APUSH Period 6 Vocabulary

Thomas Nast —Thomas Nast was a cartoonist for the New York Times and drew many famous political cartoons, including many of Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall. The cartoon showed condemning evidence of the corrupt ringleader and he was jailed shortly afterwards. 

Cornelius Vanderbilt – He was a railroad tycoon. He earned his 1st fortune as a shipping magnate in New York where he gained the nickname “The Commodore” while shipping. Then, turned to railroads by consolidating the lines from NYC to Chicago. 

Andrew Carnegie – Carnegie was a steel tycoon. He was a master of “vertical integration.” He eventually turned to philanthropy and gave huge sums to libraries and arts (Carnegie Hall and local libraries). 

John D. Rockefeller – Rockefeller was an oil tycoon. He owned the Standard Oil Company that eventually controlled at least 90% of American oil. Was a master of “horizontal integration” where he ruthlessly drove others out of business. 

J.P. Morgan – He was a banker and financier. He orchestrated several blockbuster deals in railroads, insurance, and banking. He bought Andrew Carnegie’s steel operation for $400 million to start the U.S. Steel Company. He symbolized the greed, power, arrogance, and snobbery of the Gilded Age business.

 Booker T. Washington –Washington was an ex-slave who saved his money to buy himself an education. He believed that blacks must first gain economic equality before they gained social equality. He was president of the Tuskegee Institute and he was a part of the Atlanta Compromise. Washington believed that blacks should be taught useful skills so they could gain a financial foothold. He was also famous for his Atlanta  saying blacks and whites could be as separate as the fingers but as one as the hand. He is sometimes criticized for this speech as perhaps giving an okay to segregation. 

Sitting Bull -- He was one of the leaders of the Sioux nation. He was a medicine man "as wily as he was influential." He became a prominent Indian leader during the Sioux War from 1876-1877. The war was touched off when a group of miners rushed into the Black Hills of South Dakota in 1875, sacred Indian land. 

Eugene V. Debs -- Eugene V. Debs was a labor leader who helped organize the American Railroad Union. The Union went on strike against the Pullman Palace Car Company in 1894. The strike was put down by armed forces and Debs and other leaders were given six months imprisonment. Debs would later run for president as a Socialist. 

Williams Jennings Bryan – Bryan was an eloquent congressman from Nebraska. During the extra Congress session in the summer of 1893, Bryan held the galleries spellbound for three hours as he championed the cause of free silver. Despite his efforts, however, President Cleveland alienated the Democratic silverites. He also ran against McKinley in the presidential elections of 1896 and lost. Richard Olney -- Richard Olney was a lawyer in the 1880's for one of the leading corporations. Later he became the Secretary of State to Grover Cleveland. He was Attorney General during the Pullman strike in 1894 and he issued an injunction for the workers to return to work.

William McKinley -- McKinley presented a tariff bill in the House, and lost his seat in Congress because of it. McKinley ran on the Republican ticket in the 1896 election and won the presidency while preaching a gold standard platform. He won again in 1900 and was assassinated in 1901.\

Alfred Thayer Mahan – Mahan was an American naval officer and historian, educated at the U.S. Naval Academy. Mahan served over 40 years in the Navy. He is most famous for his book The Influence of Sea Power on History which defined naval strategy. Mahan stressed the importance of sea power in the world. His philosophies had a major influence on the growth of navies of many nations.

Valeriano Weyler – Weyler was a Spanish General referred to as "Butcher" Weyler. He undertook to crush the Cuban rebellion by herding many civilians into barbed-wire concentration camps, where they could not give assistance to the armed insurrectionists. The civilians died in deadly pestholes. The "Butcher" was removed in 1897. 

