Chapter 26
98. In the last decades of the nineteenth century, the volume of agricultural goods ____, and the price received for these goods ____. a. increased; decreased b. decreased; increased c. increased; also increased d. decreased; also decreased e. increased; stayed the same.
ANS: A REF: p. 595
102. The first major farmers' organization was the a. National Grange. b. Populists. c. Greenback Labor party. d. Farmers' Alliance. e. American Farm Bureau.
ANS: A REF: p. 596
109. The Populist party's presidential candidate in 1892 was a. James B. Weaver. b. William Jennings Bryan. c. Mary Elizabeth Lease. d. Adlai Stevenson. e. William "Coin" Harvey.
ANS: A REF: p. 598
118. Labor unions, Populists, and debtors saw in the brutal Pullman episode a. proof of an alliance between big business, the federal government, and the courts against working people. b. a strategy by which united working-class action could succeed. c. the need for a socialist party in the United States. d. the potential of the federal government as a counterweight to big business. e. the crucial role of middle-class public opinion in labor conflicts.
ANS: A REF: p. 600
120. The depression of the 1890s and episodes like the Pullman Strike made the election of 1896 shape up as a a. battle between down-and-out workers and farmers and establishment conservatives. b. conflict between the insurgent Populists and the two established political parties. c. sectional conflict with the West aligned against the Northeast and South. d. contest over the power of the federal government to manage a modern industrial economy like the United States. e. clash of cultures between ordinary middle-class Americans and European-oriented radicals and reformers.
ANS: A REF: p. 600
124. All of the following characteristics describe William Jennings Bryan in 1896 except he a. disliked the concept of class conflict. b. was very youthful. c. was an energetic and charismatic campaigner. d. was an excellent orator. e. radiated honesty and sincerity.
ANS: A REF: p. 601-602
130. The 1896 victory of William McKinley ushered in a long period of Republican dominance that was accompanied by a. diminishing voter participation in elections. b. strengthening of party organizations. c. greater concern over civil-service reform. d. less concern for industrial regulation. e. sharpened conflict between business and labor.
ANS: A REF: p. 604
131. As president, William McKinley can best be described as a. cautious and conservative. b. a man of little ability. c. an active reformer. d. a person willing to go against the opinion of the majority. e. a skillful negotiator.
ANS: A REF: p. 605
100. With agricultural production rising dramatically in the post-Civil War years a. more farmers could purchase land. b. tenant farming spread rapidly throughout the Midwest and South. c. bankruptcies declined. d. western farmers prospered, while southern farmers had grave troubles selling their cotton. e. the government began encouraging the development of soil banks.
ANS: B REF: p. 595
104. For farm men and women , Granges were a godsend because a. they required members to pitch in and help each other during harvest season. b. the picnics, concerts and lectures they offered helped ease their isolation. c. their secret rituals kept out people they didn't like. d. they sold farming supplies at a deep discount. e. they helped members join together to take advantage of opportunities via the Homestead Act.
ANS: B REF: p. 596
107. The Farmers' Alliance was especially weakened by a. its political ineptitude. b. its inability to overcome racial divisions in the South. c. corrupt leadership. d. its failure to target landowners. e. regional concentration in the South.
ANS: B REF: p. 598
108. The Populist party arose as the direct successor to the a. Greenback Labor party. b. Farmers' Alliance. c. Silver Miners' Coalition. d. Liberal Republican party. e. Grange.
ANS: B REF: p. 598
115. Which one of the following was least sympathetic to workers and farmers hard-pressed by the Depression of 1893? a. John P. Altgeld b. Richard Olney c. Eugene V. Debs d. Jacob Coxey e. William Jennings Bryan
ANS: B REF: p. 599
127. One key to the Republican victory in the 1896 presidential election was a. McKinley's ability to create divisions between western and southern farmers. b. the huge financial and propaganda effort of Mark Hanna and the Republicans. c. McKinley's ability to make the tariff issue more important than free silver. d. the wide travel and numerous speeches made by William McKinley. e. the ability of Republicans to disrupt the solid South.
ANS: B REF: p. 602
99. Late-nineteenth-century farmers believed that their difficulties stemmed primarily from a. low tariff rates. b. overproduction. c. a deflated currency. d. immigration laws. e. the federal government.
ANS: C REF: p. 595
103. The original purpose of the Grange was to a. get involved in politics. b. support an inflationary monetary policy. c. stimulate self-improvement through educational and social activities. d. improve the farmers' collective plight. e. support the Homestead law.
ANS: C REF: p. 596
113. During the 1892 presidential election, large numbers of southern white farmers refused to desert the Democratic Party and support the Populist Party because a. they did not think the Populists represented their political interests. b. they were not experiencing the same hard times as Midwestern farmers. c. the history of racial division in the region made it hard to cooperate with blacks. d. they believed that too many Populists were former Republicans. e. they could not accept the Populists' call for government ownership of the railroads, telegraph, and telephones.
ANS: C REF: p. 598
114. Jacob Coxey and his army marched on Washington, D.C., to a. demand a larger military budget. b. protest the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act. c. demand that the government relieve unemployment with a public works program. d. try to promote a general strike of all workers. e. demand the immediate payment of bonuses to Civil War veterans.
ANS: C REF: p. 599
117. Match each individual with his role in the Pullman strike: A. Richard Olney 1. Head of the American Railway Union that organized the strike B. Eugene V. Debs 2. Governor of Illinois who sympathized with the striking workers C. George Pullman 3. United States attorney general who brought in federal troops to crush the strike D. John P. Altgeld 4. Owner of the "palace railroad car" company and the company town where the strike began a. A-1, B-2, C-4, D-3 b. A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4 c. A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2 d. A-4, B-3, C-2, D-l e. A-2, B-4, C-l, D-3
ANS: C REF: p. 599
111. In a bid to win labor's support, the Populist party a. supported restrictions on immigration. b. nominated Samuel Gompers for president. c. opposed injunctions against labor strikes. d. endorsed workmen's compensation laws. e. proposed a law guaranteeing the right to organize and strike.
