Key U.S. History Terms: Gilded Age, Labor Movements, and Westward Expansion

American Federation of Labor

A national federation of labor unions in the United States, founded in 1886, that focused on organizing skilled workers.

Battle of the Little Bighorn

A battle in 1876 between the U.S. Army and a coalition of Native American tribes, resulting in a significant victory for the Native Americans.

Billion Dollar Congress

The 51st United States Congress (1889-1891) known for its extravagant spending and the first Congress to appropriate over a billion dollars.

Buffalo Soldiers

African American soldiers who served in the U.S. Army after the Civil War, primarily in the western United States.

Chinese Exclusion Act

A U.S. federal law enacted in 1882 that prohibited all immigration of Chinese laborers.

Collective bargaining

The process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at reaching agreements to regulate working conditions.

Comstock Lode

A significant silver ore discovery in Nevada in 1859 that led to a mining boom and the establishment of Virginia City.

Convict lease

A system where prisoners were leased to private companies for labor, often under brutal conditions, primarily in the Southern United States.

Corporate capitalism

An economic system characterized by the dominance of corporations in the economy and the prioritization of profit over social welfare.

Corporation

A legal entity that is separate from its owners, allowing it to own property, enter contracts, and be liable for debts.

Coxey's Army

A protest march by unemployed workers led by Jacob Coxey in 1894, demanding government action to create jobs.

Dawes Severalty Act

An 1887 law that aimed to assimilate Native Americans by allotting them individual plots of land and granting them U.S. citizenship.

Deflation

A decrease in the general price level of goods and services, often associated with economic downturns.

Depression of 1893

A severe economic depression in the United States that began in 1893, marked by bank failures and high unemployment.

Eugenics

A movement aimed at improving the genetic quality of the human population through selective breeding and sterilization.

Farmers' Alliances

Organizations of farmers in the late 19th century that sought to address economic issues and promote agricultural interests.

Frontier Thesis

A theory proposed by historian Frederick Jackson Turner in 1893 that argued the American frontier shaped the nation's character.

Ghost Dance

A religious movement among Native Americans in the late 19th century that aimed to restore their traditional way of life.

Gilded Age

A term used to describe the late 19th century in the United States, characterized by economic growth, political corruption, and social inequality.

Gospel of Wealth

An essay by Andrew Carnegie that argued wealthy individuals have a moral obligation to distribute their wealth for the greater good.

Grangers

Members of the Grange, a farmers' organization that advocated for agricultural education and political reform in the late 19th century.

Great Plains

A vast region of flat land in the central United States, known for its agriculture and the historical movement of settlers.

Gross Domestic Product

The total monetary value of all goods and services produced within a country's borders in a specific time period.

Haymarket Riot

A labor protest in Chicago in 1886 that turned violent, leading to the deaths of several police officers and civilians.

Holding Companies

Companies that own the outstanding shares of other companies, allowing them to control their operations.

Homestead Act

A law enacted in 1862 that provided land to settlers for a small fee, encouraging westward expansion.

Homestead Strike

A violent labor dispute in 1892 at the Homestead Steel Works in Pennsylvania between strikers and private security agents.

Horizontal integration

A business strategy where a company acquires or merges with competitors to increase market share.

Industrial Workers of the World

A radical labor organization founded in 1905 that aimed to unite all workers and promote socialism.

Interlocking directorates

A practice where members of a company's board of directors also serve on the boards of other companies, leading to reduced competition.

Interstate Commerce Commission

A regulatory agency established in 1887 to oversee railroad operations and ensure fair rates for consumers.

Jim Crow

A series of laws enacted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States.

Knights of Labor

An early labor organization founded in 1869 that sought to unite all workers and promote social reforms.

Laissez-faire

An economic philosophy advocating minimal government intervention in the economy and free-market capitalism.

Long Drive

The herding of cattle over long distances to railheads for shipment to markets, common in the late 19th century.

Melting Pot

A term used to describe a society where different cultures and ethnicities blend together to form a cohesive whole.

Mormons

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, founded in the early 19th century, known for their distinct beliefs and practices.

Nativism

A political policy favoring the interests of native-born inhabitants over those of immigrants.

New South

A term used to describe the South's economic and social transformation after the Civil War, moving towards industrialization.

Pendleton Civil Service Reform

An 1883 law that established a merit-based system for federal employment, reducing patronage and corruption.

Pinkertons

A private security and detective agency known for its involvement in labor disputes and strikes in the late 19th century.

Plessy v. Ferguson

An 1896 Supreme Court case that upheld racial segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

Political boss

A leader in a political machine who controls party activities and influences political appointments and elections.

Political machine

A political organization that uses patronage and corruption to maintain power and control over a city or region.

Poll tax

A tax levied as a prerequisite for voting, often used to disenfranchise poor and minority voters.

Populists

Members of the Populist Party, which emerged in the late 19th century advocating for the rights of farmers and laborers.

Pullman Strike

A nationwide railroad strike in 1894 that began at the Pullman Company and escalated into a major labor conflict.

