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Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and philanthropist. He is widely regarded as one of the richest men in history and the modern age. He acquired his wealth through the advancement of the steel industry and his massive involvement in it through the Carnegie Steel Corporation. In the later years of his life and his business, he devoted his time and money to more philanthropic endeavors, donating nearly $10 billion to charity in his life. -
Nativisim
In response to the waves of immigration in the mid-nineteenth century, Nativists created political parties and tried to limit the rights of immigrants. -
Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers was a founder and the first President of the American Federation of Labor (AFL). He began as a cigar maker with his father, eventually creating AFL. He played a very influential part in American labor movement. He concentrated on collective bargaining with employers and on legislative issues directly affecting the job. -
Eugene V. Debbs
Eugene V. Debs was an American political activist, unionist, and one of the founders of the Industrial Workers of the World. He was also elected for President by the Socialist Party five times. He ran the American Railway Union, and in 1884, he organized the Pullman Strike, which was a nationwide strike that shut down the country's railroads and eventually landed Debs in prison. -
Bessemer Steel Production
The Bessemer "process", named for Sir Henry Bessemer, was the first method discovered for mass-producing steel. It was cheap and effective, removing impurities and allowing this to be done in mass amounts. They use a blast of air to remove the impurities such as carbon, silicon, and more to remove them by oxidation. -
Clarence Darrow
Darrow was an American lawyer, reformist, and an influential member of the American Civil Liberties Union. He was a very good member of the defense counsel, representing clients such as Eugene V. Debs of the Pullman Strike or William Haywood. He represented miners on strike and also worked on issues pertaining to child labor -
Tenement
urban housing developments used by impoverished people, mostly immigrants. Tenements became popular in the late 1800s, and came in all different forms. They were dingy, overcrowded, unsafe places to live -
Jane Addams
an American social worker, social reformer, activist, leader for women's suffrage, and much more. In 1889, she co-founded the Hull House, a community center for the poor, which offered services like concerts, classes, clubs, lectures, etc. She was a prominent figure in the advocacy for the settlement house movement to help the poor -
Knights of Labor
Founded in 1869, the Knights of Labor, or KOL, was the first nationwide industrial union. Its first leader, Uriah Smith Stephens, called it the Noble Order of the Knights of Labor. They were originally a secret organization to protect members from retaliation by their employer. They demanded eight hour work days and also equal pay for women. They also supported the abolition of child labor. -
Political Machines
Political machines were groups in which a boss leads, that had enough votes to maintain control of an area. The most famous of these was Tammany Hall, ran by William Tweed, which was the headquarters for the Democratic Party in New York. They committed fraud, bribery, and rigged elections, eventually swindling the city out of hundreds of millions of dollars. Machines would provide services to people and rewards for their work on campaigns. -
Social Gospel
Social gospel was a "religious social-reform movement" in America beginning in about 1870. They believed people must follow the life of Jesus and connected salvation and humanitarian work. -
The Gilded Age
defined as "an era of rapid economic growth in the North and West", is when millions of immigrants from Europe came to America as wages here were higher than those in Europe especially for people who possessed skin. The term "Gilded Age" came from Mark Twain, as it symbolized things being glittering and flourishing on top but dirty and corrupt underneath. -
Alexander Graham Bell
a Scottish scientist and inventor who created and patented the first telephone in 1876. In 1885, he founded the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, or AT&T, which is still one of the largest telephone corporations in the world. -
Great Railroad Strike of 1877
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 began in West Virginia when the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad cut wages for their workers for the third time. The workers went on strike, prohibiting any trains to move until their wage cut was revoked. The strike spread through states like Maryland, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Illinois, with support numbers in the tens-of-thousands in some cities. -
Upton Sinclair
Sinclair was an American writer with a substantial number of works to his name. In 1906, he published his now famous work, "The Jungle", with the purpose of unveiling the horrible conditions immigrants faced in the meat-packing industry of Chicago. In 1943, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, solidifying his role as a writer in history. In 1906, the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed, which enacted procedures for the inspection meat processing plants and kept from the consumption of bad food -
Settlement House
Settlement houses began in London, and provided services and education the poor workers. They were "reform institutions" and became more well known through the country. IN 1889, Jane Addams and Ellen Gates founded Hull House in Chicago. It operated with the purpose of providing social and educational opportunities for workers in urban Chicago, most of whom were immigrants. -
