Chapter 16: Capital and Labor Flashcards
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877
Labor conflict between rail workers and rail companies. Rail companies slashed workers’ pay and laid them off. Class warfare started and national guards and militias killed strikers and pushed them back. Helped lay the groundwork for unions and businesses more power and influence in government.
Frederick Taylor
Came up with “Taylorism”
Means to use science organization to boost production using assembly lines and interchangeable parts
Cyrus McCormick
Oversaw the construction of wheat harvesters that allowed farmers to harvest more wheat. Used Taylorism to great affect
The Great Merger Movement
Firms and companies combined themselves to make monopolies and control markets in America.
Herbert Spenser
Looked at society through the eyes of Darwin’s theories. Popularized the phrase ‘survival of the fittest’.
Social Darwinism
The idea that a natural order perpetuated society. The strong would rise and become rich and the weak would become poor.
Haymarket Riot
A clash between union workers and police. Police killed union workers and four anarchists were hanged and one committed suicide.
AFL
The American Federation of Labor, a conservative alternative to the Knights of Labor. An alliance of craft unions and advocated pure and simple trade unionism.
People’s Party
Also known as the Populists; they were a group of men who organized to combat what they saw as flaws in Gilded Age America. They nominated William Jennings Bryan as their candidate for president.
Tom Watson
Member and speaker for the People’s Party. He was a Georgia firebrand and spoke against both the North’s capitalists and the Democratic party.
William Jennings Bryan
One of the most important orators in American history. He was a lawyer, stateman, and Secretary of State. As a lawyer he fought against Darwinism in America, most notably at the Scopes Monkey Trial. As a stateman he ran for president 3 times but lost all 3 times.
Free Coinage of Silver
A movement promoted by Willan J. Bryan. It was supposed to move America away from the gold standard and towards the silver standard. Bryans believed this would alleviate some debts that the common people had. During the 1896 Democratic convention he gave the now infamous “crown of thorns, cross of gold” speech
Eugene Debs
Famous Socialist in America. Helped start and lead The American Railway Union (ARU). They went on strike against horrible working conditions and low pay. After the Federal government tried to break the strike Debs was arrested and the strike evaporated. Eventually Debs ran for president and got 6 percent of the total vote.
Wobblies
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) was a union of radical workers who welcomed all regardless of race or gender.
