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Gilded Age
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Coney Island | Nation's first amusement park in NY |
| Meyers Lake | Amusement park in Canton, Ohio |
| Kitty Hawk, NC | Location of first flight by Wright Brothers |
| Kodak | George Eastman's company name for his hand-held camera |
| Arcarde | Nations first shopping center located in Cleveland, Ohio |
| Sears and Roebuck | First major mail order catalogue |
| PT Barnum | American businessman and showman. "The Greatest Show on Earth" |
| Thomas Nast | Father of Political Cartoons / brought down Boss Tweed |
| Boss Tweed | Most corrupt politician in NY history; Boss of Tammany Hall political machine |
| patronage | The power to control appointments to office or the right to privileges / spoils system |
| graft | To use one's public or political position for personal benefit |
| Pendleton Civil Service Act | Required some appointed officials to take an exam to prove qualified for job |
| Mark Twain | Author; came up with term Gilded Age |
| gilded | to be covered in a thin layer of gold |
| Goldbugs | One who favored the gold standard; bankers, businessmen, Republicans |
| Silverites | One who favored bimetallism, both gold and silver; farmers, laborers, Populists, Democrats |
| William McKinley | Republican candidate and winner of 1896 Election |
| front porch | Location of William McKinley's historical campaign |
| William Jennings Bryan | Democratic nominee for President in 1896; great speaker |
| Frank Baum | Author of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" |
| Henry Littlefield | History teacher from NY in the 1960s who brought attention to Baum's possible symbolism |
| Progressive Era | Period following the Gilded Era; set out to reform, fix problems. |
| Gilded Era | Term used to describe America from 1870-1900; era full of problems. |