transcontinental railroad
transportation system stretching from coast to coast, connecting the country
national grange movement
leveraged membership of farmers against trusts + monopolization -- oliver h kelley
interstate commerce act
policy that established the icc (interstate commerce commission) to monitor the business operation of carriers transporting goods and people between states created to regulate railroad prices
homestead act
policy that provided free land in the west for anyone willing to settle/develop it
sioux wars
clashes between the indigenous peoples + colonizers after gold-greedy miners illegally rushed into dakota land. custer led these forces until he was killed at the battle at little bighorn.
assimilation
the idea that indigenous peoples should be forced to abandon their culture + conform to white society
ida b wells
fierce anti-lynching journalist
sherman antitrust act
outlawed trusts, monopolies, and other forms of business that restricted trade in order to promote fairness among business competitors
social darwinism
applying the concept of "survival of the fittest" to social structures + business practices
gospel of wealth
belief popularized by andrew carnegie that argued that the rich had a moral obligation to better society with their wealth
bessimer process
process by which steel was made stronger + higher quality
chinese exclusion acts
policy preventing chinese immigrants from entering the us -- first + only time congress blocks a specific group from entering the us
hull house
settlement house founded in chicago by jane addams to provide for immigrants by educating them, teaching them english, and helping them find jobs
exoduster movement
mass migration of black people from the south to the west/midwest following the civil war in hopes of establishing their own self-sufficient farms
populist party
a political party that supported free coinage of silver, work reforms, immigration restrictions, and government ownership of railroads and telegraph and telephone systems, generally supported by farmers
social gospel
the idea that christian principles should be applied to social issues, encouraged middle class protestants to engage with progressive issues (eg. walter rauschenbusch)
temperence movement
movement in support of prohibition
gilded age
time period in which american government was conservative + complacent; little productivity or improvement
pendleton act
reform measure that established the principle of federal employment on the basis of open, competitive exams and created the civil service commission
gold standard
monetary standard under which the basic unit of currency is defined by a stated quantity of gold
ghost dance
a ritual performed by dakota tribes in an attempt to return buffalo + indigenous tribes to their ancestral land
homestead strike
strike at andrew carnegie's steel plant in which pinkerton detectives clashed with steel workers
contract labor law
law that prohibited employers from forcing immigrants to work to pay off the costs of their passage to america