Terms
Looking Backward- A novel published by Edward Bellamy is 1888 about America’s economical future.
Interstate Commerce Commission- The 1887 law that expanded federal power over business by preventing pooling and discriminatory rates by railroads and establishing the first federal regulatory agency.
Pendleton Act- Law of 1883 that reformed the spoils system by prohibiting the government workers from making political contributions and creating the Civil Service Commission to oversee their appointment on the basis of merit rather than politics.
Progress and Poverty- A book published by Henry George in 1879 about the cyclical nature of the American economy.
WCTU- Women’s organization whose members visited schools to educate children about the evils of alcohol, addressed prisoners, and blanketed men’s meetings with literature.
Social Gospel- A movement that applied Christian values to everyday society, such as issues like alcohol and poverty.
Coxey’s Army- A protest march of unemployed workers, led by Populist businessman Jacob Coxey, demanding inflation and a public works program during the depression of the 1890s.
Sherman Silver Purchase Act 1890- 1890 act that directed the Treasury to increase the amount of currency coined from silver mined in the West and also permitted the US government to print paper currency backed by silver.
Ida Wells- A strong opponent of lynching and mob violence.
Grange- The National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry, a national association of farm owners formed after the Civil War.
Stalwarts- A division of the Republican party in the 1880s which believed in patronage and was opposed to reconciling with the South.
Great Uprising of 1877- Unsuccessful railroad strike of 1877 to protest wage cuts and the use of federal troops against strikers. The first nationwide work stoppage in American history.
William Jennings Bryan- The Democratic candidate in the Election of 1896. He lost to William McKinley. He was very popular in the South due to his belief that the country was built on farms.
Nativism- Favoring the interests and culture of native-born inhabitants over those of immigrants.
Segregation- A system of racial control that separated the races, initially by customs but increasingly by law during and after Reconstruction.
Poll Tax- Taxes imposed on voters as a requirement for voting.
Good Neighbor Policy (“Big Sister” Policy)-
Open Door Notes-
USS Maine- The American ship that exploded in Havana Harbor, Cuba. This explosion, along with yellow journalism, started the Spanish-American War.
Foraker Act-
Yellow Journalism- A technique of journalism where the writer exaggerates the story in order to get a larger audience of readers.
Caesar’s Column-
Homestead Strike-
Pullman Strike- A strike of the members of the Pullman Palace Car Company after the company cut its employees’ wages.
Eugene Debs- The leader of the American Railway Union and the Pullman Strike.
NAWSA- The organization, formed in 1890, that coordinated the ultimately successful campaign to achieve women’s rights to vote.
Depression of 1893- The first American panic of the Urban/Industrial Age. It was the worst financial crisis to hit the US up to that point. It was caused after too much money was redeemed for gold, and the national supply nearly ran out.
Plessy v. Ferguson- Supreme Court decision holding that Louisiana’s railroad segregation law did not violate the Constitution as long as the railroads or the state provided equal accommodations.
Populist Movement- A major third party of the 1890s formed on the basis of the Southern Farmers’ Alliance and other reform organizations.
Half Breeds- A division of the Republican party in the 1880s that believed in Civil Service reform and a more lenient treatment of the South.
“Free Silver”- Philosophy that the government should expand the money supply by purchasing and coining all of the silver offered to it.
Dingley Tariff of 1897- A Bill passed to replace the Wilson-Gorman Law that raised the national tariff to 45%.
Jim Crow Laws- Segregation laws that became widespread in the South during the 1890s.
Grandfather Clause- Rules that required potential voters to demonstrate that their grandfathers had been eligible to vote; used in some Southern states after 1890 to limit the black electorate.
William McKinley- The President elected in the election of 1896.
Captain Alfred Mahan- An admiral in the US navy who advocated building the Panama Canal, taking Hawaii along with other Pacific Islands, and developing a steel navy.
Spanish-American War- The war that America fought with Spain over Cuba, claiming that Spain was in violation of the Monroe Doctrine when it possessed Cuba. It began with the explosion of the USS Maine and was helped along by yellow journalism.
Platt Amendment-
Teller Amendment- An agreement where the US agreed that once they defeated Spain, then Cuba would be a free country.
Insular Cases- Cases in the US Supreme Court over whether or not foreign US possessions were awarded rights of the Constitution.
Questions
1) The two party system was not able to make necessary reforms because the system insured that reforms were so watered down that they were ineffective.
2) From 1876 to 1896, the Republicans got Civil Service Reforms done, and the Democrats pushed continually for stronger tariffs.
3) Yes, the government’s intervention in the Pullman Strike was justified because mail flow was impeded, and it was the government’s job to deliver mail to its citizens. It was also impeding transportation of goods across the country.
4) Seward and Blaine favored expansion via purchase and conquering because they felt that the US needed to expand its empire. Thus, Seward was in on the purchase of Alaska.
5) A characterization of imperialism that made it seem humane to go out and conquer new lands, due to white man’s burden. It was not desirable because it was a way to get out of criticism for conquering foreign lands.
6) This happened because the US felt it needed to honor the Monroe Doctrine and get Spain out of Cuba. This was totally unnecessary, and the spark to the war was the accidental explosion of the USS Maine.
