Gilded Age Vocabulary

1. Trust: A company managed by members of a board rather than by owner or stockholders.

2. Monopoly: The complete and exclusive control of an industry by one company.

3. AFL: American Federation of Labor, founded 1886 under leadership of Samuel Gompers, fought for better workers’ conditions, higher wages, collective bargaining rights, and shorter work days.

4. Knights of Labor: A labor organization founded in 1869, it called for unity, and all workers (rejected industrial capitalism, it favored cooperatively owned businesses but discredited by such labor violence as the Haymarket Square and didn’t survive the depression of 1890).

5. Anarchist: Advocate for the replacement of the State with stateless societies and voluntary free association; someone who wishes to destroy government and law.

6. Social Darwinism: 19th-century philosophy that argued that human society could be understood as a struggle between the wealthy and poor, with the strongest and fittest triumphing.

7. Ellis Island: An island in New York Bay that was formerly the principal immigration station for the U.S.

8. Angel Island: Functioned as an immigration and deportation facility at which many Chinese and Japanese immigrants were detained under oppressive conditions, generally two weeks to six months before being allowed to enter US.

9. Suburb: A community near or on the outskirts of a city.

10. Gilded Age: Period in history (1869-1889) that seemed alright on the outside but was politically corrupt internally; this period, through many political schemes, led to the development of many new industries.

11. Graft: Defined as the unscrupulous use of politicians' authority for personal gain.

12. Pendleton Act: A law passed in 1883 to eliminate political corruption in the officeholders and federal agents; it outlawed political contributions by appointed officials and established the Civil Service Commission to administer competitive examinations for covered govt jobs.

13. Imperialism: A policy or practice of exerting control over weaker nations or territories.

14. Gold standard: A monetary system in which a nation's currency is backed by gold.

15. Merger: The act of incorporating two or more businesses into one.

16. Populist party: A political party in 1891, primarily by remnants of the farmers alliance and Greenback party, it sough to inflate currency with silver dollars and to establish an income tax but was adopted by Demos in 1896 and died after Willian Jenning Byrants defeat.

17. William Jennings Bryant: American orator, populist leader, and a magnetic speaker who ran unsuccessfully three times for U.S. president. A fervent advocate for the adoption of income tax, direct election, prohibition, and women's suffrage.

18. Strike: A labor stoppage by workers who use it as a tactic to press demands on their employer.

19. Injunction: Court orders that demand or forbid certain actions.

20. Tenement: A large building that rents rooms and apartments and which is usually overcrowded and badly maintained.

Important People and Ideas

21. J.D. Rockefeller: Guiding force behind the creation and development of Standard Oil Company.

22. Andrew Carnegie: Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist; led to the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century.

23. Gospel of Wealth: The belief that God ordains a certain role to amass money and use it to further God's purposes; it justified the concentration of wealth as long as the rich use it responsibly.

24. J.P. Morgan: Known for reorganizing businesses to make them more profitable and stable and gaining control of them.

25. Jacob Riis: Journalist and social reformer who publicized the crises in housing, education, and poverty at the height of European immigration to NYC in the late 19th century.

26. Bessemer Process: A process in which workers use forced air to remove impurities from iron, which transforms it into steel.

27. Melting Pot: An idea in which immigrants adopt American culture while preserving aspects of their own, forming a blended society.

28. Capitalism: An economic system in which private individuals or groups own the economic resources and operate businesses for profit.

29. Nativism: Someone who favors the interests of Native-born citizens and opposes immigrants.

30. Samuel Gompers: A critic of the Knights of Labor who wanted to focus on higher wages, shorter hours, and better working conditions rather than social reform.

31. Laissez-Faire: A policy in which businesses operate with little or no government oversight, allowing a free market economy.

32. Thomas Nast: A famous American political cartoonist known for exposing corruption through illustrations. Called the "Father of the American Cartoon."

33. William Tweed: Also known as "Boss Tweed," he ran one of the most notorious political machines, Tammany Hall. He was infamous for corruption, using bribery and fraud to control city contracts and elections.

34. Tammany Hall: A Democratic political machine in New York City that controlled local politics and was known for corruption and the spoils system.

35. Cornelius Vanderbilt: An American entrepreneur who amassed his wealth through shipping and railroads.