Gilded Age, Gilded Age, The Gilded Age
Interstate Commerce Act
1887 Act which required railroads to publish rates, forbade discrimination against shippers, and outlawed charging more for short haul than for a long one over the same line.
Andrew Carnegie
A Scottish-born American industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Carnegie Steel Company in 1892. By 1901, his company dominated the American steel industry.
corporation
A business owned by stockholders who share in its profits but are not personally responsible for its debts.
entrepreneur
A person who organizes, manages, and takes on the risks of a business.
Bessemer Process
A process created to produce large quantities of steel; the blasting of air through molten iron to produce high quality steel.
transcontinental railroad
A train route across the United States, finished in 1869. It was the project of two railroad companies: the Union Pacific built from the east, and the Central Pacific built from the west. The two lines met in Utah. The Central Pacific laborers were predominantly Chinese, and the Union Pacific laborers predominantly Irish. Both groups often worked under harsh conditions.
Thomas Edison
American inventor best known for inventing the electric light bulb, acoustic recording on wax cylinders, and motion pictures.
Chinese exclusionary Act of 1882
Chester A. Arthur banned Chinese immigrants for ten years. Chinese couldnt become citizens. Yearly limit of 105 Chinese each year. https://o.quizlet.com/tcCzHKwTK5E4htSRyXQE8Q_m.jpg
monopoly
Complete control of a product or business by one person or group; a market in which there are many buyers but only one seller.
"Gospel of Wealth" Key Concept 6.3: The Gilded Age produced new cultural and intellectual movements, public reform efforts, and political debates over economic and social policies.I. New cultural and intellectual movements both buttressed and challenged the social order of the Gilded Age.B) Some business leaders argued that the wealthy had a moral obligation to help the less fortunate and improve society, as articulated in the idea known as the Gospel of Wealth, and they made philanthropic contributions that enhanced educational opportunities and urban environments.
Definition: "Gospel of Wealth" is an article written by Andrew Carnegie in 1889 that describes the responsibility of philanthropy by the new upper class of self-made rich. Significance to U.S History: Many Americans found religion more convincing than Social Darwinism in justifying the wealth of successful industrialists. Through Andrew Carnegie's article "wealth", that stated the wealthy had a God-given responsibility to carry out projects of civic philanthropy, resulted in more than $350 million dollars to support the building of libraries, universities, and various public institutions.
Sherman Antitrust Act Passed by Congress in 1890. Passed under the presidency of Benjamin Harrison, it prohibits certain business activities that Federal government regulators deem to be anti-competitive, and requires the Federal government to investigate and pursue trusts.It has since, more broadly, been used to oppose the combination of entities that could potentially harm competition, such as monopolies or cartels.According to its authors, it was not intended to impact market gains obtained by honest means, by benefiting the consumers more than the competitors. Senator George Hoar of Massachusetts.
Definition: A federal law passed in 1890 that committed the American government to opposing monopolies. The law prohibits contracts, combinations, or conspiracies "in the restraint of trade or commerce." Significance to U.S History: The law attempts to prevent the artificial raising of prices by restriction of trade or supply to protect competition, as well as promote and preserve a competitive landscape. It was also created to protect the public from the failure of the market.
Americanization Period 6, Key Concept 6.2: The migrations that accompanied industrialization transformed both urban and rural areas of the United States and caused dramatic social and cultural change.Larger numbers of migrants moved to the West in search of land and economic opportunity, frequently provoking competition and violent conflict.I. International and internal migration increased urban populations and fostered the growth of a new urban culture.C) Increasing public debates over assimilation and Americanization accompanied the growth of international migration. Many immigrants negotiated compromises between the cultures they brought and the culture they found in the United States.
Definition: Americanization was the process through which international immigrants became assimilated into American society. Significance to U.S. History: The desire to Americanize international immigrants led to the creation of settlement houses that were meant to teach immigrants English and help them adapt to American culture. Immigrants living in the U.S. often found a way to preserve their native cultures, especially in ethnic neighborhoods, while also adapting to the American way of life.
Jane Addams Key Concept 6.3: The Gilded Age produced new cultural and intellectual movements, public reform efforts, and political debates over economic and social policies.II. Dramatic social changes in the period inspired political debates over citizenship, corruption, and the proper relationship between business and government.B) Many women sought greater equality with men, often joining voluntary organizations, going to college, promoting social and political reform, and, like Jane Addams, working in settlement houses to help immigrants adapt to U.S. language and customs.