Looking Backward- A novel published by Edward Bellamy is 1888 about America’s economical future.
Interstate Commerce Commission- The 1887 law that expanded federal power over business by preventing pooling and discriminatory rates by railroads and establishing the first federal regulatory agency.
Pendleton Act- Law of 1883 that reformed the spoils system by prohibiting the government workers from making political contributions and creating the Civil Service Commission to oversee their appointment on the basis of merit rather than politics.
Progress and Poverty- A book published by Henry George in 1879 about the cyclical nature of the American economy.
WCTU- Women’s organization whose members visited schools to educate children about the evils of alcohol, addressed prisoners, and blanketed men’s meetings with literature.
Social Gospel- A movement that applied Christian values to everyday society, such as issues like alcohol and poverty.
Coxey’s Army- A protest march of unemployed workers, led by Populist businessman Jacob Coxey, demanding inflation and a public works program during the depression of the 1890s.
Sherman Silver Purchase Act 1890- 1890 act that directed the Treasury to increase the amount of currency coined from silver mined in the West and also permitted the US government to print paper currency backed by silver.
Ida Wells- A strong opponent of lynching and mob violence.
Grange- The National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry, a national association of farm owners formed after the Civil War.
Stalwarts- A division of the Republican party in the 1880s which believed in patronage and was opposed to reconciling with the South.
Great Uprising of 1877- Unsuccessful railroad strike of 1877 to protest wage cuts and the use of federal troops against strikers. The first nationwide work stoppage in American history.
William Jennings Bryan- The Democratic candidate in the Election of 1896. He lost to William McKinley. He was very popular in the South due to his belief that the country was built on farms.
Nativism- Favoring the interests and culture of native-born inhabitants over those of immigrants.
Segregation- A system of racial control that separated the races, initially by customs but increasingly by law during and after Reconstruction.
Poll Tax- Taxes imposed on voters as a requirement for voting.
Good Neighbor Policy (“Big Sister” Policy)-
Open Door Notes-
USS Maine- The American ship that exploded in Havana Harbor, Cuba. This explosion, along with yellow journalism, started the Spanish-American War.
Foraker Act-
Yellow Journalism- A technique of journalism where the writer exaggerates the story in order to get a larger audience of readers.
Caesar’s Column-
Homestead Strike-
Pullman Strike- A strike of the members of the Pullman Palace Car Company after the company cut its employees’ wages.
Eugene Debs- The leader of the American Railway Union and the Pullman Strike.
NAWSA- The organization, formed in 1890, that coordinated the ultimately successful campaign to achieve women’s rights to vote.
Depression of 1893- The first American panic of the Urban/Industrial Age. It was the worst financial crisis to hit the US up to that point. It was caused after too much money was redeemed for gold, and the national supply nearly ran out.
Plessy v. Ferguson- Supreme Court decision holding that Louisiana’s railroad segregation law did not violate the Constitution as long as the railroads or the state provided equal accommodations.
Populist Movement- A major third party of the 1890s formed on the basis of the Southern Farmers’ Alliance and other reform organizations.
Half Breeds- A division of the Republican party in the 1880s that believed in Civil Service reform and a more lenient treatment of the South.
“Free Silver”- Philosophy that the government should expand the money supply by purchasing and coining all of the silver offered to it.
Dingley Tariff of 1897- A Bill passed to replace the Wilson-Gorman Law that raised the national tariff to 45%.
Jim Crow Laws- Segregation laws that became widespread in the South during the 1890s.
Grandfather Clause- Rules that required potential voters to demonstrate that their grandfathers had been eligible to vote; used in some Southern states after 1890 to limit the black electorate.
William McKinley- The President elected in the election of 1896.
Captain Alfred Mahan- An admiral in the US navy who advocated building the Panama Canal, taking Hawaii along with other Pacific Islands, and developing a steel navy.
Spanish-American War- The war that America fought with Spain over Cuba, claiming that Spain was in violation of the Monroe Doctrine when it possessed Cuba. It began with the explosion of the USS Maine and was helped along by yellow journalism.
Platt Amendment-
Teller Amendment- An agreement where the US agreed that once they defeated Spain, then Cuba would be a free country.
Insular Cases- Cases in the US Supreme Court over whether or not foreign US possessions were awarded rights of the Constitution.
Questions
1) The two party system was not able to make necessary reforms because the system insured that reforms were so watered down that they were ineffective.
2) From 1876 to 1896, the Republicans got Civil Service Reforms done, and the Democrats pushed continually for stronger tariffs.
3) Yes, the government’s intervention in the Pullman Strike was justified because mail flow was impeded, and it was the government’s job to deliver mail to its citizens. It was also impeding transportation of goods across the country.
4) Seward and Blaine favored expansion via purchase and conquering because they felt that the US needed to expand its empire. Thus, Seward was in on the purchase of Alaska.
5) A characterization of imperialism that made it seem humane to go out and conquer new lands, due to white man’s burden. It was not desirable because it was a way to get out of criticism for conquering foreign lands.
6) This happened because the US felt it needed to honor the Monroe Doctrine and get Spain out of Cuba. This was totally unnecessary, and the spark to the war was the accidental explosion of the USS Maine.