Colonial America

The Magna Carta Magna Carta 1215 The idea that people were entitled to certain rights and freedoms Start of self governing Established a system of justice based on due process of law. Under such a system a gov’t cannot deprive a person of life, liberty, or property except according to the rules.

English Bill of Rights 1689Bill of Rights 1689 Created a separation of powers , limited the King and Queens power, enhanced the Democratic election and bolstered freedom of speech

Declaration of Independence Statement off the Second Continental Congress announcing the 13 colonies are no longer part of Great Britain, but newly independent sovereign states. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration, and stated that All men are created equal.

Articles of Confederation 1st US Constitution -Weak central government -power in the hands of the State Governments

US Constitution The law by which the US would be governed US needed a stronger central government Laws outlined in the US Constitution are followed by all states Still the government today

Bill of Rights The 1st ten amendments added to the constitution. Safeguards to democracy Guarantee personal freedoms & limits the governments power

Marbury vs Madison Landmark case that established judicial review and allowed the Supreme Court to make laws unconstitutional if the contradicted the Constitution

Indian Removal Act of 1830 Signed by Andrew Jackson resettlement of Indian West of the Mississippi approx. 60,000

Important Amendments 13th-Abolition of Slavery 14th-granted citizen ship to all people born in the US, including former slaves 15th-granted African American men the right to vote the right to vote

Dred Scott Decision 1857 -Should slavery be allowed in the West? As part of the Compromise of 1850, residents of newly created territories could decide the issue of slavery by vote, a process known as popular sovereignty -The court held that Scott was not free based on his residence in either Illinois or Wisconsin because he was not considered a person under the U.S. Constitution–in the opinion of the justices, black people were not considered citizens when the Constitution was drafted in 1787

The Gilded Age

GILDED AGE Term taken from Mark Twain book to describe American society. Industrialists lived lavish lifestyles while the period was marked by political and social corruption

Populist Party The Populist movement was a movement by farmers in the South and Midwest against the Democratic and Republican Parties for ignoring their interests and difficulties. Led by William Jennings Bryan Farmers were suffering from crop failures, falling prices, poor marketing, and lack of credit facilities Prices for Southern cotton dropped. These disasters, combined with resentment against railroads, money-lenders, grain- elevator owners, and others with whom farmers did business, led farmers to organize.  Goals: Free coinage of silver, government regulation of the railroad, direct election of senators, income taxes

Significant Amendments 16th-allowed the states to levy taxes on income 17th - 2 Senators from each state directly elected by the people 18th - Prohibition of Alcohol 19th - Right to Vote for all citizens. Women’s suffrage

MANIFEST DESTINY - It was the widely held belief in the United States that American settlers were destined by God to expand throughout the continent from the East coast to the West coast

HOMESTEAD ACT 1862 People had to agree to work and live on the land for 5 years This new law helped encourage settlers to move west.

Dawes Act Forced assimilation of Native Americans. Removed children from Native communities and forced them into boarding schools.

TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD It created a nation-wide transportation network of railroad that united the country. This network replaced the wagon trains of previous decades and allowed for the transportation of larger quantities of goods over longer distances.

The Labor Movement Labor unions were organizations of workers with 3 major goals: higher wages, shorter hours, and better working conditions Strikes were a union’s most powerful threat

Knights of Labor and American federation of Labor Knights of Labor was the largest and one of the most important American labor organizations of the 1880s. Its most important leader was Terence V. Powderly American Federation of Labor was a national federation of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in May 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association.

Immigration in the Gilded Age Immigrants were pulled into America for job opportunities. Nativists wanted to restrict immigration in fear that jobs would be limited. The Chinese Exclusion Act banned immigration from China.

Political Machines Political machines controlled city government. Political machines would bribe primarily immigrants by providing services and goods in exchange for votes.

Social Darwinism Definition the theory that individuals, groups, and peoples are subject to the same Darwinian laws of natural selection as plants and animals  Theory of social selection that attempts to explain the success of certain social groups.

Laissez-Faire Politics The government does not regulate the economy and in fact promotes business growth. Laissez-faire politics will enables monopolies to form. Eventually the government will intervene and pass laws like the Interstate Commerce Act to regulate the railroad industry.

ANDREW CARNEGIE  led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century. He was also one of the highest profile philanthropists of his era and had given away almost 90 percent of his fortune to charities and foundations by the time of his death. His 1889 article proclaiming "The Gospel of Wealth" called on the rich to use their wealth to improve society, and stimulated a wave of philanthropy.

JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER An American business magnate and philanthropist. He was a co-founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry, and along with other key contemporary industrialists such as Andrew Carnegie, defined the structure of modern philanthropy. 

CORNELIUS VANDERBILT  He was known by the nickname Commodore, was an American business magnate and philanthropist who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. He was also the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family and one of the richest Americans in history. He provided the initial gift to found Vanderbilt University, which is named in his honor.

THOMAS EDISON He was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. Dubbed "The Wizard of Menlo Park"

NIKOLA TESLA A Serbian American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical and engineer best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC)electricity supply system.

HENRY FORD An American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. Although Ford did not invent the automobile or the assembly line he developed and manufactured the first automobile that many middle class Americans could afford.

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