De Lome Letter – Dupuy de Lome was a Spanish minister in Washington. He wrote a private letter to a friend concerning President McKinley and how he lacked good faith. He was forced to resign when William Randolph Hearst discovered and published the letter. This publishing helped to spark the Spanish-American War. T

Theodore Roosevelt -- After being purposely placed in the "quiet" office of Vice-President where the New York political bosses thought "Teddy" or "TR" would not cause any problems, Roosevelt became president. He was notorious for his impulsiveness and radical behavior. At 5’10”, he used his Big-Stick policy in dealing with foreign affairs. He was an instrumental part in building the Panama Canal and enforcing the rigid Roosevelt Corollary. 

Ida Tarbell -- Ida Tarbell was a "muckraker" who wrote an exposé in the magazine McClure's (1921). As a younger woman, in 1904, Tarbell made her reputation by publishing the history of the Standard Oil Company, the "Mother of Trusts." In it she blasted Standard Oil for using ruthless tactics to drive competition out of business. All her facts checked out as accurate. 

Upton Sinclair -- Sinclair was the author of the sensational novel, The Jungle, published in 1906. His intention was to describe the conditions of canning factory workers. Instead, Americans were disgusted by his descriptions of dirty food production. His book influenced consumers to demand safer canned products and led to the Meat Inspection Act and then the Pure Food and Drug Act.

William Howard Taft -- In the 1908 election, Taft was chosen over William Jennings Bryan to succeed Roosevelt. As president, he approached foreign policy by using America's wealth as leverage. He also brought suits against 90 trusts during his administration. Due to his lack of political skills, he helped divide the Republican Party.

Tweed Ring – The Tweed Ring or “Tammany Hall” was group of people in New York City who worked with and for "Boss" Tweed. He was a crooked politician and money-maker. The ring supported all of his deeds. The New York Times finally found evidence to jail Tweed. Without Tweed, the ring did not last. These people, the "Bosses" of the political machines, were very common in America for that time 

Vertical Integration – This was a business method where a corporation bought out other businesses (though not competitors) along its line of production. For instance, Carnegie might buy land in the Mesabi Range just for the iron ore, then buy the ships to haul the ore, then buy the railroads to haul it, etc. The companies were not competitors, but Carnegie used them, so he figured he might as well own them.

 Horizontal Integration—This was a business method where the company bought out its competitors. For instance, Standard Oil would buy out smaller oil competitors until it controlled nearly all of the oil industry. 

Trusts – A trust is a business that essentially is a monopoly – a company with no competition. Trusts could drive smaller businesses to the wall by (1) undercutting prices – trusts would lower rates so they’d actually take a loss. The trust could afford to take the loss but the small business couldn’t and went out of business. Then the trust would raise prices. Or (2) enjoying “economies of scale” – since trusts bought in huge quantities, they got discounts, and therefore could afford to charge lower rates than small businesses while still making a profit. 

Sherman Anti-Trust Act – This was an 1890 law attempting to outlaw trusts. It was only slightly successful, if that, since it lacked real teeth. However, combined with the Interstate Commerce Act, 1887, it started the government’s attempt to regulate business for the good of society. Also, it foreshadowed the Clayton Anti-trust Act that did have real teeth to it. 

Yellow Dog Contracts – These were agreements that employers forced workers to sign where workers pledged not join a union. 

Blacklists – Blacklists were names that employers kept of union agitators and “trouble makers.” This scared workers into inaction since once they were on the list, no company would hire them again. 

Haymarket Square incident – This was an 1886 explosion in Chicago during labor disorders that killed several people including police officers. The explosions appeared to be the result of anarchists yet the public largely placed blame on labor unions thus hurt their cause. 

A.F.L. (American Federation of Labor) – This was an early national labor union. The AF of L let many smaller unions remain independent while the AF of L united them all and worked out overall strategy. It focused only on skilled labor (unskilled were on their own). Despite literally thousands of strikes, their success was also only mild, though Labor Day was passed during this time. 

Nativism – Nativism was a philosophy in which people strongly disliked immigrants and had much patriotism toward native born Americans.

Yellow Journalism – This is sensationalized journalism. Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst were known as the lurid yellow press. The purpose of yellow journalism was to simply sell papers.