Definition: Jane Addams was a pioneer American settlement activist/reformer, social worker, public philosopher, sociologist, author, and leader in women's suffrage and world peace. She created the first Hull House. In 1931 she became the first American woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and is recognized as the founder of the social work profession in the United States. Significance to U.S History: Addams was one of the most prominent reformers of the Progressive Era. She helped turn America to issues of concern to mothers, such as the needs of children, local public health, and world peace. Addams became a role model for middle-class women who volunteered to uplift their communities. Addams is also increasingly being recognized as a member of the American pragmatist school of philosophy.In 1889 she co-founded Hull House, and in 1920 she was a co-founder for the ACLU.
Plessy vs. Ferguson Key Concept 6.3: The Gilded Age produced new cultural and intellectual movements, public reform efforts, and political debates over economic and social policies.II. Dramatic social changes in the period inspired political debates over citizenship, corruption, and the proper relationship between business and government.C) The Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson that upheld racial segregation helped to mark the end of most of the political gains African Americans made during Reconstruction. Facing increased violence, discrimination, and scientific theories of race, African American reformers continued to fight for political and social equality.
Definition: Plessy vs. Ferguson was the United States Supreme Court decision upholding the constitutionality of state laws requiring racial segregation in public facilities under the doctrine of "separate but equal". Significance to U.S History: the court ruled that the Louisiana las, "separate but equal accommodations" for white and black passengers on railroads, did not violate the 14th Amendment's guarantee of "equal protection of the laws."
Political Machines Period 6, Key Concept 6.2: The migrations that accompanied industrialization transformed both urban and rural areas of the United States and caused dramatic social and cultural change.Larger numbers of migrants moved to the West in search of land and economic opportunity, frequently provoking competition and violent conflict.I. International and internal migration increased urban populations and fostered the growth of a new urban culture.D) In an urban atmosphere where the access to power was unequally distributed, political machines thrived, in part by providing immigrants and the poor with social services.
Definition: Political machines were tightly organized groups of politicians that gave out government jobs to supporters Significance to U.S. History: Political machines during the Gilded Age worked to coordinate the needs of businesses, immigrants, and the poor in order to gain votes. Although they did help improve the lives of immigrants, many political machines were corrupt, contributing to the distrust of political parties during this time period.
Social Darwinism Key Concept 6.3: The Gilded Age produced new cultural and intellectual movements, public reform efforts, and political debates over economic and social policies.I. New cultural and intellectual movements both buttressed and challenged the social order of the Gilded Age.A) Social commentators advocated theories later described as Social Darwinism to justify the success of those at the top of the socioeconomic structure as both appropriate and inevitable.
Definition: Social Darwinism is a 19th-century theory, inspired by Darwinism, by which the social order is accounted as the product of natural selection of those persons best suited to existing living conditions and in accord with which a position of laissez-faire is advocated. Significance to U.S History: Led by Herbert Spencer, people began to argue for Darwin's ideas of natural selection and survival of the the fittest to be applied to the marketplace. Social Darwinism gave some during this period a "scientific" sanction for their racial intolerance.
Social Gospel Key Concept 6.3: The Gilded Age produced new cultural and intellectual movements, public reform efforts, and political debates over economic and social policies.I. New cultural and intellectual movements both buttressed and challenged the social order of the Gilded Age.C) A number of artists and critics, including agrarians, utopians, socialists, and advocates of the Social Gospel, championed alternative visions for the economy and U.S. society.
Definition: Social Gospel is a Christian faith practiced as a call not just to personal conversion but to social reform. Significance to U.S History: Protestant clergy preached that Social Gospel was the importance of applying Christian principles to social problems. Leading the movement, Walter Rauschenbusch, preached Social Gospel by linking Christianity with the Progressive reform movement. He also encouraged middle-class Protestants to attack urban problems.
People's (Populist) Party Period 6, Key Concept 6.1 Technological advances, large-scale production methods, and the opening of new markets encouraged the rise of industrial capitalism in the United States. III.New systems of production and transportation enabled consolidation within agriculture, which, along with periods of instability, spurred a variety of responses from farmers C) Economic instability inspired agrarian activists to create the People's (Populist) Party, which called for a stronger governmental role in regulating the American economic system.
Definition: The Populist Parts was a political party started by members of the Farmers' Alliance that worked to address the issue of the concentration of economic power in the hands of bankers and trusts. Significance to U.S. History: The Populist Party attacked laissez-faire capitalism, advocated for silver currency, and supported greater government involvement in the U.S. economy. Although it was fairly popular, it eventually came to an end because of its attempts to unite blacks and whites. However, many of its policies were adopted by the two main political parties.
W.E.B. DuBois William Edward Burghardt "W. E. B." Du Bois was an American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, author and editor. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in a relatively tolerant and integrated community.
