Key Terms and Legislation of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era

Nativism

An anti-immigrant movement in the late 1800s that sought to protect the interests of native-born Americans by limiting immigration and opposing cultural change.

American Protective Association

A secret anti-Catholic political organization founded in 1887 that aimed to restrict Catholic influence and immigration in the United States.

Settlement Houses

Community centers in poor urban areas that provided social services, education, and childcare to help immigrants and the working class adjust to city life.

Jane Addams

A social reformer who co-founded Hull House in Chicago and became a leading advocate for social justice, women's rights, and urban reform.

Hull House

A settlement house founded in 1889 in Chicago by Jane Addams that offered education, healthcare, and social services to immigrants.

Tenements

Overcrowded and poorly maintained apartment buildings in urban areas that housed many working-class and immigrant families.

Political Machines

Organized political groups that controlled city governments by trading jobs and services for votes, often using corruption.

Boss Tweed

The corrupt leader of New York City's Tammany Hall political machine who stole millions of dollars from the city in the 1860s-70s.

Tammany Hall

A powerful political machine in New York City that dominated local politics by using patronage and corruption to gain immigrant support.

Pendleton Civil Service Act

A law that created a merit-based system for federal jobs and reduced corruption by limiting the spoils system.

Grange Movement

An organization formed by farmers after the Civil War to promote agricultural education and fight railroad and business abuses.

Farmers' Alliances

Regional groups of farmers in the late 1800s that worked to improve economic conditions through cooperation and political action.

Populist Party

A political party formed in 1892 that represented farmers and laborers and called for economic and political reforms.

Omaha Platform

The 1892 Populist Party platform that demanded reforms such as free silver, government control of railroads, and direct election of senators.

Free Silver Movement

A political movement advocating unlimited silver coinage to increase the money supply and help farmers pay debts.

William Jennings Bryan

A Democratic politician who supported free silver and ran for president three times in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

"Cross of Gold" Speech

An 1896 speech by William Jennings Bryan arguing against the gold standard and for free silver to help working Americans.

Coxey's Army

A 1894 protest march by unemployed workers demanding government jobs programs during an economic depression.

Gilded Age

The late 19th-century period marked by rapid industrial growth, extreme wealth, political corruption, and social inequality.

Spoils System

The practice of giving government jobs to political supporters rather than qualified individuals.

Patronage

The awarding of government jobs or favors to loyal supporters by politicians.

Interstate Commerce Act

The first federal law regulating railroads, requiring fair rates and creating the Interstate Commerce Commission.

Sherman Antitrust Act

A law that aimed to limit monopolies and promote competition by banning business practices that restrained trade.

Munn v. Illinois

A Supreme Court case that upheld state regulation of businesses serving the public interest, including railroads and grain warehouses.

Wabash v. Illinois

A Supreme Court case that ruled only the federal government could regulate interstate railroad rates, limiting state power.

Plessy v. Ferguson

A Supreme Court case that legalized racial segregation by establishing the 'separate but equal' doctrine.