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Urbanization
Urbanization is people being apart of cities or towns and expanding on those cities and towns, making them larger for more people. Urbanization was sparked by the Industrial Revolution. Urbanizing made it more convenient for everyone to get to work, stores, food, etc. -
Third Parties Politics
Any party contending for votes that failed to outpoll either of two other parties. Normally third party candidates are the same every year and never seem to grow. For example, the two biggest in the United States is Republicans and Democrats, third party normally includes Libertarian but they never seem to grow or be close. Elections in the U.S. started in 1792 so I guess that's when they had their first third party. -
Political Machines
It is the when people do what he can to maintain control of a city, county, state. It made it very easy to do this because of all the immigrants coming to America to where I could be apart of this "machine" and I can help someone out in exchange they vote for me or help me out in the polls. Even though political machines had selfish intentions it did help a lot with city governments to centralize authority. For example, improving facilities, services, etc. Started in New York, 1823. -
Indian Removal
Signed by President Andrew Jackson giving the President right to grant unsettled lands west of Mississippi in exchange for Indian lands. Some tribes went peacefully and many others fought back. During the fall and winter of 1838-1839 over 4000 Cherokee died from the force march also know as "Trail of Tears". -
Manifest Destiny
Was the belief that God wanted, and Americans were destined to have all the land from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts. Was spread everywhere through propaganda. It persuaded many people to actually take initiative to move and also was a way to kind of wipe out the Indians. They would give people land for little pay and ask for them to take out the Indians. -
Suffrage
Suffrage is the fight for equality such as the right to vote, be of same rank and equal opportunity as others, etc. Suffrage was a problem and still is a problem in today's society. Many say some racial groups don't have equal opportunity and same goes for females, many say females still don't get equal rights to men. I guess you could say suffrage has always been a problem but The Women's Suffrage Movement "started" in 1848. A movement that was very popular in understanding suffrage. -
Nativism
Is the policy that focusses on the people who were here first rather than the people who came over. An example would be when the Irish came over for the potatoes in the mid 1800s, their right to vote was prohibited based on them not being there first. Another example being in the mid 19th century when a strong sentiment against Catholics because they were Roman Catholics from another country. Other examples, Ku Klux Klan, Know-Nothing Party. Big in 20th Century. -
Homestead Act
Basically made to make people expand westward. Also was in place to help push the Indians further and further away. Basically for a $10 fee someone could get as much as 160 acres of land. If that person "improved the land" meaning farmed, built a house, etc. they got that title for 5 years. It was very hard work but it was worth it to many. -
Susan B. Anthony
Was an American social reformer and women's rights activist and played a gigantic and important role in not only women's rights but also equality. She has founded lots and lots of important association's and league's but one of the most important and impactful was the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1869. She made hundreds of speeches per year and was kind of "credited" for the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote. She was a super important advocate for women's rights. -
Industrialization
Industrialization is making lots and lots of industries (factories that process raw materials and manufacture goods) in a country or region. Became huge after the Civil War when value of American goods sky-rocketed. This led to an industrialized nation and people moving to the city in record numbers. Totally changed the way of American life and to this day we are still kind of based on industrialization. -
The Gilded Age
Was an era of rapid economic growth. Wages were a lot higher, especially for skilled workers, which led to lots and lots of European immigrants. It was also an era of poverty and inequality because millions of immigrants came in and those who didn't get jobs were very poor and some treated unfairly. Some major industries during this time were railroads, mining, factory systems, etc. -
Civil Service Reform
Is a law that ensures that government positions are earned fairly rather than people getting them because of their connection to another politician. Made it illegal to fire or demote government officials for political reasons. Also crucial for Presidential race in that people don't just win their parties based on who they know they have to earn it fairly. -
Haymarket Riot
Was a labor protest in Chicago's Haymarket Square that turned into a riot when someone threw a bomb at the police resulting in 8 people dying. Was viewed as a setback of the organized labor movement because 8 labor activists were accused with little to no evidence. Protests at the time were very common but this one stood out because the activists were accused with lack of evidence, showing that it seemed like people were really trying to stop the movement. -
Clarence Darrow
Known for all of the super important cases he was apart of. He obviously is a super famous lawyer but also public speaker and debater. His first ever lawyer case was in 1887 defending anarchists in the Haymarket Riot. Some of the people he defended included Eugene V. Debs, striking minors, McNamara brothers, defended a high school teacher who was in trouble for teaching the Darwinian theory of evolution. Darrow was lawyer in many important cases and was well known for his lawyer talents. -
Dawes Act
Federal law that attempted to break up the reservation. They surveyed Indian lands and divided it into allotments for individual Indians. Those who accepted allotments and lived separately from the tribe would be granted U.S. citizenship. They wanted Indians to change and be like white's. Was unsuccessful and basically just ended up taking land and separating families and tribes. -
Jane Addams
Won worldwide recognition in the twentieth century as a social worker, feminist, and a internationalist. Mrs. Addams and Miss Starr created the Hull House which purpose was to provide education, socializing, shelter, etc. to as many kids as they could. By the second year they had over thousands of kids there. This eventually led her to bigger things like being elected to Chicago's Board of Education in 1905. She also helped the finding of the Chicago School of Civics. -
Muckraker
Used a lot during the Progressive Era to attack Political Machines, Corporate Monopolies, etc. Basically American journalists who wrote about these people. They tried to make people aware of the problems such as urban poverty, child labor, unsafe working conditions, etc. They wanted problems to change so they made people aware so they could make a change. -
