Gilded Age

Laissez-faire government

A policy advocating minimal government intervention in economic affairs.

Taylorism

A system of scientific management aimed at improving efficiency in the workplace.

Limited liability

Legal protection for shareholders where their liability is restricted to the amount invested in a company.

Cornelius Vanderbilt

A prominent American industrialist who played a key role in the expansion of railroads.

"Land-grant" railroads

Railroads built with the help of land grants from the government.

Pacific Railway Act (1862)

Legislation that promoted the construction of the transcontinental railroad.

Pacific Telegraph Act (1860)

Legislation facilitating the construction of a telegraph line to connect the East and West coasts.

Union Pacific-Central Pacific Railroads

Companies responsible for building the transcontinental railroad.

"Big Four"

Prominent businessmen (Huntington, Stanford, Crocker, and Hopkins) involved in the Central Pacific Railroad.

"Disassembly line"

A production method where products are taken apart for repair or recycling.

Bessemer process

A method for mass-producing steel by blowing air through molten iron to remove impurities.

Andrew Carnegie

A steel magnate known for his philanthropy and vertical integration.

Vertical and horizontal integration

Strategies where a company controls different stages of production (vertical) or acquires competitors (horizontal).

"Pools," "trusts," and "holding companies"

Business arrangements to consolidate control and reduce competition.

Conspicuous consumption

The public display of wealth and luxury to demonstrate social status.

Social Darwinism (Herbert Spencer)

The application of Darwin's theory of natural selection to society, justifying inequality.

Stewardship

The responsible management and care of resources.

"Gospel of Wealth" (Carnegie)

An essay by Andrew Carnegie advocating philanthropy by the wealthy.

"Myth of the self-made man"

The belief that success is solely achieved through individual effort.

Horatio Alger ("Ragged Dick")

Author known for stories promoting the idea of rags-to-riches success.

Interstate Commerce Act, 1887

Legislation regulating the railroad industry and establishing the Interstate Commerce Commission.

Sherman Anti-trust Act, 1890

Legislation aimed at preventing monopolies and promoting fair competition.

Company towns

Communities where a single company owns most of the housing and businesses.

"Molly Maguires"

A secret society of Irish-American miners involved in labor unrest and violence.

Great Railway Strike, 1877

A nationwide strike by railroad workers protesting wage cuts.

Knights of Labor, 1869

A prominent labor union advocating for workers' rights and social reform.

Haymarket Square Riot, 1886

A labor protest in Chicago that turned violent, leading to the trial and execution of anarchists.

American Federation of Labor (AF of L)

A national federation of labor unions focusing on skilled workers' interests.

Pullman Strike (1894)

A nationwide railroad strike against the Pullman Company, supported by the American Railway Union.

International Workers of the World (IWW)

A radical labor union advocating for industrial unionism and workers' rights.

Ellis Island

An immigration station in New York Harbor processing millions of immigrants to the United States.

Dumbbell tenements

Narrow, overcrowded apartment buildings with a distinctive shape resembling a dumbbell.

Political machines

Organizations that provided social services in exchange for political support and loyalty.

Tammany Hall (Tweed Ring)

A notorious political machine in New York City known for corruption and patronage.

"City Beautiful Movement"

A reform movement advocating for urban beautification and city planning in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

John D. Rockefeller

an American industrialist who founded Standard Oil Company and became one of the richest men in history through his oil empire.

J. P. Morgan

American financier and banker who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

U. S. vs E. C. Knight Co. (1895)

limited the federal government's power to regulate monopolies, stating that manufacturing was not interstate commerce under the Sherman Antitrust Act.

Eugene V. Debs

American socialist leader, founder of the American Railway Union, and five-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America.