Labor Movements and Immigration in the Gilded Age

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms and definitions related to labor movements, immigration, and significant events during the Gilded Age.

Collective Bargaining

The process where employers and employees negotiate terms of employment including wages and working conditions.

Knights of Labor

A prominent labor organization founded in 1869 in the United States that aimed to unite all workers to promote social and economic reforms.

Terence Powderly

An influential American labor leader and head of the Knights of Labor, advocating for all workers' rights regardless of skill or background.

Haymarket Riot

A violent confrontation on May 4, 1886, between police and labor protesters in Chicago advocating for an eight-hour workday.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

A national federation of labor unions in the U.S. founded in 1886, focusing on organizing skilled workers.

Samuel Gompers

The founder of the AFL and a prominent labor leader who advocated for workers' rights through collective bargaining.

Pure and Simple Unionism

Samuel Gompers' approach focusing on immediate gains for workers through collective bargaining.

Great Railroad Strike of 1877

A nationwide strike by railroad workers protesting wage cuts and poor working conditions.

Homestead Strike

A violent labor dispute in 1892 between steelworkers and Carnegie Steel Company at Homestead Steel Works.

Pullman Strike

A nationwide railroad strike in 1894 that protested wage cuts and high rents in Pullman Company housing.

Eugene V. Debs

A prominent labor leader and political activist known for founding the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).

Looking Backward

A utopian novel by Edward Bellamy imagining a future society promoting equality and cooperation.

Progress and Poverty

A book by Henry George addressing social problems caused by monopolists profiting from rising land values.

Nativism

The ideology favoring the interests of native inhabitants over immigrants, often emerging during significant immigration waves.

Chinese Exclusion Act

A federal law passed in 1882 that prohibited Chinese laborers from immigrating to the U.S.

Emergency Quota Act

An act established in 1921 aiming to restrict immigration to the U.S. by setting national origin quotas.

Cultural Pluralism (Salad Bowl)

A metaphor describing the coexistence of diverse cultures within a society, where each maintains its distinctiveness.

Patronage

The practice of granting political support or privileges in exchange for loyalty during the Gilded Age.

Pendleton Act

The 1881 legislation establishing a merit-based system for federal employment to reduce corruption.

Sherman Antitrust Act

A federal statute enacted in 1890 aimed at preventing monopolies and promoting competition.

Farmers’ Alliances

Organized groups of farmers in the late 19th century promoting their economic and political interests.

Populist Party

A late 19th-century political movement representing the interests of farmers and laborers against elitism.

Free Silver

A policy allowing unrestricted minting of silver coins to increase the money supply, central to the Populist movement.

Cross of Gold

A speech by William Jennings Bryan advocating for free coinage of silver to aid struggling farmers.

William Jennings Bryan

A prominent politician known for his advocacy for populism and progressive causes during the Gilded Age.