APUSH Ch 17 vocab

Social Darwinism

An idea formulated by British philosopher and sociologist Herbert Spencer that human society advanced through ruthless competition and the “survival of the fittest.” Used to explain the that wealth were naturally selected and were the only ones who could be successful.

eugenics

Emerging “science” of human breeding in the late 19th century that argued mentally deficient people should be prevented from reproducing (because the would pass on their ‘bad hereditary’) Result of social Darwinism that led to racial prejudice and segregation.

American Protective Association

A powerful anti-immigrant political organization, led by Protestants, which for a brief period in the 1890s counted more than two million members. In it's virulent anti-Catholicism and calls for restrictions on immigrants, the APA prefigured the revived Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s.

Fundamentalism

Protestant term that rejected modernism and historical interpretations of scripture and asserted the literal truth of the Bible. Fundamentalists saw secularism and religions relativism as markers of sin.

modernism

Literary and artistic movement that questioned the ideals of progress and order that rejected realism and traditional canons of artists taste. Emphasized new cultural forms and focused on the subconscious and "primitive" mind. Great literary and artistic movement of the twentieth century.

Plessy v. Ferguson

An 1896 Supreme Court case that ruled that racially segregated railroad cars and other public facilities, if they claimed to be “separate but equal,” did not violate the 14th amendment.

YMCA

Young Men’s Christian Association. Introduced in Boston in 1851, the _____ promoted a new model of middle-class masculinity, muscular Christianity, with combined Protestant evangelism with athletics facilities where men could make themselves “clean and strong”. Led to invention of some sports.

Negro Leagues

Baseball teams formed for and by black players after exclusion from other teams. Enabled black men to showcase athletic ability and race pride, but working conditions and wages were poor.

Sierra Club

Organization founded in 1892 by John Muir that was dedicated to the enjoyment and preservation of America’s great mountains and wilderness. National and state govts; began to set aside more land for preservation and recreation.

National Park Service

Federal agency founded in 1916 that provided comprehensive oversight of the growing system of national parks, established to allow Americans to access and enjoy sites of natural beauty.

Audubon Society

The ___________ movement incorporated in 1905 as a federation of local organizations, calling itself the National Association of _________ ____________ for the Protection of Wild Birds and Animals. ___________ mission is to restore and conserve natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity.

Comstock Act

1873 law that prohibited circulation of “obscene literature” defined as including most info on sex, reproduction, and birth control.

liberal arts

Harvard (led by Charles W. Elliot) pioneered liberal arts. Students chose from a range of electives that developed each young man’s “individual reality and creative power.”

Atlanta Compromise

1895 address by Booker T. Washington that urged whites and African Americans to work together for the progress of all. The speech was widely interpreted as approving racial segregation.

maternalism

Belief that women should contribute to civic and political life through their special talents as mothers, Christians, and other moral guides. put their ideology into action by creating dozens of social reform organizations.

feminism

the ideology that women should enter the public sphere not only to work on behalf of others, but also for their own rights and advancement. _________ists moved beyond advocacy of women’s voting rights to seek greater autonomy in professional careers, property rights, and personal relationships

natural selection

the process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. The theory of its action was first fully expounded by Charles Darwin and is now believed to be the main process that brings about evolution.

Jim Crow

Laws that required separation of the races, especially blacks and whites in public facilities. Post-Civil War decades witnessed many of these laws, especially in southern states, and several decades of legal challenges to them. Supreme Court upheld them in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) giving national approval to a system of segregation in the South that lasted until the 1960s

Antiquities Act

1906 Act that allowed the U.S president to use executive powers to set aside, as federal monuments, sites of great environment or cultural significance. Roosevelt was the first to invoke the act’s powers and used them to preserve the Grand Canyon.

Thomas Edison

Famous inventor who introduced lucrative products such as the incandescent light bulb and photograph. His moving pictures first found popularity among the urban working class.

Billy Sunday

Dwight L. Moody’s successor who helped bring evangelism into the modern era. He took political stances based on his Protestant beliefs. Condemned “booze traffic” and denounced immigration and labor radicalism. Supporter some progressive reform causes, opposed child labor, and advocated voting rights for women. His views anticipated the nativism and antiradicalism that would dominate American politics after World War I.

John Muir

Famous voice for wilderness. Raised Scot Presbyterian on a Wisconsin farm who developed spiritual relationship with nature. He founded the Sierra club in `892

Booker T. Washington

Former slave that created multiple educational Institutes and taught the goal of self help. Wrote Up From Slavery (1901) Focused on industrial education over book education. Gained national fame with his Atlanta Compromise, becoming the most prominent black leader of his gen. His style avoided confrontation and cultivate white patronage,

Ida B. Wells

African American journalisms who was told to leave her seat. The conductor and baggage handler threw her bodily off the train. She sued and won in local court’s, but Tennessee’s supreme court reversed the ruling.

Mark Twain

Actual name Samuel Langhorne Clements. His famous novels, such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court (1889) Included controversial ideas racism, slavery, violence, etc. He became one of the bitterest critics of America’s idea of progress. He eventually denounced Christianity itself as a hypocritical delusion.

rise of sports

Men turned athletics as they were employed in more office jobs to uphold their strength and masculinity. The YMCA was formed and promoted athletic fitness. Gym programs were developed and sports were invented, such as baseball, football, field hockey, golfing, etc.

leisure time

ummmmmmmmm people who had more time began engaging in outside activities such as sports and camping?

Social Gospel

A movement to renew religious faith through dedication to policy welfare and social justice, reforming both society and the self through faith-based service. Epitomized by Charles Sheldon’s novel In His Steps (1896) which told the story of Christ’s works. Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish denominations and lay leaders all participated.