James Frawley

Mr. McGoldrick
US History
20 May 2014
Identifications: Chapter 24
Populists It was a political party in the United States established in 1891 during the
Populist movement of the 19th Century. It was most influential in the period between
1892 and 1896, and then quickly faded away. Based among poor, white cotton farmers in
the South especially in North Carolina, Alabama, and Texas and hard-pressed wheat
farmers in the plains states especially in Kansas and Nebraska, it represented a radical
crusading form of agrarianism and hostility to banks, railroads, and elites generally. It
sometimes formed coalitions with labor unions, and in 1896 the Populists endorsed the
Democratic presidential nominee, William Jennings Bryan. The terms "populist" and
"populism" are commonly used for anti-elitist appeals in opposition to established
interests and mainstream parties. Their viewpoint was that they could help the economic
status of the small businesses and farmers. It is significant today because they became a
large political power for a short period of our history.
The Grange It was officially referred to, as The National Grange of the Order of
Patrons of Husbandry, is a fraternal organization in the United States that encourages
families to band together to promote the economic and political well being of the
community and agriculture. The Grange, founded after the Civil War in 1867, is the
oldest American agricultural advocacy group with a national scope. Major
accomplishments credited to Grange advocacy include passage of the Granger Laws and
the establishment of rural free mail delivery. Its viewpoint was to advocate for the
farmers of America. It is significant today because it is the oldest agricultural advocacy
group in America.
Progressives It was a broadly based reform movement that reached its height early in
the 20th century and is generally considered to be middle class and reformist in nature. It
arose as a response to the vast changes brought by modernization, such as the growth of
large corporations and railroads, and fears of corruption in American politics. In the 21st
century, progressives continue to embrace concepts such as environmentalism and social
justice. Social progressivism, the view that governmental practices ought to be adjusted
as society evolves, forms the ideological basis for many American progressives. Their
viewpoint was reform and furthering the middle class. They are significant today
because they were involved in shaping the modernist movement in America.
Knights of Labor It was also known as the Noble and Holy Order of the 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. The Knights promoted the
social and cultural uplift of the workingman, rejected Socialism and radicalism,
demanded the eight-hour day, and promoted the producers ethic of republicanism. In
some cases it acted as a labor union, negotiating with employers, but it was never well
organized, and after a rapid expansion in the mid-1880s, it suddenly lost its new members
and became a small operation again. Its viewpoint was that they could get good working
conditions and better hours and wages for workers. It is significant today because it was
the largest of all American labor organizations.
AFL It is also known as the American Federation of Labor, it was the first 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. Samuel Gompers of the Cigar Makers' International Union was elected
president of the Federation at its founding convention and was reelected every year
except one until his death in 1924. The AFL was the largest union grouping in the United
States for the first half of the 20th century, even after the creation of the Congress of
Industrial Organizations by unions that were expelled by the AFL in 1935 over its
opposition to industrial unionism. While the Federation was founded and dominated by
craft unions throughout the first fifty years of its existence, many of its craft union
affiliates turned to organizing on an industrial union basis to meet the challenge from the
Congress of Industrial Organizations in the 1940s. Its viewpoint was that they could
work together to create a fair workforce in America. It is significant today because it was
one of the largest unions in the twentieth century.
CIO Also known as the Committee for Industrial Organization. It was proposed by
John L. Lewis in 1928, and was a federation of unions that organized workers in
industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. The Taft-Hartley
Act of 1947 required union leaders to swear that they were not Communists. Many CIO
leaders refused to obey that requirement, later found unconstitutional. The CIO
supported Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal Coalition, and was open to African
Americans. Both the CIO and its rival the AFL grew rapidly during the Great
Depression. The rivalry for dominance was bitter and sometimes violent. The CIO
founded on November 9, 1935, by eight international unions belonging to the American
Federation of Labor. The CIO merged with the American Federation of Labor to form
the AFL-CIO in 1955. Its viewpoint was that people could join together to create good,
fair jobs for Americans. It is significant today because it worked for the rights of workers
and helped in the workers rights movement.
Samuel Gompers He was an English-born American cigar maker who became a labor
union leader and a key figure in American labor history. Gompers founded the American
Federation of Labor (AFL), and served as the organization's president from 1886 to 1894
and from 1895 until his death in 1924. He promoted harmony among the different craft
unions that comprised the AFL, trying to minimize jurisdictional battles. He promoted
"thorough" organization and collective bargaining to secure shorter hours and higher
wages, the first essential steps, he believed, to emancipating labor. He also encouraged
the AFL to take political action to "elect their friends" and "defeat their enemies".
During World War I, Gompers and the AFL openly supported the war effort, attempting
to avoid strikes and boost morale while raising wage rates and expanding membership.
His viewpoint was that he could found an organization that would improve the working
conditions and job safety in America. He is significant today because he founded the
AFL, which was a very large labor organization.
Haymarket Riot It was refers to the aftermath of a bombing that took place at a labor
demonstration on Tuesday May 4, 1886, at Haymarket Square in Chicago. It began as a
peaceful rally in support of workers striking for an eight-hour day and in reaction to the
killing of several workers by the police, the previous day. An unknown person threw a
dynamite bomb at police as they acted to disperse the public meeting. The bomb blast and
ensuing gunfire resulted in the deaths of seven police officers and at least four civilians;
scores of others were wounded. Its viewpoint was that they could rally in order to
improve their working conditions but it soon turned into a riot. It is significant today
because it was a riot that happened in Americas history that included an attack via
bombing.
James Garfield A decent man and a Civil War veteran with a distinguished military
record, Garfield became a lawyer in Ohio and then a congressman. He used his oratorical
skills to behind to chip away at his own partys corruption, and he even escaped scandal
when accusations about his involvement in the Credit Moblir Scandal proved
groundless. He was elected to the Senate in 1880 and immediately to the presidency. His
campaign included as vice president Chester A. Arthur, a notorious Stalwart from the
New York Customs House, as a concession to unify the party. When Garfield was
assassinated by Charles Guiteau, the killer said, I am a Stalwart, and now Arthur is
president! Since Garfield was ending gratuitous patronage, Guiteau had been rejected
for a job, so Garfield became a martyr for the civil service reform movement. His
viewpoint was that they could unify the parties. He is significant today because the
opposing party, which he desired to unify with, assassinated him.
Civil Service Reform A Civil Service Commission was formed as early as 1871, but
the federal agency designed to ferret out political corruption instead fell prey to it. The
first commission was disbanded after its chairman resigned when his investigations were
ignored by the Grant administration. Only after the assassination of President James
Garfield did the continued clamoring for reform take the shape of actual legislation. The
Pendleton Act was the first concrete step in a long road of making it more difficult for
corrupt politicians and civil servants to get away with graft, or he unscrupulous use of a
politician's authority for personal gain. Not until Theodore Roosevelt was placed on a
new Civil Service Commission by Benjamin Harrison did the agency begin to perform its
duties thoroughly. Its viewpoint was that they could reduce the amount of corruption
throughout the business system. It is significant today because it created conditions,
which make graft more difficult for politicians and civil servants.