Assimilationist movement
Wanted to end indian culture by forcing them to assimilate to American values.
Ghost dance movement
Interstate commerce act
Required railroad rates to be reasonable and just, and established a federal commission to oversee the railroads
Labor unions
Workers formed labor unions to have more negotiating power and fight for better pay and working conditions
Indian appropriation act
congress sparked a new fight with the Sioux, by passing a law that nullified all previous treaties made with native Americans
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
Haymarket square riot
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
Railroads
Massive extension of the railroad system created a truly national market for goods
Sioux wars
Sioux initally won a deceive victory against the U.S. army.
By 1890, the U.S. Census Bureau declared that the frontier was officially settled
Growth of immigration
16 million immigrants (mostly from Europe) came looking for better economic opportunities
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
Nativists successfully pressured Congress to stop the flow of Chinese immigrants who were coming over during the gold rush.
Political machines
Corrupt political bosses and their followers
There was an extreme lack of government regulation of the economy at the time
Panic of 1893
Ida B. Wells
Editor of a newspaper editorialized against lynching and jim crow. She fled north due to threats against her
Anti-Saloon league
Worked to close down saloons
National Grange movement
Social and educational collective aimed at brining farmers together. Soon became political to lobby for farmers
Railroads supported by the government through money and land grants
John D. Rockefeller
Booker T. Washington
Pendleton Act
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
Settlement houses
Provided resources to the poor to enrich the neighborhood. Largely led by women
Feared that factory owners would use immigrants to keep wages low and to replace striking workers
Gospel of wealth
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.
Great railroad strike
NAWSA
Gave settlers 160 acres of land if they lived there for 5 years.
