Gilded Age A
What was laissez-faire and how was it used?
It meant "hands off" and that govt would stay out of businesses. So child labor and immigrants were at an all time high.
What was the Chinese Exclusion Act?
a set of laws that barred Chinese immigration for 10 years and prevented Chinese already in the country from becoming citizens.
belief that native born people should be treated better than immigrants.
push/pull factors
War, Famine, drought, economic opportunity and education
The growth of large cities
urbanization
What was the importance of the Transcontinental Railroad?
Goods were able to be shipped faster from coast to coast and it helped with settling out west and through the great plains.
What was Ellis Island?
All immigrants coming from Europe and Countries to the East had to go through this island before entering the United States.
Who are the 4 robber barons at this time and what was their industry?
Rockefeller- Oil
Carnegie- Steel
Vanderbilt- Railroad
Morgan- Loans and Banking
Political Machine
corrupt powerful group that supported a corrupt local political party, usually the same corrupt political party that is allowing them to be powerful.
Labor union: Limited membership to crafts and skilled workers creating a federation of unions
Knights of Labor
Process which made steel more affordable and profitable
Bessemer Process
What was Angel island?
all immigrants coming from Asian nations had to stop at this island off the coast of San Francisco before coming in.
Angel Island was horrible in contrast compared to Ellis island because the Asian immigrants, especially the Chinese, were treated horribly and sometime imprisoned for weeks before even seeing anyone.
What is monopolies?
exclusive control by one company over an entire industry
Boss Tweed (Tammany Hall)
Tammany Hall, New York’s democratic party had Boss Tweed as their leader.
Had many “grafts” or illegal use of political influence for personal gain
Act: Prohibited unfair practices by railroads such as charging higher rates for shorter routes
Interstate Commerce Act
What was the Homestead Act and what did it promise?
accelerated the settlement of the western territory by granting families 160 acres of public land for a minimal filing fee and five years of continuous residence on that land.
Thomas Edison created the light bulb which allowed for more people to work longer hours
electricity
Robber baron is?
negative term given to the leaders of industry like Carnegie or Rockefeller who were considered by the poor working population to be greedy, manipulative, and were keeping other people from achieving the same level of success.
Patronage(Spoils System)
was where a person who just won an election will appoint their supporters to high position of power, regardless of effectiveness.
An economic system where individuals are free to produce and sell whatever products they wish
Free Enterprise System
The use of the steel plow and windmill helped with what?
Cultivating land and watering crops that helped farmers grow more of an abundance of crops
Dawes Act
U.S. law providing for the distribution of Indian reservation land among individual Native Americans (a form of assimilation)
Gospel of Wealth
article that Carnegie wrote saying the wealthy should use their money for good.
Americanization
Process by which people of one culture merge into and became part of another culture
Complete control of a product or service and eliminated fair competition
Monopoly