Vocab 1 Flashcards
Homestead Act
The Homestead Act of 1862, signed by President Abraham Lincoln, granted Americans 160-acre plots of public land for the price of a small filing fee
Transcontinental Railroad
In 1862, the Pacific Railroad Act chartered the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific Railroad Companies and tasked them with building a transcontinental railroad that would link the United States from east to west.
assimilation
The process whereby a minority group gradually adopts the customs and attitudes of the prevailing culture.
Gilded Age
“The Gilded Age” is the term used to describe the tumultuous years between the Civil War and the turn of the 20th century.
free enterprise
Capitalism | The freedom of private businesses to operate competitively for profit with minimal government regulation.
laissez-faire
a doctrine opposing governmental interference in economic affairs beyond the minimum necessary for the maintenance of peace and property rights
political machine
in U.S. politics, a party organization headed by a single boss or small autocratic group that commands enough votes to maintain political and administrative control of a city, county, or state.
Interstate Commerce Act
In 1887 Congress passed the Interstate Commerce Act, making the railroads the first industry subject to federal regulation. Congress passed the law largely in response to decades of public demand that railroad operations be regulated.
Populism
A political philosophy supporting the rights and power of the people in their struggle against the privileged elite.
urbanization
The process of the formation and growth of cities.
Plessy v. Ferguson
a landmark 1896 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine.
