APUSH period 6

transcontinental railroad

linked the US from the Atlantic ocean to the pacific by rail. accelerated the development and eventual closure of the frontier

New York Central railroad

Company founded by Cornelius Vanderbilt. mad up of many smaller rail companies. it linked major cities on the east coast and the Midwest

Union Pacific railroad

one half of the transcontinental railroad. its construction began Nebraska and moved westward.

central pacific railroad

led by Leland Stanford, wanted to build the most difficult stretch of the transcontinental railroad form California though Nevada and westward. Used Chinese laborers.

Leland Stanford

leader of the central pacific railroad, gained a tremendous amount of wealth and influence due to his control over railroads in the west. founded Stanford university

completion of the transcontinental railroad

the pacific and cental railroad met in 1869 at the promontory point

alexander graham bell

Scottish born scientist who patented the telephone in 1876, founded the bell telephone company in 1879 and the American telephone and telegraph company (AT&T) in 1885

Bessemer process

revolutionized steel production by making it faster and cheaper. this made it more available and affordable

Andrew Carnegie

Scottish immigrant who owned railroad businesses in the 1860’s.

• innovation

• investment in tech

• operating at full capacity

• keeping costs (wages) low

• gospel of wealth

Carnegie steel company

founded and owned by Andrew Carnegie. supplied over half of the worlds steel, sold to JP morgan to form US steel.

JP morgan

investment banker who helped railroads and other major corporations raise capital. bought the Carnegie steel company and turned it into US steel, the first corporation with a capitalization of over one billion dollars. horizontal integration.

US steel

first corporation with a capitalization of over one billion dollars. formed by morgan but bought from Carnegie

John D Rockefeller

richest American of all time, monopolized the oil industry with the Standard Oil Company. Social Darwinist founded the university of Chicago.

trust

common form of monopoly where the stockholders of several companies would sell their stock to the owner of a larger company in Exhange for trust certificates, which entitled them to a share of the profits.

panic of 1893

caused by the failure of the reading railroad company and by over-speculation artificially inflating the price of stocks. Caused investors to trade in their silver for gold, which depleted the already low supply of gold

interlocking directorates

when members of a company’s board of directors also served on the board of other companies, which linked those companies at the management level. this often led to accusations of corruption and conflict of interest. later banned by the clayton antitrust act of 1914

great railroad strike of 1877

nationwide strike. the state national guardsmen were often called in, but most militia members (and residents) were sympathetic to the strikers. President Hayes allowed the use of federal troops to break the strike, leading to over 100 workers dying, and the protestors gained nothing. however, it led to more organized unionizing efforts.

Rutherford B Hayes 1877-1881

• 19th POTUS

• republican

• ended reconstruction as a part of the compromise of 1877 to resolve the disputed 1876 election

• modest civil reform

• ordered federal troops to break up the great railroad strike of 1877

scabs

strikebreaker, a person who crosses a picket line of striking workers in order to replace them

locking out

a practice where workers would be locked out of their jobs before a strike started, in order to avoid work stoppage

yellow-dog contract

a document that a employee had to sign to secure a job, this document stated that the employee would not join a union

national labor union 1866

first attempt to unionize all workers nationwide.

• better working conditions

• higher wages

• 8-hour workday

• equal rights for women and African Americans

• exceled Chinese Americans

• skilled and unskilled laborers and farmers

• the panic of 1873 and the failure of the great railroad strike in 1877 led to its decline

panic of 1873

1873-1879

knights of Lavor

• elected Terence v Powderly as its leader

• included ALL workers

• economic and social reforms

• 8-hour workday

• federal regulation of business

• nonviolent

• the Haymarket square riot led to their demise

Haymarket square riot 1886

a rally in support of the 8-hour workday held in Chicagos Haymarket square. someone in the crowd threw a bomb at the police killing dozens. rumors spread that the Knights of Labor were behind the bombing which led to their demise

American federation of labor 1886

made up of skilled laborers

• 8-hour workday

• higher wages

• no social changes

• harder to replace by scabs

closed shops

businesses in which all employees had to be members of a union to prevent the exploitation of employees

homestead strike 1892

major strike at the Carnegie steel company’s homestead factory. the factory’s manager hired 300 private Pinkerton detectives to protect the plan and enable strike =breakers to enter and restart the steel operations. gunfire between workers and Pinkerton men led to casualties. major setback in unionizing the steel industry

pullman palace car company

manufactured sleeping cars for railroads. the owners constructed a model town for its employees outside Chicago, where the company controlled everything. they only rented homes to residents. the panic of 1892 led to management terminating half of the workers and announcing a 25% wage cut. the workers went on strike, and it spread Nationwise which was broken up by president Cleveland. the Labor Day holiday was created as a conciliatory gesture to laborers in the aftermath of the pullman strike.