Robber Barons

A derogatory term for wealthy and powerful industrialists in the late 19th century who were accused of unethical practices.

Sand Creek Massacre

A brutal attack by U.S. troops on a peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho village in Colorado in 1864, resulting in many deaths.

Scientific Management

A theory of management that analyzes workflows to improve efficiency, often associated with Frederick Winslow Taylor.

Settlement houses

Community centers in urban areas that provided services and education to immigrants and the poor in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Sherman Antitrust Act

An 1890 law aimed at preventing monopolies and promoting competition in business.

Sherman Silver Purchase Act

An 1890 law that increased the amount of silver the government was required to purchase, aiming to inflate the currency.

Social Darwinism

A belief that the principles of natural selection apply to human societies, often used to justify social inequality.

Social Gospel

A religious movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that emphasized social justice and the need to address societal issues.

Socialist Party of America

A political party founded in 1901 that advocated for socialism and the rights of workers.

Subtreasury system

A proposed economic system that would allow farmers to store their crops in government warehouses and obtain loans against them.

Sweatshops

Factories or workshops where workers are employed at very low wages for long hours under poor conditions.

Tammany Hall

A political organization in New York City known for its influence and corruption in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Tenements

Urban apartment buildings, often overcrowded and poorly maintained, where many immigrants lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Transcontinental railroad

A railroad that connected the eastern U.S. with the western territories, completed in 1869, facilitating westward expansion.

Treaty of Fort Laramie

An 1868 agreement between the U.S. government and several Native American tribes that established territorial boundaries.

Treaty of Medicine Lodge Creek

An 1867 treaty between the U.S. government and Southern Plains tribes, aimed at establishing peace and defining tribal lands.

Trusts

Legal arrangements where multiple companies combine to reduce competition and control prices in a market.

Unions

Organizations formed by workers to collectively bargain for better wages, hours, and working conditions.

United States v. E.C. Knight Company

An 1895 Supreme Court case that limited the government's power to regulate monopolies under the Sherman Antitrust Act.

Vertical integration

A business strategy where a company controls multiple stages of production, from raw materials to final product.

Williams v. Mississippi

An 1898 Supreme Court case that upheld the state's voter registration laws, which disenfranchised African American voters.

Wounded Knee Massacre

A tragic event in 1890 where U.S. troops killed hundreds of Lakota Sioux, marking the end of armed Native American resistance.

Alexander Graham Bell

An inventor and scientist best known for inventing the telephone in 1876.

Henry Bessemer

An inventor known for developing the Bessemer process for mass-producing steel in the 1850s.

William Jennings Bryan

A prominent politician and orator known for his advocacy of populism and his role in the Scopes Trial.

Andrew Carnegie

A steel magnate and philanthropist who led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century.

Grover Cleveland

The only U.S. president to serve two non-consecutive terms, known for his opposition to high tariffs and support for civil service reform.

Jacob Coxey

A businessman and political activist known for leading Coxey's Army, a march for unemployment relief in 1894.

George Armstrong Custer

A U.S. Army officer known for his role in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, where he was killed.

Eugene V. Debs

A labor leader and socialist politician who ran for president multiple times and advocated for workers' rights.

W.E.B. DuBois

An African American sociologist, historian, and civil rights activist who co-founded the NAACP.

Thomas Alva Edison

An inventor and businessman known for developing the electric light bulb and phonograph.

Geronimo

A prominent leader of the Apache who resisted U.S. government efforts to subdue his people in the late 19th century.

Samuel Gompers

A labor leader who founded the American Federation of Labor and served as its president for many years.

Jay Gould

A leading American railroad developer and speculator known for his controversial business practices.

Henry Grady

A journalist and orator who promoted the New South and advocated for industrial development in the South.

Chief Joseph

A leader of the Nez Perce tribe who is known for his resistance against U.S. government policies and his famous surrender speech.

William McKinley

The 25th president of the United States, known for leading the nation during the Spanish-American War.

J.P. Morgan

A powerful banker and financier who played a key role in the reorganization of several major industries in the early 20th century.

Terence V. Powderly

The leader of the Knights of Labor who advocated for labor rights and social reforms.

George Pullman

An industrialist known for creating the Pullman Company and the development of the Pullman sleeping car.

Jacob Riis

A journalist and social reformer known for his work documenting the living conditions of the urban poor in New York City.

John D. Rockefeller

An industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Standard Oil Company and became one of the wealthiest individuals in history.

William Tecumseh Sherman

A Union general during the Civil War known for his 'March to the Sea' and his strategy of total war.

Sitting Bull

A Hunkpapa Lakota leader who played a key role in the resistance against U.S. government policies and was involved in the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Frederick W. Taylor

An engineer and management consultant known for developing the principles of scientific management.

Frederick Jackson Turner

A historian known for his Frontier Thesis, which argued that the American frontier shaped the nation's character.

William Marcy "Boss" Tweed

A political figure known for his leadership of Tammany Hall and his involvement in political corruption in New York City.