Urbanization and Gilded Age Flashcards
“Cross of Gold” speech
a famous speech by William Jennings Bryan in which he asserted the economic importance of ordinary people and made the case for currency based on both silver and gold; suggested that a gold standard hurt farmers and other working-class Americans
allegiance
devotion or loyalty to a person, group, or cause
Americanization
to cause something or someone to have characteristics of American culture
analogy
a comparison of things based on ways they are alike
bank run
a panic in which so many depositors withdraw so much money that a bank collapses
black codes
southern laws that severely limited the rights of African Americans after the Civil War
Boss Tweed
the nickname of William M. Tweed, a corrupt politician who controlled the Tammany Hall political machine in the mid to late 1800s
bribery
the practice of influencing someone’s decisions by offering money or favors
clear-cutting
the process of cutting down and removing every tree from an area
Compromise of 1877
an agreement by Republican presidential candidate Rutherford B. Hayes to end Reconstruction in return for congressional Democrats accepting his inauguration as president after the disputed election of 1876
cooperative (co-op)
a group of people who pool their money to buy or sell goods at wholesale rates
corruption
use of power for personal gain
Coxey’s Army
a public protest group led by Jacob Coxey that marched on Washington, D.C. in 1894 to ask the government to help the unemployed; unofficial name of the Army of the Commonwealth in Christ
Crédit Mobilier scandal
a scandal in which the Crédit Mobilier company overcharged for building the Union Pacific Railroad and then used some of the extra money to bribe high-ranking federal officials
crop-lien
a system in which store owners extended credit to farmers under the agreement that the farmer would give the store owner a portion of their future harvest
Depression of 1893
an economic downturn caused by low bank reserves, overinvestment in railroad stocks, and low gold reserves in the U.S. Treasury
disenfranchise
to deprive someone of the right to vote
Ellis Island
an island in Upper New York Bay that served as a port of entry for immigrants from 1892–1954`
ethnic enclave
an urban area inhabited by members of the same ethnic group
Farmers’ Alliance
an alliance formed from regional groups that represented farmers’ interests
gild
to coat something in a thin layer of gold
Gilded Age
an era of U.S. history from 1870 to 1900 characterized by political corruption and extremes of wealth and poverty
grandfather clause
in the post-Reconstruction South, a law that excused a voter from a literacy test if his grandfather had been eligible to vote on January 1, 1867
Jacob Riis
an author best known for his book How the Other Half Lives, in which he documented the urban living conditions of the poor in the late 1800s
Jane Addams
a female reformer who opened Hull House, a settlement house in the Chicago area, as well as exposed poor working conditions in local sweatshops and fighting for workers’ rights
Jim Crow laws
laws passed in the South after Reconstruction establishing segregation of whites and blacks
kickback
a form of bribery in which a portion of legally spent money is illegally returned to someone as part of a secret agreement
literacy test
an examination to see if a person can read and write; used in the past to restrict voting rights
lynching
to kill someone who is thought to be guilty of a crime without a proper trial or conviction, especially by hanging
mandate
in politics, approval is granted by voters to a candidate they believe will represent their interests
monetary policy
the process through which the government can influence the nation’s economy through changes in the money supply and the availability of credit
Morrill Acts
acts passed in 1862 and 1890 that provided public land for colleges preparing students for careers in business, medicine, law, agriculture, and other trades
nativism
a policy of favoring native inhabitants as opposed to immigrants
Omaha Platform of 1892
statement of the Populist Party’s grievances and agenda for reform
Panic of 1873
an economic downturn caused by low bank reserves and overinvestment in railroad stocks
parochial school
a school sponsored by a church
Pendleton Civil Service Act
an anti-patronage law that required some federal jobs to be awarded based on a merit-based civil service exam.
Plessy v. Ferguson
1896 Supreme Court case that established the legality of racial segregation as long as facilities were kept “separate but equal”
political machine
a group that controls local politics by trading favors for influencing votes
poll tax
money that a voter has to pay to vote; used to keep poor voters from voting
populism
the belief in the rights, wisdom, and virtue of common people
Populist Party
a political party of the late 1800s that represented the interests of farmers and other working-class Americans; also called the People’s Party
pull factor
a condition that attracts people to move to a new area
push factor
a condition that drives people out from their homeland
realism
the theory or practice of fidelity in art and literature to nature or to real life and to accurate representation without idealization
satire
a work of literature that makes fun of its subject, often mocking vice or folly
settlement house
an institution located in a poor neighborhood that provided numerous community services such as medical care, child care, libraries, and classes in English
sharecropper
a person, usually from the South, who raises crops for a landowner in exchange for a portion of the crops
Sherman Silver Purchase Act
an 1890 law that required the U.S. government to buy silver and issue silver-backed dollars; repealed in 1893
social gospel
a philosophy that stated that all Christians should be as concerned about the conditions of life in the secular world as those in the afterlife
spoils system
the practice of naming family members, friends, and political supporters to posts regardless of their experience or skills; also called a patronage system
subtreasury plan
a plan that called for the government to hold crops to control supply and increase prices for farm goods while also loaning money to farmers for 80 percent of the value of those crops
Tammany Hall
a Democratic Party political machine that influenced politics in New York from the 1790s through the 1960s
tenement
a building that has been divided into many small apartments
the Grange
a group that helped farmers by providing community support and lobbying for farm-friendly laws
Thomas Nast
a political cartoonist of the mid to late 1800s who was known for challenging bigotry and corruption; often mocked Boss Tweed and the Tammany Hall political machine
urbanization
the process by which cities develop, including increased population, business, and structures
Whiskey Ring
a plot by whiskey distillers to avoid federal taxes by bribing government officials and other business owners
