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Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was a network of people, many African American, offering shelter and aid to escaped slaves. It had been formed as a convergence of various clandestine efforts at the time. The reason many escapees headed for Canada was the Fugitive Slave Acts. The Underground Railroad ceased operations about 1863, during the Civil War. In reality, its work moved above ground as part of the Union effort against the Confederacy. -
Second Great Awakening
This was one of the most significant occurrences in the history of American religion. Countless people were converted and many churches were changed and revived. Not only affecting religion, the movement influenced many other aspects such as prison reform, the women's rights movement, abolishment of slavery, advancements in literature, and reform in education. Women deeply encouraged the religious revival, setting up many organizations and charities. -
Election of Andrew Jackson
Changes in voting qualifications and participation, the election of Andrew Jackson, and the formation of the Democratic Party all contributed to making the election of 1828 and Jackson's presidency a watershed in the evolution of the American political system. This was a crucial event in a period that saw the development of a two-party system, presidential electioneering bearing a closer resemblance to modern political campaigning, and the strengthening of the power of the executive branch. -
Abolitionist Movement
This movement had been an effort to end slavery in a nation that valued personal freedom and believed “all men are created equal”. Over time, abolitionists grew more strident in their demands, and slave owners entrenched in response, fueling regional controversy that ultimately led to the American Civil War. Violence began to escalate against abolitionists. Garrison would forever radicalize the movement by forming the American Anti-Slavery Society. -
Seneca Falls Convention
Seneca Falls Convention was the first women’s rights convention in the United States. It was organized by a handful of women who were active in the abolition and temperance movements. Intended to call attention to unfair treatment of women, the convention was attended by about 300 people, including about 40 men. At the end of the convention, about 100 of the attendees signed the declaration, although some removed their names later due to criticism. -
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Social Gospel Movement
The social gospel’s origins are often traced to the rise of late 19th-century urban industrialization, immediately following the Civil War. Largely, but not exclusively, rooted in Protestant churches, the social gospel emphasized how Jesus’ ethical teachings could remedy the problems caused by “Gilded Age” capitalism. The Social Gospel, after World War II, influenced the formation of Christian Democracy political ideology. -
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Progressive Era
At the local level, many Progressives sought to suppress red-light districts, expand high schools, construct playgrounds, and replace corrupt urban political machines with more efficient systems of municipal government. At the state level, Progressives enacted minimum wage laws for women workers, instituted industrial accident insurance, restricted child labor, and improved factory regulation. -
National American Woman Suffrage Association
The National Association was created in response to a split in the American Equal Rights Association over whether the woman's movement should support the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. They rpresented millions of women and was the parent organization of hundreds of smaller local and state groups. The NAWSA hosted and participated in large and theatrical suffrage parades, and held major annual conventions that helped to keep its members energized. -
Populists
The populist party had been a political party formed primarily to express the agrarian protest of the late 19th century. The economic welfare of farmers suffered badly. After attempts at independent political action failed, the Farmers' Alliances were formed.These Alliances agitated for railroad regulation, tax reform, and unlimited coinage of silver and attempted to influence the established political parties. -
Pullman Strike
If a Pullman worker went into debt, it was taken from his paycheck. In May of 1894, 3,000 Pullman workers went on a strike without authorization of their union. Many of thsee strikers belonged to the American Railroad Union (ARU) founded by Eugene V. Debs. Essentially, the Pullman strik left behind a legacy in the US labor movement. The leader of the ARU served 6 months in prison and thereafter became the spokesperson for the new Socialist party in its first two decades of life. -
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
The fire caused the deaths of 146 garment workers- 123 women and 23 men- who died from the fire, smoke inhalation, or falling or jumping to their deaths. This tragedy brought widespread attention to the dangerous sweatshop conditions of factories, and led to the development of a series of laws and regulations that better protected the safety of workers -
Seventeenth Amendment
The Seventeenth Amendment allowed voters to cast direct votes for U.S. Senators. Prior to its passage, Senators were chosen by state legislatures. It had been part of a wave of progressive constitutional reforms that sought to make the Constitution, and our nation, more democratic. -
Clayton Antitrust Act
This act added to the Sherman law's list of objectionable trust practices by forbidding price discrimination- a different price for different people, and interlocking directorates- the same people serving on "competitors" boards of trustees. It also exempted labor unions from being considered trusts and legalized strikes as a form of peaceful assembly. Ultimately helped cut down on monopolies. -
Eighteenth Amendment
It is important to note that the Eighteenth Amendment did not prohibit the consumption of alcohol, but rather simply the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcoholic beverages. The rise of mass disobedience to prohibition laws took the amendment's advocates by surprise. The 18th amendment is the only amendment to be repealed from the constitution. -
Nineteenth Amendment
the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted American women the right to vote. It played a pivotal role in promoting reproductive rights for women, ushering in a new voting population with a political agenda that would ultimately legalize contraception and abortion. Women also experienced economic progress as a result, with the increased availability of family-planning services and supplies allowing more women to enroll in higher education and enter professional occupations.
