Gilded Age Figures: Morgan, Vanderbilt, Carnegie

Unit 2 Study Guide Terms

• JP Morgan was a banker and financier who helped create major trusts and monopolies in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
• Cornelius Vanderbilt was an industrialist who made his fortune in the railroad and shipping industries.
• Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist who led the expansion of the steel industry and was also a major philanthropist.
• John D. Rockefeller founded Standard Oil and became one of the wealthiest men in history via his oil monopoly.
• Boss William Tweed was a political boss who led the corrupt Tammany Hall political machine in New York City in the 1800s.
• Thomas Nast was a political cartoonist who exposed corruption in the government and helped bring down Boss Tweed.
• William Taft was the 27th President who later became Chief Justice and was known for progressive policies and trust-busting.
• Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President who led the U.S. through World War I and implemented progressive reforms.
• Jacob Riis was a journalist and photographer who exposed the conditions of the urban poor in New York City in "How the Other Half Lives".
• Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th President known for progressive reforms, trust-busting, and conservation.
• Upton Sinclair was an author whose novel "The Jungle" exposed unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking industry and led to food safety reforms.
• Ida Tarbell was a muckraker journalist who exposed the monopolistic practices of Standard Oil.
• Jane Addams was a reformer and co-founder of Hull House, which provided social services and support to immigrants and the poor.
• Lincoln Steffens was a journalist known for reporting on political corruption in American cities during the Progressive Era.
• Lewis Hines was a photographer whose work helped expose child labor practices and push for child labor reforms.
• John Muir was a naturalist and environmentalist who played a key role in establishing national parks, including Yosemite.
• Booker T. Washington was an African American educator and leader who advocated for vocational training and economic self-sufficiency for Black Americans.
• W.E.B. Du Bois was a civil rights activist and co-founder of the NAACP, who promoted higher education and political activism for Black Americans.
• Muckrakers were journalists and writers in the early 1900s who exposed corruption, inequality, and social injustices.
• Political Machines were political organizations that controlled local governments, often through corruption, patronage, and voter manipulation.
• Immigration is the movement of people from other countries to the United States for economic opportunities and a better life.
• Assimilation is the process by which immigrants adopted the cultural norms of their new country and often lost their original identity.
• Urbanization is the growth of cities and the migration of people from rural areas to urban centers for work and better living conditions.
• Homestead Strike was a labor strike in 1892 at the Homestead Steel Works in Pennsylvania, and highlighted tensions between unions and industrialists.
• Pullman Strike was a nationwide railroad strike in 1894 involving workers protesting wage cuts and high rents and it led to federal intervention.
• Haymarket Riot was a labor protest in Chicago in 1886 that turned violent and influenced labor movements and workers' rights.
• Monopoly is when a single company dominates an industry and it reduces competition and leads to higher prices and lower quality.
• Trust is a large-scale business arrangement where several companies are managed by a single board, often to eliminate competition.
• Ellis Island was the primary immigration station in New York Harbor and millions of immigrants were processed before entering the U.S.
• Angel Island was an immigration station located in San Francisco Bay where Asian immigrants were processed in the early 1900s.
• Bribe/Graft is illegal or unethical payments made to public officials in exchange for favors or to influence decisions.
• Triangle Shirtwaist was a 1911 factory fire in New York City that killed 146 workers and led to major reforms in labor laws and workplace safety.
• Horizontal Integration is the merging of companies in the same industry, while Vertical Integration is the control of all aspects of production in an industry.
• Nativist Movement was a political movement that limited immigration and protected native-born Americans from perceived threats posed by foreign cultures.
• Immigration Act of 1924 set quotas on immigration to the United States and limited the number of immigrants from certain countries.
• Sherman Antitrust Act was an 1890 federal law aimed at preventing anti-competitive practices and monopolies.
• 16-19th Amendments: The 16th authorized income tax, the 17th allowed direct election of Senators, the 18th enacted Prohibition, and the 19th granted women the right to vote.
• Square Deal Program was Theodore Roosevelt's domestic program that focused on conservation, controlling corporations, and consumer protection.
• Northern Securities Company case was a 1904 Supreme Court case where the court broke up the Northern Securities Company for violating antitrust laws.
• Pure Food and Drug Act (1906) established the FDA to prevent the sale of contaminated or falsely labeled food and drugs.
• Meat Inspection Act (1906) required federal inspection of meatpacking plants to ensure sanitary conditions and proper labeling.
• Conservation Efforts was a movement led by figures like John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt to preserve natural resources and establish national parks and protect lands.
• Elkins Act (1903) targeted railroad practices by imposing fines on companies that offered rebates to large customers.
• Hepburn Act (1906) expanded the Interstate Commerce Commission's power to regulate railroad rates and practices.
• Mann-Elkins Act (1910) expanded government regulation of telecommunications and transportation industries, including the telephone and telegraph.
• Children's Bureau Created (1912) was a federal agency established to protect children from labor exploitation and improve their welfare.
• Trust-Busting was government efforts, led by Theodore Roosevelt, to break up monopolies and trusts that hindered competition.
• Federal Reserve Act (1913) established the Federal Reserve System to regulate the U.S. money supply and stabilize the economy.
• Clayton Antitrust Act (1914) strengthened the Sherman Antitrust Act by preventing anti-competitive practices and protecting labor unions.
• Federal Trade Commission (1914) was an agency created to prevent unfair business practices and promote competition in the marketplace.
• Adamson Act (1916) established an eight-hour workday for railroad workers.
• Federal Farm Loan Act (1916) provided long-term loans to farmers to help improve agricultural conditions and prevent foreclosure.
• Antiquities Act (1906) gave the President the authority to protect public lands and designate national monuments.
• Progressive Era Impact was a period of social, political, and economic reforms in the early 1900s and aimed to address issues like labor rights, corruption, and inequality.

Explore key figures like Morgan, Vanderbilt, and Carnegie from the Gilded Age. Learn about their contributions to finance, railroads, steel, and oil. Also, study political figures like Boss Tweed, Thomas Nast, Taft, and Wilson.