ANS: C REF: p. 600
123. The Democratic party nominee for president in 1896 was ____; the Republicans nominated ____; and the Populists endorsed ____. a. William McKinley; Mark Hanna; William Jennings Bryan b. William Jennings Bryan; William McKinley; James B. Weaver c. William Jennings Bryan; William McKinley; William Jennings Bryan d. Mark Hanna; William Jennings Bryan; William Jennings Bryan e. William Jennings Bryan; Theodore Roosevelt; William Jennings Bryan
ANS: C REF: p. 600-602
128. The strongest ally of Mark Hanna and the Republicans in the 1896 presidential election was a. the drop in wheat prices. b. McKinley's vigorous campaigning. c. fear of the alleged radicalism of William Jennings Bryan and his free silver cause. d. the nearly unanimous support of the nation's trained economists. e. the divisions in the Democratic Party.
ANS: C REF: p. 602
132. The monetary inflation needed to relieve the social and economic hardships of the late nineteenth century eventually came as a result of a. the Gold Standard Act. b. McKinley's adoption of the bimetallic standard. c. an increase in the international gold supply. d. Populist fusion with the Democratic party. e. the creation of the Federal Reserve Board.
ANS: C REF: p. 605
125. William Jennings Bryan gained the presidential nomination of the Democratic party primarily because he a. had already gained the nomination of the Populist party. b. had the support of urban workers. c. possessed a brilliant political mind. d. eloquently supported the farmers' demand for the unlimited coinage of silver. e. was backed by the Democratic Party establishment.
ANS: D REF: p. 602
97. The root cause of the American farmers' problems after 1880 was a. urban growth. b. foreign competition. c. the declining number of farms and farmers. d. the shortage of farm machinery. e. low prices and a deflated currency.
ANS: E REF: p. 595
101. Farmers were slow to organize and promote their interest because they a. were not well educated. b. did not possess the money necessary to establish a national political movement. c. were divided by the wealthier, more powerful manufacturers and railroad barons. d. were too busy trying to eke out a living. e. were, by nature, highly independent and individualistic.
ANS: E REF: p. 596
105. In several states, farmers helped to pass the Granger Laws, which were designed to a. provide state subsidies for farm exports. b. lower farm mortgage interest rates. c. allow the formation of producer and consumer cooperatives. d. prohibit bankruptcy auctions. e. regulate railroad rates and grain storage fees.
ANS: E REF: p. 597
106. The Farmers' Alliance was originally formed to a. drive up farm prices by reducing crop production. b. advance agriculturally useful education in state land-grant colleges. c. end the rise of tenant farming. d. undermine eastern bankers by providing low-cost loans to farmers. e. break the economic grip of the railroads through farmers' cooperatives.
ANS: E REF: p. 598
110. Which one of the following was not among influential Populist leaders? a. William "Coin" Harvey b. Ignatius Donnelley c. Mary Elizabeth Lease d. James B. Weaver e. Eugene V. Debs
ANS: E REF: p. 599
116. President Grover Cleveland justified federal intervention in the Pullman strike of 1894 on the grounds that a. the union's leader, Eugene V. Debs, was a socialist. b. strikes against railroads were illegal. c. the strikers were engaging in violent attacks on railroad property. d. shutting down the railroads threatened American national security. e. the strike was preventing the transit of U.S. mail.
ANS: E REF: p. 599
112. The severe economic depression of the 1890s strengthened the Populists' argument that a. the abolition of all metallic money in favor of paper was essential. b. white and black farmers had common economic interests c. they should form a progressive coalition with pro-silver Democrats. d. farmers had nothing in common with the residents of industrial cities. e. wage earners and farmers alike were victims of an oppressive economic system.
ANS: E REF: p. 600
119. The Pullman strike created the first instance of a. management recognition of the right of workers to organize and strike. b. government use of federal troops to break a labor strike. c. violence during a labor strike. d. a united front between urban workers and agrarian Populists. e. government use of a federal court injunction to break a strike.
ANS: E REF: p. 600
121. Which of the following was not among the qualifications that helped William McKinley earn the Republican presidential nomination in 1896? a. He came from the key electoral swing state of Ohio. b. He had gained a national reputation by sponsoring the high McKinley Tariff Bill. c. He was a likable Civil War veteran. d. He was backed by the skilled political manager and fund raiser Mark Hanna. e. He was an energetic and charismatic campaigner.
ANS: E REF: p. 600
122. Mark Hanna, the Ohio Republican president-maker, believed that the prime function of the federal government was to a. defend against foreign enemies. b. maintain a laissez-faire policy. c. not "rock the boat" of prosperity. d. overturn the trickle down theory of economics. e. provide aid to big business.
ANS: E REF: p. 600
126. In the election of 1896, the major issue became a. restoration of protective tariffs. b. enactment of an income tax. c. government programs for those unemployed as a result of the depression. d. the rights of farmers and industrial workers. e. free and unlimited coinage of silver.
ANS: E REF: p. 602
129. The 1896 presidential election marked the last time that a. rural America would defeat urban America. b. the South remained solid for the Democratic party. c. a third-party candidate had a serious chance at the White House. d. factory workers would favor inflation. e. a serious effort to win the White House would be made with mostly agrarian votes.
ANS: E REF: p. 603