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Susan B. Anthony
In 1872, Susan B. Anthony attempted to vote in Rochester, NY, however a judge refused to grant her the right to vote. In 1874, the Supreme Court then ruled that although women were citizens, they could not vote. By 1890, the failure to achieve women's suffrage led several women's groups to merge together into the National American Women Suffrage Association. -
Political Machines
Machines that were controlled by "political bosses" and they provided jobs and other services to immigrants and the poor in exchange for their votes -
Andrew Carnegie
a Gilded Age industrialist, the owner of Carnegie Steel Company, and a major philanthropist. He epitomized the Gilded Age ideal of the self-made man, rising from poverty to become one of the wealthiest individuals in the history of the world. -
Tenements
Single room apartments often without heat or lighting -
Alexander Graham Bell
An educator of the deaf
Also invented the telephone. -
Jacob Riis
Jacob August Riis was a Danish-American social reformer, "muckraking" journalist and social documentary photographer. -
Samuel Gompers
Founder of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) in 1881. -
Nativism
- A dislike of foreigners. Nativists believed white Protestant Americans were superior to other people.
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Bessemer steel production
Made the production of steel more economical. Before it took an entire day to produce 5 tons of steel, afterwards, the same quantity took 15 minutes. -
Eugene V. Debbs
He ran as the Socialist Party's candidate for the presidency in 1900, 1904, 1908, 1912, and 1920, the last time from a prison cell. Debs was noted for his oratory, and his speech denouncing American participation in World War I led to his second arrest in 1918. He was convicted under the Espionage Act of 1917 and sentenced to a term of 10 years. -
Clarence Darrow
Involved in the Scopes "Monkey Trial". This trial was all about pitting older religious beliefs against new scientific theories. The state was represented by Williams Jennings Bryan as a special prosecutor, while famed attorney Clarence Darrow defended the scopes. They were considered the greatest orators of their day, and the Scopes trial became the first in American history to be broadcast over national radio. -
Theodore Roosevelt
Roosevelt stood for "fair play". He opposed unfair, anti-competitive practices like when big businesses lowered their prices to out sell smaller businesses then raised the prices again when they had enough money. He tried to stop these practices. He distinguished good trusts from bad trusts. -
Jane Addams
a Progressive reformer and the most prominent advocate for the settlement house movement, which was dedicated to improving social conditions for immigrants and other residents of urban slums. In 1931, she became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. -
William Jenning Bryan
Represented the state in the Scopes "Monkey Trial" as a special prosecutor. -
Ida B. Wells
Ida Bell Wells was a leading voice in the social reform movement known as Ida B. Wells Lynching (murder by hanging). Lynching was one of the tactics used to terrorize African Americans, especially in the South. When 3 of Wells' male friends were lynched for crimes they didn't commit, Wells organized a national anti-lynching crusade. Her research revealed that 728 African American men and women had been lynched in the previous decade. -
Gilded Age
Many entrepreneurs reaped huge profits for themselves and create immense wealth. Because of their lavish lifestyles they named this period the Gilded Age -
Labor Unions
Knights of Labor - formed in 1869, hoped to create a single national union by joining together all skilled and unskilled workers. They demanded an 8-hour working day, higher wages, and safety codes in factories. Owned by Terrence Powderly
American Federation of Labor - founded in 1881 by Samuel Gompers, he hoped to create a powerful union by uniting workers with similar economic interests. AFL consisted of separate unions of skilled workers which had joined together in confederation. -
Industrialization
the process of social and economic change whereby a human group is transformed from a pre-industrial society into an industrial one -
Haymarket Riot
the aftermath of a bombing that took place at a labor demonstration on Tuesday, May 4, 1886, at Haymarket Square in Chicago. It began as a peaceful rally in support of workers striking for an eight-hour day and in reaction to the killing of several workers the previous day by the police -
Interstate Commerce Act
This act prohibited unfair practices by railroads, such as charging higher rights for shorter routes. -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
The purpose of the federal law was to stop monopolies engaging in unfair practices that prevented fair competition. -
Populism and Progressivism
Populism-Farm-based movement of the late 1800s that arose mainly in the area from Texas to the Dakotas and grew into a joint effort between farmer and labor groups against big business and machine-based politics. The movement became a third party in the election of 1892.
Progressivism-The political orientation of those who favor progress toward better conditions in government and society -
Robber Barons
Entreprenuers that used ruthless tactics to destroy competition and to keep their workers wages low. -
Klondike Gold Rush
a migration by an estimated 100,000 prospectors to the Klondike region of the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1896 and 1899. Gold was discovered there by local miners on August 16, 1896 and, when news reached Seattle and San Francisco the following year, it triggered a stampede of would-be prospectors. Some became wealthy, but the majority went in vain. The Klondike Gold Rush ended in 1899 after gold was discovered in Nome, Alaska prompting an exodus from the Klondike -
Muckrakers
With the expansion of cities, newspapers and magazines reached larger audiences. Investigative reporters, writers and social scientists exposed the abuses of industrial society and government corruption. The spread of the newspapers and magazines made this new journalism popular. These writers became known as "muckrakers" because they raked up the "muck" or dirt of American life. The muckrakers examined the rise of industry and the abuses that had often led to the accumulation of large fortunes. -
Upton Sinclair
Wrote a novel, The Jungle (1906), describing the unsanitary practices of the meat-packing industry -
Pure Food and Drug Act
Regulated the preparation of foods and the sale of medicine. -
Social Gospel Movement
Protestant ministers in this movement called for social reforms including the abolition of child labor and safer working conditions. They objected the harsh realities of unregulated free enterprise and emphasized the ancient idea that each man was his brothers' keeper. They helped those who were less unfortunate. -
Dollar Diplomacy
Diplomatic strategy formulated under former President Taft that focused on expanding American investments abroad, especially in Latin America & East Asia -
Initiative, Referendum, and Recall
Progressives introduced the political reforms to many states. The purpose of the was to end corruption and to make government more directly accountable to the people. The reforms sought to raise the level of public participation in the political process and to give citizens more of a direct voice in state government by by-passing politicians. -
16th Amendment
The sixteenth Amendment, ratified in 1913, gave Congress the power to tax personal income. -
Federal Reserve Act
created 12 district banks that would lend money at discount rates (could increase/decrease amount of money in circulation); loosen/tighten credit with nation's needs. First central banking system since 1836. -
17th Amendment
Direct election of senators.
1913, direct election of senators (instead of state legislatures) -
18th Amendment
An amendment banning the sale of alcoholic drinks. -
19th Amendment
Known as a step forward in making the US a true democracy (a system of government by the people). It didn't lead to the dramatic changes to our political system that many of its opponents had predicted. The fear that men would be swept out of office and replaced by women didn't materialize. It also failed to bring about the equality of economic opportunity between the sexes that some sponsors hoped for. Most women continued to face discrimination and were paid less for the same work as males. -
Settlement House
A center in an underprivileged area that provides community services. -
Teapot Dome Scandal
Uncovered Harding's death in 1923, was one of the worst scandals in the US history.
