gilded age Flashcards
What is the Transcontinental Railroad?
Completed in 1869, it connected the east and west coast, helping transportation and trade. Built largely by immigrant labor, including Chinese Irish workers.
The railroad significantly impacted trade and settlement patterns in the United States.
What is the Bessemer Process?
A method of steel production making it cheaper and stronger. It contributed to the growth of railroads, skyscrapers, and industrialization.
This process revolutionized the steel industry by increasing production efficiency.
Define Monopoly.
When one company controls an entire industry and has no competition like Rockefeller.
Monopolies can lead to higher prices and less innovation.
What is Social Darwinism?
The idea that only the strongest businesses and people will succeed, so the government shouldn’t help the poor or control businesses.
This concept was often used to justify economic inequality.
What is Vertical Integration?
A business controls every step of making and selling products like when Carnegie owned steel mills and railroads and factories.
This strategy can reduce costs and increase efficiency.
What is Horizontal Consolidation?
A business buys out or takes over its competition to dominate an industry.
This practice can lead to monopolistic control over markets.
Who were the Robber Barons?
Rich business owners who got wealthy by using unfair or ruthless business practices.
They are often criticized for exploiting workers and engaging in anti-competitive behavior.
What is a Captain of Industry?
A business leader who helped the economy grow, created jobs, and sometimes gave back to society.
This term is often used to contrast with ‘Robber Barons.’
What was the Standard Oil Trust?
A massive oil company created by Rockefeller that controlled most of the oil industry in the US and was later broken up because it was a monopoly.
Its breakup was a significant event in antitrust law.
Who was Andrew Carnegie?
A wealthy businessman who made his fortune in steel. He believed in giving back to society and donated millions to libraries and schools.
Carnegie’s philanthropic efforts are encapsulated in his ‘Gospel of Wealth.’
Define the Gospel of Wealth.
Andrew Carnegie’s idea that rich people should use their money to help society, like founding schools and libraries.
This philosophy encourages philanthropy among the wealthy.
Who was John D. Rockefeller?
The richest man who controlled business tactics but later donated a lot of money to charity.
His philanthropic contributions included funding medical research and education.
What did J.P. Morgan do?
A powerful banker who helped businesses grow and took over struggling companies. He helped finance railroads, electricity, and steel.
Morgan played a crucial role in the consolidation of industries.
What is Henry Ford known for?
Revolutionized the car industry by using the assembly line to make cars faster and cheaper, making cars affordable for average Americans.
His methods transformed manufacturing processes across various industries.
What was the Model T?
The first affordable car, made by Henry Ford using the assembly line, which made cars cheaper and easier to build.
It significantly influenced American culture and mobility.
What is the Sherman Antitrust Act?
A law that tried to stop monopolies and trusts from controlling entire industries. It wasn’t very effective at first.
It marked the beginning of federal regulation of business practices.
What is collective bargaining?
When workers negotiate together (instead of individually) with their bosses for better wages and conditions.
This process is crucial for labor unions to achieve their goals.
What does the term ‘invisible hand’ refer to?
An economic idea from Adam Smith that says the free market (supply and demand) naturally controls the economy, without government interference.
This concept underpins classical economics.
Fill in the blank: Piecework is a system where workers are paid based on how much they produce instead of an _______.
hourly wage.
What is a sweatshop?
A factory with terrible working conditions, low pay, and long hours, often using child labor.
Sweatshops are often associated with exploitation in developing countries.
What is unionization?
The process of workers joining together in labor unions to demand better wages and working conditions.
Unionization has historically played a significant role in labor rights.
What is the American Federation of Labor?
A labor union founded by Samuel Gompers that fought for higher wages, better hours, and safer conditions for skilled workers.
The AFL focused on practical gains for its members.
Who led the American Railway Union?
Eugene V. Debs.
He was a prominent labor leader and socialist.
What is Taylorization/Scientific Management?
A method created by Frederick Winslow Taylor to make workers more efficient by timing tasks and breaking them into simple steps.
This approach emphasized productivity and efficiency in the workplace.
What are Scabs?
Replacement workers hired during a strike to keep businesses running. This often led to violence between strikers and scabs.
The use of scabs is a controversial practice in labor disputes.
Who was Frederick Winslow Taylor?
The father of Scientific Management; he studied workers to make factories more efficient (Taylorization).
His principles are still applied in modern management practices.
Define Graft.
Political corruption, where leaders take bribes or use their power for personal gain.
Graft undermines public trust in government institutions.
Who was William Boss Tweed?
A corrupt political leader in New York City who controlled Tammany Hall and stole millions through graft.
His downfall was aided by investigative journalism and public outrage.
What role did Thomas Nast play in the fight against corruption?
A political cartoonist who exposed Boss Tweed’s corruption and helped take him down.
His cartoons raised public awareness and outrage against political corruption.