 New Immigration -- Between the 1850's and 1880's, more than 5 million immigrants cascaded into America from the "mother continent." Starting in the 1880's, the "new immigrants" (mainly Italians, Croats, Slovaks, Greeks, and Poles) came swarming into the U.S. This was opposed to the “Old Immigration” of northern Europe (England, Ireland, Germany). They New Immigrants were looked down upon by nativists because they were poor, Catholic, poorly educated, and would work for low wages. They later, however, helped provide the unique cultural diversity that still exists today in the U.S.

 Social Gospel – The Social Gospel was preached by many people in the 1880s and said the churches should get involved in helping the poor. Some disagreed and didn't think that they should be helped because it was their fault they were poor. This was “Social Darwinism.” 

Settlement House – This was a house where immigrants came to live upon entering the U.S. At Settlement Houses, instruction was given in English and how to get a job, among other things. The first Settlement House was the Hull House, which was opened by Jane Addams in Chicago in 1889. These centers were usually run by educated middle class women. The houses became centers for reform in the women's and labor movements.

Women's Christian Temperance Union – The WCTU was organized in 1874 and the white ribbon was the symbol of purity. It was led by Frances E. Willard and the league stood for prohibition (or temperance). In 1919, the 18th Amendment was passed for national prohibition. Eighteenth Amendment -- In 1919 this amendment did away with all alcohol, making it illegal. It was also known as “prohibition.” 

Ghost Dance – This was a tradition that tried to call the spirits of past warriors to inspire the young braves to fight. It was crushed at the Battle of Wounded Knee after spreading to the Dakota Sioux. The Ghost Dance led to the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887. This act tried to reform Indian tribes and turn them into "white" citizens. It essentially aimed to break up the tribes. 

Battle “Massacre” at Wounded Knee – In 1890, a group of white Christian reformers tried to bring Christian beliefs to the Indians. Fearing the Ghost Dance, American troops were called in. While camped outside of an Indian reservation, a gun was fired and the troops stormed the reservation killing Indian men, women, and children. This battle and this year marked the end of “the Wild West” as by then, the Indians were either moved to reservations or dead. This year, 1890, was when the U.S. government stated the frontier was gone.

 Dawes Severalty Act – This 1887 law dismantled American Indian tribes, set up individuals as family heads with 160 acres, tried to make rugged individualists out of the Indians, and attempted to assimilate the Indian population into that of the American Comstock Lode -- In 1859, a great amount of gold and silver was discovered in Nevada at the Comstock Lode. The "fiftyniners" rushed to Nevada in their own hopes of getting rich, which caused Nevada to become a state. 

Homestead Act -- This law, passed in 1862, stated that a settler could acquire up to 160 acres of land and pay a minimal fee of $30.00 just for living on it for five years and settling it. A settler could acquire it for only six months and pay $1.25 an acre. This was important because previously land had been sold for profit and now it was basically being given away. About half a million families took advantage of this offer. Unfortunately, it was often too good to be true and the land was ravaged by drought and hard to cultivate. 

Granger Laws -- During the late 1800's an organization of farmers, called the Grange, strove to regulate railway rates and storage fees charged by railroads, warehouses, and grain elevators through state legislation. These such laws were passed, but eventually reversed, and were referred to as the Granger Laws. 

Farmers' Alliance -- This was the first "national" organization of the farmers, which led to the creation of the Populist party. The Farmers' Alliance sponsored social gatherings, were active in politics, organized cooperatives, and fought against the dominance of the railroads and manufacturers. 

Populists – The Populists were a political group which began to emerge in 1891. They gained much support from farmers who turned to them to fight political injustice. They used a progressive platform. James B. Weaver ran as their presidential candidate in 1892. They had an impressive voter turnout. They were also known as the People's Party.

 Bimetallism -- Bimetallism was the use of silver and gold in the economic system. This issue divided much of the United States during the late 19th century because the bankers and industrialists wanted at least a limited amount of silver, if not to get rid of it and the farmers wanted unlimited coinage of silver. 

Depression of 1893 – This was the most devastating economic recession of the century. It occurred while Grover Cleveland was president and it lasted for four years. It was caused by overbuilding, over-speculation, labor disorder, and agricultural problems. Because of these things, many businesses collapsed and an abundance of people became unemployed.

 Pullman Strike -- The Pullman Strike was in 1894 when the company was hurt by the depression. They decided to cut wages about one-third. The workers decided to strike. Attorney General Olney called in the federal troops to break the strike. He thought that the strikers were interfering with the delivery of mail because railroads all over the country went on strike in support of the Pullman workers. These railroads carried the mail. The strike affected the entire country.

 Cross of Gold Speech -- William Jennings Bryan became the hero of the Democratic party in the election of 1896 with his “Cross of Gold” speech. This speech supported the silver standard for currency, as opposed to the gold standard, and it also supported the unlimited coinage of silver. 

Treaty of Paris, 1898 -- This treaty concluded the Spanish American War. Commissioners from the U.S. were sent to Paris on October 1, 1898 to produce a treaty that would bring an end to the war with Spain after six months of hostility. From the treaty, America got Guam, Puerto Rico and they paid $20 million for the Philippines. Cuba was also freed from Spain. 

U.S.S. Maine – This was a battleship sent by Washington in 1898 to Cuba. It was supposedly sent there for basically a "friendly visit,” but actually, it was sent to protect and evacuate Americans if a dangerous flare-up occurred. The Maine mysteriously blew up on Feb. 15, 1898 in Havana Harbor. The Americans thought that the Spanish blew it up while the Spanish claimed the explosion to be accidental. This was a spark to the Spanish-American war. The incident led to the Alamo-like battle cry, “Remember the Maine!” 

Teller Amendment – This was an act of Congress in 1898 that stated that when the United States had rid Cuba of Spanish misrule, Cuba would be granted its freedom.

 Anti-Imperialist League -- The Anti-Imperialist League was formed to fight the McKinley administration's expansionist moves. Its members included, William James, Mark Twain, and Andrew Carnegie. The League claimed that it was against America's Democratic ideals to "take-over" other lands. 

Insular cases – The word “insular” refers to “islands.” In 1901 and 1903, these Supreme Court cases decided that the Constitution did not always follow the flag. In other words, the newly acquired islands of Puerto Rico and the Philippines would not have all the rights of American citizens.

 Platt Amendment -- This amendment gave the U.S the right to take over the island of Cuba if that country entered into a treaty or debt that might place its freedom in danger. This amendment also gave the U.S. the right to put a naval base in Cuba to protect it (Guantanamo Bay) and the U.S holdings in the Caribbean. This amendment was resented very much by the Cubans and seemed to counteract the earlier Teller Amendment saying the Americans would grant freedom to Cuba after the war. 

Spheres of Influence -- European powers, such as Britain and Russia, moved in to divide up China in 1895. These countries gained control of certain parts of China's economy, called “spheres of influence.” The Chinese did not like the idea of unwelcome foreigners trading freely within their country, so they started the Boxer Rebellion. The U.S. feared that these European powers would divide up China so they proposed the Open Door Policy—China was to be open to all nation’s in all ports. 

Philippine Insurrection -- Even before the Philippines were annexed by the U.S. there existed tension between U.S. troops and Filipinos. One U.S. sentry shot a Filipino who was crossing a bridge. The situation deteriorated and eventually the U.S. entered into a war with the Philippines. It would take two years to settle this dispute, as compared to the four months needed to defeat the once powerful Spain. Though the U.S. had better arms, the guerilla warfare employed by the Filipinos left the Americans perplexed. Between 200,000 and 600,000 Filipinos died in the war, most from sickness and disease caused by the war. Less than 5,000 Americans were killed in the combat. Emilio Aguinaldo helped Americans fight Spain, only to turn on the Americans once free. In 1901, Aguinaldo surrendered, which greatly hurt the Filipino cause. The war formally ended in 1902, though the fighting would continue until 1903. The Philippines was not an independent nation until July 4, 1946.