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Robber Barons (Captains of Industry)
The Robber Barons amassed wealth and power during the period of intense economic and industrial growth following the American Civil War. -
Industrialization
By typical measurements, such as income per capita or labor productivity, industrialization can be considered the most important economic development in human history. The major industrial shifts in Western economies occurred during the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries. -
Nativism
Created a sense for the so called "Native Americans", or people born in America, that they had racial superiority over the influx of immigrants. "Native Americans" were fearful that immigrants were going to take their jobs, bring in foreign cultures and sell their vote to elect politicians that wouldn't protect their own business interests. -
Bessemer Steel Production
The Bessemer process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass production of steel from molten pig iron before the development of the open hearth furnace. The key principle is removal of impurities from the iron by oxidation with air being blown through the molten iron. -
Andrew Carnegie
Scottish-born Andrew Carnegie was an American industrialist who amassed a fortune in the steel industry then became a major philanthropist. Carnegie worked in a Pittsburgh cotton factory as a boy before rising to the position of division superintendent of the Pennsylvania Railroad. -
Tenement
Many tenements began as single-family dwellings, and many older structures were converted into tenements by adding floors on top or by building more space in rear-yard areas. With less than a foot of space between buildings, little air and light could get in. -
Susan B. Anthony
Devoted to the women's right movement; made speeches and organized state and national conventions on women's rights; collected signatures for a petition to grant women the right to vote and own property -
The Gilded Age
A name for the late 1800s, coined by Mark Twain (sarcastically because of the corruption) to describe the tremendous increase in wealth caused by the industrial age and the ostentatious lifestyles it allowed the very rich. The great industrial success of the U.S. and the fabulous lifestyles of the wealthy hid the many social problems of the time, including a high poverty rate, a high crime rate, and corruption in the government. -
Alexander Graham Bell
A year later Bell moved to the United States, where he taught speech to deaf students. While in the U.S. Bell invented and/or improved a number of electrical technologies. He is best remembered as the inventor of the telephone. Learn more about Bell's most famous invention, the telephone. -
Settlement House
Its main object was the establishment of "settlement houses" in poor urban areas, in which volunteer middle-class "settlement workers" would live, hoping to share knowledge and culture with, and alleviate the poverty of, their low-income neighbors. -
Samuel Gompers
The American labor leader Samuel Gompers was the most significant person in the history of the American labor movement (the effort of working people to improve their lives by forming organizations called unions). He founded and served as the first president of the American Federation of Labor. -
Clarence Darrow
Darrow stunned the prosecution when he had his clients plead guilty in order to avoid a vengeance-minded jury and place the case before a judge. The trial, then, was actually a long sentencing hearing in which Darrow contended, with the help of expert testimony, that Leopold and Loeb were mentally diseased. -
Haymarket Riot
A labor protest rally near Chicago's Haymarket Square turned into a riot after someone threw a bomb at police. At least eight people died as a result of the violence that day. Despite a lack of evidence against them, eight radical labor activists were convicted in connection with the bombing. -
Interstate Commerce Act
With this act, the railroads became the first industry subject to Federal regulation. In 1887 Congress passed the Interstate Commerce Act, making the railroads the first industry subject to Federal regulation. Congress passed the law largely in response to public demand that railroad operations be regulated. -
Jane Addams
Jane Addams was an advocate of immigrants, the poor, women, and peace. Author of numerous articles and books, she founded the first settlement house in the United States. Her best-known book, Twenty Years at Hull House, was about the time she spent at the settlement house. -
Jacob Riis
American newspaper reporter, social reformer, and photographer who, with his book How the Other Half Lives, shocked the conscience of his readers with factual descriptions of slum conditions in New York City. -
Sherman Antitrust Act
The Sherman Anti-Trust Act was the first Federal act that outlawed monopolistic business practices. The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 was the first measure passed by the U.S. Congress to prohibit trusts. -
Ida B. Wells
Was an African-American journalist, abolitionist and feminist who led an anti-lynching crusade in the United States. She went on to found and become integral in groups striving for African-American justice. -
Labor Strikes (Great Railroad Strike 1877, Homestead Strike 1892, Pullman Strike 1894)
Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike, or simply strike, is a work stoppage, caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became common during the Industrial Revolution, when mass labor became important in factories and mines. -
William Jennings Bryan
He starred at the Democratic convention with his Cross of Gold speech that favored free silver, but was defeated in his bid to become U.S. president by William McKinley. -
Klondike Gold Rush
The discovery of gold in the Yukon in 1896 led to a stampede to the Klondike region between 1897 and 1899. This led to the establishment of Dawson City (1896) and subsequently, the Yukon Territory (1898). -
Initiative, Referendum, Recall
Initiative, referendum, and recall are three powers reserved to enable the voters, by petition, to propose or repeal legislation or to remove an elected official from office. Proponents of an initiative, referendum, or recall effort must apply for an official petition serial number from the Town Clerk. -
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt became president after William McKinley was shot. Roosevelt was open to Progressive calls for reform and brought attention to Progressive issues at the national level. His activist political agenda expanded the role of the presidency and increased government regulation of economic affairs. -
Pure Food and Drug Act
For preventing the manufacture, sale, or transportation of adulterated or misbranded or poisonous or deleterious foods, drugs, medicines, and liquors, and for regulating traffic therein, and for other purposes. -
Upton Sinclair
Upton Sinclair's grim The Jungle is that its publication aroused much public sentiment, which then led to federal legislation such as the Pure Food and Drug Act and improvements in working conditions for meat packers and other factory workers. -
Federal Reserve Act
The Federal Reserve Act was enacted in response to a series of financial crises that occurred in 1907. The intent of the act was to create a degree of financial stability. The act empowers the Fed to regulate and supervise banks and to develop and implement monetary policy. -
16th Amendment
The 16th amendment is an important amendment that allows the federal (United States) government to levy (collect) an income tax from all Americans. Income tax allows for the federal government to keep an army, build roads and bridges, enforce laws and carry out other important duties. -
17th Amendment
17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators. Americans did not directly vote for senators for the first 125 years of the Federal Government. The Constitution, as it was adopted, stated that senators would be elected by state legislatures. -
Dollar Diplomacy
President William Howard Taft's foreign policy was called 'Dollar Diplomacy'. Taft sought to address international problems by extending American investment overseas, believing that such activity would both benefit the US economy and promote stability abroad. -
Muckraker
Muckraking journalists successfully exposed America's problems brought on by rapid industrialization and growth of cities. Influential muckrakers created public awareness of corruption, social injustices and abuses of power. -
Social Gospel
A religious movement that arose during the second half of the nineteenth century. Ministers, especially ones belonging to the Protestant branch of Christianity, began to tie salvation and good works together. They argued that people must emulate the life of Jesus Christ. -
Eugene V. Debs
Eugene Victor Debs was an American socialist, political activist, trade unionist, one of the founding members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or the Wobblies), and five times the candidate of the Socialist Party of America for President of the United States. -
18th Amendment
It is important to note that the 18th Amendment did not prohibit the consumption of alcohol, but rather simply the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcoholic beverages. -
Populism and Progressivism
Populist Movement, in U.S. history, politically oriented coalition of agrarian reformers in the Middle West and South that advocated a wide range of economic and political legislation in the late 19th century. The main objective of the Progressive movement was eliminating corruption in government. The movement primarily targeted political machines and their bosses. -
19th Amendment
The 19th amendment is a very important amendment to the constitution as it gave women the right to vote. -
Labor Unions (Knights of Labor, American Federation of Labor, & Industrial Workers of the World)
Labor unions represent employees in a variety of industries. There are manufacturer unions, professional service unions and many other varieties. They work to protect their body of employees, control employment opportunities and negotiate both safe working conditions and reasonable wages for workers. -
Tea Pot Dome Scandal
ecretary of the Interior (Albert Fall) leased government land in California and at Teapot Dome, Wyoming to 2 oil executives- Fall became the first Cabinet official to be sent to prison -
Political Machines
One of the most infamous of these political machines was Tammany Hall, the Democratic Party machine that played a major role in controlling New York City and New York politics and helping immigrants, most notably the Irish, rise up in American politics