Initiative & Referendum
The process of initiative and referendum allowed citizens of U.S. states to place new laws on a popular ballot. Or you could place laws that have been recently passed by a legislature on a ballot for a popular vote. Initiative and referendum were signature reforms of the Progressive Era. -
Populism & Progressivism
Progressivism was basically the problems that arose from the industrialization era. Started as a social movement and became political. Started in 1890, an example being that we eventually led to children working which is not okay, etc. Populism refers to like "the elites" or more wealthier people and the common people. Basically talks about how power should be distributed throughout everyone rather than a small, wealthier group. -
William Jennings Bryan
Was Member of the U.S. House of Representatives for four years. He was a huge democrat and won his party 3 times but lost the Presidential Election in all 3 years. Was awarded cabinet position in 1912 when a democrat finally did win the election in Woodrow Wilson. Though Bryan resigned because he did not want to be apart of World War I whatsoever. He was still active in the community by helping Wilson be re-elected and a big part of Florida real estate boom in the 1920s. -
Ida B. Wells
Was an African American journalist and activist who led anti-lynching crusade in the U.S. in the 1890s. Wells always believed that the racism needed to stop but what hit her the hardest was lynching. Her 3 friends were murdered before they could even go to trial due to lynching and none of the white people involved got in trouble. This led to her eventual studies of lynching and writing numerous papers and making speeches over the cruelty and wrongfulness of lynching. She also was part in NAACP. -
Andrew Carnegie
Was one of the wealthiest men in the United States. He decided he wanted to invest in steel companies and ultimately founded one of the most successful steel companies of all time. The company was named the Carnegie Steel Company. -
Eugene V. Debs
Was a huge part in labor movements. Was instrumental in the founding of the American Railway Union. When workers at the Pullman Palace Car Company organized a strike, Debs did the same for his people apart of the Union and it became widespread. He later was sentenced 6 months in prison. He also was a very well known and influential socialist. He was also 5 times the candidate of the Socialist Party of America for President. -
Klondike Gold Rush
Was a migration of about 100,000 people to the Klondike Region of the Yukon when in 1896 some minors struck gold. When word spread, in 1897 a stampede of people came roaring up into Canada. Like normal most didn't strike and gold and like normal there was a boom town made because of the minors. It finally ended in 1899 when no one found gold in a long time. -
Theodore Roosevelt
Became the 26th President when William McKinley was assassinated. He kind of had previous experience being the mayor of New York City, President of the New York City Board of Police Commissioners, and assistant secretary of the U.S. Navy. Roosevelt brought a lot of stability and kind of changed the public image of Presidency. He created successful policy's and tried to calm down the American Society. -
Upton Sinclair
An American writer who wrote almost 100 books and other works in several different genres. His work was crucial in teaching the average citizen a lot about stuff they would't know otherwise. For example, his book The Jungle published in 1906 exposed the gross and unsanitary conditions of the meat packing industry causing a huge uproar from citizens. He also wrote many more that taught a lot about America in general. -
Pure Food and Drug Act
An act that makes sure that food, drinks, and drugs are produced and manufactured in sanitary conditions so people aren't putting anything gross or harmful into their mouths. So now people must wear gloves, tie their hair back, wash hands, have clean facilities, etc. This also made sure people can't lie about their product so people can buy it. For example, they can't give you a huge piece of chocolate and say it's 50 calories and no sugar. -
Dollar Diplomacy
The goal of it was to create stability by going to other countries and promote American commercial interests. Also to use private capital to further U.S. interests. An example was Knox secured a banking company and also the construction of a railway in China. It was successful but it didn't do it's goal which was to create stability in the U.S. economy. -
Federal Reserve Act
Intended to form a more stable economy in the U.S. through banks. It is probably one of the if not the most influential laws concerning the U.S. financial system. The act gave banks the right to print money to ensure economic stability. It created the dual mandate to maximize employment and keep inflation low. Major influence on available credit and interest rates in the U.S. Was an act put in place to try to stabilize the financials. -
16th Amendment
Allows Congress to give an income tax without dividing it among the states. This amendment gets rid of income taxes from the constitutional requirements regarding direct taxes. After income taxes on rents, dividends, and interest were ruled direct taxes in the Pollock court case so this ensures we don't get additional taxes on top of taxes. -
17th Amendment
Amendment says the senators are elected directly from the people. There are 2 senators per state to represent that state. The senators must serve for 6 years and get one electoral vote. -
18th Amendment
Was the prohibition of alcoholic beverages in the U.S. It declared the production, transport, and sale of alcohol as illegal. The Volstead Act set methods to make sure orders were being followed. The idea of getting rid of it came from Anti-Saloon League said that alcohol would end poverty and social issues such as violence and immoral behavior. -
19th Amendment
The Amendment says votes shall not be denied based on the account of sex, saying that women now have the right to vote. This was huge especially for the Women's Suffrage Movement. Women have been struggling for equality and getting the right to vote was a huge win for the women. And well deserved, they deserve every right to vote. -
Tea Pot Dome Scandal
Basically a Secretary (Albert Fall) accepted bribes from oil companies in exchange for exclusive rights to drill on federal land. The drilling site was near a tea-shaped outcrop in Wyoming. Was the first time a U.S. cabinet official served jail time for a felony committed in office. It shocked many Americans by revealing the level of greed and corruption within the government. Examples include poker-playing politicians, illegal liquor sales, etc. Very surprising to many Americans. -
Immigration & the American Dream
The American Dream was the idea that every U.S. citizen has an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, etc. American Dream was coined in 1931 in the book The Epic of America. Immigration is when people from other countries move to your country to live there permanently. The U.S. has been immigrating grounds since Christopher Columbus came over in 1492. People still to this day immigrate to the U.S. and it is a huge topic of today's society.
