Unit 4: Gilded Age- Emergence of Modern America

Question 1

Frontier

Answer 1

the furthest limit or boundary; in this era it was the untamed west

Question 2

Dawes Allotment Act

Answer 2

law giving Indian families 160 acres for reservations; slowly land was taken away as more settlers moved onto Indian territory

Question 3

Reservations

Answer 3

lands set aside for use by Native Americans; often not suitable for farming

Question 4

Homestead Act

Answer 4

law giving 160 acres and a title after 5 years of ownership and cultivation of land

Question 5

Morrill Act

Answer 5

gives federal land to the states allowing for agricultural state universities to be established

Question 6

USDA

Answer 6

U.S. Department of Agriculture; established to help farming get started in the Great Plains (west)

Question 7

Capitalism

Answer 7

an economic system in which private business runs most industries and competition thus determining how much goods cost and workers get paid

Question 8

Corporations

Answer 8

companies that sell stock of ownership in the company to raise money

Question 9

Monopoly

Answer 9

complete control over a business or industry

Question 10

Trusts

Answer 10

partnerships of business owners who control businesses together

Question 11

Black gold

Answer 11

nickname for oil; becomes more valuable than actual gold

Question 12

Labor Unions

Answer 12

organizations formed to protect the rights of workers

Question 13

Natvisits

Answer 13

favored native born Americans over immigrants; were anti-immigrants

Question 14

Tenements

Answer 14

run down housing units lived in by 19th and 20th century immigrants; often were in poor conditions

Question 15

Yellow Journalism

Answer 15

stories often published in newspapers that exaggerate the truth, but are meant to expose the problems in society

Question 16

Hull House

Answer 16

settlement house and community service center established by Jane Addams

Question 17

Political machines

Answer 17

similar to gangs run by politicians; political parties take control of city offices and control the entire city

Question 18

Political bosses

Answer 18

people that ran cities often through use of fraud and intimidation

Question 19

Graft

Answer 19

a method of fraud; using a bribe or falsehood to get political power

Question 20

Muckrakers

Answer 20

investigative journalists that “raked up” and exposed the muck or filth of society

Question 21

Gilded Age

Answer 21

period in American history where all seemed well, but beneath the surface, society was very corrupt; term coined by authors Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Moore

Question 22

Pendleton Civil Service Act

Answer 22

law changing Civil Service requirements, making it necessary to take a test in order to get a government position (gets rid of old “spoils system” method)

Question 23

National Grange

Answer 23

group established to help tackle economic and political issues facing farmers (i.e. high prices for shipping, storage their crops)

Question 24

Progressive Movement

Answer 24

broadly based reform movement during the 20th century; lead by middle class, educated Americans who wanted to see a change

Question 25

Interstate Commerce Act

Answer 25

creates standardized shipping rates to made trade among states easier- and fair

Question 26

Americanization

Answer 26

the process of preparing foreign born citizens for US citizenship; also a process done to Natives to force them to adapt to American culture

Question 27

Square Deal

Answer 27

Campaign slogan used by Roosevelt in the 1904 campaign, wanting to balance the interests of business, consumers and labor; everyone got a fair deal

Question 28

Robber Baron

Answer 28

nickname given to the men who ran monopolies as a criticism of their wealth and power

Question 29

Philanthropy

Answer 29

“love of humanity”; private initiatives for the public good; i.e. donations made for charitable use to help others

Question 30

Cornelius Vanderbilt

Answer 30

Leader of the railroad monopoly; family became very wealthy

Question 31

Andrew Carnegie

Answer 31

Leader of the steel monopoly; family becomes very wealthy; encourages the rich to give back through charity

Question 32

John D. Rockefeller

Answer 32

Leader of the oil monopoly; family becomes very wealthy

Question 33

Samuel Gompers

Answer 33

leads the labor movement for worker’s rights; founder of the American Federation of Labor (AFL)

Question 34

Theodore Roosevelt

Answer 34

“Teddy”; Vice President who becomes the 26th President; Progressive leader who worked for reform; leader in the conservation movement

Question 35

William Taft

Answer 35

27th president, follows and supported by T. Roosevelt; tries to continue Roosevelt’s programs

Question 36

Woodrow Wilson

Answer 36

28th President; also attempts to continue progressive reforms until WWI