Terms

Eugene V. Debs

He was the leader of the American R.R. movement. He was sent to jail for protesting and came out of jail as a socialist who fought against the captalist system.

Knights of Labor; Terence V. Powderly

The Knights of Labor union was founded by Uriah Stevens, and when Powderly took over, it was taken to new heights. Powderly opposed strikes and organized cooperatives between producers and consumers. He also advocated black admission, temperance, and restrictions on immigration. The Knights of Labor desired to organize all workers, unlike the AFL.

Samuel Gompers; American Federation of Labor

Gompers became the president of the AFL and led it for nearly 40 years. During this time, Gompers stood up to corporations by harnessing the bargaining power of skilled workers and concentrating on practical goals. He wished to organize the AFL as a federation of unions, not just one union. The AFL quickly grew to a membership of over 1 million.

National Labor Union

Founded by William Sylvis, the NLU endorsed the 8-hour workday and encouraged others to unionize. It tried to strike, but failed, so Sylvis looked for political reform, but died unexpectedly in 1869.

Railroad Strike of 1877

A violent strike, the Railroad Strike of 1877 involved strikers torching the Union Depot and the Pennsylvania Railroad roundhouse. Hayes sent in military reinforcements to put down the crowd. In the hysteria, over 100 people were killed.

Haymarket Square Riot

This was the strike in Chicago in which a rioter threw a bomb which killed 7 policemen. Police retaliated by firing back into the crowd. Four ralliers were later executed for throwing the bomb, although no evidence linked them to it.

Homestead Strike

This took place on Carnegie's steel mill in Homestead, Pennsylvania. This was yet another unsuccessful strike during this time period.

Pullman Strike, 1894

Led by Eugene V. Debs, union members refused to use Pullman rail cars, but the General Managers' Association out the riot down after a great deal of violence.

Political Machine

This was a very corrupt system in which the voters were controlled, and exploited the entire communtiy.

Boss Tweed

He was the leader of a corrupt political machine in New York City.

Sweatshop

These were places where people (mostly women and children) worked for extremely low wages for very long hours in terrible conditions. These sweatshops were very corrupt workplaces, and sadly, are still around today.

Old Immigration vs. New Immigration

The Old Immigration was centered more around Western Europe. The New Immigration involved Eastern Europeans. By this time, restrictions had already been put on immigration.

Nativism

This was feelings of hatred towards immigrants. Being that the influx of immigrants was so great, laws were placed upon immigration, restricting a nation to send only 3% of the immigrants that had been sent in 1890.

Ellis Island

This is where most European immigrants came into the U.S. Most Latin immigrants entered through the southern half of the U.S.

Jacob Riis, How the Other Half Lives

This was an influential novel by Jacob Riis. It described the life of the lower class and the horrors to be found in it. This was an important work during the Social Gospel Movement.

Social Gospel Movement

Founded by Washington Gladden and Walter Rauschenbusch, the Social Gospel Movement was a movement which emphasized social responsibility, built churches, and urged businesses to be socially responsible. They worked to alleviate poverty and make peace between employers and unions. This was one of the many moral reforms of the time period.

Settlement Houses; Jane Addams; Lillian Wald

Jane Addams was the woman who founded Hull House in Chicago. It was a tenement for people who could not afford regular living places. After Hull House, many settlement houses sprung up in big cities across the nation. Lillian wald founded the Henry Street settlement houses. She was a strong childrens' rights activist.