Unions & Strikes
An organization formed by workers to improve pay, benefits, and working conditions
What is a (labor) union?
This time of political corruption and wealth inequality in the late 1800s created both Captains of Industry and Robber Barons
What was the Gilded Age?
Robber Barons definitely believed in this theory, which states that certain people become powerful in society because they are innately better than others
What is Social Darwinism?
Now hear this - this revolutionary invention by Alexander Graham Bell changed the way that humans communicated forever
What is the telephone?
This entertainer was one of the most famous people in the world - until his death by appendicitis on Halloween night, 1926
Who was Harry Houdini?
This strike in 1899 led to the creation of better working condition for children
What is the Newsboy's Strike?
This idea that the economy works best with minimal government interference became the policy of the United States in the late 1800s
What is laissez-faire?
This shipping and railroad tycoon's only real philanthropic endeavor was creating a university - and then naming it after himself
Who is Cornelius Vanderbilt?
This man, known as "The Wizard of Menlo Park," claims that he invented the long-lasting incandescent light bulb, when in reality it was Latimer Lewis, an African-American laboratory worker
Who was Thomas Edison?
This movement was escalated by both the large number of deaths during the Civil War and the excess of money during the Gilded Age
What was the Spiritualism Movement?
This collective refusal to work by employees was a common practice in the late 1800s and was a way to show displeasure in working conditions
What is a (labor) strike?
It's not just a board game! This term defines when one company or person controls an entire market
What is a monopoly?
This leader in the banking industry paid his employees better than most - and still has a leading financial firm named after him
Who is J.P. Morgan?
This invention made the steel-making process faster, cheaper, and more consistent
What was the Bessemer Process?
This stage entertainment would move from town to town and showcase different talents, such as juggling, animal acts, and acts of great strength
What was Vaudeville?
These people are temporary workers who cross picket lines during a strike in order to fill jobs which have been vacated by the strikers
Who are scabs?
This group filled factory jobs after factory owners found it difficult to hire northern men and women
What are immigrants?
This Captain of Industry was an immigrant from Scotland, and his legacy includes libraries, universities, and the most prestigious concert hall in New York City
Who is Andrew Carnegie?
Lift off! These brothers (and sister) created, built, and flew the world's first successful airplane in 1903
Who are Wilber and Orville Wright (and sister Katharine)?
The Second Great Awakening, the abolition of slavery, and the fight for women's rights were all part of the this movement
What was the American Reformation Movement?
This strike in 1894 occurred when employees protested a decrease in wages and an increase in rent; President Grover Cleveland tried to squash further violent union-related protests by establishing a national Labor Day to honor America's working force
What is the Pullman Strike?
During the Market Revolution the American system of manufacturing centered on this
What is the mass production of interchangeable parts?
This industry leader almost single-handedly controlled the Steel Industry during the end of the 19th century
Who is John D. Rockefeller?
Croatian immigrant Nikola Tesla may be the lesser known of the combatants in the War of the Currents, but this way of distributing electricity, which he invented, is the way that the vast majority of the world lights the way
What is alternating current (or AC)?
This gathering, begun by white female activists in 1848, sparked the American Women's Rights movement
What was the Seneca Falls Convention?