Who was Eugene V. Debs?
A labor leader and socialist who founded the American Railway Union and led the Pullman Strike. Later, he ran for president multiple times.
Debs was a prominent advocate for workers’ rights and socialism.
Who was Rutherford B. Hayes?
The 19th U.S. president (1877-1881) who ended Reconstruction and sent troops to stop the Great Railroad Strike.
His presidency was marked by efforts to reform the civil service.
What is Benjamin Harrison known for?
The 23rd president (1889-1893) who supported high tariffs and signed the Sherman Antitrust Act.
His administration faced challenges regarding industrial regulation.
Who is Grover Cleveland?
The only U.S. president to serve two non-consecutive terms (22nd & 24th). He opposed high tariffs and sent troops to stop the Pullman Strike.
Cleveland’s presidency was characterized by a commitment to fiscal conservatism.
What were the Knights of Labor?
An early labor union that accepted all types of workers (skilled, unskilled, women, and minorities). It declined after the Haymarket Riot.
The Knights aimed for broad social reforms beyond labor issues.
What was the Great Railroad Strike?
The first major nationwide strike, where railroad workers protested wage cuts. The government sent federal troops to stop it.
This event highlighted the tensions between labor and government.
What was the Haymarket Riot?
A violent labor protest in Chicago where a bomb exploded, killing people. It hurt the labor movement because unions were blamed for the violence.
This incident is often seen as a turning point for labor activism.
What was the Homestead Strike?
A violent strike at Carnegie Steel, where workers fought against pay cuts. The company hired Pinkerton guards to break the strike.
It underscored the violent clashes between labor and management.
What was the Pullman Strike?
A nationwide railroad strike led by Eugene V. Debs after Pullman cut wages. President Cleveland sent troops to stop it.
The strike highlighted the struggles of workers in the face of corporate power.
What is the Interstate Commerce Commission?
A government agency created to regulate railroads and stop unfair business practices. It was the first attempt to control big business.
The ICC laid the groundwork for future regulatory agencies.
Who was Terence Powderly?
The leader of the Knights of Labor, who wanted workers to use peaceful negotiations instead of strikes.
Powderly emphasized reform over confrontation in labor relations.
Who was Samuel Gompers?
The founder of the American Federation of Labor (AFL). He focused on getting higher wages, shorter hours, and better working conditions for skilled workers.
Gompers’ leadership helped solidify the AFL’s influence in labor negotiations.
What are ‘bread and butter’ issues?
Basic needs that labor unions fought for, like better pay, shorter work hours, and safer working conditions. These were the main focus of the AFL.
Addressing these issues was vital for improving workers’ quality of life.
What are settlement houses?
Community centers in poor neighborhoods that helped immigrants and the poor by providing education, healthcare, and job training.
Settlement houses played a crucial role in the social reform movement.
Who was Jane Addams?
A social reformer who started Hull House, a famous settlement house in Chicago that helped immigrants and the poor.
Addams was a pioneer in social work and women’s rights.
What American inventions led to a change in business and technology after the Civil War?
Electricity, Assembly line, Bessemer process.
These inventions facilitated industrial growth and improved efficiency.
What were the advantages of building a Transcontinental Railroad?
Connecting east and west, Helped settle the west bringing farmers and businesses, Allowed goods and raw materials to move across the country quickly.
The railroad was essential for national expansion and economic growth.
How did the Robber Barons form monopolies?
Controlled every step of production, Horizontal consolidation buying out competitors.
These strategies often stifled competition.
How did monopolies affect the ‘other half’?
Small businesses couldn’t compete and went out of business.
This created economic disparities in society.
Was the Sherman Antitrust Act effective? Why or why not?
Not at first; it was too weak and was not enforced.
Its initial ineffectiveness led to continued monopolistic practices.
What conditions did American workers face in factories?
Long hours, Dangerous work, Child labor was common.
These conditions prompted the rise of labor movements.
What is the connection between the Gilded Age and immigration?
Millions of immigrants came from Europe and Asia looking for jobs, Most worked in factories for low wages, Faced discrimination.
Immigrants played a crucial role in industrial labor.
Why did workers unionize?
To fight for better wages, hours, and working conditions.
Unionization was a response to poor labor conditions.
How did labor unions in the US organize, and what methods did they use to achieve their goals?
American Federation of Labor, Knights of Labor, Strikes.
These methods were aimed at collective bargaining and improving labor conditions.
How successful were labor unions during the Gilded Age?
Partially successful; workers won some improvements.
Labor unions faced significant opposition but achieved some key victories.
What were the Gilded Presidents known for?
Being weak and corrupted.
Their administrations often favored big business over labor rights.
What was the federal government’s response to big business?
Mostly supported business and stayed out of the economy (laissez-faire policy).
This approach contributed to the rise of monopolies and corporate power.
