C14: Urban Society in the Late Nineteenth Century – Flashcards
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nativism
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Policy of protecting the interests of native-born or established inhabitants against those of immigrants
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American Protection Association
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A secret anti-Catholic society founded in 1870 in Iowa
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Naturalization Act of 1870
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Law passed by Congress dealing with immigration and immigrants and their naturalization laws
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Emma Lazarus
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American Jewish poet born in New York City who wrote "The New Colossus", a sonnet appearing on a bronze plaque in the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty
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Ellis Island
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Island in the bay of New York that served as an entry point for immigrants to the US from 1892 to 1943
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Angel Island
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Island in the San Francisco Bay of north central California that was the chief immigration station on the US western coast
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"Melting Pot"
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Term used in the 1780s to describe the assimilation of immigrants to the US, depicting how different elements of society can combine into a single common culture
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1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago
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Also known as The Chicago World's Fair, it was an event to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492
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"streetcar suburbs"
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Communities that were shaped and served by streetcar lines during the late 19th to early 20th centuries, a period when streetcars were most popular
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shtetl
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A small Jewish village in Easter Europe generally isolated from the surrounding cultures, most popular in the 19th century
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Hell's Kitchen
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A neighborhood in Manhattan, New York noted for its slums (streets overpopulated by poor people and unfit living conditions) and vice (immoral behavior)
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Jacob Riis
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Photographer and journalist whose primary subject was impoverished New Yorkers and the horrible quality of life in the slums; attempted to alleviate bad living conditions and discovered flash in photography
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How the Other Half Lives
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Work of photojournalism by Jacob Riis documenting the poor living conditions in New York City slums in the 1880s
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"Dumbbell" tenement
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Apartment building built to minimal living codes and designed to cram the largest number of people into the smallest amount of space
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John A. Roebling
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German-born civil engineer famous for his steel-wire rope suspension bridge design, particularly that of the Brooklyn Bridge
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Louis Sullivan
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American architect who used steel frames to design the first skyscrapers
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Chicago School of Architecture
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Institution founded by Louis Sullivan and active at the turn of the 20th century, it provided education for aspiring architects and was among the first to promote steel-frame construction
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Frank Lloyd Wright
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Pupil of Louis Sullivan who became an influential US architect and interior designer, introducing innovations including double-glass windows and furniture
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Salvation Army
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A charitable and Christian organization created to evangelize and care for the poor and homeless
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Theodore Dreiser
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American novelist whose characters often succeeded at their objectives despite a lack of firm moral code
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George Washington Plunkitt
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Long-time State Senator from New York who was especially powerful in New York City and was part of the Tammany Hall political machine
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Boss Tweed
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Nickname for William Marcy Tweed most notable for running Tammany Hall and defrauding the city of millions of dollars before being exposed and convicted
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Tammany Hall, NYC
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Democratic Party political machine that played a major role in controlling New York City and New York State politics and helping immigrants, most notably Irish, rise up in American politics
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Thomas Nast
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German-born caricaturist and cartoonist, best known for cartoons slandering the the corrupt Tammany ring in newspapers; "Father of the American Cartoon"
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F. W. Woolworth's
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A company named after its founder and now known as Foot Locker, it was an operator of discount stores that priced merchandise at 5 and 10 cents (fixed prices instead of haggling) and first used self-service display cases
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Marshall Field
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Founder of a department store in Chicago named after himself, which grew into a major chain company from 1852 until being acquired by Macy's Inc. in 2005
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Montgomery Ward
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US businessman who in 1872 established a successful mail-order business
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Sears Roebuck
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US chain of department stores founded by Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck in the late 19th century, which grew to become the largest retailer in the US
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Simon Patten
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Chair of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, he believed the economy would shift from emphasis on production to consumption
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Abner Doubleday
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After serving as a Union general in the Civil War and firing the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter, he patented the cable car railway in San Francisco which runs to this day
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National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
