Political machines
Corrupt political bosses and their followers
Settlement houses
Provided resources to the poor to enrich the neighborhood. Largely led by women
Sherman antitrust act
Made monopolizing an entire market illegal
Enabled manufacturers to produce huge quantities of steel
Ghost dance movement
nationwide movement of resistance. They began to believe that if they took up the ritualistic ghost dance, that their ancestors would return and drive the Americans out.
Indian appropriation act
congress sparked a new fight with the Sioux, by passing a law that nullified all previous treaties made with native Americans
Gave settlers 160 acres of land if they lived there for 5 years.
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
Nativists successfully pressured Congress to stop the flow of Chinese immigrants who were coming over during the gold rush.
Massive extension of the railroad system created a truly national market for goods
Interstate commerce act
Wanted to end indian culture by forcing them to assimilate to American values.
Starting in 1865 many Americans started pushing westward again after the interruption of the civil war
American federation of labor
Grew to over a million members by 1901 and had some modest successes
By 1890, the U.S. Census Bureau declared that the frontier was officially settled
Pullman strike
After a railroad car manufacturer cut wages, and the union tried to negotiate, the company failed them all. The railroad union decided to not work on any trains with Pullman cars in them. The railroad owners tied the Pullman cars to mail trains in order to get the government to keep them moving, and the union members were jailed
Labor unions
Workers formed labor unions to have more negotiating power and fight for better pay and working conditions
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
Pioneered vertical integration, where one company controls every stage of the manufacturing process
National Grange movement
The most famous political machine organized and met the needs of immigrants and the poor in exchange for votes
Knights of labor
International migration society
Facilitated the migration of black people to africa
Gospel of wealth
Haymarket square riot
Sioux wars
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
Pioneered horizontal integration, where one company controls every seller in the market.
The new south
Idea that the future of the south would be based on economic diversity and industrial growth. Massive growth of population, industry, and railroads. Only in limited industrial centers though.
Editor of a newspaper editorialized against lynching and jim crow. She fled north due to threats against her
