Era Evolution Study Guide
The Gilded Age
Historical Study Guide • Part I
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Assimilate
To absorb into the main culture of a society. Forced on Native Americans through boarding schools.
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Civil Service
Government departments and their non-elected employees; transitioned to merit-based hiring.
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1882
Chinese Exclusion Act
1882 law banning Chinese laborer immigrants from entering the U.S. for a decade.
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Dawes Act
1887 law regulating land rights on tribal territories; created the Reservation System.
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Homestead Act
Public land acquired by living on it. Crucial for the development of the American West.
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Immigration
Movement of people to settle in a new country. Massive influx from S/E Europe.
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Industrialization
Large-scale industry development leading to urbanization and economic inequality.
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Labor Union
Worker organizations formed to advance interests in wages and safety conditions.
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Laissez Faire
The absence of government control over the economy; "let it be" philosophy.
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Migrate
To move from one country, place, or locality to another for better opportunities.
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Monopoly
Exclusive control by one company over an entire industry, killing competition.
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Nativism
Hostility toward immigrants and a preference for native-born inhabitants.
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Quota System
Limited the number of immigrants who could enter from specific nations.
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Rural
Relating to the country, agriculture, or a non-urban lifestyle.
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Settlement
The establishment of a new region; key to 19th-century westward expansion.
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Trusts
Separate companies under one board, effectively forming a monopoly.
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Urbanization
Rapid growth of cities, often leading to overcrowding and poor sanitation.
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Boss Tweed
Leader of NYC's Tammany Hall; famous for political machine corruption.
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Robber Barons
Industrialists who amassed wealth through ruthless business practices.
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Innovations
New technologies like electricity that drove industrial efficiency.
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Bessemer Process
A cheap way to mass-produce steel, allowing for skyscraper growth.
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Electricity
Led to longer work hours and massive urban economic development.
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Transcontinental RR
Connected East and West; built largely by Chinese and Irish immigrants.
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Jim Crow Laws
Laws in the South that enforced racial segregation and restricted rights.
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Progressive Era
Historical Study Guide • Part II
19th Amendment
Ratified in 1920; guaranteed women the right to vote (Women's Suffrage).
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18th Amendment
Prohibited the manufacturing, sale, and transport of alcohol (Prohibition).
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Square Deal
Roosevelt's agenda: Conservation, Corporation control, and Consumer protection.
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Conservation
The planned management and protection of natural resources and public lands.
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Initiative
Empowers citizens to place a proposed law directly on the ballot for a vote.
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Muckraker
Journalists who exposed societal corruption and business misconduct.
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Referendum
Allows voters to approve or reject a law previously passed by a legislature.
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Reform
Systemic changes made to improve existing laws or institutions.
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Suffrage
The legal right to vote; a major focus of the Progressive Era.
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Populist Party
Advocated for farmers' rights, silver coinage, and income tax reform.
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National Parks
Established to preserve the nation's natural beauty and wildlife.
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Pure Food & Drug
Halted sale of contaminated foods/meds; ensured truth in labeling.
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Progressivism
Political movement seeking to return control of the gov to the people.
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Recall
Procedure for submitting to popular vote the removal of an official.
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Activism
Action taken to promote or direct social, political, or economic change.
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Audit
An official inspection of an individual's or organization's accounts.
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16th Amendment
Gave Congress the power to collect a federal income tax.
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17th Amendment
Established the direct election of U.S. Senators by the people.
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Antitrust Laws
Laws designed to monitor business practices and prevent monopolies.
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Ida B. Wells
Activist who exposed lynching and fought for equal civil rights.
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W.E.B. DuBois
Civil rights leader; demanded full social/economic equality immediately.
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Jane Addams
Founder of Hull House; a pioneer in the settlement house movement.
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B.T. Washington
Advocated for vocational training and economic self-reliance.
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Child Labor Laws
Regulations and bans designed to protect children from industrial work.
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