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GT Period 6 terms
AmStud APUSH terms for period 5
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Cornelius Vanderbilt | A shipping and railroad tycoon who built a major transportation empire; he showed how powerful individuals could dominate key industries during the Gilded Age |
| Transcontinental Railroad | A railroad finished in 1869 connecting the Atlantic and Pacific coasts; it promoted westward settlement, national trade, and economic growth |
| Union and Central Pacific RR | The two companies that built opposite halves of the Transcontinental Railroad; their work showed how government support encouraged big business expansion |
| Speculation | Risky investing based on expected price increases; it created unstable markets and helped cause major economic crashes |
| Panic of 1893 | A nationwide economic depression caused by railroad failures and speculation; it exposed weaknesses in the U.S. economy and increased calls for reform |
| Bankruptcy of RR | The failure of many railroad companies unable to pay debts; it led to unemployment and worsened economic depressions |
| Industrial Growth | Rapid increase in factory production and mechanization; it turned the U.S. into an industrial nation and changed work and city life |
| Andrew Carnegie | A steel industrialist who built a vast steel empire; he represented big business success and supported philanthropy |
| Vertical Integration | A system where a company controls all steps of production; it reduced costs and increased corporate power |
| US Steel | |
| John D. Rockefeller | An oil industrialist who built the Standard Oil empire; he became the symbol of monopoly power and corporate consolidation |
| Horizontal Integration | A business strategy of buying out competitors in the same industry; it reduced competition and created monopolies |
| Standard Oil Trust | Rockefeller’s company that controlled most U.S. oil refining; it showed how trusts could dominate entire markets |
| J.P. Morgan | A powerful banker who financed and reorganized major industries; he helped stabilize companies but increased financial concentration |
| Bessemer Steel | A new method for producing steel cheaply and efficiently; it allowed rapid growth of railroads, bridges, and skyscrapers |
| Second Industrial Revolution | A period of major industrial expansion using steel, electricity, and chemicals; it transformed production and daily life |
| Alexander Graham Bell | Inventor of the telephone; his invention revolutionized communication and business |
| Thomas Edison | An inventor who developed the light bulb and other devices; he improved daily life and promoted applied science |
| Packaged Foods | Factory-produced, preserved foods sold in stores; they changed diets and supported urban living |
| Mail Order Companies | Businesses like Sears that sold goods through catalogs; they expanded consumer access nationwide |
| Consumer Economy | An economy based on buying manufactured goods; it reflected rising wages and mass production |
| Advertising | The promotion of products to influence buyers; it helped create national brands and increase consumption |
| Federal Land Grants and Loans | Government aid given to railroad companies; it encouraged railroad expansion and westward growth |
| Interstate Commerce Act of 1886 | A law regulating railroad rates and practices; it marked the first federal attempt to control big business |
| Antitrust movement | Efforts to limit monopolies and trusts; it aimed to protect competition and consumers |
| Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 | A law banning monopolies and restraints of trade; it became the foundation for later antitrust enforcement |
| US v. E.C. Knight | A Supreme Court case limiting federal power over manufacturing; it weakened early antitrust efforts |
| Credit Mobilier | A railroad construction company involved in a major bribery scandal; it exposed corruption in business and government |
| Causes of Labor Discontent | Low wages, long hours, and unsafe conditions; these problems fueled worker protests and unions |
| Anti-union tactics | Methods used by employers to break unions; they showed business resistance to organized labor |
| Railroad Strike of 1877 | A nationwide railroad worker strike over wage cuts; it showed growing worker unrest and federal involvement in labor disputes |
| Knights of Labor | A labor union open to most workers; it sought broad reforms like better wages and hours |
| Haymarket Bombing | A deadly bombing at a labor rally in Chicago; it hurt public support for unions |
| American Federation of Labor | A union of skilled workers focused on wages and working conditions; it became the most powerful labor organization |
| Samuel Gompers | Leader of the AFL; he promoted practical union goals and collective bargaining |
| Pullman Strike | A strike against the Pullman Company over wage cuts and rents; it showed government siding with business |
| Eugene Debs | A labor leader who supported railway workers; he became a symbol of labor activism |