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An organization responsible for certifying the academic eligibility for practice, competition, and financial aid of many prospective student-athletes in the US and Canada
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Yiddish theater
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Plays written and performed primarily by Jews in Yiddish, the language of the Central European Jewish community, introduced to New York City by Boris Thomashefsky
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vaudeville
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Type of variety entertainment popular chiefly in the US in the early 20th century featuring a mixture of specialty acts such as burlesque comedy, song, and dance
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George M. Cohan
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US songwriter and playwright famous for his patriotic songs
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Ziegfeld Follies
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Series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City produced by Flo Ziegfeld from 1907 through 1931
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D. W. Griffith
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US film maker who first used flashbacks and fade-outs
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"Birth of a Nation" (1915)
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Controversial silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith, negatively depicting African Americans, white Unionists, and Reconstruction while positively portraying slavery and KKK; displayed first use of advanced camera and narrative techniques
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dime novel
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A cheap, melodramatic romance or adventure paperback novel
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"yellow journalism"
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Newspaper reports based upon sensationalism and crude exaggeration
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Joseph Pulitzer
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Powerful newspaper editor and publisher who helped establish the pattern of the modern newspaper and created the Pulitzer prizes
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William Randolph Hearst
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Influential US newspaper publisher who introduced large headlines and sensational reporting into journalism
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social realism
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American art of the 1930s, realistic depictions of contemporary life such as racial injustice or economic hardships as means of social and political comment
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Henry James
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American-born writer who lived in England, regarded as a key figure in 19th century literary realism
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natural selection
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Darwin's theory whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring, causing certain traits to become more common in a population
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pragmatism
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An approach that determines the truth in theories based on the success of their practical application, in which knowledge arises from an active adaptation of the human organism to its environment
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William James
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Pioneering American psychologists and philosophers, he was the first educator to offer a psychology course in the US
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John Dewey
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A leading proponent of pragmatism, he wrote extensively about philosophical concern and also social issues which were viewed in popular publications making him a leading social commentator of his day
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"Seven Sisters"
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Alternate name for the Pleiades star cluster, a group of [formerly] women's colleges in the eastern US having high academic and social prestige; includes Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Radcliffe, Smith, Vassar, and Wellesley
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Gilded Age
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Mark's Twain label for the era of rapid economic and population growth in the US during post-Civil War decades of the 19th century
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Mark Twain
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His real name being Samuel Clemens, he is a US writer and humorist best known for his novels about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn
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Greenback Party
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Political party founded in 1874 to promote paper currency not backed by precious metals in order to inflate the money supply and relieve the suffering of people hurt by the era's deflation
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Stalwarts
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Conservative faction of the Republican Party toward the end of the 19th century who opposed civil service reform
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Half-Breeds
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Liberal faction of the Republican Party who supported civil service reform, their name was given by the opposing Stalwarts suggesting they are only half Republican
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Mugwumps
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Republicans who in 1884 refused to support the James G. Blaine in his campaign for presidency
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Roscoe Conkling
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Leader of the Stalwarts, the first Republican senator from New York to be elected for three terms, and the last person to refuse a US Supreme Court appointment after already being confirmed by the Senate
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James G. Blaine
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US Speaker of the House of Representatives, US Senator from Maines, Secretary of State, and presidential Republican candidate in 1884 but lost a close race to Democrat Grover Cleveland
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Pendleton Act (1883)
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US federal law that established the Civil Service Reform Commision which placed most federal government employees on the merit system based on competitive examinations and marked the end of the spoils system
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Interstate Commerce Act (1887)
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Federal law of Congress regulating the practices, rates, and rules of transportation lines engaged in handling interstate traffic
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Munn vs. Illinois (1877)
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Supreme Court rulilng that allowed states to regulate certain businesses within their borders that serve a public interest, including railroads
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Wabash, St. Louis, and Pacific Railway Company vs. Illinois (1886)
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Supreme Court decision that severely limited the rights of states to control interstate commerce and led to the creation of the Interstate Commerce Commission
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Sherman Antitrust Act (1890)
