Unit5: The Gilded Age
Time Line
Trigger Words
American Federation of Labor (AFL)
This union formed in 1886 organized skilled workers along craft lines and emphasized a few workplace issues rather than a broad social program. Carnegie, Andrew Carnegie organized the Carnegie Steel Company that dominated the industry for years. In his later years he turned his time and great wealth to philanthropic pursuits. Compromise of 1877 Allegedly, a deal was struck in 1877 to settle the disputed outcome of the 1876 presidential election. In this Compromise of 1877, Democrats accepted the election of the Republican, Rutherford Hayes. In return, Republicans agreed to withdraw federal troops from the South and end Reconstruction. Gilded Age The Gilded Age was Mark Twain's label for the post-Civil War decades. The term refers to a facade of proper and civilized behavior covering waste, corruption, and individual greed in late nineteenth-century America. horizontal integration Horizontal integration refers to the merger of competitors in the same industry. Jim Crow laws Jim Crow laws were segregation laws that became widespread in the South during the 1890s; they were named for a minstrel show character portrayed satirically by white actors in blackface. Knights of Labor The Knights of Labor was organized in 1869 and headed by Uriah Stephens and Terence Powderly. It enjoyed brief success as a national labor organization, especially in the 1880s. It combined the roles of labor union and reform society, and its basic demand was for an eight-hour day. It declined when its advocacy of the eight-hour workday led to violent strikes in 1886 National American Woman Suffrage Association This organization, formed in 1890, to coordinate the ultimately successful campaign to achieve women's right to vote. new immigration America's "new" immigrants in the late nineteenth century came predominantly from southern and eastern Europe. They came in unprecedented numbers, were usually poor peasants, and were usually non-Protestant. patronage Patronage is the power to appoint individuals to government positions. Plessy v. Ferguson In "Plessy v. Ferguson" (1895) the Supreme Court ruled that racially segregated places of public accommodation (like schools) were constitutional if they were of equal quality. This "separate but equal" doctrine led quickly to wholesale segregation, and equal facilities were rarely provided for blacks. The doctrine was overturned in 1954. |
Populist (or People´s) Party
Also known as the People´s Party, the Populist Party held its first national convention in Omaha in 1892. Combining disgruntled farmers workers engaged in several industries (especially mining and timber), and social reformers, the Populists emerged as a major party in the plains states and in the West. In 1892 the Populists nominated James B. Weaver for president; in 1896, they struck an unofficial truce with the Democratic Party in support of William Jennings Bryan for president. Rockefeller, John D. Rockefeller was an unusually skillful business organizer. He founded Standard Oil Company and the Standard Oil Trust, which dominated American oil refining. Like others of his ilk, he sought to stabilize his industry, reduce competition, and maximize profits. settlement house Settlement houses were community centers located in poor urban districts of major cities. They were usually run by single, young, college-educated women. They tried to Americanize immigrant families and provided social services and a political voice for their neighborhoods. sharecropping During Reconstruction, southerners adopted the sharecropping system. In it, the landowners provided land, tools, housing, and seed to a sharecropping farmer who provided his labor. The resulting crop was divided between them (i.e., shared). Sherman Antitrust Act The 1890 Sherman Antitrust Act, the nation's first antitrust act, made any concentration (monopoly) in restraint of trade illegal. This already weak law was emasculated when the Supreme Court ruled in "U.S. v. E. C. Knight" (1895) that manufacturing was excluded from the antitrust law. The Sherman Act was often used to break up labor unions. Social Darwinism Natural scientist Charles Darwin's theory of evolution was thought by some to apply to business and social relationships. The "fittest" business or individual would succeed if left unrestricted. Social Darwinism promoted the values of competition and individualism. Tuskegee Institute In 1881 Booker T. Washington founded this educational institution in rural Alabama to train blacks in agricultural and industrial skills. vertical integration The term vertical integration refers to the consolidation of numerous production functions, from the extraction of the raw materials to the distribution and marketing of the finished products, under the direction of one firm. waving the bloody shirt "Waving the bloody shirt" was a campaign tactic used by post-Civil War Republicans to remind northern voters that the Confederates were Democrats. The device was used to divert attention away from the competence of candidates and from serious issues. It was also used to appeal to black voters in the South. yellow press The term yellow press, or yellow journalism, referred to the deliberately sensational journalism of scandal and exposure designed to attract an urban mass audience and increase advertising revenues. |
Primary Sources
Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exclusion Act was an act that prevented the chinese from immigrating to America and working jobs in the United States such as building railroads and working in factories. This law passed by Congress in 1882 and it was overturned in 1943. When the jobs ran out, many went home with what they earned, but many stayed and endured the hardships, making little communities in California. The Chinese Exclusion Act was so important because America was becoming so populated by immagrants that they didn't have enough jobs for them. The chinese made little communities, like China Town in San Francisco. ~Kayla M. |
United States v. Wong Kim Ark
During this case, Wong Kim Ark was a natural born United States citizen in the state of CA who was a labor worker. Upon returning from one of his visits to China, he was detained for being Chinese and his opponents tried to keep him out of the United States and prevent him from returning under the notion of the Chinese Exclusion Acts. However, the court ruled that under the 14th amendment, all persons born in the U.S. were guaranteed citizens. The court ruled that he was allowed to return and enter the United States because his visits were only temporary and he remained loyal to the U.S. as a citizen and should be allowed entrance despite the Chinese Exclusion Act due to the fact that he was a citizen. This important case helped to provide essential protection for immigrant communities and their following generations that were born in the United States. It helped solidify the doctrine of "birthright citizenship" and emphasized that those who were born in the United States were considered citizens and should not have been included under such immigration limitations. It helped to clarify and solidify the power of the 14th amendment and that immigrants could be equal citizens too. -Ingrid C. |
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
The Sherman Anti-Trust Act was the first real legislation established to help deal with the emerging trusts, or monopolies, that had cornered the market. These trusts, in the eyes of the populace at least, had garnered more than their fair share of power. Trusts could be counted on to raise prices, cut workers or worker pay, and use their weight to sway government activities in whichever way profited them most. Whether or not this was the case, the Sherman Anti-Trust Act helped to decelerate the monopolization that was taking place all across America. More than just interfering with private business, this Act fueled the fire driving the populace for reform, and the busting of trusts. Teddy Roosevelt, one of the most popular POTUS ever, gained most of his popularity by helping the people eradicate their perceived enemies, the greedy and inhuman trusts. Especially affected were the beef trusts, which came under the most heavy fire. However, the Sherman Anti-Trust was most important in breaking the ice for larger government reforms, which previously the public would never have tolerated. -Daniel T. |
Tuskegee Institution (Photo)
The Tuskegee Institution was an all black school in Alabama founded by Booker T. Washington in 1881 as a private university which taught academic subjects but emphasized a practical education. This included vocational jobs such as farming, carpentry, brick-making, etc. As is shown by the picture, the condition of the school at the time were harsh and unsettling. This was common among many establishments under the hypocritical Plessy v. Ferguson ruling of "separate but equal." Washington, a firm believer in equal rights, created the school as a stepping stone for equality among races. He strongly believed that the only way to reach equality was through slow, transitional progress. The institute marked a new era in civil rights, as various schools and other foundations were created for blacks afterward, and although they were rarely "equal" to those made for whites, they began a chain of movements toward progressive equality. ~Aaron W. |