APUSH Late Nineteenth Century Notes

Social Darwinism
Social Darwinism refers to various ideologies based on a concept that competition drives social evolution in human societies. In other words, "survival of the fittest.” (e.g. "The Gospel of Wealth" by Andrew Carnegie)

Horatio Alger
(1832 – 1899)
Was a prolific 19th-century American author. Many of Alger's works have been described as rags to riches stories, illustrating how down-and-out boys might be able to achieve the American Dream.


political machine
A political organization in which an authoritative boss or small group commands the support of a corps of supporters who receive rewards for their efforts. Machines often rely on patronage and the spoils system.


Women’s Christian
Temperance Union
(est. 1873) The WCTU was founded in Evanston, Illinois in 1873. This group was founded to combat the influence of alcohol on families and society. Before Prohibition, the WCTU focused mainly on moral reform (i.e. preserving the Sabbath, aiding immigrants and trying to remove poverty).

mugwumps
(1884) The Mugwumps were Republicans who supported Democrat Grover Cleveland in the Election of 1884. They switched parties because they rejected the corruption associated with Republican James G. Blaine.

Pendleton Act
(1883) A federal law that established the US Civil Service Commission, which placed most federal government employees on the merit system. It was passed in response to President Garfield’s assassination.

McKinley Tariff of 1890
This act raised the tariff for imports to 48%. In return for its passing, the Sherman Silver Purchase Act was given Republican support. The tariff hurt farmers leading to the Free Silver movement and the Populist Party.

free silver
(late 19th century) aka the “free coinage of silver.” Advocates wanted silver to be accepted at US Mints. The price level at the time was on a deflationary trend so free silver advocates hoped to cause inflation by minting more silver dollars.

“Rum, Romanism, Rebellion”
Rev. Dr. Samuel Burchard’s attack on the Democrats. The statement energized the Catholic vote in New York City heavily against Blaine, costing him New York and the election by the narrowest of margins.

Populism
Populism is a discourse which supports "the people" versus "the elites." Populism became a popular political ideology following the McKinley Tariff of 1890.

William Jennings Bryan
(1860-1925) Was the Democratic nominee for president in 1896, 1900 and 1908. He lost in 1896 to the surprise of many Americans causing many to lose faith in American democracy (still sort of present today).

“Bi-metalism”
A monetary standard in which the value of the monetary unit is defined as equivalent either to a certain quantity of gold or silver. Such a system effectively establishes a fixed rate of exchange (e.g. 1:16) for the two metals.