| peculiar institution | black slavery in the southern U.S. before the Civil War. |
| abolition | movement to outlaw slavery |
| cotton kingdom | Areas in the south where cotton farming developed because of the high demand for cotton |
| freeport doctrine | idea that any territory could ban slavery by simply refusing to pass laws supporting it |
| popular sovereignty | Political authority ultimately determined by the citizens |
| secession | formal separation from an alliance or federation |
| uncle tom's cabin | antislavery novel, written by harriet beecher stowe |
| confederacy | the southern states that seceded from the United States in 1861 |
| cotton diplomacy | The Confederate govn’t talked of embargoing cotton exports in order to bring the British to their side but the govn’t never controlled more than 15% of the S cotton. |
| state's rights | rights and powers independent of the federal government |
| total war | sherman convinced grant to let him destroy anything usefull to the south |
| union | being of or having to do with the northern United States and those loyal to the Union during the Civil War |
| carpetbagger | Northerner who traveled south to make money off of the Reconstruction |
| freedman's bureau | The bureau's focus was to provide food, medical care, administer justice, manage abandoned and confiscated property, regulate labor, and establish schools. |
| jim crow laws | Limited rights of blacks. Literacy tests, grandfather clauses and poll taxes limited black voting rights |
| ku klux klan | White supremacy organization that intimidated blacks out of their newly found liberties |
| literacy test | A test given to persons to prove they can read and write before being allowed to register to vote |
| radical republicans | Political party that favored harsh punishment of Southern states after civil war |
| scalawag | white Southerner supporting Reconstruction policies after the Civil War usually for self-interest |
| sharecropping | system in which landowners leased a few acres of land to farmworkers in return for a portion of their crops |
| solid south | Term applied to the one-party (Democrat) system of the South following the Civil War. For 100 years after the Civil War, the South voted Democrat in every presidential election. |
| exodusters | African Americans who moved from post reconstruction South to Kansas. |
| manifest destiny | the United States should stretch from "sea to shining sea" |
| transcontinental railroad | Railroad connecting the west and east coasts of the continental US |
| corporation | a business firm whose articles of incorporation have been approved in some state |
| gilded age | Appears to sparkle but beneath the surface lies corruption, crime, poverty, and disparities in wealth |
| knights of labor | First nationwide industrial union |
| labor union | Organization of workers for the purpose of increased lobbying power for benefits and wages |
| laissez faire | the doctrine that government should not interfere in commercial affairs |
| mass production | the production of large quantities of a standardized article (often using assembly line techniques) |
| molly maguires | a society fo irish miners who engaged in a violent confrontation with pennsylvania mining companies in the 19th century |
| monopoly | a complete control of an entire industry |
| trust | a consortium of independent organizations formed to limit competition by controlling the production and distribution of a product or service |
| nativism | a policy of favoring native-born individuals |
| patronage | the practice of giving jobs to loyal supporters |
| political machine | well organized political organization that controls election results by awarding jobs and other favors in exchange for votes |
| robber baron | a business leader who uses dishonest methods to grow rich. |
| social darwinism | The application of ideas about evolution and "survival of the fittest" to human societies - particularly as a justification for their imperialist expansion. |
| tammany hall | New York City's powerful political machine |
| free silver | the unlimited production of silver coins |
| the grange | Originally a social organization between farmers, it developed into a political movement for government ownership of railroads |
| initiative | allowed all citizens to introduce a bill into the legislative and required members to take a vote on it |
| populist party | political party composed of farmers and union members whose goal was to limit the power of big business. |
| recall | a request by the manufacturer of a defective product to return the product |
| referendum | voters cast ballots for or against proposed laws |
| tenant farming | system of farming where farmers rented their land from the landowner and were able to grow whatever crop they chose |
| domesticity | Life in or fondness for one's home and family. |
| new freedom | Woodrow Wilson plan a reform with called for tariff reduction and antitrust legislation |
| square deal | Teddy Roosevelt's plan to maintain equality and fariness for all Americans. |
| muckraking | the exposure of scandal (especially about public figures) |
| NAACP | Civil rights organization lead by W.E.B. DuBois, worked to gain equal rights for African Americans |
| progressivism | One of most successful reform movements in US history, began locally, then state, then national |
| suffrage | The right to vote. |
| temperance | a campaign to stop drinking alcohol |
| tenement | a run-down, overcrowded apartment in the poor area of the city |
| trust busting | government activities seeking to dissolve corporate trusts and monopolies (especially under the United States antitrust laws) |
| big stick policy | A policy used by T.R. that was made to improve world peace, "Speak softly and carry a big stick." |
| dollar diplomacy | Taft would throw money at problems first, then send military if needed |
| imperialism | A policy in which a strong nation seeks to dominate other countries poitically, socially, and economically. |
| monroe doctrine | A statement of foreign policy which proclaimed that Europe should not interfere in affairs within the United States or or in the development of other contries in the Western Hemisphere. |
| yellow journalism | Journalism that exploits, distorts, or exaggerates the news to create sensations and attract readers |