History 8 Unit 2A: Industrialization and Immigration

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering big business, industrial integration, the Gilded Age, immigration processing, and political machines from the Unit 2A Study Guide.

Gilded Age

The era between 1870 and 1900, named because on the outside America looked great, but inside it really was not.

Laissez-faire

An economic policy that minimized government interference and directly impacted the rise of big business during the late 1800s.

Social Darwinism

A social and economic theory applied during the Gilded Age to explain the success of big business and industrial expansion.

Assembly Line

A manufacturing method used by big businesses, which Henry Ford developed by creating a new flow of work to increase efficiency.

Robber Baron

A derogatory term for an industrialist or business tycoon who takes advantage of people to build wealth.

Captain of Industry

A positive term for a business leader characterized as a smart, wealthy, and skilled businessman.

Gilded Age Industrialists

The three prominent business tycoons of the era: Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Morgan.

Vertical Integration

A business strategy utilized by industrialists such as Carnegie to gain a competitive advantage by controlling multiple stages of production.

Horizontal Integration

A business strategy employed by industrialists such as Rockefeller to expand and consolidate control across an industry.

Trust

A combination of business firms formed during the Gilded Age to reduce competition and secure distinct economic benefits.

Angel Island

An immigration station that processed Chinese immigrants, where federal authorities restricted entry because people were moving back and forth between borders.

Ellis Island

An immigration station contrasted with Angel Island that received differing degrees of federal support reflecting racial preferences toward European immigrants.

Differences between Ellis & Angle

Ellis: lower decline rate (6%), "6 second” med exams, most imm came from Europe

Angle: higher decline rate(33%), long med exams, most imm came from Asia

Chinese Exclusion Act

Federal legislation enacted to halt Chinese immigration following cross-border movements and discriminatory assumptions.

Push and Pull Factors

Forces that drove individuals away from their home countries and drew them toward America, highlighting the gap between immigrants' dreams and their realities.

Nativism

An anti-immigrant ideology supported by a major political party that sought to restrict the influx and rights of newcomers.

Political Machine

An urban political organization that sought to address city problems while also introducing widespread corruption into urban life.

Boss Tweed

A prominent urban political boss specifically remembered for running a powerful political machine during the Gilded Age.