Period 6 Flashcards
laissez faire
Economic liberalism that believes in unrestricted private enterprise and no government interference in the economy.
Social Darwinism
The application of ideas about evolution and “survival of the fittest” to human societies - particularly as a justification for their imperialist expansion.
JP Morgan
An influential banker and businessman who bought and reorganized companies. His US Steel company would buy Carnegie steel and become the largest business in the world in 1901
John D Rockefeller
Established the Standard Oil Company, the greatest, wisest, and meanest monopoly known in history
Andrew Carnegie
A business man that increased his power through by gaining control of the many different businesses that make up all phases of steel production development.
Horizontal Integration
A technique used by John D. Rockefeller. It is an act of joining or consolidating with ones competitors to create a monopoly. Rockefeller was excellent with using this technique to monopolize certain markets. It is responsible for the majority of his wealth.
Vertical Integration
Practice where a single entity controls the entire process of a product, from the raw materials to distribution. Company took over all different businesses on which it relied for its primary function (Carnegie Steel came to control not only steel mills but mines, railroads, etc)
Robber baron
Refers to the industrialists or big business owners who gained huge profits by paying their employees extremely low wages. They also drove their competitors out of business by selling their products cheaper than it cost to produce it. Then when they controlled the market, they hiked prices high above original price.
Sherman Anti-Trust Act 1890
First federal action against monopolies, it was signed into law by Harrison and was extensively used by Theodore Roosevelt for trust-busting. However, it was initially misused against labor unions and was not enforced/weakened by the courts
Panic of 1893
Serious economic depression beginning in 1893. Began due to rail road companies over-extending themselves, causing bank failures. Was the worst economic collapse in the history of the country until that point, and, some say, as bad as the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Knights of Labor
1st effort to create National union. Open to everyone but lawyers and bankers. Vague program, no clear goals, weak leadership and organization. Failed because of the Haymarket Square Riot
Labor founded in 1869 by Uriah Stephens
Included women, first major effort to make a national labor organization
,open to all who “toiled”
Were loosely organized, had a vague program, had 8-hour days and no child labor, but had more long-term goals, which hurt them
Went public in 1886, got 700,000 members, but membership shrunk after Haymarket incident
Great Railroad Strike of 1877
A violent but ultimately unsuccessful interstate strike, which resulted in extensive property damage and many deaths. The first major interstate strike in us history. The panic of 1873 caused railroad lines to cut wages which caused workers to walk off the job and block the tracks- it eventually turned violent. Federal troops finally quelled the violence. After workers turned violent the public began to blame them for the looting and violence and they lost all sympathy
Haymarket Square 1886
Demands for an 8 hour working day in Chicago. Demonstration by a group of anarchists cause a crowd of 1,500 people. Bomb exploded & police opened fire. Anarchists were tired on court.
Caused public to view all unions as violent and dangerous
Jane Addams
the founder of Hull House, a settlement house which provided English lessons for immigrants, daycares, and child care classes
pioneered the social work career
American Federation of Labor
1886; founded by Samuel Gompers; sought better wages, hrs, working conditions; skilled laborers, arose out of dissatisfaction with the Knights of Labor, rejected socialist and communist ideas, non-violent, strikes
Chinese Exclusion Act
(1882) Denied any additional Chinese laborers to enter the country while allowing students and merchants to immigrate. American workers felt threatened by the job competition.
Dawes Act
1887, dismantled American Indian tribes, set up individuals as family heads with 160 acres, tried to make rugged individualists out of the Indians, attempt to assimilate the Indian population into that of the American
Also included social assimilation practices like boarding schools that took children and taught them “American” practices
Eventually the administration of the program became so corrupt that the government abandoned it
Ghost Dance Movement
The last effort of Native Americans to resist US domination and drive whites from their ancestral lands came through a religious movement known as the Ghost Dance. In the government’s campaign to suppress the movement, the famous Sioux medicine man Sitting Bull was killed during his arrest. Led to Massacre at Wounded Knee.
Gospel of Wealth
This was a book written by Carnegie that described the responsibility of the rich to be philanthropists. This softened the harshness of Social Darwinism as well as promoted the idea of philanthropy.
