Gilded Age
It meant "hands off" and that govt would stay out of businesses. So child labor and immigratns 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.
What did unions do when they protested for extra pay and better working conditions?
(One word)
Strikes
What is being described?
The child is dying with measles. With half a chance it might have lived; but it had none. That dark bedroom killed it. . . . . What if the words ring in your ears as we grope our way up the stairs and down from floor to floor, listening to the sounds behind the closed doors
tenement housing in Riss, Jacob A. How the Other Half Lives
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.
Immigrants must prove they had at least $25, were healthy and could work, and had no felonies. Almost all were accepted
Who are at least 2 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.
What is a Philanthropy ?
A fancy word for Charity.
Robber barons like Carnegie gave away their money when they were older. Carnegie donated libraries.
What was Assimilation?
The act of a minority culture comes to be like the majority culture.
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.
Had the New York County Courthouse built for $13 million, but it really only cost 3 million. The profits went to Tweed. Tweed also controlled the Police in New York.
Once it became clear that Boss Tweed had stolen from the federal government, the federal government had to start cracking down on these political machines.
Bessemer Process
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.
Tenements were used for?
Single-family buildings divided into multiple living spaces. Often narrow, low-rise apartments, the rooms were built "railroad style" which meant rooms without windows and poor ventilation.(no air flow)
Many were overcrowded and lacked indoor plumbing.
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.
Graft
Corrupt way of doing things
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
Which amendment promised people "equal Protection" under the law?
The 14th amendment
Give an example of a place where you could see "separate but equal"
Movie theater, toilets, schools, bus stops etc.
"Separate but Equal" is referring to what Court case
Plessy V Ferguson
What event helped make sure civil service reform happned?
President Garfield was assassinated by a person expecting a job.