The right to vote.

Prohibition

Government ban on alcohol.

Settlement Houses

Places that helped poor families and immigrants.

Expansionism

Increasing a country's territory and influence.

Imperialism

Controlling other countries or territories.

Annexation

Adding another territory to a country.

Naval Base

Location where military ships are stationed.

Markets

Places where goods are bought and sold.

Seward's Folly

Name critics gave to the purchase of Alaska.

Yellow Journalism

Exaggerated news used to attract readers and create anger.

Teller Amendment

Promised the U.S. would not control Cuba.

Treaty of Paris (1898)

Agreement that ended the Spanish

Platt Amendment

Allowed U.S. influence and military involvement in Cuba.

Protectorate

Country controlled or strongly influenced by another country.

Anti Imperialist League

Group against American control of foreign people.

Big Stick Diplomacy

Using military power to influence other countries.

Roosevelt Corollary

Gave the U.S. power to intervene in Latin America.

Dollar Diplomacy

Using money and investments to increase influence.

Moral Diplomacy

Supporting democratic governments.

Conservation

Protecting natural resources.

Square Deal

Roosevelt's plan to control businesses, protect consumers, and conserve nature.