| Railroad Workers (Chinese, Irish, veterans) | Immigrant and working-class laborers who built and ran railroads; they fueled expansion but faced discrimination |
| White Collar Workers | Office and clerical employees; their growth reflected expanding business and middle-class jobs |
| Expansion of the Middle Class | Growth of managers and professionals; it showed economic and social change in industrial America |
| Factory Wage Workers | Laborers who earned hourly pay in factories; they formed the backbone of industrial production |
| Women and Children Factory Work | Employment of women and children in factories; it provided income but raised reform concerns |
| Laissez-faire Capitalism | A belief in minimal government involvement in business; it allowed rapid growth of big business |
| Concentration of Wealth | Wealth held by a small elite; it increased inequality and criticism of industrial capitalism |
| Social Darwinism | The idea that competition rewards the strongest; it was used to justify inequality |
| Gospel of Wealth | Carnegie’s belief the rich should give back to society; it shaped philanthropy |
| Great American Desert | Early belief that Plains land was unusable; it delayed settlement |
| Buffalo Herds | Bison populations on the Plains; their destruction harmed Native American cultures |
| Great Plains | A large central region of flat land; it became key for farming and ranching |
| Chinese Exclusion Act 1882 | A law banning Chinese immigration; it reflected growing nativism |
| Cattle Drives | Long journeys moving cattle from Texas to railheads; they supported the beef industry and western economy |
| Homestead Act | A law granting 160 acres to settlers who farmed the land; it encouraged western settlement and farming |
| Causes of Indian Wars | Conflict over land, broken treaties, and resource competition; these tensions led to violent clashes between Native Americans and the U.S. government |
| Assimilation | A policy forcing Native Americans to adopt white culture; it aimed to erase tribal identity |
| Little Big Horn | A battle where Lakota and Cheyenne defeated U.S. troops; it became a symbol of Native resistance |
| Dawes Act of 1887 | A law dividing tribal lands into individual plots; it weakened tribal life and led to land loss |
| Ghost Dance Movement | A religious movement promising Native renewal; it frightened U.S. officials and increased repression |
| Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 | A law ending allotment and restoring tribal governments; it reversed some earlier policies |
| Forest Reserve Act of 1891 | A law allowing presidents to set aside forest lands; it marked early conservation efforts |
| Forest Management Act of 1897 | A law regulating use of forest reserves; it balanced conservation and resource use |
| John Muir, Sierra Club | A naturalist who founded the Sierra Club; he promoted wilderness preservation and national parks |
| Agriculture Dominance | Farming as the main livelihood in many regions; it shaped rural culture and politics |
| Tuskegee Institute | A school founded by Booker T. Washington for African Americans; it emphasized vocational education |
| Civil Rights Cases of 1883 | Supreme Court decisions striking down civil rights protections; they allowed segregation |
| Plessy v. Ferguson | A Supreme Court case upholding segregation; it legalized “separate but equal” |
| Jim Crow Laws | State laws enforcing racial segregation; they institutionalized discrimination |
| Literacy Tests, Poll Taxes, Grandfather Clauses | Voting barriers targeting African Americans; they suppressed black political power |
| Lynch Mobs | Groups that carried out extrajudicial killings; they enforced racial terror |
| African American Migration | Movement from rural South to cities; it sought jobs and safety |
| Ida B. Wells | A journalist who exposed lynching; she fought for civil rights |
| Booker T. Washington | An African American educator who promoted vocational training and self-help; he influenced Black education strategy |
| National Grange Movement | A farmers’ organization seeking economic cooperation; it addressed rural problems |
| Granger Laws | State laws regulating railroad rates; they protected farmers from unfair pricing |
| Munn v. Illinois | A Supreme Court case upholding Granger Laws; it supported state regulation |
| Wabash v. Illinois | A Supreme Court case limiting state regulation of railroads; it led to federal oversight |
| Interstate Commerce Commission | A federal agency regulating railroads; it enforced fair practices |
| Ocala Platform of 1890 | A reform platform by Farmers’ Alliances; it influenced Populist ideas |
| Census of 1890 | A census declaring the frontier closed; it signaled an end to westward expansion |
| Frederick Jackson Turner | A historian who argued the frontier shaped American identity; his thesis influenced historical thought |
| Boomtowns | Rapidly growing towns near mines or railroads; they reflected economic opportunity and instability |
