US HISTORY CHAPTER 17
What were the conditions and consequences of child labor during the early twentieth century?
Child laborers suffered high rates of injury and respiratory diseases. Some children worked in extremely dangerous conditions such as factories, mills, and mines.
Identify the impacts of the innovations of the second half of the nineteenth century
Electric Motors - allowed factory owners to locate factories wherever they wished Sewing Machine - allowed clothing to be mass produced Railroads - as the first truly big business, served as the catalyst for the transition to an urban-industrial economy Investment Banks - allowed railroads to raise capital by selling shares of stock to investors
Match each innovation to the impact it had on economic growth after the Civil War.
Modern transportation and communication infrastructure - This came about with the completion of the transcontinental railroads, the creation of new transportation systems, and the development of telegraph and telephone networks. Bessemer converter - This allowed for the production of better and cheaper steel, which fueled the growth of railroads and the growth of cities. Creation of electrical power - This enabled rapid urban development; it greatly increased the speed, power, and efficiency of machinery. Further, it made the construction of taller buildings feasible.
Which of the following statements accurately describe the events surrounding the Pullman strike of 1894?
President Cleveland sent in federal troops effectively to end the strike and resume rail commerce, thereby using federal power to support the interests of Big Business. Pullman employees joined the American Railway Union, led by Eugene V. Debs, due to the conditions and high prices found in their "company town."
What factors stimulated the unprecedented industrial and agricultural growth in the late nineteenth century? Identify the ways that the government helped to stimulate the economy during the Civil War and the years that followed.
Republican economic policies passed during the Civil War helped create a unified national market. Republican economic policies passed during the Civil War helped protect American industries from foreign competition.
Put in chronological order the following events that led to the dominance of John D. Rockefeller in the oil industry.
The Standard Oil Company gains more than 90 percent of the oil refining market in the United States. Rockefeller creates the Standard Oil Trust to circumvent anti-monopoly legislation. The Supreme Court of Ohio orders that the Standard Oil Trust be dissolved. Rockefeller brings his entire industrial empire under the direction of the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, a gigantic holding company.
What role did the federal government play in the nations economic development during this period?
Imposed high tariffs, granted public land to railroad companies and settlers in the west, and established a stable currency
What developments in transportation and communication promoted industrial growth in the second half of the nineteenth century?
The completion of the transcontinental railroads helped create a national marketplace. The creation of telegraph networks improved the rate of transcontinental and transatlantic communication. Trains helped enable the use of the U.S. military to suppress Native American resistance to westward expansion through Native American territory.
The increase in the size and power of corporations galvanized efforts to build an unprecedented ________labor union movement. The Civil War created opportunities for workers with a particular skill to form _________, which grew in size and popularity. The connection of such groups did not occur until the ______ convened in 1866. The organization was primarily concerned with improving working conditions and spent less time on bargaining for better wages and working hours. However, it did not allow women or African Americans to join as members.
1. National 2. "Craft Unions" 3. National Labor Union
Put in chronological order the following events that contributed to the organized labor movement in the late nineteenth century.
1. The Knits of Labor emerge 2. The Haymarket Riot erupts 3. The American Federation of Labor Forms 4. The Knights of Labor decline in Popularity 5. The American Railway Union organizes the Pullman
Analyze the following quotation: "It is now pretty generally admitted that women possess the capacity to swallow intellectual food that was formerly considered the diet of men exclusively." What developments in the early twentieth century support the views expressed in the quotation?
An increasing number of women gained access to higher education. The number of women working for wages outside the home rose.
Identify the following entrepreneurs and their chief industries.
Andrew Carnegie - Steel J. Pierpont Morgan - Corporate mergers, railroads, and steel John D. Rockefeller - Oil
Why was the American Federation of Labor created, and how did it deviate from other labor organizations?
It was a federation of craft unions that focused on concrete economic gains—higher wages, shorter hours, and better working conditions.
What were the consequences of the Haymarket Riot for the labor movement?
The violence of and sensational news stories about the Haymarket Riot caused many Americans to fear the growth of radical anarchist elements within the labor movement. The legal and public backlash against organized labor caused the Knights of Labor to lose members.
Identify the policies that the federal government enacted to incorporate the western territories into the national economy.
Congress authorized construction of the first transcontinental railroad. The Morrill Land-Grant College Act gave each state land in proportion to the number of members of Congress that represented that state. Congress passed and implemented the Homestead Act, which created new economic markets by giving land to those who would work it.
Identify the policies of the Republican-led Congress that spurred economic growth following the Civil War.
Congress enacted commercial and industrial development programs. Congress advanced policies that supported westward expansion. Congress implemented the reconstruction policies in the former Confederacy.
To the degree that a partnership existed between Big Business and the federal government following the end of the Civil War, all regions of the nation were universally supportive of such a partnership and the government policies that developed as a result of it. T/F
FALSE - After the Civil War, southern farmers were strongly opposed to federal tariff policy because it forced them to sell their goods in a relatively free and open economic market, and yet they had to purchase American industrial products at inflated prices because of protectionist tariff policies.
Who were the entrepreneurs who pioneered the growth of Big Business? What were their goals, and what strategies did they use to dominate their respective industries?
John D Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and J. Pierpot Morgan
Just as technological innovations were critical to the economic growth of the late nineteenth century, so too were innovations in finance and business organizations. Match the financial and business terms with their definitions.
