The New South & The West
This 1862 act, which peaked in usage during Period 6, offered 160 acres of free public land to any settler who would live on it and improve it for five years.
This Scottish immigrant revolutionized the steel industry and later argued in "The Gospel of Wealth" that the rich had a moral obligation to help society.
Andrew Carnegie
Led by Samuel Gompers, this union focused on "bread and butter" issues like higher wages and shorter hours for skilled workers only.
American Federation of Labor (AFL)
Mark Twain coined this term to describe an era that looked golden on the outside but was riddled with corruption and poverty underneath.
Gilded Age
This processing station in New York Harbor opened in 1892 and became the primary entry point for millions of "New Immigrants" from Southern and Eastern Europe.
Ellis Island
This 1887 law attempted to "civilize" Native Americans by breaking up tribal lands into individual family plots, leading to a massive loss of indigenous territory.
Dawes Severalty Act
This business strategy involves buying out all aspects of production—from raw materials to transportation—to control an entire industry.
Vertical Integration
This 1886 Chicago protest turned violent when a bomb was thrown at police, leading to the public perception of unions as radical and the decline of the Knights of Labor.
Haymarket Square Riot
This political party, also known as the People's Party, advocated for the unlimited coinage of silver, a graduated income tax, and direct election of senators.
Populist Party
This 1882 law was the first significant federal legislation to ban a specific ethnic group from immigrating to the United States.
Chinese Exclusion Act
This landmark 1896 Supreme Court decision established the "separate but equal" doctrine, providing legal cover for Jim Crow segregation.
Plessy v Ferguson
John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil famously used this strategy, which involves merging with or buying out direct competitors to create a monopoly.
Horizontal Integration
Unlike the AFL, this earlier union, led by Terence Powderly, welcomed women, African Americans, and both skilled and unskilled workers.
Knights of Labor
This 1883 act ended the "spoils system" by requiring civil service exams for many government jobs following the assassination of James Garfield.
Pendleton Act
Founded by Jane Addams in Chicago, this "settlement house" provided social services, education, and childcare to poor immigrant families.
Hull House
This 1890 event in South Dakota is often cited as the final clash of the Indian Wars, occurring after the "Ghost Dance" movement alarmed U.S. authorities.
Wounded Knee Massacre
This pseudoscientific theory applied "survival of the fittest" to human society, justifying the success of the wealthy and the poverty of the lower classes.
Social Darwinisn
Federal troops were called in to end this 1894 strike against a "palace car" company after it interfered with the delivery of the U.S. mail.
Pullman Strike
This New York City political machine, led by "Boss" Tweed, used graft and bribery to control the city's finances and elections.
Tammany Hall
These multi-family urban apartment buildings were often cramped, windowless, and served as the primary housing for the Gilded Age working class.
Tenements
Joseph Glidden’s 1874 invention of this simple product effectively ended the era of the "Open Range" and led to violent "range wars" between cattlemen and farmers.
Barbed Wire
This 1890 act was the first federal attempt to limit monopolies, though it was initially used more effectively against labor unions than corporations.
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
This 1892 strike at a Carnegie steel plant in Pennsylvania involved a bloody shootout between workers and Pinkerton detectives
Homestead Strike
William Jennings Bryan was the leading advocate for this policy, which would have backed the U.S. dollar with two different precious metals to increase the money supply and help farmers.
Bimetallism (or Free Silver)
Nativist groups like the American Protective Association (APA) were specifically hostile toward "New Immigrants" who practiced this religion.