| New South | A vision of a modernized, industrialized South after the Civil War; it promoted economic growth but often maintained racial inequality |
| Sharecropping, Tenant Farming | Agricultural systems where farmers worked land for landlords; they trapped many in debt and poverty |
| Old Immigrants vs New Immigrants | Earlier European immigrants vs later Southern/Eastern Europeans; differences caused social tension and discrimination |
| Statue of Liberty | A gift from France symbolizing freedom and opportunity; it became an icon for immigrants arriving in the U.S. |
| Immigration Act of 1882 | A law restricting certain immigrants and imposing a head tax; it reflected rising nativism |
| Ellis Island/Angel Island | Immigration stations in New York and San Francisco; they processed millions of immigrants entering the U.S. |
| Tenements | Crowded, poorly built urban apartments; they highlighted poor living conditions for working-class families |
| Political Machines | Organized urban political groups controlling votes and services; they wielded major local power but often were corrupt |
| Tammany Hall | New York City’s famous political machine; it controlled city politics and patronage for decades |
| Urban Reformers | Activists addressing urban problems like housing and sanitation; they pushed for social and political improvements |
| Jane Addams | A social reformer who founded Hull House; she helped immigrants and promoted social welfare in cities |
| Settlement Houses | Community centers providing education and services to the poor; they supported urban reform and immigrant integration |
| Susan B. Anthony | A leader in the women’s suffrage movement; she fought for women’s right to vote and equal rights |
| Clarence Darrow | A lawyer known for defending labor leaders and controversial cases; he championed civil liberties and progressive causes |
| WEB Du Bois | An African American intellectual and activist; he demanded full civil rights and higher education for Black Americans |
| Mark Twain | A novelist and humorist; he critiqued social issues and captured American life in the Gilded Age |
| Spectator Sports | Organized sports for public viewing; they reflected urban leisure and mass culture growth |
| Mass Circulation of Newspapers | Widely distributed papers using sensationalism; they informed and influenced public opinion |
| Growth of Leisure Time | More free time due to industrial work shifts; it encouraged entertainment, sports, and cultural activities |
| Jazz, Blues, Ragtime | Popular music styles emerging in the late 19th/early 20th centuries; they shaped American culture and reflected African American influence |
| Election of 1880 | Presidential election won by James A. Garfield; it reflected party factionalism and the importance of civil service reform |
| Pendleton Act of 1881 | Law establishing a merit-based system for federal jobs; it reduced patronage and started professionalizing government service |
| Civil Service Reform | Efforts to base government employment on merit rather than connections; it limited corruption and improved efficiency |
| Election of 1884 | Presidential election where Grover Cleveland defeated James G. Blaine; it highlighted political issues like corruption and reform |
| McKinley Tariff of 1890 | A high protective tariff on imports; it benefited industry but angered farmers and consumers |
| Wilson-Gorman Tariff 1890 | A tariff that slightly lowered rates and included an income tax; it aimed to balance industry and public interests |
| Dingley Tariff 1897 | A protective tariff raising import duties; it supported industrial growth and Republican economic policies |
| Rise of the Populist Party | Formation of a political party representing farmers and laborers; it advocated economic reform and challenged elites |
| Farmers Alliances | Organizations of farmers seeking cooperative buying and political reform; they strengthened rural voices in politics |
| Omaha Platform | 1892 Populist Party program calling for economic and political reforms; it demanded silver coinage, railroad regulation, and direct election of senators |
| Panic of 1893 | A severe economic depression caused by railroad overbuilding and bank failures; it led to widespread unemployment, strikes, and political unrest |
| Coxey’s Army, March on Washington | A protest of unemployed workers demanding government jobs; it highlighted social and economic tensions during the Panic of 1893 |
| William Jennings Bryan | A politician and orator who supported free silver and farmers; he became a leading voice for the Populist and Democratic movements |
| Cross of Gold | Bryan’s famous speech advocating bimetallism; it energized the silver movement and national debate over monetary policy |
| Coinage of Silver | Policy to mint silver alongside gold as currency; it aimed to increase money supply and help indebted farmers |
| Gold Standard and higher tariff | Economic policies favoring gold-backed currency and protective tariffs; they benefited industrialists but angered silver supporters |
Created by:
studying2714