Reservation system
Indian nations were assigned land called reservations. However this land was much less than before, and many decided to just keep following buffalo
Corrupt political bosses and their followers
Booker T. Washington
Labor unions
Workers formed labor unions to have more negotiating power and fight for better pay and working conditions
John D. Rockefeller
Pioneered horizontal integration, where one company controls every seller in the market.
Growth of immigration
16 million immigrants (mostly from Europe) came looking for better economic opportunities
Chinese exclusion act
Nativists successfully pressured Congress to stop the flow of Chinese immigrants who were coming over during the gold rush.
Changes in farming
A new focus on cash-crops in the north and west, and a shift to more expensive mechanized farming methods put smaller farms out of business. Big trusts that farmers relied on (like railroads) also raised prices, making it even harder for farmers to make a living
Populist party
Wanted to correct the concentration of power held by banks and trusts. Proposed the Omaha platform: Direct election of senators, more referendums, graduated income tax, and an 8-hour workday
Sherman antitrust act
Made monopolizing an entire market illegal
Jim Crow laws
Forced segregation and prevented african americans from exercising their civil liberties
Social and educational collective aimed at brining farmers together. Soon became political to lobby for farmers
Railroad companies cut salaries due to a recession. Railroad workers went on strike in 11 states. When the strike got violent, 11 people were killed before President Hayes sent in federal troops
Ghost dance movement
Panic of 1893
Assimilationist movement
Gave settlers 160 acres of land if they lived there for 5 years.
Settlement houses
Provided resources to the poor to enrich the neighborhood. Largely led by women
Laissez-faire economics
There was an extreme lack of government regulation of the economy at the time
By 1890, the U.S. Census Bureau declared that the frontier was officially settled
Anarchists set off a bomb during a Knights of labor protest in Chicago for an 8-hour workweek. Many people began to see the labor movement as violent and radical
Anti-Saloon league
American federation of labor
Grew to over a million members by 1901 and had some modest successes
Interstate commerce act
Heavily anti-catholic and Social Darwinists
Worked to ban alcohol, had over 500,000 members
Political appointments were very corrupt after a guy shot the president because he didn't get a job, congress passed the Pendleton Act, which created an exam that was used for deciding who would get a job
Railroads
Massive extension of the railroad system created a truly national market for goods
Debates over money
Farmers wanted to print more money so they could more easily pay back their debts, but the bankers and the wealthy wanted to keep the U.S. Dollar on the gold standard
International migration society
Facilitated the migration of black people to africa