Carnegie himself donated much of his money to create libraries and universities
Grange Movement
A movement for social and educational organization through which farmers attempted to combat the power of the railroads in the late 19th century
Also backed many political candidates
Did not last long because it was not well organized
Holding companies
A company that owns part or all of the other companies’ stock in order to extend monopoly control. Often, a holding company does not produce goods or services of its own but only exists to control other companies. The Clayton Anti-Trust Act of 1914 sought to clamp down on these companies when they obstructed competition. (733)
Interstate Commerce Act
Established the ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission) - monitors the business operation of carriers transporting goods and people between states - created to regulate railroad prices and respond to public pressure
HOWEVER the courts did not enforce these as well
J.P. Morgan
An influential banker and businessman who bought and reorganized companies. His US Steel company would buy Carnegie steel and become the largest business in the world in 1901, philanthropist
Little Big Horn
Sioux warriors gathered in Montana under leaders Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull
Warriors surprised Colonel Custer and killed every man
The warriors who gathered at Little Big Horn were the largest Native American army in US history
However the troop did not have a political organization and soon broke up
The power of the Sioux was soon broken and they were forced back onto reservations
National American Woman Suffrage Association
Organization formed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B Anthony, and others to promote the vote for women
Populist Party
Founded 1891 by Tom Watson and Leonidas L. Polk (+Farmer’s Alliance) James B. Weaver was presidential candidate in 1892, problem was overproduction, called for free coinage of silver and paper money, national income tax, direct election of senators, regulation of railroads, and other government reforms to help farmers
Attracted labor unions and miners (supported bimetallism)
Some of the members were racist, anti-Semitic, anti-intellectual, anti-eastern, and more
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
(1815-1902) A suffragette who, with Lucretia Mott, organized the first convention on women’s rights, held in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848. Issued the Declaration of Sentiments which declared men and women to be equal and demanded the right to vote for women. Co-founded the National Women’s Suffrage Association with Susan B. Anthony in 1869.
Social Darwinism
19th century of belief that evolutionary ideas theorized by Charles Darwin could be applied to society.
Stated that the strongest businessmen would survive and that it was natural law that the “weak” would fail
Also thought that laissez faire was needed because it did not interfere with the “natural order”
This idea was used to justify the wealth of billionaires
Ida B. Wells
African American journalist. published statistics about lynching, urged African Americans to protest by refusing to ride streetcars or shop in white owned stores
Was also a part of the NAACP
Women’s Christian Temperance Union
This organization was dedicated to the idea of the 18th Amendment - the Amendment that banned the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcohol. The pres of the company was Frances Willard.
political machines
Corrupt organized groups that controlled political parties in the cities. A boss leads the machine and attempts to grab more votes for his party. Target immigrants
Social Gospel
A movement in the late 1800s / early 1900s which emphasized charity and social responsibility as a means of salvation, taught religion and human dignity would help the middle class overcome problems of industrialization
Promoted by Walter Rauschenbusch
Booker T. Washington
African American speaker/leader who established Tuskegee and had a message of cooperation and patience for gaining rights, as well as promoting education in trade and agriculture
His ideas were more palatable to most at the time, giving him a greater audience, including the president
Homestead Act
1862 - Provided free land in the West to anyone willing to settle there and develop it. Encouraged westward migration. Rested on misconceptions the framers assumed that mere possession of land would be enough to sustain a farm family did not recognize effect of mechanization. Unit of 160 acres not big enough for a family
carlisle indian school
a boarding school for native american children opened in carlisle, pennsylvania to teach white ways and separate indian children from tribal culture as a part of the Dawes Act’s goal of destroying Native American culture
Stalwarts
Republican faction led by Roscoe Conkling, who were more traditional
Mugwumps
a reform faction of the republican party who supported cleveland, the democratic nominee over the republican blaine in the 1884 election
New South
an ideology developed by some elite southerners that declared an end to the nostalgia for slavery and plantation life and a beginning for the economic development of the south while protecting the growing racial segregation of the region form any northern interference
niagara movement
african-american group organized in 1905 to promote racial integration, civil and political rights, and equal access to economic opportunity; the movement later helped organize the NAACP
national association for the advancement of colored people (NAACP)
an interracial organization founded in 1910 dedicated to restoring african-american political and social rights
The Grange
the national grange, founded by Oliver H. Kelley, a national organization of farmers formed after the civil war to promote the rights and dignity of farmers
Wanted farmers to learn scientific agricultural techniques, and have a community
organized cooperatives with stores, elevators, warehouses, and factories to circumvent middlemen
Elected many state legislators who put regulations on railroads; HOWEVER the courts restricted these regulations and the Grange’s power dwindled
Farmer’s Alliance
a broad mass movement in the rural south and west during the late 1800s, encompassing several organizations and demanding economic and political reforms; it helped create the populist party
Like the Grange it established businesses to help farmers
Subtreasury system
Populist Party demand - a proposal for a unit of the us treasury department (or subtreasury) to own warehouses that would store farmer’s crops until prices rose
Coxey’s army
The Panic of 1893 caused unrest in the US
a protest march of unemployed workers, led by businessman/Populist Jacob Coxey, demanding a public works highway program and guaranteed jobs during the depression of the 1890s
Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire
a fire in the triangle shirtwaist factory in new york city in 1911 that killed 146 workers and that later led to new factory inspection and safety laws
Tammany Hall
new york city’s democratic party organizations, dating from well before the civil war, the evolved into powerful political machine after 1860, using patronage and bribes to maintain control of the city administration
social gospel
application of religious ethics to industrial conditions and thereby alleviating poverty, slums, and labor exploitation
Pendleton civil service reform act
a law of 1883 that reformed the spoils system by prohibiting government workers from making political contributions and by creating the civil service commission to oversee their appointment on the basis of merit rather than politics
Passed by President Arthur after President Garfield was assassinated by an office seeker who did not receive an appointment
Halfbreeds
Republican faction led by James G. Blaine, wanted reform but still competed with Stalwarts for more patronage
McKinley Tariff
Highest tariff ever passed, causing Republicans to lose a lot of seats in Congress in 1890
Wilson-Gorman Tariff
Moderately reduced tariffs, included an income tax, but this was ruled unconstitutional
Mary E. Lease
Eloquent Kansas Populist who urged farmers to “raise less corn and more hell”
Women were full voting members in the Farmer’s Alliance, the Alliance and Populist Party advocated for women’s suffrage
Ocala Demands + Omaha Platform
The party platform of the Populists
Called on government to correct such abuses by reducing tariffs, abolishing national banks, regulating railroads, and coining silver money freely.
Crime of 73’
through the coinage act of 1873, the US ended the minting of silver dollars and placed the country on the gold standard. this was attacked by those who supported an inflationary monetary policy, particularly farmers and believed in the unlimited coinage of silver
Sherman Silver Purchase Act
Act that allowed gov. to buy silver (not to coin it) with gold
However, gold reserves were still dropping and so Cleveland repealed it and borrowed money from JP Morgan
This split the Democratic party and led to a tumultuous election in 1896
Coin’s Financial School
Persuasive book on the importance of bimetallism
Used simple logic and represents the popularity of the money question
William Jennings Bryan + Cross of Gold
Bryan was a populist turned Democratic candidate
William Jennings Bryan’s famous speech that criticized the monetary policy of the government for being too hard on the farmer; said in the speech that farmers were being crucified on a gold cross; pro silver
“concentration policy”
strategy that would provide white settlers with the most productive lands and relocated Indians to areas north and south of white settlements. Settlers were not satisfied, the wanted to restrict Indians to even smaller areas through relocation.
Reservation System
Replaced the concentration policy, put all of the Plains Indians on two large reservations
The solution was not good; the Bureau of Indian affairs mismanaged reservations and had little success overseeing them
Sand Creek Massacre
Fighting in Colorado with miners
The governor offered tribes to camp near the army bases for protection, but at the same time Colonel J.M. Chivington was encouraged to lead a militia to the camp
133 Native Americans were massacred, 105 were women and children
Wounded Knee
The Seventh Cavalry (once Custer’s) tried to round up a group of 350 Sioux
Fighting broke out and turned into a one sided massacre
The white soldiers killed 300 Native Americans, including women and children
A Century of Dishonor by Helen Hunt Jackson
A book which raised awareness about the mistreatment of Native Americans by the US government
The book contributed to a growing movement for reform in Native American policy
Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show
Shows that romanticized the West
These shows included fake Native American attacks, with real Native Americans
Many would show off their customs through costume or performances
The popularity of the show drew many important audience members, including President Cleveland, with whom Sioux leader Sitting Bull discussed Indian Affairs
The popularity of the show also led to a very romanticized view of the West in pop culture
Munn v Illinois
In Munn v. Illinois the Supreme Court ruled that Illinois could regulate private businesses