Definition: United States civil rights leader and political activist who campaigned for equality for Black Americans (1868-1963) Significance to U.S History: After completing graduate work at the University of Berlin and Harvard, where he was the first African American to earn a doctorate, he became a professor of history, sociology and economics at Atlanta University. Du Bois was one of the co-founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909. Du Bois rose to national prominence as the leader of the Niagara Movement, a group of African-American activists who wanted equal rights for blacks. His collection of essays, The Souls of Black Folk, was a seminal work in African-American literature; and his 1935 magnum opus Black Reconstruction in America challenged the prevailing orthodoxy that blacks were responsible for the failures of the Reconstruction Era.
J.P. Morgan John Pierpont "J.P." Morgan was an American financier and banker who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation during his time.
Definition: United States financier and philanthropist (1837-1913) Significance to U.S History: American financier and banker who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation during his time. In 1892, Morgan arranged the merger of Edison General Electric and Thomson-Houston Electric Company to form General Electric. He was instrumental in the creation of the United States Steel Corporation. At the height of Morgan's career during the early 1900s, he and his partners had financial investments in many large corporations and had significant influence over the nation's high finance and United States Congress members. He directed the banking coalition that stopped the Panic of 1907. He was the leading financier of the Progressive Era, and his dedication to efficiency and modernization helped transform American business
J.D Rockefeller John Davison Rockefeller Sr. was an American business magnate and philanthropist. He was a co-founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust.
Definition: United States industrialist who made a fortune in the oil business and gave half of it away (1839-1937) Significance to U.S History: He was a co-founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry, and along with other key contemporary industrialists such as Andrew Carnegie, defined the structure of modern philanthropy. Rockefeller was also the founder of both the University of Chicago and Rockefeller University and funded the establishment of Central Philippine University in the Philippines. He was a devoted Northern Baptist and supported many church-based institutions.
Laissez-faire Period 6, Key Concept 6.1: Technological advances, large-scale production methods, and the opening of new markets encouraged the rise of industrial capitalism in the United States. II. A variety of perspectives on the economy and labor developed during a time of financial panics and downturns. A) Some argued that laissez-faire policies and competition promoted economic growth in the long run, and they opposed government intervention during economic downturns.
Definition: economic model proposed by Adam Smith that said that business should be regulated by supply and demand with little interference from the government. Significance to U.S. History: The laissez-faire economic principle raised the question of what role the government should play in the economy. With the rise of monopolies and large corporations that eliminated competition, many began to call for the government to abandon laissez-faire policies and take a greater role in regulating the U.S. economy. This was seen with the implementation of the Sherman Antitrust Act, which was the first attempt by the government to control the economy.
Entrepreneurs
One who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of business or enterprise. These individuals brought new innovations and capital to expand American industry.
laissez-faire
Policy that government should interfere as little as possible in the nation's economy.
Political Machines
These sought control of the cities by offering incentives in exchange for political support. (Ex: Tammany Hall, Boss Tweed)
Homestead Act
This act motivated more Americans to settle in the west by promising 160 acres in exchange for cultivating the land for 5 years.
Interstate Commerce Act
This act was created to regulate shipping rates and other railroad abuses in the government's attempt to begin regulating big business.
Andrew Carnegie
This man was the founder of the Carnegie Steel Company & promoted philanthropy among wealthy industrialists known as the Gospel of Wealth.
Americanization
This process was designed to make immigrants more "Americanized". It included learning to dress, speak, and act like other Americans. This was done through the schools.
Laissez Faire
This theory refers to a lack of government interference in American business through regulations. It is known as a "Hands Off Approach"
Chinese Exclusion Act
This was the first (1882) to limit the immigration of a specific group.
Gospel of Wealth
This was written by Andrew Carnegie, encouraging philanthropy among wealthy industrialists, to use their money to give back to society.
Tammany Hall
a political organization within the Democratic Party in New York city (late 1800's and early 1900's) seeking political control by corruption and bossism https://o.quizlet.com/Eoi2Itq-99CXSBl.73JoUA_m.jpg
Assimilation
is the process by which a person or a group's language and/or culture come to resemble those of another group.
"Gilded Age"
name for the late 1800s, coined by Mark Twain to describe the tremendous increase in wealth caused by the industrial age and the ostentatious lifestyles it allowed the very rich. The great industrial success of the U.S. and the fabulous lifestyles of the wealthy hid the many social problems of the time, including a high poverty rate, a high crime rate, and corruption in the government.
Monopoly
total control of a type of industry by one person or one company
