US History Unit 2 Vocab

Captain of Industry

A business leader whose means of amassing a personal fortune contributed positively to the country in some way.

Robber Baron

A person who has become rich through ruthless and unscrupulous business practices (originally with reference to prominent US businessmen in the late 19th century).

Corporation

A company recognized as a legal unit that has rights and liabilities separate from each of its members.

Laissez-faire

A theory advocating minimal government interference in the economy.

Trust

Group of separate companies that are placed under the control of a single managing board in order to form a monopoly.

Vertical Integration

It was pioneered by tycoon Andrew Carnegie. It is when you combine into one organization all phases of manufacturing from mining to marketing. This makes supplies more reliable and improves efficiency. It controlled the quality of the product at all stages of production.

Horizontal Integration

Is an act of joining or consolidating with one's competitors to create a monopoly. Rockefeller was excellent with using this technique to monopolize certain markets. It is responsible for the majority of his wealth.

Social Darwinism

A social theory that believes in “survival of the fittest”—the idea that certain people become powerful in society because they are innately better. This theory has been used to justify imperialism, racism, eugenics and social inequality at various times over the past century and a half.

Philanthropy

The desire to promote the welfare of others, expressed especially by the generous donation of money to good causes.

Urbanization

Rapid growth of cities, usually caused by rapid industrialization and immigration.

Tenement

Multistory buildings divided into apartments to house as many residents as possible, usually run-down with inadequate ventilation or plumbing.

Nativism

A policy of favoring native inhabitants as opposed to immigrants, often leading to discrimination and segregation.

Settlement House

Community center organized at the turn of the twentieth century to provide social services to the urban poor.

Temperance Movement

A movement aimed at stopping alcohol abuse and the problems created by it. The movement combined a concern for general social ills with religious sentiment and practical health considerations in a way that was appealing to many middle-class reformers.

Political Machine

A political party's organization that wins voter loyalty, often through bribery and intimidation, and guarantees power to a small group of leaders, who often abuse it for their own gain.

Patronage

The appointment or hiring of a person to a government post on the basis of partisan loyalty.

Populism

Refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against "the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment in the late 1800s.

Progressivism

Movement in the late 1800s and early 1900s that responded to the pressures of industrialization and urbanization by promoting reforms.

Muckraker

Was a group of American writers identified with pre-World War I reform and exposé writing. They provided detailed, accurate journalistic accounts of the political and economic corruption and social hardships caused by the power of big business in a rapidly industrializing United States.

Labor Union

Is an association of workers formed to negotiate collectively with an employer to protect and further workers' rights and interests.

Socialist Party

Political parties formed in the unity of an international organization with a set beliefs inspired by the writings of Karl Marx. They desired economic and political philosophy favoring public or government control of property and income.

Trust Busting

Government attempts to break up illegal monopolies and business trusts.

Square Deal

Theodore Roosevelt's domestic program, which reflected his three major goals

Seneca Falls Convention

Held in New York in 1848, the first women's right convention in the United States.

Susan B. Anthony

Was a pioneer crusader for women's suffrage in the United States. She was president (1892–1900) of the National Woman Suffrage Association. Her work helped pave the way for the Nineteenth Amendment (1920) to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote.

Ida B. Wells

African American journalist who worked throughout her life to end the practice of lynching in the South. She contributed to several newspapers, including the Memphis Free Speech, the New York Age, and the Chicago Conservator, In 1895, she publshed a detailed inquiry into lynching, entitled A Red Record.

Disenfranchisement

The state of being deprived of a right or privilege, especially the right to vote.

W.E.B. Du Bois

Prominent civil rights activist in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909.

NAACP

Interracial organization founded in 1909 to abolish segregation and discrimination and to achieve political and civil rights for African Americans mainly through legal means and protest.

Booker T. Washington

Born into slavery and grew up in poverty following emancipation. In 1881, he was chosen to head the Tuskegee Industrial Institution, where he promoted vocational education for African American students.