Robber Barons (Capt. of Industry)
a person who was very rich, but came to be rich under ruthless or unethical means. They were called "Captains of Industry" because of their importance and roles and the way they controlled industries. These were very influential people such as J.P. Morgan, Carnegie, Andrew Mellon, or Rockefeller. -
Populism
emerged in the 1890s to reform the country "from within". The Populist party was formed in 1892. The populists wanted to replace the Democrats as the nation's second party by joining together farmers in the West and South and industrial workers of the East together in an alliance. Populists elected their Presidential candidate with over a million votes, showing their newfound significance -
Sherman Antitrust Act
The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 is a law passed by Congress during the presidency of President Harrison to regulate competition between enterprises. It protects trade and commerce against unlawful restraints or monopolies. Its purpose is to protect the people from market failure and competition within companies. -
Homestead Strike 1892
The Homestead Strike, or Pinkerton rebellion, was a strike that eventually led to a battle between strikers and pinkertons At the Carnegie Steel Company in Homestead, Pennsylvania, manager Henry Clay Frick cut wages so the workers organized a strike. Frick hired 300 pinkertons, who arrived by barge and were then attacked by the strikers. 16 people died with around 8,000 soldiers sent to the strike. -
Susan B Anthony
Susan B. Anthony was an American social reformist and women's rights activist who also occupied a crucial role in the fight for women's suffrage. She also supported the abolition of slavery, and began by fighting for this. She was a successful speaker and leader, founding the American Equal Rights Association with Elizabeth Cady Stanton. When the 14th and 15th amendments passed, they formed the National Women Suffrage Association, traveling the U.S. gathering petitions and spreading her message. -
Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush was the migration of an estimate of 100,000 hopefuls to the Klondike region of Yukon, Canada. Gold was found in the Klondike River in 1896 and this started a massive migration of prospects to the area in hopes of finding gold themselves and becoming rich. The Klondike Gold Rush became on of the greatest gold rushes in history and also one of the biggest. -
Initiative, Referendum, Recall
Initiative, referendum, and recall are the three powers that are reserved to give voters, by petition, to propose or repeal legislation. They could also remove a elected officials from office. Initiative allowed for voters to propose a law for public approval, referendum allowed citizens to place a recently passed law on the ballot to allow voters to approve or reject it, and recall enabled citizens to remove elected officials by calling for special election. -
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States, statesman, and writer. He served as Vice President before the assassination of former President McKinley, becoming the youngest president. He was disliked by the Republican party and believed the wealthy had a "moral obligation" to help the poor. He opposed strong corporate power and working class violence. -
Muckraker
A muckraker was someone in the Progressive Era that was a reform-minded journalist who attacked established institutions and leaders to denounce them as corrupt. Through magazines, the muckrakers would have considerably sized audiences. -
Pure Food and Drug Act
This act prevented the manufacture, sale, and transportation of harmful, misbranded, or poisonous foods, medicines, liquors, and other drugs. This act helped ensure safety of the people and also was the beginning of the current day Food and Drug Administration -
Dollar Diplomacy
Dollar diplomacy is the use of a country's financial power to extend its international influence. -
16th Amendment
The 16th amendment is an important amendment that allows the federal government to collect an income tax from all Americans. Other taxes, such as taxes on houses or other property are considered direct taxes by the Constitution and would have to be divided back among the states. -
Jacob Riis
Danish-American social reformer, "muckraking" journalist and social documentary photographer. He wrote and photographed "How the Other Half Lives" -
18th Amendment
"intoxicating liquors" or alcohol were prohibited, and which were excluded from prohibition (e.g., for medical and religious purposes). -
19th Amendment
made it possible for citizens of every state of the United States to vote regardless of gender. This granted women the right to vote, an issue that had been fought for for decades. Women's suffrage movements effectively received the right to vote and voting equality to men, which they had not had before -
Teapot Dome Scandal
a bribery scandal that involves U.S. President Warren G. Harding. It involved the secret leasing of federal oil reserves. The corrupt politicians involved had received hundreds of thousands of dollars from unknown sources and other benefits. The convicted politicians and influential people involves spent time in prison and became an important image for governmental corruption. -
Ida B. Wells
was an African-American journalist, abolitionist and feminist who led an anti-lynching crusade in the United States in the 1890s. She went on to found and become integral in groups striving for African-American justice.
