Modern America Unit 1: America Grows Up!

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

The total value of all goods and services produced within a country in a specific period.

Industrial Revolution

A period of major industrialization that transformed economies through technological advancements and increased production.

Factory System

A method of manufacturing that brought workers and machines together in one place to produce goods.

Textile Mills

Factories where textiles such as cloth and clothing were produced in large quantities.

Urbanization

The process of population shifting from rural areas to cities, leading to urban growth.

Transcontinental Railroad

A railway system that spanned the continent, connecting the east and west coasts of the United States.

Robber Barons

Business leaders who amassed wealth through questionable or unethical practices.

Social Darwinism

The belief that certain individuals or groups achieve success because they are more fit in terms of natural selection.

Mass Production

The manufacturing of goods in large quantities using standardized designs and assembly-line techniques.

Assembly Line

A production process where a product is assembled as it moves along a conveyor belt, with different workers performing specific tasks.

Laissez-Faire

An economic theory advocating minimal government intervention in the economy.

Standard Oil

An American oil company founded by John D. Rockefeller, known for its monopoly and business practices.

Monopolies/Trust

Situations where a single company dominates an industry or market, controlling prices and supply.

Manifest Destiny

The belief that the United States was destined to expand across the North American continent.

Homestead Act

Legislation that provided land in the West to settlers willing to farm the land and improve it.

Pacific Railway Acts

Laws that supported the construction of the transcontinental railroad in the United States.

Morrill Act

Legislation that granted land to states to establish colleges specializing in agriculture and mechanical arts.

Chinese Exclusion Act

A law that prohibited Chinese laborers from entering the United States.

Exodusters

African Americans who migrated from the Southern United States to Kansas in the late 19th century.

Granger Laws

State laws in the Midwest regulating railroad and grain elevator rates.

Gold Rush

Periods of intense migration of workers to areas where gold had been discovered.

Treaty of Fort Laramie

An agreement between the United States and Native American tribes, defining territories and rights.

Battle of Little Bighorn

A significant battle in the Great Sioux War between the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes against the United States.

Wounded Knee

A tragic event where U.S. soldiers killed hundreds of Lakota Sioux, marking the end of armed Native American resistance.

Indian Removal Act

Legislation that authorized the removal of Native American tribes from their ancestral lands to territories west of the Mississippi River.

Dawes Act

Legislation that aimed to assimilate Native Americans by dividing tribal lands into individual allotments.

Ghost Dance

A spiritual movement among Native Americans that prophesied a reconnection with ancestors and the disappearance of white settlers.

Civic Activism

Participation in activities aimed at influencing public policy and social change.

Prohibition

The period in U.S. history when the production and sale of alcohol were banned.

Populist

A political movement representing farmers and laborers, advocating for economic reforms.

Corruption

Dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, often involving bribery or unethical practices.

Tammany Hall Political Machine

A powerful political organization in New York City known for its corruption and control over city politics.

Millionaire's Club

A term used to describe the wealthy members of the U.S. Senate during the Gilded Age.

Anarchism

A political ideology advocating for the abolition of all forms of government and authority.

Immigrants

People who move to a foreign country to settle there.

16th Amendment

Amendment to the U.S. Constitution allowing Congress to levy an income tax.

Nativists

People who oppose immigration and seek to preserve the interests of native-born inhabitants.

Women’s Christian Temperance Union

An organization advocating for the prohibition of alcohol and women's suffrage.

Suffrage

The right to vote in political elections.

Foreign Policy

A government's strategy in dealing with other nations, including diplomacy and military actions.

Boxer Rebellion

A violent anti-foreign and anti-Christian uprising in China.

Open Door

U.S. policy proposing equal trading rights in China for all nations.

USS Maine

U.S. battleship whose sinking in Havana harbor played a role in the start of the Spanish-American War.

Spanish-American War: