Unit 3

Bonanza farms: Large farms in the United States in the late 1800s. Most of these farms grew and sold wheat. The large-scale production was possible because of new farm machinery, cheap land, and railroads.

National Grange: An association for farmers that was founded in 1867. Its goal is to work for policies that would help the economic and political well-being of farm families.

Populist Party: A political party that existed from 1891 to 1908. Also called the People's Party, it supported policies that represented ordinary people, including farmers and factory workers.

William Jennings Bryan: (1860 - 1925) An American politician who was the Democratic nominee for president in 1896 and 1900, losing both times to William McKinley. He was a famous speaker and lawyer who supported populist policies, or policies that would help ordinary people.

initiative: The process by which citizens who are not in the legislature are able to introduce a new law.

Jane Addams: (1860 - 1935) A founder of the U.S. settlement house movement, in which wealthy people supported efforts to improve the lives and neighborhoods of poor people. She was against war and spoke against U.S. involvement in World War I. In 1931, she became the second woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Lincoln Steffens: (1866 - 1936) A famous American muckraker who wrote about social problems caused by bad government practices. He traveled to the Soviet Union and became a believer in Communism.

muckrackers: Writers who report problems about public officials, businesses, and society. The reports aren't always true but can still cause people to become angry and demand change.

Progressives: People who supported policies designed to bring about social order and solve social problems, such as poverty, crime, and government corruption.

recall: In politics, a procedure to remove an official before his or her term is over. This is usually done by voting.

referendum: The process of having the entire voting public decide on a policy or law.

Seventeenth Amendments: An amendment to the U.S. Constitution approved in 1913. It changed how U.S. senators were selected. They would now be elected by the people instead of being chosen by the state legislatures.

Eugene Debs: (1855 - 1926) An American union leader. He helped found the Industrial Workers of the World, a worldwide union of workers. He became a leading Socialist, believing that the public and workers should own the means of production in the country.

ILGWU: The International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, established in 1900. Most of its members were women. The union played an important part in improving working conditions and wages in the clothing industry.

Labor Day: A U.S. federal holiday held each year on the first Monday of September to honor working people.

strikebreakers: People who are hired to take the place of workers who are on strike. A strike is an attempt by workers to improve working conditions or wages by refusing to work.

anarchist: A person who believes that there should be no government or rules placed on human behavior.

Clayton Antitrust Act: A law passed by Congress to help enforce other laws against monopolies. It named specific behaviors of monopolies that would no longer be allowed, such as working against labor movement activities

Federal Reserve: The central banking system of the United States. Its purpose is to watch the nation's banks and help keep the financial system in good condition.

New Freedom: Policies of President Woodrow Wilson that supported changes in banking procedures, taxes on imported goods, and laws against monopolies.

Square Deal: The name given to President Theodore Roosevelt's domestic policies. These policies helped the middle class, worked against trusts and monopolies, and protected businesses against extreme demands of labor unions.

trust-busting: Government activities that result in breaking up trusts, which are businesses that have too much control over a product or industry.

W.E.B. Du Bois: (1868 - 1963) An African American civil rights leader. He helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

William McKinely: (1843 - 1901) The 25th president of the United States and a Republican. He was assassinated in 1901 before completing his second term of office.

Sixteenth Amendment: An amendment to the U.S. Constitution approved in 1913 that allowed the federal government to collect a tax on the money that people earned.

Plessy vs Ferguson: A Supreme Court decision in 1896 that said it was not against the U.S. Constitution to have laws separating the races in public areas.

De facto segregation: Segregation that is not legally enforced but exists as a common practice in society.

Great Migration: A period between 1910 and 1940 when millions of African Americans left the farms of the South to find jobs in the cities of the North.

Ida B. Wells: (1862 - 1931) An African American writer. She reported on the murders of African Americans and was a leader in early civil rights efforts in America as well as the women's rights movement.

Jim Crow laws: State and local laws passed between 1876 and 1965 to keep African Americans and whites separated in public areas such as schools, transportation, restrooms, and hotels. The areas for African Americans were always of poorer quality than those for whites.

Lynchings: Putting a person to death without due process of law. In the United States, the term is most often used to describe the hanging of African Americans in the South by groups of white men, who were rarely arrested.

“The Talented Tenth”: An article written in 1903 by W. E. B. DuBois, an important African American leader. It described the idea that, through education, the smartest and most talented African Americans could become leaders and help improve the lives of the Black community.

Booker T. Washington: (1856 - 1915) An African American who was born into slavery and rose to be an important Black leader in the last 25 years of his life. He was chosen to lead the Tuskegee Institute, a college for African Americans located in Alabama.