American Federation of Labor national organization of trade unions founded in 1886; it used strikes and boycotts to improve the lot of craft workers

American Protective Association anti-Catholic organization founded in 1887 and active during the next decade

American Woman Suffrage Association Boston-based women’s suffrage organization led by Lucy Stone, Julia Ward Howe, and others; it welcomed men and worked solely to win the vote for women

anarchist person who believes that all forms of government are oppressive and should be abolished

assimilation among immigrants, the process of adapting to the new society in which they found themselves






cartel group of separate companies within an industry that cooperate to control the production, pricing, and marketing of goods within that industry; another name for a pool

central business district the part of a city that includes most of its commercial, financial, and manufacturing establishments

chlorination treatment of water with the chemical chlorine to kill germs

classified civil service federal jobs filled through the merit system instead of patronage

consumer culture emphasizes the values and attitudes that derive from the participants’ roles as consumers

cooperative business enterprise in which workers and consumers share ownership and take part in management

cost analysis study of the cost of producing manufactured goods in order to find ways to cut expenses






department store type of retail establishment that developed in cities in the late 19th century and featured a wide variety of merchandise organized in separate departments

dividend share of a company’s profits received by a stockholder; companies customarily announce dividends every quarter (3 months)

domesticity notion common throughout much of the 19th century that women’s activities were ideally rooted in domestic labor and the nurture of children






elevated rail line train that runs on a steel framework above a street, leaving the roadway free for other traffic

ethnic group group that shares a certain racial, religious, linguistic, cultural, or national heritage






franchise government authorization allowing a company to provide a public service in a certain area

franchise the right to vote; another word for suffrage






gild to cover a cheaper metal with a very thin layer of gold

Great Chicago Fire 1871 fire that destroyed much of Chicago and spurred national efforts to improve fire protection






Half-Breeds insulting name that Roscoe Conkling gave to his opponents within the Republican Party to suggest that they were not fully committed to Republican ideals

haole Hawaiian word for persons not of native Hawaiian ancestry, especially whites

Henry Grady prominent Atlanta newspaper publisher and leading proponent of the concept of a New South

holding company company that exists to own other companies, usually through a controlling interest in their stocks

horizontal integration merging one or more companies doing the same or similar activities as a way of limiting competition or enhancing stability and planning






indigenous original to an area

infratstructure basic facilities that a society needs to function, such as transportation systems, water and power lines, and public institutions such as schools, post offices, and prisons

Interstate Commerce Commission the first federal regulatory commission, created to regulate railroads

investment bank institution that acts as an agent for corporations issuing stocks and bonds






John D. Rockefeller American industrialist who amassed great wealth through the Standard Oil company and donated much of his fortune to promote learning and research

John Pierpont Morgan the most prominent and powerful American investment banker in the late 19th century






kindergarten preschool program developed in the late 19th century initially as childcare for working mothers; based on programs first developed in Germany

Knights of Labor labor organization founded in 1869; membership, open to all workers, peaked in 1886






Lost Cause term used to refer to the Confederate struggle in the Civil War as a noble but doomed effort to preserve a way of life

Louis Sullivan American architect of the late 19th century whose designs reflected his theory that the outward form of a building should express its function






manufacturing belt region that includes most of the nation’s factories; in the late 19th century, the US manufacturing belt also included most of the nation’s large cities and railroad lines and much of its mining

melting pot concept that American society is a place where immigrants set aside their distinctive cultural identities and are absorbed into a homogeneous culture

merger the joining together of two or more organizations

monopoly exclusive control by an individual or company of the production or sale of a product

Mugwumps reformers, mostly Republicans, who opposed political corruption and campaigned for reform, especially reform of the civil service, in the 1880s and 1890s, sometimes crossing party boundaries to achieve their goals






National Woman Suffrage Association women’s suffrage organization led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony; accepted only women as members and worked for related issues such as unionizing female workers

nativism the view that old-stock values and social patterns were preferable to those of immigrants

New South late-19th-century term used by some southerners to promote the idea that the South should become industrialized, have a more diverse agriculture, and be thoroughly integrated into the economy of the nation






Old South term used for the antebellum (pre-Civil War) South, suggesting that it was a place of gentility and gallantry

oligopoly market or industry dominated by a few firms






patent government grant that gives the creator of an invention the sole right to produce, use, or sell that invention for a set period of time

patent medicine medical preparation that is advertised by brand name and available without a physician’s prescription

Pendleton Act 1883 law that created the Civil Service Commission and instituted the merit system for federal hiring and jobs

policy a course of action adopted by a government, usually one that is pursued over a period of time and may involve several different laws and agencies

polygamy the practice of a man having more than one wife; Mormons refer to this practice, common to their religion, as plural marriage

proselytizing seeking converts to a cause






refinery industrial plant that transforms raw materials into finished products by removing impurities or otherwise changing the material into something that can be sold; a petroleum refinery processes crude oil to produce a variety of products for use by customers

restrictive covenant provision in a property title designed to restrict subsequent sale or use of the property, often specifying sale only to a white Christian

retail related to the sale of goods directly to consumers

return the yield on money that has been invested in an enterprise or product






Samuel Gompers 1st president of the American Federation of Labor; he sought to divorce labor organizing from politics and stressed practical demands involving wages and hours

Scandinavia northern European region including Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland

secret ballot the practice of marking one’s ballot in private; also called the Australian ballot

separate sphere notion that men and women should engage in different activities; women were to focus on family, church, and school whereas men were to support the family financially and take part in politics, activities considered too competitive and corrupt for women

sodomy varieties of sexual intercourse prohibited by law in the 19th century

stalemate deadlock; a situation in which no one can move forward

Stalwarts New Yorker Roscoe Conkling led this faction of the Republican party that claimed to be the genuine Republicans

subculture group whose members differ form the dominant culture on the basis of some values or interests but who share most values and interests with the dominant culture

suburb a residential area lying outside the boundaries of a cities; many of the residents of suburbs work and shop in the city even though they live outside it






Tammany Hall New York City political organization that dominated city and sometimes state politics by dominating the Democratic Party in New York City

temperance self-restraint in eating and drinking; also came to mean complete abstinence from alcohol in the US, 1850-1930

Terrence V. Powderly leader of the Knights of Labor who called for cooperative production instead of a wage system

Thomas A. Edison American inventor of electrical devices including the microphone, phonograph, and light bulb

trademark name or symbol that identifies a product and is officially registered and legally restricted for use by the owner or manufacturer

trust in the late 19th century, a legal device to get around state laws prohibiting a company chartered in one state from operating in another state; often synonymous with monopoly; first used by John D. Rockefeller to consolidate Standard Oil






Vassar College 1st women’s college; founded in Poughkeepsie, NY, in 1861






walking city term that urban historians use to describe cities before changes in urban transportation permitted cities to expand beyond the distance that a person could easily cover on foot

wholesaler person engaged in the sale of goods in large quantities, usually for resale by a retailer

Women’s Christian Temperance Union founded in 1874, opposed alcoholic beverages and supported reforms such as women’s suffrage