Study Notes: Period 6 - The Gilded Age (1865–1898)

Transcontinental Railroads

Railroads that spanned the continent, built with government subsidies, connecting the East and West.

Homestead Act

Legislation offering 160 acres of public land to any citizen who improved it for five years (1862).

Closing of the Frontier

The point at which land suitable for settlement in the West became scarce, changing American identity.

Frederick Jackson Turner

Historian who proposed the Turner Thesis, emphasizing the significance of the frontier in American democracy.

Safety Valve Theory

The idea that free land in the West relieved social pressure in Eastern cities.

The Dawes Severalty Act

1887 law that dismantled tribal land ownership and promoted individual farming among Native Americans.

Carlisle Indian School

A boarding school aimed at assimilating Native American children into white culture.

Ghost Dance Movement

A Native American spiritual movement predicting the return of buffalo and the end of white settlers.

Massacre at Wounded Knee

The 1890 event that marked the end of organized Native American resistance.

Laissez-Faire Capitalism

An economic philosophy advocating minimal government intervention in business.

Taylorism

Scientific management practices introduced by Frederick Taylor to improve worker efficiency.

Vertical Integration

Business strategy where a company controls all stages of production from raw materials to sale.

Horizontal Integration

Business strategy of merging with or acquiring competitors to create a monopoly.

Sherman Antitrust Act

The first federal act prohibiting monopolistic business practices, established in 1890.

Social Darwinism

Application of Darwin's theory of evolution to society, justifying wealth disparity.

The Gospel of Wealth

Andrew Carnegie's belief that the wealthy have an obligation to contribute to the public good.

Knights of Labor

An inclusive labor organization that sought broad social reforms.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

A labor union focused on skilled workers, emphasizing practical gains like better wages and conditions.

Great Railroad Strike of 1877

A national strike prompted by wage cuts that ended with federal intervention.

Haymarket Square Riot

An 1886 labor rally in Chicago that turned violent, leading to the decline of the Knights of Labor.

Homestead Strike

A violent labor conflict at Carnegie's steel plant where private security clashed with strikers.

Pullman Strike

A nationwide railroad strike in 1894 led by Eugene V. Debs, resulting in federal intervention.

New Immigrants

Immigrants who arrived after 1880, mostly from southern and eastern Europe.

Tenements

Overcrowded and unsanitary apartment buildings where many immigrants lived.

Jacob Riis

Muckraker who exposed the harsh living conditions of the urban poor in his work.

Settlement Houses

Community centers aimed at helping immigrants acclimate to American life.

Political Machines

Corrupt organized groups that controlled political parties in cities.

Jim Crow Laws

State laws enforcing racial segregation and disenfranchisement in the South.

Plessy v. Ferguson

The 1896 Supreme Court case that legitimized 'separate but equal' facilities.

Booker T. Washington

African American leader who advocated for economic self-help and vocational training.

W.E.B. Du Bois

African American leader demanding immediate civil rights and higher education for the African American community.

The Populist Movement

A political movement primarily composed of farmers advocating for economic reforms in the late 19th century.

The Omaha Platform

The Populist Party's 1892 proposal advocating for direct election of Senators and other reforms.

Free Silver

The movement to allow the unlimited coinage of silver to create inflation and raise crop prices.

William Jennings Bryan

Populist candidate known for his 'Cross of Gold' speech opposing the gold standard.

William McKinley

Republican candidate who favored big business and high tariffs, winning the election of 1896.

Patronage

The practice of granting government jobs to political supporters.

Pendleton Civil Service Act

1883 law establishing a merit-based system for federal employment.

Munn v. Illinois

The Supreme Court case that upheld the right of states to regulate businesses serving public interests.

Wabash v. Illinois

The ruling that limited states' rights to regulate interstate commerce.

Crop Lien System

A credit system where farmers borrowed supplies secured by a lien on future crops.

Disenfranchisement

The stripping of voting rights from African Americans in Southern states.

Poll Taxes

Fees charged to voters that were used to disenfranchise poor Black voters.

Literacy Tests

Difficult exams designed to prevent many African Americans from voting.

Grandfather Clauses

Laws that allowed individuals to bypass literacy tests if their ancestors had voted before 1867.

Atlanta Compromise

Booker T. Washington's speech advocating for African American economic self-reliance.

Talented Tenth

W.E.B. Du Bois's concept that the top ten percent of educated African Americans should lead the race.

Corruption in Gilded Age Politics

The pervasive political corruption characterized by patronage and graft in politics during the late 19th century.