Gilded Age

Homestead Act

Homestead Act

1862 law that gave 160 acres of land to citizens who met certain requirements and paid a small fee

Jacob Riis

Wrote "How The Other Half Lives" describing the deplorable conditions of the cities

Great Plains

area of the country settled by farmers brought to the area from the east by the Trans. RR

frontier

line between areas of settlement and those areas dominated by nature and Native Americans

Klondike Gold Rush

in 1896 miners were attached to the area by discovery of precious metals

American Indian Citizenship Act

Made all Indians citizens of the United States

tenement

single room apartments often without heating, lighting or sewage

Political Bosses

corrupt city government officials promising to provided services and jobs in exchange for votes

Immigration

primary reason for growth in US cities by the early 1900s

Ellis Island

vast government center in New York City where most immigrants were processed into the US

cattle drive

movement by cowboys of cattle to rail stations in the north to connect to markets in the east

Ghettos

neighborhoods dominated by a single nationality , language or cultural characteristics.

New Immigrants

Immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe

Chinese Exclusion Act

1882 law that barred Asian laborers from entering the United States

push-pull factors

war, famine, drought, economic opportunity, education

Indian Wars

Little Big Horn, Wounded Knee, Sand Creek Massacre

Dawes Act

divided reservation into individual plots, each family received 160 acres to farm hoping to establish pride in ownership

political machine

unofficial city organization designed to keep a particular party or group in power

Assimilation

Process by which people of one culture merge into and become part of another culture

Urbanization

the growth of cities

Tammy hall

The most famous political machine designed to keep democrats in control of New York City

Americanization

learning to dress, speak and act like other Americans

Boss Tweed

Manipulated New York City politics for his own benefit

Nativist

favoring native born Americans over immigrants