Grover Cleveland 1885-1889 and 1893-1897

• 22nd POTUS

• 24TH POTUS

• democrat

• supported the gold standard

• second term defined by the panic of 1983 which led to the great depression

• sent federal troops to break up the pullman strike

• his resolution of the Venezuelan crisis of 1895 began the reconciliation between the US and the British empire

In re Debs 1895

the use of court injunctions to break up strikes WAS justified in the support of interstate commerce. the federal government had permitted employers to not deal with labor unions

turner’s frontier thesis

the frontiers existence shaped the American character:

• tendency for democracy

• egalitarianism (all people are equal)

• individualism

• violence

• disinterest in high culture

greenback party 1874-1889

existed alongside the farmers alliance, its beliefs merged into the populist party

homestead act of 1862

provided settlers with 160 acres of land if they promised to live on in and work if for at least 5 years. however, the land was difficult to farm on

sodbusters

nickname for homesteaders on the great plains. life was filled with droughts and plagues, which caused a majority to leave.

national grange of the patrons of husbandry 1867

fraternity of farmers and their families founded by Oliver H Kelly.

• stop railroad owners and middlemen who kept raising the cost of farming by charging extremely high prices for shipping and storage

• played an important role in the rise of the populist party

populist party

• advocated for a silver standard

• graduated income tax (earn more pay more)

• direct election of US senators

• public ownership of railroads, telegraph and telephone lines

• democrats absorbed their polices due to William Jennings Bryan

Munn V Illinois 1877

a state had the right to regulate the practices of a business if that business served the public’s interest. therefore, state regulation of railroad Transportation rates was appropriate.

interstate commerce act 1887

regulate and investigate railroad companies that participated in interstate rail trafficking. first time the federal government regulated private industry

Interstate commerce commission (ICC)

authorized under the interstate commerce act of 1887, the ICC investigated railroad companies in order to ensure fair rates, however, the ICC lacked enforcement powers. therefore, farmers didn’t gain much since they lost most of the cases.

battle of little bighorn/custers last stand

the most famous victory of Native American forces over the US military. the Sioux killed over 260 troops and their leader Lt. colonel George Armstrong Custer.

ghost dance movement 1870

intended to bring a rebirth of native tradition and stop white oppression. the US government killed the Sioux leader Sitting Bull to suppress the movement.

battle of wounded knee 1890

massacre of over 200 native American men, women, and children in south Dakota.

Dawes severalty act 1887

stripped tribes of their official federal recognition and land rights. it would only grant individual families land and citizenship in 25 years if they properly assimilated.

Jim crow laws

laws that enforced segregation

booker T Washington

self-educated former slave who advocated for the education of African Americans to allow them access to the growing economy. He founded the Tuskegee institute in Alabama to instruct African Americans in the industrial arts and the ability to work within the system

WEB duBois

WEB duBois was a prominent African-American sociologist, historian, and civil rights activist. He co-founded the NAACP and advocated for racial equality and social justice.

NAACP 1909

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. it fights for civil rights and equality for African Americans through legal action and advocacy.

Chinese exclusion act 1882

restricted Chinese immigration to the US

boss tweed

leader of the Tammany hall political machine. gave aid to small business owners, immigrants, and the poor in exchange for votes. exposed by a muckraking 1871 news story that exposed his corruption.

Tammany hall

famous political machine in NY, led by boss tweed

Thomas Nast

political cartoonist for harpers weekly, became tweeds archnemesis as he commented on the machine’s corruption and greed. led to tweeds fugitive capture in 1876 in Spain

settlement house movement

social reform movement led by young female activists since they could not be involved in the political process. it aimed to achieve social reform through mixed-income housing, with people of different classes living in one house. these houses often offered education and daycare. Hull house (1889)

jane Addams

• remember the ladies

• progressive era leader

• settlement housing (immigrants lived with college-educated people to ease their transition into American society)

• settlement housers were taught English, hygiene, and cooking

• first instruction in childcare

• hull house

• opposed WW1 and the US’s entry

Temperance movement

Social justice movement that sought to reduce the consumption of alcohol to fix societies wrongs.

Women’s Christian temperance union 1873

Believed that prohibition would diminished threats to women and families that were threatened by the consumption of alcohol.

Frances Willard

• Christian socialist

• Women’s suffrage and prohibition

• President of the woman’s Christian temperance union in 1879

Anti-saloon league 1893

Leading prohibition advocacy group in the nation. It pushed aside earlier groups like the WCTU, by incorporating modern business management practices to better foster its organization and goals.

Carrie A Nation

• Member of the woman’s Christian temperance union

• Traveled the US smashing up bars with her Hatcher

• Against smoking tobacco

• Women’s suffrage

• Against women’s restrictive fashions

Trickle down economics

The economy is best stimulated by low taxes on businesses and the wealthy, which allows them to accumulate capital to spend, thus society would benefit as a whole.

Elizabeth Dady Stanton

• American suffragist and abolitionist

• Co-founded the National American Woman’s Suffrage Association (NAWSA) In 1890 With Susan b Anthony

• Attended the Seneca falls conference

• Principal author of the declaration of sentiments

Susan b Anthony

• Abolitionist

• Woman’s suffragist

• Co-founded the National American Woman’s Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890

National Woman’s Suffrage Association 1890

Combined the rival National Woman’s Suffrage Association and the American Womans Suffrage association to fight for women’s right to vote.

Gilded age 1870-1900

Massive economic growth due to industrialization, however it also led to equally massive economic inequality. Backlash to this era can be seen in the reforms of the progressive era