Gilded Age
Color: Black (this is a dark time in the U.S. with
corruption, pollution, greed)
Color: Black (this is a dark time in the U.S. with
corruption, pollution, greed)
This law/act reduced the power of monopolies and trusts during the late 1800s.
or as Public Enemy said, Can't truss this!
What is the Sherman Antitrust Act?
This journalist was basically the OG “expose account,” digging up receipts and blasting corruption or social problems for everyone to see.
Think of them as early 1900s reporters doing what TikTok creators do now when they drop a full investigation thread.
Who is a muckraker?
This 1898 war against this Spanish speaking European country was basically America’s “main character moment,” kicking off its whole imperial expansion tour.
What is the Spanish-American War?
This archduke’s assassination was basically the OG “one event blows up the whole group chat,” starting World War I.
Who is Archduke Franz Ferdinand?
This amendment basically hit the country with an “Alcohol Cutoff: Level 18 Lockdown” — shutting down drinks nationwide and kicking off Prohibition.
What is the 18th Amendment?
Andrew Carnegie dominated this industry during the Gilded Age.
He was a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers
What is the steel industry?
This amendment was the moment when women finally said, “We’re done being benched,” and they got the right to vote in 1920....hint before 20
What is the 19th Amendment?
This policy was the U.S. saying, “Heyyy China… let’s keep the trade vibes open don't shut the door on everyone, okay?”
USA: Knock, knock.
China: Who’s there?
USA Hay.
China: Hay who?
Hay, I know you didn't actually say I could come in... but I already told Britain and Germany you said yes, so you’re gonna have to leave that door open.
What is the Open Door Policy?
Germany tried to slide into Mexico’s DMs with a secret alliance request… and the U.S. found the receipts.
What is the Zimmermann Telegram?
This cultural glow-up was basically the 1920s TikTok For You Page, where Black artists, musicians, and writers were constantly trending — a whole movement celebrating Black excellence that stayed iconic long before “going viral” was even a thing.
What is the Harlem Renaissance?
POLITICAL MACHINES LIKE TAMMANY HALL were kinda like when someone on TikTok or Reddit does “like for like” or upvote farming:“I’ll hype your post, you hype mine.”
Tammany Hall was on the same vibe, but instead of likes, they were collecting actual....
What are votes?
The Jungle & Government Reform
Upton Sinclair dropped a book so wild that America basically said, “Yeah… we can’t be eating this sketchy mystery meat anymore,” leading to a huge government act.
What is the Meat Inspection Act?
This dude ATM wrote a book saying, “If your navy isn’t stacked, your country isn’t either.”
Who is Alfred Thayer Mahan?
This U.S. general rolled into Europe leading the American Expeditionary Forces like the ultimate squad captain — and his nickname, “Black Jack,” made him sound even more like a straight-up legend.
Who is General John J. Pershing?
This business hack had cars rolling out faster than a TikTok trend goes from 0 to 10 million views, turning mass production into a straight-up speedrun.
What is the assembly line?
Immigrants pulling up to this New York processing hotspot helped cities blow up in population fast.
What is Ellis Island?
Initiative, Referendum, Recall
These tools were created so regular citizens could hit the “let me be part of this decision” button and actually have more say in government.
What is political participation/democracy?
Building this canal was like creating the ultimate shortcut—connecting two oceans and instantly giving the U.S. global clout.
What is the Panama Canal?
This tactic turned WWI into the ultimate rapper beef stalemate — both sides in the trenches dropping shots, but nobody moving, nobody winning, just endless “you go first… nah, YOU go first” energy...and lots of dead people
What is trench warfare?
This was the U.S. in the 1920s basically freaking out like, “If communism even breathes in our direction, it’s over,” kicking off a nationwide freak-out over anything even slightly “red.”
What is the Red Scare?
This crew of fed-up farmers basically said, “yo, these railroad prices are robbing us,” and started pushing for big economic glow-ups.
Think of it like the 1800s version of people banding together online to call out unfair prices — just way dustier and with more corn.
What is the Populist Movement?
This glow-up movement tried to make "progress" to fix all the chaotic vibes from industrialization — unsafe factories, bad working conditions, corruption — the whole mess.
What is the Progressive Movement?
This future president pulled up to the Spanish-American War leading the Rough Riders like it was his personal action movie.
Who is Theodore Roosevelt?
Wilson pulled up after WWI with a 14-step “patch update” for world peace — basically a “let’s fix the global drama with version 14.0” plan.
What are the 14 Points?
(No-Monkeys-But-Max-Drama Edition)
This trial was basically the 1920s version of a full-on comment-section war — science vs. religion throwing intellectual hands over whether evolution could be taught in school…
What is the Scopes Trial?