history

Frederick J. Turner

He wrote an essay on the West called "The Significance of the Frontier on American History," in which he outlined the significance of the frontier on the country as well as the impact of the close of the frontier. This volume included Turner's 'Safety Valve' theory.

Frontier Thesis

The argument by Frederick Jackson Turner that the frontier experience helped make American socity more democratic; emphasized cheap, unsettled land and the absence of a landed aristocracy.

Pragmatism

(philosophy) the doctrine that practical consequences are the criteria of knowledge and meaning and value (the ends justify the means)

William James

1842-1910; Field: functionalism; Contributions: studied how humans use perception to function in our environment; Studies: Pragmatism, The Meaning of Truth

Charles Pierce

: was an American logician, mathematician, philosopher, and scientist, born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Peirce was educated as a chemist and employed as a scientist for 30 years, however it is for his contributions to logic, mathematics, philosophy, and semiotics and his founding of pragmatism, that he is largely appreciated today

Social Darwinism

survival of the fittest - recognized that people were competing for place, wealth and opportunity. The fact that you were there in that successful place validated you being there. Founder: Herbert Spencer

Herbert Spencer

English philosopher and sociologist who applied the theory of natural selection to human societies

William Graham Sumner

He was an advocate of Social Darwinism claiming that the rich were a result of natural selection and benefits society. He, like many others promoted the belief of Social Darwinism which justified the rich being rich, and poor being poor.

Robber Barons

Refers to the industrialists or big business owners who gained huge profits by paying their employees extremely low wages. They also drove their competitors out of business by selling their products cheaper than it cost to produce it. Then when they controlled the market, they hiked prices high above original price.

John D. Rockefeller

co-founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry, and along with other key contemporary industrialists such as Andrew Carnegie, defined the structure of modern philanthropy

Standard Oil Company

Founded by John D. Rockefeller. Largest unit in the American oil industry in 1881. Known as A.D. Trust, it was outlawed by the Supreme Court of Ohio in 1899. Replaced by the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey.

Andrew Carnegie

A Scottish-born American industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Carnegie Steel Company in 1892. By 1901, his company dominated the American steel industry.

Cornelius Vanderbilt

a railroad owner who built a railway connecting Chicago and New York. He popularized the use of steel rails in his railroad, which made railroads safer and more economical.

Guglielmo Marconi

Italian electrical engineer known as the father of radio (1874-1937)

Henry Ford

1863-1947. American businessman, founder of Ford Motor Company, father of modern assembly lines, and inventor credited with 161 patents.

Duryea Brothers

Built the first successful gasoline driven automobile in the U.S.

Ransom Olds

a pioneer of the American automotive industry, for whom both the Oldsmobile and REO brands were named. He claimed to have built his first steam car as early as 1894, and his first gasoline-powered car in 1896.

Wright Brothers

Orville Wright credited with the design and construction of the first practical airplane. They made the first controllable, powered heavier-than-air flight along with many other aviation milestones, also showing the beginning of the individual progressive spirit.

Kitty Hawk

Site of rolling sand hills located on a barren island off the coast of North Carolina where the Wright Brothers tested their gliders and airplanes.

Walter Reed

United States physician who proved that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes

Bailey Ashford

came to the South for humanitarian reasons. Many southerners had contracted parasites or hookworm. A person with hookworm is sapped of energy. Hence the lazy, slow stereotype.

Miasma

"bad air"- originally thought to be the cause of yellow fever

Edith Wharton

an author - "The House of Mirth" a book of short stories. She contrasted the aristocracy of America with the upper class of Europe. She personified the American dream.

Emile Zola

founder of naturalism

Naturalism

(philosophy) the doctrine that the world can be understood in scientific terms without recourse to spiritual or supernatural explanations; a theory denying that an event or object has a supernatural significance

Theodore Dreiser

Wrote Sister Carrie

Kate Chopin

wrote The Awakening, The Storm; feminist author of the 20th century; born in St. Louis, Missouri

Sister Carrie

Theodore Dreiser's novel; single woman who moved to city and worked in shoe factory but then turned to prostitution due to poverty

The Awakening

Written by Kate Chopin in 1899. It portrays a married woman who defies social convention first by falling in love with another man, and then by committing suicide when she finds that his views on women are as oppressive as her husband's. The novel reflects the changing role of women during the early 1900s.

Jack London

United States writer of novels based on experiences in the Klondike gold rush (1876-1916)

Call of the Wild

1903 novel by Jack London. It wrote about the value of the great outdoors upon the human spirit.

White Fang

the heroic dog figure in the Jack London novel by the same name set in the 1898 Alaskan Gold Rush

Carl Sandburg

United States writer remembered for his poetry in free verse and his six volume biography of Abraham Lincoln (1878-1967)

"Chicago"

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Robert Frost

wrote "The Road Not Taken;" American poet; highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech; won Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry four times

Ash-Can School

Artists which focused on portraying the daily life of Americans, often at the poorer level., Group of American artists active from 1908 to 1918. It included members of The Eight such as Henri and Davies; Hopper was also part of the Ash Can group. Their work featured scenes of urban realism.

