OpenStax US History: Urbanization and the Gilded Age (Ch.1-7)

A set of practice flashcards covering key concepts from the urbanization and reform sections of the OpenStax US History notes.

When did urbanization accelerate in the United States, leading to the 'growing pains of urbanization'?

The second half of the nineteenth century, roughly 1870–1900.

Name the four innovations identified as critical in shaping urbanization at the turn of the century.

Electric lighting; improved communication (telephone); intracity transportation (trolleys and elevated trains); and skyscrapers.

Who patented the incandescent light bulb in 1880, accelerating urban electrification?

Thomas Edison.

Which electrical development allowed cities to power larger, wider areas using the same grid?

Alternating current (AC), developed and popularized by Nikola Tesla.

By 1900, what device largely supplanted the telegraph as the primary means of long-distance communication?

The telephone.

What mode of intracity transport, powered by electricity, transformed urban transit in the 1880s–1890s?

Electric trolley (developed by Frank Sprague in 1887).

Prior to trolleys, what were two common forms of urban transportation?

The omnibus (horse-drawn carriage) and the horse car.

What is the term for elevated rail lines that ran the length of major cities to move riders above crowded streets?

Elevated trains (L trains); first in New York (1868), later in Boston (1887) and Chicago (1892).

What two innovations enabled skyscrapers to rise in crowded cities?

Steel-frame construction and the electric elevator (Otis, 1889).

Who produced the 1890 photo-essay How the Other Half Lives, documenting tenement life in New York?

Jacob Riis.

Which movement, led by Jane Addams with Hull House, offered social services to urban poor in Chicago?

The settlement house movement.

What philosophy urged Christians to address social issues and urban life through reforms rather than only religious doctrine?

The Social Gospel.

What organizations extended community services, such as health care and libraries, to urban residents in the late 19th century?

The YMCA and related church-affiliated groups.

What term describes discriminatory denial of home loans based on race or neighborhood demographics?

Redlining.

What port of entry opened in 1892 to process millions of European immigrants arriving in New York City?

Ellis Island.

What commission, established in 1907, studied immigration and described newer immigrants as looking and acting differently?

The Dillingham Commission.

Which Edward Bellamy novel depicted a utopian America in the year 2000 and influenced reform discussions about capitalism?

Looking Backward.

Which economist argued that land and natural resources should belong to all and should be taxed to discourage private ownership in order to reduce inequality?

Henry George (Progress and Poverty, 1879).

Which theorist introduced 'conspicuous consumption' and critiqued the leisure class’s role in society?

Thorstein Veblen (The Theory of the Leisure Class, 1899).

What term describes mass-produced dime novels and nickel weeklies that were popular in urban working-class culture starting around 1860?

Dime novels (and nickel weeklies).

Which two leaders are associated with the City Beautiful movement and the White City at the 1893 Columbian Exposition?

Frederick Law Olmsted and Daniel Burnham.

Which city’s 1893 World’s Fair showcased the White City and helped promote modern urban planning ideals?

The Columbian Exposition (World's Fair) in Chicago, 1893.

What is the 'Ashcan School' of art known for, and name two artists associated with it?

Depicting urban life and working-class realities; George Bellows and Edward Hopper.

What Kate Chopin novel challenged social conventions about women’s roles and sexuality in the late 19th century?

The Awakening (1899).

Which African American writer used both standard English and Black dialect to portray Black life and experiences in the realist era?

Paul Laurence Dunbar.

What Acts established and expanded access to higher education through land-grant colleges?

The Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890.

What trend describes wealthier city dwellers moving to suburbs while staying near urban job centers?

Suburbanization.

What organizations and reforms supported urban relief, including the push for child labor laws and women’s protections in the early 20th century?

National Child Labor Committee; Children’s Bureau (established 1912) and related settlement-house efforts.