This helped the farmers because it let the state regulate the monopolies like the railroads that were charging farmers differently
Wabash v Illinois
in Wabash v. Illinois, the Supreme court ruled that regulating interstate commerce was a federal job, and that states had no power to do anything
Wabash essentially overturned Munn, taking away the farmers’ protections against monopolies
Chinese Migration
Many Chinese immigrants came to America to find better lives
At first they were free laborers and Americans saw them as hardworking
Then many began to gain success and then Americans began to see them as competition
Then Americans treated the Chinese with racism and discrimination
This led to the passage of discriminatory laws such as a foreign miners tax and eventually the Chinese Exclusion Act
Miners + Comstock Lode
An area rich with silver, led to many miners moving to the Washoe district
Supplies had to be shipped because the area did not produce its own resources
Cities were built rapidly, then abandoned once mines dried
This led to the settlement and development of Nevada, until mines ran out
Resources such as copper became more important to developing the west
Cattle + Chisholm Trail
Cattle ranching was another important economic development for the far west
The practice was most common in Texas as it had Mexican origins
Starting at Abilene, Kansas, the Chisholm Trail was what ranchers used to move cattle across
The South west became the “cattle kingdom” leading to the development of Texas and other areas of the West
With agricultural development, cattle ranching in Kansas decreased, and markets moved farther west
Frontier Thesis - Frederick Jackson Turner
A paper which argued the importance of the “frontier” in American history
He argued that this was the end of the most important spread of American culture
While most of Turner’s claims were wildly inaccurate as Americans had pushed other cultures out as they moved west, he was right in that it would become more difficult for individuals to acquire land for little to nothing
W.E.B Du Bois
Had a much more radical view than Washington. Advocated for African Americans to demand their rights be protected and to receive all of the same opportunities as whites
Launched the Niagara Movement to fight for civil rights rather than simply wait for them to be granted. The movement later evolved into the NAACP
Bessemer Process
Introduced new steel production and processing techniques, caused steel production to skyrocket around East OH and West PA
Taylorism
Controversial; a managerial technique in which one would divide up workers’ jobs, would make the workers more dependent, and the employer MORE independent. Made jobs faster.
Trusts
Stock certificates from several companies were exchanged for trust certificates, and then a board of trustees exercised governance over all of the theoretically independent companies within the trust or holding company.
Holding Company
company that owns enough voting stock in another firm to control operations in electing/influencing board of directors
Horatio Alger
Wrote many rags-to-riches books, was from a middle-class family himself, but had mixed feelings about the new society. He expressed this in his writings by these characters becoming rich merely by chance.
Lester Frank Ward
sociologist who wrote Dynamic Sociology in 1883 and other books , in which he argued that civilization was not governed by natural selection but by human intelligence, which was capable of shaping society as it wished, and he believed that an active government engaged in positive planning, which was societies best hope
Moving Assembly Line
created by Henry Ford, led to mass production and also led to TONS of cars going on the roads
Edward Bellamy + “Looking Backwards”
wrote “looking backwards” about a man who woke up in 2000 and found that the world had formed one giant trust and a socialist utopia had taken precedence
One of many books at the time that looked more critically at capitalism
Molly Maguires
violent group of PA workers that operated under an Irish secret society that used terrorist tactics, but weren’t actually that violent, instead most of the violence was played up by managers to make people not support unions
Pullman Strike
Workers rebelled because the Pullman Palace Car Company cut wages by 1/3 and the American Federation of Labor refused to support the strikers. Military action was needed in order to keep mail delivery on track.
City Beautiful Movement
As people moved into cities and the middle class grew, the movement grew in cities to make them more beautiful with trees, public parks, and cultural attractions
Schools
Public education grew as the middle class did, with kindergarten and public high school
Higher education changed
- African American colleges
- reduced core classes and increased electives
- added social activities, fraternities, and sports
Leisure time
Leisure time grew with higher incomes, reduced work hours, and the decline of Puritan and Victorian values
led to growth of vaudeville (Barnum and Bailey, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show), amusement parks (Coney Island), music (jazz, blues, ragtime), spectator sports (baseball especially), and sports as exercise (tennis/golf clubs, bicycles, rich participated in polo and yachting)
Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World
One of multiple mass circulation newspapers that published sensational stories of crime, scandal, and corruption
Realism
Writers and artists promoted realism, revealing poverty, racism, and the struggles under capitalism
Ex: Mark Twain, Stephen Crane, Winslow Homes, Thomas Eakins, ASHCAN SCHOOL
