Gilded --- Imperial

Second Industrial Revolution

a period of quick change to industrialization and urbanization, leading to mass disparities in wealth between the rich and poor

Alexander Graham Bell

He created the telephone leading to easy and rapid communication, which was essential for this age

Transcontinental Railroads

Allowed industrial products as well as people to move much quicker, creating an effective transport system

Monopolies/Trusts

companies and cartels that controlled large market shares; destroying all other competition, minimizing opportunities for the poor; in a constant clash with unions to limit worker rights

Interlocking Directorates

When members from a board of one company were also on the board of another company; a tool used by monopolies and trusts to gain more control over the market

Company Towns

housed workers in isolated areas, where companies controlled not only employment but also housing, strores, and social services; created economic dependence on companies and limited worker rights

John D. Rockefeller

Owner of the Standard Oil Company, a Titan of industry, the country’s fight billionaire, and the maker of the first big trust

Standard Oil Company

Monopoly headed by Rockefeller that controlled 90% of US Oil production; utilized horizontal integration

J. P. Morgan

One of the most influential bankers, saved the country from the Panic of 1907; instrumental in organizing many of the big monopolies and trusts

Andrew Carnegie

Scottish immigrant who headed US Steel; he became a philanthropist giving away $350 mil. and writing The Gospel of Wealth

US Steel

Carnegie’s company; used vertical integration; it was based in Pittsburgh and constantly utilized technoolgoical advancements to make more steel faster; made up 67% of the US Steel production

Knights of Labor

prominent labor union that advocated for broad social reforms, including and eight-hour workday and the abolition of child labor, aiming to unite skilled and unskilled wokrers across racial and gender lines (sometimes)

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

union that focused on sklled workers and aimed for higher wages, shorter hours, and better working conditions; formed because the skill laborers were disappointed in the Knights of Labor

Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)

radical labor union that aimted ot untie all workers in the struggle to overthrow the capitalist system; advocated for industrial unionism as a method to achieve their goals

Eugene V. Debs

prominent American socialist, labor leader, and five-time presidential candidate who co-founded the IWW; he advocated for workers’ rights and socialism throughout his career

William “Boss” Tweed

notorious NYC politician; he used his influence to embezzle millions of dollars from NYC, but his corrupt practices were eventually exposed and led to his imprisonment

Thomas Nast

Cartoonist known for his influential political illustrations that helped expose the corruption of “Boss” Tweed and for creating iconic images of Santa Claus and Uncle Sam

Whiskey Ring

group of distillers and government officials who planned to escape whiskey taxes in the US, resulted in significant revenue loss for the government; it included members of Grant’s administration and tarnished his reputation

Tenement Housing

densely packed, poorly ventilated, and often dirty basic form of housing for the working-class and immigrant populations of cities

How the Other Half Lives

book by Jacob Riis that documented the dirty living conditions in the NYC slums and tenement houses

Social Gospel

A Christian movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries sought to give Christian solutions to societal problems and injustices.

Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890

The federal government was given the authority to initiate actions against trusts with the aim of disbanding them.

Muckrakers

Reform minded journalists who fearlessly exposed corruption and social injustices in society and brought awareness to the issues.

Ida Tarbell

Wrote "The History of the Standard Oil Company '' which contributed significantly to the public's understanding of corporate monopolies and spurred antitrust legislation.

Initiative, referendum, and recall

Initiative allows citizens to propose laws, referendum enables them to approve or reject legislation, and recall permits the removal of elected officials from office. 

Theodore Roosevelt

26th president of the U.S, he was a prominent leader of the progressive era and was often called the “Trust Buster” or the “Rough Rider”.

Square Deal

President Roosevelt’s domestic agenda, which consisted of control of the corporations, consumer protection, and conservation of natural resources

Robert M. La Follete

governor of Wisconsin who took control from the corrupt corporations and returned it to the people.

Newlands Act of 1902

This act used the money that was raised from selling public funds to put into irrigation projects.

Elkins Act 1903

It fined railroad companies that gave rebates and shippers which accepted them.

The Jungle

A book by Upton Sinclair which brought out the horrors of the food industry.

Meat Inspection Act

preparation of meat shipped over state lines was subject to federal inspection. 

Florence Kelley

Illinois’s first chief factory inspector and a leader of the National Consumers League.

Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)

An organization dedicated to advocating for alcohol prohibition (that led to the 18th amendment) and various social reforms, including women's suffrage and public health initiatives.

Louis D. Brandeis

He helped create a shorter work day for women in Muller v. Oregon, wrote Other People’s Money and How the Bankers Use It (1914), and was appointed to the Supreme Court.

William Howard Taft

27th president of the US, he continued Teddy’s policies of progressivism.

17th amendment

established the direct voting of US senators.

Woodrow Wilson

28th president of the US, he led the country through WW1.

Federal Trade Commission Act

created the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which oversaw industries engaged in interstate commerce.

Adamson Act

established the eight-hour workday for railroad employees

Queen Liliuokalani

Last monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii, overthrown by American businessmen, leading to Hawaii's annexation by the United States.

William McKinley

The 25th president; presided over a time of economic prosperity and expansionism, including the annexation of territories like Hawaii and Puerto Rico

Yellow Journalism

Sensationalized reporting by newspapers like the New York Journal and New York World, influencing public opinion and supporting American expansionism.

De Lome Letter

Private correspondence from Spanish ambassador Enrique Dupuy de Lôme criticizing President McKinley, fueling tensions before the Spanish-American War.

USS Maine

American battleship sunk in Havana harbor, escalating tensions and leading to the Spanish-American War.

Teller Amendment

U.S. resolution disavowing annexation intentions in Cuba after the Spanish-American War, ensuring Cuban independence.

Anti-Imperialist League

Political movement opposing U.S. expansionism and advocating for non-interventionism.

Treaty of Paris

Ended the Spanish-American War, resulting in Spain ceding territories like the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico to the United States.

Jingoism

Extreme nationalism advocating aggressive foreign policy, influencing American imperialism.

Foraker Act

Established a civilian government in Puerto Rico under U.S. control.

Platt Amendment

Allowed U.S. intervention in Cuban affairs and established naval bases in Cuba after the Spanish-American War.

Insular Cases

Supreme Court cases defining the constitutional status of acquired territories, establishing "unincorporated territories."

Hay–Pauncefote Treaty

Allowed the U.S. to build and control a canal across Central America, vital for global maritime trade routes.

Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty

Granted the U.S. control over the Panama Canal Zone.

Theodore Roosevelt

U.S. President who implemented "Big Stick Diplomacy" and expanded American influence globally.

Big Stick Diplomacy

Roosevelt's foreign policy using military power to achieve diplomatic goals, asserting American dominance.

The Portsmouth Conference

Diplomatic talks mediated by Roosevelt, leading to the Treaty of Portsmouth ending the Russo-Japanese War.

Moral Diplomacy

Wilsonian foreign policy promoting democracy and human rights, opposing imperialism.

Dollar Diplomacy

Taft's foreign policy encouraging economic investment abroad to increase American influence.

Jones Act

Granted U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans and established a local government.