Topic 1 History Study Guide

What did Social Darwinism attempt to explain?

The rich and most successful people are the fittest (survival of the fittest)

What were settlement houses?

Americanization Programs/ Taught immigrants English and American culture

What was the idea of “Social Gospel”?

The rich must share their wealth with the poor.(ex.poverty, inequality, etc)

Where were the “New Immigrants” from?

Southern and Eastern Europe

Why were the “New Immigrants” hated?

People feared they’d take their jobs and bring too many different religions and cultures in America

What does “Laissez-faire” mean?

Running a business free from government control 

What is “Vertical Integration”?

Gaining control of the different businesses involved in all the stages of manufacturing a product

What is meant by the “New South”?

An ideology that focused on modernizing the South/improving its technology

What is the major advantage of being a corporation?

It eliminated the risk of losing too much money when expanding a business

In what ways do businesses maximize profits?

1. Advertising

2. Paying workers lower wages

3. Obtaining raw materials cheaply

4. Vertical/Horizontal Integration

5. Research laboratories

What is “Philanthropy”?

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

What is “collective bargaining”?

Negotiating as a group with their employer for higher wages or better working conditions

Why were the “Knights of Labor” unsuccessful?

Due to failed strikes against capitalism under Terrence Powderly in 1879

What is a “company town”?

An area where bosses rent houses to their employers in isolated communities near their workplace 

Why did most strikes end in failure during the Gilded Age?

management had the ability to replace striking workers with strikebreakers or scabs, who were unemployed persons desperate for jobs

Why did nativists hate immigrants?

they feared economic competition, cultural and religious differences, and a perceived threat to American traditions and political stability

What were Angel and Ellis Island?

Major U.S. immigration processing stations

Angel: Chinese & Asian immigrants (San Francisco)

Ellis: European immigrants (New York)

What reasons did people move to cities for?

Economic opportunity

What were mail-order catalogues... who did they help?

a revolutionary way for people to buy goods through the mail, and they primarily helped rural people

In what ways did cities impact women?

They gave women more job/education opportunities

Who is John Dewey?

The father of American education (created teacher training programs and the textbook)

What is “City Planning”?

Designs to make cities more functional and beautiful 

What is “Ragtime”?

A forerunner to jazz music created in New York by African American musicians

What were “Vaudeville Shows”?

A medley of musical drama, songs, and off-color humor

What is a “Nickelodeon”?

A movie theater that costed 5 cents per entry

In what ways did cities make life better for the average person?

1. Offered more jobs

2. Provided more entertainment

3. Provided more services

How did immigrant groups tend to settle in cities?

In factory jobs and ethnic neighborhoods 

Where were most toilets located in Tenements?

Outside in the streets/backyard