Important People
This "Wizard of Menlo Park" helped power the era with the invention of the incandescent light bulb and an electrical distribution system
Who is Thomas Edison?
This 1906 Act, a favorite of Teddy Roosevelt, gave the ICC the power to set maximum shipping rates for railroads
What is the Hepburn Act?
These investigative journalists, like Ida Tarbell and Upton Sinclair, "raked up the mud" of society to expose corruption and poor conditions
What are Muckrakers?
Ratified in 1920, this Constitutional Amendment finally guaranteed women the right to vote
What is the 19th Amendment?
This 1906 law, inspired by the novel The Jungle, mandated federal inspection of meat and forbade the manufacture of adulterated foods
What is the Meat Inspection Act?
This "Trust-Busting" President's domestic program was known as the "Square Deal."
Who is Theodore Roosevelt?
This 1890 Act was the first federal attempt to curb concentrations of power that interfered with trade, though it was initially used against unions
What is the Sherman Antitrust Act?
This New York City political organization, led by "Boss" Tweed, was the most famous example of a "political machine."
What is Tammany Hall?
This 1865 amendment abolished slavery "except as a punishment for crime," a loophole later used by Southern states to implement convict leasing
What is the 13th Amendment?
This 1896 Supreme Court decision established the "separate but equal" doctrine, cementing Jim Crow laws during the Gilded Age.
What is Plessy v. Ferguson?
He coined the term "Gilded Age" in his 1873 novel to describe a society that looked glittering on the outside but was corrupt underneath
Who is Mark Twain?
While the Sherman Act was weak, this 1914 Act specifically listed "unfair" business practices and protected labor unions from being sued as trusts
What is the Clayton Antitrust Act?
These powerful industrialist figures, like Rockefeller and Carnegie, were often called this term due to their ruthless business tactics
What are Robber Barons?
This amendment prohibited denying the right to vote based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude," though it notably excluded gender.
What is the 15th Amendment?
This 1886 Chicago protest for an 8-hour workday turned violent, leading to the decline of the Knights of Labor union
What is the Haymarket Riot?
This Scottish immigrant became the giant of the steel industry and later argued in "The Gospel of Wealth" that the rich had a moral duty to be philanthropists
Who is Andrew Carnegie?
This 1913 Act created a central banking system for the U.S. to provide economic stability and a flexible currency
What is the Federal Reserve Act?
A term for the late 19th-century political system where supporters were rewarded with government jobs (ended by the Pendleton Act)
What is Patronage?
This massive amendment granted Birthright Citizenship and guaranteed "Equal Protection" and "Due Process" under the law
What is the 14th Amendment?
This tragedy at a garment factory in 1911 led to a massive push for workplace safety regulations and building codes
What is the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire?
He gave the famous "Cross of Gold" speech in 1896, advocating for "Free Silver" to help struggling farmers
Who is William Jennings Bryan?
This 1916 Act, later ruled unconstitutional, was a Progressive attempt to ban the interstate shipment of goods made by children under 14
What is the Keating-Owen Act?
A Progressive reform allowing citizens to vote directly on a proposed law or constitutional amendment
What is a Referendum?
This is the only amendment in the list above to be completely repealed by a later amendment (the 21st)
What is the 18th Amendment?
This 1894 strike against a luxury railcar company prompted the federal government to use an injunction to force workers back to work
What is the Pullman Strike?