MONOPOLY - Business that grows so large that it effectively controls an entire industry CORPORATION - Legal entity that separates the ownership of an enterprise from the management of its operations and affords shareholders the protection of limited liability. HOLDING COMPANY - Owns a majority of the stock in other companies, but produces nothing itself TRUST - An arrangement that gives a person or corporation the legal power to manage another person's money or another company SHARES OF STOCK - Financial instrument representing partial owners of a company
The Knights of Labor included an unprecedented proposal within its platform that called for equal pay for equal work done by men and women. T/F
TRUE FEEDBACK: This demand was far ahead of the times, though not out of place amidst the general set of proposals put forth by the Knights of Labor. The organization functioned as one big union of all workers—both skilled and unskilled—with no discrimination based on race, color, creed, or sex.
In the aftermath of the Civil War, what was the nature of the relationship between the Republican-led federal government and Big Business?
The U.S. government and large corporations became increasingly close allies following the end of the Civil War. FEEDBACK: For example, the government would often defend American businesses by erecting tariffs against foreign products, even at the expense of the American consumer.
Identify the examples of laissez-faire economic doctrine and its effects during the late nineteenth century.
The federal government's lack of oversight for the working conditions for wage earners Some politicians' willingness to stay out of businesses in exchange for campaign contributions
Analyze the ways in which the class structure and lives of women changed in the late 19th century.
The huge fortunes of The Gilded Age flowed to few prominent families and social class tensions worsened as productivity increase. While the businesses and financial elite showed off their new wealth with extravagant homes and parties, the urban and industrial workforce was largely composed of unskilled workers, including recent immigrants, former farmers, in growing numbers of women And children. Business owners and managers should little concern for workplace safety. Accidents and work-related diseases were common. Industrialization and the rise of big business also increase the number of people considering themselves part of the middle class. Middle-class women increasingly went to college, to business and professional jobs, and participated in other public activities despite male resistance.
What factors stimulated the unprecedented industrial and agricultural growth in the late 19th century?
The national railroad network grew and industrialization expanded use of electrical power
New inventions enabled women to work in a wider variety of fields. Business offices changed in response to the invention of the ____ - ______. Women were thought to be better suited than men to perform this kind of clerical office work and were hired in large numbers and paid less than their male counterparts. In addition, inventions such as the ____ -______ created new jobs for women, but unlike positions in business offices, these jobs forced large numbers of women to work long hours in sweatshops as a result of the technological innovation. Both these technologies helped the economy grow by increasing the productivity of labor.
Type Writer Sewing Machine
Complete the passage below describing a strange disorder that affected women in the second half of the nineteenth century. There were serious consequences for women who sought to escape the _____ and to better establish themselves in the "real" world. Some women who did so contracted a psychological and physical disorder called _____. The affliction usually included insomnia, hysteria, headaches, depression, and constant fatigue. It plagued both sexes, but mostly affected ____women. The disorder led to an unexpected business development. A former Confederate cavalry officer named _____ introduced a new therapeutic elixir known as Coca-Cola. It was part of his search for pain relievers to manage his injuries after the war; however, he soon realized that the ingredients also made for a tasty fizzy drink.
1. "cult of domesticity" 2. neurasthenia 3. college-educated 4. John Stith Pemberton
Which of the following examples accurately reflect the relationship between the federal government and Big Business during the Gilded Age?
By adopting a laissez-faire approach, the government tended to avoid interfering in the cutthroat and destructive practices of Big Business. The federal government used tariff policies to strengthen its alliance with Big Business, helping to increase the income of those businesses that supported the Republican party. The federal government passed the Homestead Act of 1862 to create new markets for goods and services supported by Big Business.
Assess the efforts of workers to organize unions to promote their interests during this era
It was difficult for unskilled workers to organize effectively into unions, in part because of racial and ethnic tensions among laborers, language barriers, and efforts of owners and supervisors to undermine unionizing efforts. Business owners often hired strikebreakers, Usually immigrant workers were willing to take jobs at the prevailing wage because they were so desperate for a job. Business owners often relied on the support of political leaders, who would mobilize state and local militias and federal troops against strikers. Nevertheless, several unions did organize an advocate for workers rights at the national level including the national labor union and the Knights of labor. After the violence associated with Haymarket riot in the Homestead steel strike in the Pullman strike many Americans grew fearful of unions and viewed them as politically radical. Credit unions made up solely of skilled workers became more successful at organizing such as the American Federation of labor.
Following the Civil War, the American economy prospered. Identify the factors that contributed to this advantageous economic circumstance in the United States.
The huge influx of immigrants following the Civil War provided American industries with an abundance of cheap labor. The United States benefited from vast untapped reserves of natural resources: land, forests, oil, coal, water, and iron ore. The advancements in technology increased the efficiency and productivity of many sectors of the economy. This in turn lowered the cost to produce goods and granted more consumers greater purchasing power.
What late-nineteenth-century development led to a growing class-consciousness in the United States?
The growing gap between the rich and the poor. FEEDBACK: The increased visibility of class divisions fostered a greater awareness of social class.
Which of the following statements accurately reflect the development of labor unions after the Civil War through the early twentieth century?
The growth of new businesses required a massive labor force, creating the opportunity for workers to form unions that would represent their interests collectively. Workers from all types of industries and skill levels typically benefited from the formation of industrial unions.
Commenting on women in public roles, E. L. Youmans, a prominent science writer, remarked, "If there is one thing that pervades and characterizes what is called the 'woman's movement,' it is the spirit of revolt against the home, and the determination to escape from it into the outer spheres of activity." Which of the following statements accurately describes some of the backlash or limitations women faced when trying to escape the "cult of domesticity" in the Gilded Age?
Women's programs of study in college were often focused on "finishing" courses or "home economics," which typically emphasized domestic roles women could resume after college. Some medical professionals came to believe that women were more susceptible to neurasthenia because they thought it was associated with an overly active lifestyle. As editor of the magazine Ladies' Home Journal, Edward Bok tried to "keep women in the home" by filling the magazine's pages with information on sewing, cooking, religion, politics, and fiction.
