life in industrial america 1/2

What did industrialization represent in cities like Chicago?

The triumph and tragedy of American industrialization.

Why was Chicago called the "Gateway City"?

It connected rural and urban America through railroads and became the center of meatpacking.

What did Gustavus Swift invent?

Refrigerated railcars and the disassembly line.

What was the Great Chicago Fire of 1871?

A fire that destroyed much of the city, killed 300+, and left 1/3 homeless.

What sparked immigration from 1870-1920?

Push factors like famine and pogroms; pull factors like jobs and land.

What was chain migration?

Families immigrating one member at a time.

What were the two major waves of immigration?

1870s: Western Europe; 1890s: Southern/Eastern Europe.

What resources powered industrial growth?

Coal, iron (for steel), copper (for electricity).

What were some major industrial disasters?

Monongah mining disaster (500 dead), Banner mine (128 dead), and Washburn mill explosion.

What was Tammany Hall?

A political machine in NYC that helped and exploited immigrants.

How did political machines gain support?

By providing jobs, food, and housing in exchange for votes.

Who was George Appo?

A child pickpocket from a mixed immigrant background who turned to crime to survive.

What was the "green-goods" scam?

A fraud scheme where fake ads promised counterfeit money but delivered blank paper.

How did police target the poor?

Used vagrancy laws, arrested without warrants, and focused on lower-class neighborhoods.

What was the "Rogues Gallery"?

A police collection of mugshots and lineup systems.

Why did families use child labor?

Children were cheap, less likely to strike, and often worked dangerous jobs.

What happened to the Southern economy after the Civil War?

It was devastated and rebuilt with Northern-style industry.

What were Southern mills like after the war?

Textile mills employed men, women, and children—¼ of workers were aged 6-16.

How did industry treat Black workers?

Black men had the most dangerous jobs; women were often excluded.

What was the ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)?

The Supreme Court upheld "separate but equal," legalizing segregation.

How were Black voters suppressed?

Through poll taxes, literacy tests, grandfather clauses, and voter intimidation.

What was the Wilmington Coup of 1898?

White Democrats violently overthrew a biracial government in NC.

What was lynching used for?

To terrorize Black Americans and reinforce white supremacy, often under false accusations.

What happened to Sam Hose and Jesse Washington?

Both were brutally lynched in public, with crowds watching and souvenirs taken.

Who was Ida B. Wells?

A journalist and activist who fought against lynching and exposed its brutality.

What was the Lost Cause Myth?

A romanticized view of the Confederacy that denied slavery was the root cause of the Civil War.

What was "Birth of a Nation" (1915)?

A film glorifying the KKK and promoting the Lost Cause ideology.