Vertical integration: When a single company attempts to control more than one stage of production of a single product, such as its extraction, production, and sales.
Sherman Antitrust Act, 1890: It outlawed restraint to commerce and was aimed at breaking up monopolies in response to Rockefeller. Courts interpreted the act differently from its intent and used it against trade unions.
Andrew Carnegie: An extremely rich businessman who displayed diligence and honesty. He was the author of The Gospel of Wealth. He excelled at vertical integration in the steel business and gave freely to liberal arts institutions.
Knights of Labor: A labor union founded in 1869 which believed that “producing classes” need to be freed from their lives of poverty to create a genuinely democratic society. The union withered away after the Haymarket Square Riot.
Haymarket Square Riot: A protest against police violence in Chicago ended violently as a bomb was thrown, killing several police officers, which prompted the police to fire into the crowd. This led to the collapse of the Knights of Labor, as company owners drew up blacklists and reinstated the ten hour day.
New South: A term used to refer to the South after it began to industrialize. Northerners realized the potential profits and invested in Southern factories close to their production source. More Southerners moved into cities, yet Northerners received most of the profits of industrial expansions.
Gilded Age: A term used for late 19th century America that refers to the excessive display of wealth characteristic of the wealthy class.
Thomas Alva Edison: The inventor of the incandescent light bulb.
Horatio Alger: A popular author who depicted heroes who rose out of poverty into either vast wealth or middle class comfort.
Women’s Educational and Industrial Union: An organization in Boston that offered classes to wage-earning women (languages, drawing, carpentry).
“National Pastime”: An activity that is enjoyed by many, including Vaudeville, “rag”, and primarily baseball.
Frederick Law Olmsted: America’s most prominent architect who designed the Fenway Park system.
“rag”: A type of music introduced by African American Scott Joplin which became very popular with the middle class.
Horizontal integration: The merging of several competitors in the same industry. If taken to a great extent, it can produce a monopoly.
Gospel of Wealth: A theory that states that hard work and perseverance lead to wealth, implying that poverty can be prevented and is caused by a flaw in character.
Chinese Exclusion Act: Suspended Chinese immigration for ten years, limited the civil rights of Chinese, and prevented them from becoming citizens. It was passed as a response to movements protesting “cheap Chinese labor”.
Thomas Nast: A famous political cartoonist, most of whose work appeared in the magazine Harper’s Weekly.
American Federation of Labor: A Union formed in 1886 that organized skilled workers. It accepted the wage system (unlike the Knights) and sought shorter hours and better conditions. It did not resort to strikes as often as the Knights of Labor.
Tenements: Multi-story residential dwellings generally built in large cities with little regard to the quality of living.
Conspicuous consumption: Ostentatious displays of wealth and consumption.
Social Darwinism: A theory that explained why some Americans grew rich and some stayed poor. It was based on the principle of “survival of the fittest”.
John Roebling: Designer of the Brooklyn Bridge who died in an accident during its construction.
Tuskegee Institute: Founded by Booker T. Washington in Alabama in 1881 as a black college. It trained many teachers.
Alexander Graham Bell: Inventor of the telephone.
John D. Rockefeller: Owner of the Standard Oil Trust which at one point controlled over 90 percent of America’s oil-refining industry.
Sherman Antitrust Act, 1890: It outlawed restraint to commerce and was aimed at breaking up monopolies in response to Rockefeller. Courts interpreted the act differently from its intent and used it against trade unions.
Andrew Carnegie: An extremely rich businessman who displayed diligence and honesty. He was the author of The Gospel of Wealth. He excelled at vertical integration in the steel business and gave freely to liberal arts institutions.
Knights of Labor: A labor union founded in 1869 which believed that “producing classes” need to be freed from their lives of poverty to create a genuinely democratic society. The union withered away after the Haymarket Square Riot.
Haymarket Square Riot: A protest against police violence in Chicago ended violently as a bomb was thrown, killing several police officers, which prompted the police to fire into the crowd. This led to the collapse of the Knights of Labor, as company owners drew up blacklists and reinstated the ten hour day.
New South: A term used to refer to the South after it began to industrialize. Northerners realized the potential profits and invested in Southern factories close to their production source. More Southerners moved into cities, yet Northerners received most of the profits of industrial expansions.
Gilded Age: A term used for late 19th century America that refers to the excessive display of wealth characteristic of the wealthy class.
Thomas Alva Edison: The inventor of the incandescent light bulb.
Horatio Alger: A popular author who depicted heroes who rose out of poverty into either vast wealth or middle class comfort.
Women’s Educational and Industrial Union: An organization in Boston that offered classes to wage-earning women (languages, drawing, carpentry).
“National Pastime”: An activity that is enjoyed by many, including Vaudeville, “rag”, and primarily baseball.
Frederick Law Olmsted: America’s most prominent architect who designed the Fenway Park system.
“rag”: A type of music introduced by African American Scott Joplin which became very popular with the middle class.
Horizontal integration: The merging of several competitors in the same industry. If taken to a great extent, it can produce a monopoly.
Gospel of Wealth: A theory that states that hard work and perseverance lead to wealth, implying that poverty can be prevented and is caused by a flaw in character.
Chinese Exclusion Act: Suspended Chinese immigration for ten years, limited the civil rights of Chinese, and prevented them from becoming citizens. It was passed as a response to movements protesting “cheap Chinese labor”.
Thomas Nast: A famous political cartoonist, most of whose work appeared in the magazine Harper’s Weekly.
American Federation of Labor: A Union formed in 1886 that organized skilled workers. It accepted the wage system (unlike the Knights) and sought shorter hours and better conditions. It did not resort to strikes as often as the Knights of Labor.
Tenements: Multi-story residential dwellings generally built in large cities with little regard to the quality of living.
Conspicuous consumption: Ostentatious displays of wealth and consumption.
Social Darwinism: A theory that explained why some Americans grew rich and some stayed poor. It was based on the principle of “survival of the fittest”.
John Roebling: Designer of the Brooklyn Bridge who died in an accident during its construction.
Tuskegee Institute: Founded by Booker T. Washington in Alabama in 1881 as a black college. It trained many teachers.
Alexander Graham Bell: Inventor of the telephone.
John D. Rockefeller: Owner of the Standard Oil Trust which at one point controlled over 90 percent of America’s oil-refining industry.
Questions