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Law which established the competitive marketing system by prohibiting companies engaged in interstate commerce from attempting to monopolize any part of trade or commerce, or engage in the restraint of trade
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McKinley Tariff of 1890
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Law that raised the average duty on imports to almost 50%, an act designed to protect domestic industries from foreign competition
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Wilson-Gorman Tariff (1894)
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Law that slightly reduced the US tariff rates from those set in the McKinley Tariff and imposed a 2% income tax
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National Grange
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Fraternal organization for American farmers that encourages farm families to band together for their common economic and political well-being
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Farmers' Alliance
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Organized economic movement among American farmers in effect in the 1870s-80s, one of its goals being to end the effects of the crop-lien system on farmers
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commission plan
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Arrangement made in which people are paid based on performance
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city-manager plan
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Scheme of government that assigns responsibility for a municipal (pertaining to the affairs of a state or nation) adminstration to a nonpartisan (not supporting a political party) manager chosen by the city council on account of their expertise
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initiative
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A procedure by which a specified number of voters may propose a new bill or constitutional amendment, and compel a popular vote on its adoption
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referendum
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The act of referring measures proposed by a legislative body to the vote of the electorate for approval/rejection
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recall
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A mechanism by which government officials can be removed from office by the voters
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Australian ballot
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Voting method in which a voter's choice in an election or a referendum are confidential, in use since 1888
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Progressivism
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Political attitude favoring or advocating changes or reform, viewed in opposition to conservative ideologies
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"Uncle Joe" Cannon (IL)
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Nickname for Joseph Gurney Cannon, a Republican who served as Speaker of the House from 1903 to 1911, unpopular for opposing many progressive reforms
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Governor Charles Evans Hughes (NY)
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Governor of New York who eliminated much of government corruption and passed many progressive reforms
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Governor Hiram Johnson (CA)
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Served in the US Senate from 1917 to 1945
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Governor Robert "Battling Bob" La Follette
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Founder of the Progressive movement and even made a weekly magazine in the 1890s to spread the idea of Progressivism; governor of Wisconsin and unsuccessful candidate for president
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"Laboratories of Democracy"
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Concept that defines the system of federalism within the US, where state and local governments "create" laws that start at the lowest level of the democratic system up to the top
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Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
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The deadliest industrial disaster in the history of New York City that occured in 1911 and killed 146 garment workers
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Women's Christian Temperance Union
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National organization established in Clevelend, Ohio in 1874 dedicated to prohibiting the sale and distribution of alcohol in all states
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Anti-Saloon League
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American temperance organization formed in 1893 to work for unification of public anti-alcohol sentiment, enforcement of existing temperance laws, and enactment of further anti-alcohol laws
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Carrie Nation
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Member of the temperance movement who fought alcohol with vandalism by attacking saloons with a hatchet
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Frances Willard
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Helped establish and then became president of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, she also supported socialism, the abolition of prostitution, prison reform, and women's suffrage
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18th Amendment
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Law that prohibited the invent and sale of alcohol in America
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eugenics
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The study of methods to improve genetic qualities by selective breeding
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Madison Grant
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A eugenicist who was responsible for one of the most famous works of scientific racism and played an active role in crafting strong immigration restriction and racial segregation laws in the US
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The Passing of the Great Race
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An influential book of scientific racism written by Madison Grant, arguing for a strong eugenics program in order to save the waning Nordic race (one of the 3 sub-races of Caucasian encompassing people of light eyes, fair skin, tall, blond or brown hair)
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Dillingham Report
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Essay concluding that immigration from southern and eastern Europe posed a serious threat to American society and culture and should therefore be greatly reduced
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IWW/"Wobblies"
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(The Industrial Workers of the World) An international labor union and radical labor movement in the US, founded in Chicago in 1905 and dedicated to the overthrow of capitalism
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Louis Brandeis
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Associate Justice on the US Supreme Court from 1916 to 1939
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Herbert Croly
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An intellectual leader of the Progressive Movement and founder of the New Republic in 1909
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The Promise of American Life
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Book by Herbert Croly that opposed aggressive unionization and supported economic planning to raise general quality of life