George Luks

Creator of An Ash-Can school and artist

G.W. Bellows

Another creator of ash-can school and artist

John Sloan

member of Ashcan school, he portrayed the dreariness of American slums.

Louis Sullivan

United States architect known for his steel framed skyscrapers and for coining the phrase 'form follows function' (1856-1924)

Bessamer Process

Invented by Henry Bessamer, allowing the production of steel to be more common and affordable. Leads the way to the building of skyscrapers and other large buildings.

Frank Lloyd Wright

Considered America's greatest architect. Pioneered the concept that a building should blend into and harmonize with its surroundings rather than following classical designs.

Fallingwater

Name Lloyd Wright's masterpiece on Bear Run, built over a waterfall

Edgar Kaufman Sr. and Jr.

jr was a student of Wright; Sr. came to visit and wanted Wright to design a vacation home - Wright wanted an unlimited budget and for Kaufman to stay away from the site until it was completed

Usonian

a word used by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright to refer to his vision for the landscape of the United States, including the planning of cities and the architecture of buildings. He wanted to offer citizens new, affordable usonian homes unique to America

Herbert Johnson

FLW designed "Wingspread" for him. Because FLW didn't think of practicals, the roof leaked on Johnson in the middle of a dinner party to show off the new home.

Progressivism

redefined what government is supposed to look like. The government was not at all sympathetic to poverty and the underprivileged. This changed. The government took on the responsibility to see that everyone got a chance to pursue the American dream, safeguard the people, and protect their potential.

Ida Tarbell

A leading muckraker and magazine editor, she exposed the corruption of the oil industry with her 1904 work A History of Standard Oil.

Lincoln Steffens

United States journalist who exposes in 1906 started an era of muckraking journalism (1866-1936)

Upton Sinclair

muckraker who shocked the nation when he published The Jungle, a novel that revealed gruesome details about the meat packing industry in Chicago. The book was fiction but based on the things Sinclair had seen.

Meat Inspection Act

Law that authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to order meat inspections and condemn any meat product found unfit for human consumption.

Pure Food and Drug Act

the act that prohibited the manufacture, sale, or shipment of impure of falsely labeled food and drugs

Muckrakers

This term applies to newspaper reporters and other writers who pointed out the social problems of the era of big business. The term was first given to them by Theodore Roosevelt.

Robert La Follete

Governor of Wisconsin nicknamed " Fighting Bob" who was a progressive Republican leader. His "Wisconsin Idea" was the model for state progressive government. He used the "brain trust", a panel of experts, to help him create effective, efficient government. He was denied the nomination for the Republicans in favor of Theodore Roosevelt.

William Howard Taft

27th president of the U.S.; he angered progressives by moving cautiously toward reforms and by supporting the Payne-Aldrich Tariff; he lost Roosevelt's support and was defeated for a second term.

Teddy Roosevelt

26th President, from 1901-1909, passed two acts that purified meat, took over in 1901 when McKinley was shot, Went after trusts, formed the "Bull Moose Party", wanted to build the Panama canal, and make our Navy ( military stronger )

Woodrow Wilson

28th president of the United States, known for World War I leadership, created Federal Reserve, Federal Trade Commission, Clayton Antitrust Act, progressive income tax, lower tariffs, women's suffrage (reluctantly), Treaty of Versailles, sought 14 points post-war plan, League of Nations (but failed to win U.S. ratification), won Nobel Peace Prize

Jane Addams

Prominent social reformer who was responsible for creating the Hull House. She helped other women join the fight for reform, as well as influencing the creation of other settlement houses.

Scientific Management

a management theory using efficiency experts to examine each work operations and find ways to minimize the time needed to complete it

Utilitarianism

The theory, proposed by Jeremy Bentham in the late 1700s, that government actions are useful only if they promote the greatest good, for the greatest number, over the longest period of time.

John Stuart Mill

English philosopher and economist remembered for his interpretations of empiricism and utilitarianism (1806-1873)

Jeremy Bentham

creator of Utilitarianism. brilliant, incredibly successful- but didn't have a family to leave his wealth to. Gave his fortune to the City College of London but wanted to be present for all decisions

17th Amendment

Passed in 1913, this amendment to the Constitution calls for the direct election of senators by the voters instead of their election by state legislatures.

Volstead Act

Bill passed by Congress to enforce the language of the 18th Amendment. This bill made the manufacture and distribution of alcohol illegal within the borders of the United States.

The Fundamentals

12 paperback booklets published by American fundamentalist in early 20th century as a response to protestant liberalism which five Christian fundamentals were listed: biblical inerrancy, virgin birth of Christ, substitutionary atonement, resurrection of Christ, and second coming of Christ.

Fundamentalism

Literal interpretation and strict adherence to basic principles of a religion (or a religious branch, denomination, or sect). Rests on the fact that there is one and only one interpretation of scripture and to disagree is heresy

Mann Act

illegal to transport white slaves from one state to another

Webb-Kenyon Act

prohibited the interstate transport of liquor in dry areas

Seneca Falls

Location of the first women's rights convention in 1848. It was organized and chaired by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the leading feminist of the day.

