Gilded Age EOC Review

Factors Eroding Native American Control of the West

-Forced Removal -Flood of settlers -Warfare -Destruction of Natural Environment (Buffalo)

Andrew Carnegie

-Fostered the Gospel of Wealth -Steel production in Pittsburgh -Had iron ore fields, coal mines, steel mills. -A philanthropist who gave to libraries.

Government Attitude towards Unions

-Government had anti-union bias. -Many in government saw unions as driving up the cost of goods.

Problems with Crowded Cities

-Inadequate public services -Transportation -Overcrowding -Social Tensions

Contribution of Government on the Rise of American Industry

-Protection of property and contracts. -Passing of protective tariffs. -System of patents fostered new inventions. -Favored big business signficiantly

Homestead Act

1862 law that gave 160 acres of land to citizens who met certain requirements and paid a small fee

"Gilded Age" Dates

1965-1900

Corporation

A company chartered by a state and recognized in law as a separate "person" or entity

Monopoly

A company having complete control over the supply of a product or service.

Entrepreneur

A person (or small group) who starts a business in the hope of making a profit.

Shareholder

A person who owns "stock" in a corporation.

Closed Shops

Businesses where only union members could be hired

Municipal

City Government

Indian Wars

Conflicts during the Gilded Age between settlers and Native Americans (Wounded Knee, Sand Creek Massacre, Little Big Horn)

Political Boss

Corrupt city governments officials promising to provide services and jobs in exchange for votes.

Dawes Severalty Act

Divided reservation into individual plots, each family received 160 acres to farm hoping to establish pride in ownership; also placed Native American children into schools to Americanize them

Interstate Commerce Commission

Established to enforce the Interstate Commerce Act

Klondike Gold Rush

In 1896 miners were attracted to the area by discovery of precious metals

Free Enterprise System

Individuals are free to produce and sell whatever they wish; they are also free to buy and use whatever they can afford. Individuals therefore enjoy the freedom of making their own economic decisions.

Alexander Graham Bell

Invented the telephone

Haymarket Affair of 1886

Labor leaders were blamed when a bomb exploded during a demonstration of striking workers at Haymarket Square in Chicago. Seven policemen were killed and 67 others were severely wounded.

Ellis Island

Large government center in New York where most immigrants were processed into the US

Boss Tweed

Leader of Tammany Hall the most notorious political machine designed to keep Democrats in control of New York City;Manipulated New York politics for his own benefit, often overpaying himself on construction projects and land sales, stealing millions from the city.

Americanization

Learning to dress, speak and act like other Americans

Frontier

Line between areas of settlement and those areas dominated by nature and Native Americans

Gilded Age Conditions of Labor

Long hours, low wages, poor working conditions, boring repetitive tasks, unskilled, child labor, lack of job security

Cyrus McCormick's Reaper

Machine that cut and bundled grain, contributed to a reduction in farm jobs and the movement of people to cities

American Indian Citizens Act

Made all indians citizens of the United States

John D. Rockefeller

Made his fortune in the oil industry; founded the Standard Oil Company in 1870, which by 1879 would control 90% of the oil refining in the U.S.; his company became a "trust" in which he controlled the largest portion of shares; was forced to dissolve his company when it obtained a stranglehold on the oil industry.

Bessemer Process

Made the production of steel more economical; went from taking 1 day to make 5 tons of steel down to 15 minutes.

New immigrants

Mostly from Southern and Eastern europe; mostly Catholic and Jewish

Cattle Drive

Movement by cowboys of cattle to rail stations in the north to connect to markets in the east

"Melting pot"

Name for America because it was a place in which immigrants were "melted" down and reshaped.

"Robber Barons"

Negative name for Gilded Age entrepreneurs who were blamed for using ruthless tactics to destroy competition and keep workers' wages low.

Ghettos

Neighborhoods made up of people of similiar nationality, language and cultural similarities

Thomas Edison

Nicknamed the "Wizard of Menlo Park"; Produced the first effective electric lightbulb

"Push" Factors

Oppression, poverty, war, religious/ethnic persecution

Unions

Organization of workers who act as a group rather than individuals to gain better working conditions, wages, etc.

"Captains of Industry"

Positive name for Gilded Age entrepreneurs who were credited with forging the modern industrial economy.

Immigration

Primary reason for the growth in U.S. cities by the early 1900 doubling the number of US cities with population in excess of 500,000.

Assimilation

Process by which people of one culture merge into and become part of another culture.

Philanthropy

The desire to promote the welfare of others, expressed especially by the generous donation of money to good causes.

Urbanization

The movement of people from the countryside to towns and cities.

Terrence Powderly

Under his leadership the Knights of Labor grew rapidly in the 1880's.

Political Machine

Unofficial city organization designed to keep a party in power usually led by single boss.

Strikes

Work stoppage by a mass refusal of employees to work.

Jacob Riis

Wrote "How THe Other Halfs Live" describing the deplorable conditions of the cities

Nativists

those "born" or "native" to the United States, wanted to restrict immigration.

Electricity in Factories

Allowed for a longer work day

Gospel of Wealth

An article written by Andrew Carnegie in June of 1889 that describes the responsibility of philanthropy by the new upper class of self-made rich. Carnegie proposed that the best way of dealing with the new phenomenon of wealth inequality was for the wealthy to redistribute their surplus means in a responsible and thoughtful manner.

Steerage

An open room below the water line of a ship, when many immigrants had to ride with many of their life's belongings in a single bag.

Great Plains

Area of the country settled by farmers brought to the area from the east by the Trans. RR

Nativism

Favoring native born Americans over immigrants; this group wanted to restrict immigration during the Gilded Age

Chinese Exclusion Act

First federal law restricting Asian immigration to the United States.

Transcontinental Railroad

First railroad to connect from coast to coast; met at Promontory Point, Utah; cut the journey from coast to coast from several months to a few weeks

Knights of Labor

Formed in 1869, hoped to create a single national union by joining together all skilled and unskilled workers. They demanded an 8-work day, higher wages, and safety codes in factories. Opposed child labor and supported equal pay for women. They also supported immigration, since they saw immigrants as competitors for their jobs.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

Founded in 1881 by Samual Gompers, consisted of separate unions of skilled workers which had joined together into a federation; the participating craft unions limited their memberships to skilled workers such as carpenters and cigar makers; goals included higher pay, 8-hour work day, and better working conditions, fought hard for "closed shops" which were places where only union members could be hired

"Pull" Factors

Freedom, economic opportunity, cultural ties

Steam Engine/Steam Power

Help drive Gilded Age industrialization; led to a boom in the coal industry.

Tenements

Single room apartments often without heating, lighting or sewage

Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890)

The purpose of this federal law was to stop monopolies engaging in unfair practices that prevented fair competition; was even used to limit the actions of unions claiming they were illegal combinations trying to restrain trade.

Demography

The study of population

Laissez-faire

The theory that the government should not interfere in the operation of the free market; this was the predominant economic belief of the Gilded Age

Interstate Commerce Act (1887)

This federal law prohibited unfair practices by railroads, such as charging higher rates for shorter routes; first time that Congress stepped in to regulate business in America.