Chapter 20 Key Terms (APUSH)

Anthracite Coal Strike

Also known as the Coal Strike of 1902, this strike occurred in eastern Pennsylvania at an anthracite coal mine. The coal miners wanted higher wages, shorter workdays, and also the ability to participate in a union. Since anthracite coal was stronger and more important to society than soft coal, President Roosevelt stepped in to resolve the problem before it turned into a crisis, marking the first time that the federal government stepped in as a neutral mediator.

William Jennings Bryan

Bryan was the famous orator who delivered the debatably best speech in American history, called the Cross of Gold. However, Bryan was soon criticized for both his use of religious symbols for political purposes and his supposed support for anarchy and revolution.

Coxey's Army

Coxey's army was an organization of jobless men that peacefully marched on Washington DC in 1894, led by Jacob Coxey, who wanted the US government to hire all the unemployed to fix the nation's roads. During the time, Coxey was viewed as dangerous and a reason for the political upheaval, and he even got arrested in DC, but his intentions foreshadow the New Deal in the 1930's.

Eugene Debs

Eugene Debs was the socialist candidate for president in the 1912 election, and also the founder of the American Railway Union, which attempted an important strike that failed, resulting in Debs' imprisonment. Event though Debs had a very minor amount of supporters, mostly drawing from the west, his role in politics remained persistent.

Ida B. Wells

Ida B Wells was a civil reformer during the late 1800's who specifically wanted to expose the horrors of lynching in the South. She gained some fame when she was thrown from a train for sitting in a section reserved for whites in 1887, and she also published a pamphlet on lynching and how horrible it is. She's also important because she did the same thing as Rosa Parks, known today as one of the most important civil rights leaders, except nearly 80 years earlier.

Florence Kelley

In 1889, Kelley was a Hull House worker, and also a former factory inspector, but more importantly he was the head of the recently founded National Consumer's League (NCL). Believing that only the government could oversight exploited workers, Kelley led the NCL to strongly advocating for protective legislation, with their best win in the court case, Muller vs Oregon (1908), which restricted women's working hours.

Jim Crow

Jim Crow Laws segregated whites and blacks in many accommodations, and tried to limit the rights of black men as much as possible; these laws were sequels to the Black Codes. Some of the Jim Crow Laws forced poll taxes and literacy tests to try to prevent black people from casting their votes. Probably the most important event that happened in favor for the Jim Crow Laws was the Plessy v Ferguson (1896) Supreme Court decision, which ruled "separate, but equal" to be ok, which allowed for more segregation.

New Freedom

New Freedom was named and invented by Woodrow Wilson as a result of the growing economic gaps between the elites commanding the big businesses and the workers. According to Wilson the "time of individual competition is probably gone", meaning it was nearly impossible around 1912 for a poor worker to climb the ladder up to great wealth, and so he proposed restricting big business to help the little guy. However, along with republicans and the progressives, Wilson's new democratic party failed to appease to African Americans, which would discourage blacks for voting for them.

Plessy v Ferguson

Plessy v Ferguson (1896) was probably the most important Supreme Court decision in the surrounding decades, and it approved the Jim Crow Laws of segregation. Homer Plessy was arrested for being in the "white" train car in Louisiana, and the supreme court judged that "separate but equal" was ok. This decision was very important as it gave racial discrimination the stamp of approval, which would last for another 70 years.

Bull Moose Party

The "Bull Moose Party" was the nickname of Roosevelt's Progressive Party during the election of 1912. This name was given as a result of Roosevelt's combative stance on his platform. Because of his support for women's rights, Roosevelt's new party earned the name, "The American exponent of a world-wide movement for juster social conditions" from his friend Jane Addams. The Progressive Party wasn't the only new party that rose from the ashes during the 1912 election; the socialist party was led by Eugene debs, although it was not very successful.

Bully Pulpit

The "Bully Pulpit" was a term coined by Teddy Roosevelt referring to the position of being president. Back then, "bully" meant something terrific, so was defining the presidency as a terrific platform to advocate and speak out on an agenda. The term shows how being president or another important politician granted you ample authority to assert your points, and it is still occasionally used today.

Square Deal

The "Square Deal" was the platform on which Teddy Roosevelt used to defeat Democrat Alton Parker in the 1904 Presidential election. The square deal was based on conservation of natural resources, control of corporations, and consumer protection, which he promised to every American. This helped him win, which allowed him to ramp up his attack on trusts.

Cross of Gold Speech

The Cross of Gold Speech was delivered by William Jennings Bryan in the late 1800's, and it is seen by some as the greatest speech delivered in political history. However, to his Republican critics, he was viewed as an anarchist, who wanted a revolution. In the comic displayed in the textbook, Bryan is also accused for using the religious symbols of the cross and the crown of thorns for his political purposes.

Farmer's Alliance

The Farmer's Alliance played a big role in shaping politics in the 1890's, especially when they joined with the Knights of Labor. When politicians in Kansas promised but didn't do anything for the Farmers, they organized and captured 4/5 of the Kansas legislature, and, when several other states' legislatures were won by the farmers, the Populist party was formed.

Federal Reserve Act

The Federal Reserve Act, passed in 1913, was designed to give banks more resistance to panics and depressions, so that the system would not collapse even more. Before hand, some New York private banks acted as the backers for other commercial banks, but if they failed so did the whole system, which almost happened in 1907. So to counter this, Wilson, using the Federal Reserve Act, created twelve district reserve banks funded and controlled by the Federal Reserve.

Grange Movement

The Grange was an organization for farmers that developed soon after the Civil War, with the help of Oliver Kelley. After seeing how desolate and outdated the Southern planters were, Kelley created the Grange to unite Northern and Southern farmers, and give them more powers and rights. The Grange movement was an important part of forming the Farmer's Alliance, which was the main component of the Populist Party.

Hepburn Act

The Hepburn Act was pushed through Congress by Roosevelt, after winning the 1904 election, in 1906. The Act enabled the Interstate Commerce Commission to set shipping rates on railways. This act was Roosevelt's reaction against very wealthy people who abused their power, even though he promoted large-scale enterprise.

Muller v Oregon

The Muller v Oregon (1908) supreme court decision was the most important triumph for the National Consumer's League and for women's reform. The decision upheld the Oregon law that limited women to a ten hour workday, with the help of Jewish lawyer, Louis Brandeis. However this decision also had some drawbacks on women's rights, as it classified women into its own class because of their maternal functions.

Pendelton Act

The Pendleton Act was passed in 1883 by Congress, as a reaction towards the believed motive of the assassination of President Garfield. The Pendleton act started the Civil Service Commission, which required federal jobs to be filled by examination. At first, this law only applied to certain federal jobs, but it soon grew and applied to nearly all government jobs and jobs all over the nation; it was a way to finally get rid of the Spoils System.

Populist Party Platform

The Populist Party gained power in 1892, when it won the legislatures of four western states to formally create the National People's Party. The Populist party called for a stronger state to protect the ordinary people, especially the farmers and union workers, as it was formed by the conjunction of the Farmer's Alliance and the Knights of Labor. The Populist party was important in the 1890's as one of the quickest growing parties that specifically supports the common man, though the party soon met difficulty with economic crises.

Clayton Anti-trust Act

This act, passed in 1914, made illegal practices more flexible, saying these practices depended on whether they "lessened competition or created a monopoly". This act was passed by the Pres. Woodrow Wilson and his democratic congress, in order to make more efficient the free market.