Mary Wollstonecraft

English writer and early feminist who denied male supremacy and advocated equal education for women

Elizabeth Stanton

A member of the women's right's movement in 1840. She was a mother of seven, and she shocked other feminists by advocating suffrage for women at the first Women's Right's Convention in Seneca, New York 1848. Stanton read a "Declaration of Sentiments" which declared "all men and women are created equal."

Frederick Douglass

United States abolitionist who escaped from slavery and became an influential writer and lecturer in the North (1817-1895)

Amelia Bloomer

the editor of the first feminist paper the "Lily" - significant contributor to fashion reform for women (the bloomers) - pants are liberating to women, freeing them to do things they cannot do in a dress - this is challenging to men: "who wears the pants in the family?" - the woman is challenging her role as well; she is loosing her place as she rises above it.

"Lily"

The paper that Amelia Bloomer published each month.

Jeanette Rankin

First woman to serve in Congress. Suffragist and pacifist, voted against US involvement in WWI and WWII.

19th Amendment

Gave women the right to vote

Mary Shelley

English writer who created Frankenstein's monster and married Percy Bysshe Shelley (1797-1851)

Charles Evans Hughes

Started government regulation of public utilities. He was Secretary of State under Harding and later became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He was the Republican candidate in 1916, and lost to Wilson.

13th Amendment

abolished slavery

14th Amendment

This amendment declared that all persons born or naturalized in the United States were entitled equal rights regardless of their race, and that their rights were protected at both the state and national levels.

15th Amendment

Citizens cannot be denied the right to vote because of race, color , or precious condition of servitude

Environmentalism

social movement to improve the health and conservation of the environment

Conservationism

Teddy Roosevelt; to use natural resources responsibly and efficiently

Preservationism

one who advocates to preserve architecturally or historically significant buildings, structures, objects or sites from demolition or degradation.

Boone and Crockett Club

a club formed by TR and Grinnel, which supported forest management, clean water, and restricted use of natural resources

William McKinley

He liked being president because of the perks that came with it. He is re-elected in 1900. In September 1901 he takes a trip to upstate NY to see the New York Exposition, a fair that was an opportunity to show the world how far America had come. It attracted people from all over. McKinley was shot twice by a boy in the train station platform. Neither should have been fateful, but one was infected because they couldn't find it. No one thought of the fact that an x-ray machine at the exhibit might have been used to save his life.

New York Exposition

a fair that was an opportunity to show the world how far America had come. It attracted people from all over- McKinley was shot here twice and died from infection of the bullet

Leon Czolgosz

He shot President McKinley at the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, New York on September 6, 1901.

Forest Reserve Act

(1891) President Roosevelt used this act to protect some 172 million acres of timberland. Part of the Roosevelt conservation policy of conserving natural resources for the long term good of the public. It was to make big businesses mindful of their effect on the environment

Forest Management Act

authorized the secretary of the interior to make decisions regarding how national forests would be used. They were not necessarily preserved.

Antiquities Act

passed in 1906,protects areas of scientific or historical interest on federal lands as national monuments

Devil's Tower

in Wyoming, very first natural monument to be preserved by the anitquities act

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

First federal action against monopolies, it was signed into law by Harrison and was extensively used by Theodore Roosevelt for trust-busting. However, it was initially misused against labor unions

Rule of Reason

a doctrine developed by the United States Supreme Court in its interpretation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. The rule, stated and applied in the case of Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey v. United States, 221 U.S. 1 (1911), is that only combinations and contracts of unreasonably restraining trade are subject to actions under the anti-trust laws. Possession of monopoly power is not in itself illegal.

Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine

Roosevelt's 1904 extension of the Monroe Doctrine, stating that the United States has the right to protect its economic interests in South And Central America by using military force

Monroe Doctrine

an American foreign policy opposing interference in the Western hemisphere from outside powers

John Q. Adams

The sixth president of the United States, who was not well-liked by citizens and accused of making a corrupt bargain to win the election. He mainly focused on the economy during his presidency. Wrote the Monroe Doctrine

Panama Canal

built by Roosevelt. He recognized the opportunity to change trade and influence the way people traveled. It made the world smaller. It greatly shortened the sea voyage between the east and west coasts of North America.

Transcendentalism

A philosophy pioneered by Ralph Waldo Emerson in the 1830's and 1840's, in which each person has direct communication with God and Nature, and there is no need for organized churches. It incorporated the ideas that mind goes beyond matter, intuition is valuable, that each soul is part of the Great Spirit, and each person is part of a reality where only the invisible is truly real. Promoted individualism, self-reliance, and freedom from social constraints, and emphasized emotions.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

American transcendentalist who was against slavery and stressed self-reliance, optimism, self-improvement, self-confidence, and freedom. He was a prime example of a transcendentalist and helped further the movement.