Corporation- A business where people own shares, or a part of the corporation.
Corporations became more common in the late 1800?s.
Carnegie steel company and Rockefeller oil company were two of the biggest corporations during this time.
Competition-when more than one business sells the same type of things.
For example ?Wal Mart, Target, and K-Mart are in competition with each other. Burger King, Wendys, and McDonalds are also in competition with each other.
Monopoly- when a company has no competition
F?or example ?if BP bought all of the gas stations in Georgia they would have a monopoly. Standard Oil almost became a monopoly when they bought up most of the competing stations.
Assembly Lines-An assembly line is a way of mass-producing goods.
In an assembly line each person has a specific job to do. If they all do their job in the right order, then you will get a finished product that is ready to be sold. Remember the pen activity in J.A.
Labor Union-a group of workers who organize together to try and improve pay and working conditions (safety, hours, health benefits) for the people in the union
Strike-when a union thinks they?re being treated unfairly they may strike, or refuse to work
Immigrant- a person who comes to America from another country.
During the last part of the 19th century millions of immigrants moved to America. They came mostly from Europe (Ireland, Germany, Italy), but also from Mexico, China, and other countries as well.
Persecution- the unfair treatment or punishment of individuals
Many immigrants came to America because they were persecuted for their religious or political beliefs
Tenement- a poorly constructed apartment complex?they were usually crowded and unsafe, with no running water and no windows.
They were primarily occupied by immigrants who had little money.
Stockyard- a fenced area where large numbers of animals (cows, pigs) are kept until they are used for food.
Chicago had one of the biggest stockyards in the country.
Skyscraper- a very tall building ?made possible by the use of steel beams (became common in the late 1800?'s)
Slum- a poor, crowded section of the city ?usually with a lot of tenements and poor sanitary condition
Rapid Transit- a system of trains used to move people around big cities
Settlement house- a community center for people in cities
Muckraker- a person who rakes up the muck, digs up unpleasant truths about people and places
Progressives- reformers/?people who thought that the government should make living and working conditions better for all people
19th Amendment- a constitutional amendment that gave women the right to vote ?it became law in 1920