Chapter 12
What role did entrepreneurs play in the industrialization of the US and why were they willing to invest their money in American companies?
Entrepreneurs provided the capital that made it possible for inventors to develop new technologies and produce them for customers; entrepreneurs who had accumulated capital from fishing, textiles, and trade invested heavily in transportation and manufacturing; they were willing to invest because of the profit motive
How did the ethnic and religious groups from Eastern Europe contribute to shaping American culture in the late 1800s?
Catholics became the second largest religious group in America. Lage numbers of orthodoz Christians and Jews arrived as well. Respective ethnic group had people in all professions. Italians helped construct buildings, Irish worked the docks and helped build railroads, and Jews worked in textiles and as merchants
How did Josiah Strong’s ideas help propel the US to build an empire?
Strong argued that Americans had destiny as Christians and leaders of western civilizations to spread the benefits of civilization and western values to other nations
What progressive issue eventually led to the passage of the 18th Amendment? What was the impact on American society of the campaign for the 18th Amendment and related reforms?
The issue was alcohol consumption and the campaign was first to reduce it, then restrict it, then ban it, then ban it constitutionally to ensure all states had to ban it
What did President Warren Harding mean when he promised a “return to normalcy” and what policies did his administration pursue to promote economic growth and prosperity?
By a "Return to Normalcy", Harding meant a turning away from all of the experimentation of the progressive years and an end to the government management of the economy that had been put in place during WWI. His administration brought economic growth by cutting taxes, reducing government debt, and using government agencies to assist and promote business growth.
How did the development of technological innovations using electric power contribute to the economic development of the US in the Second Industrial Revolution?
Electric lighting made streets safer; factories that generated electricity and manufactured electrical devices created jobs electrical devices mad food safer, made workers more productive, and helped lower prices
What economic and cultural issues led to protests against the Chinese immigrants in California, and what foreign policy did the US government adopt in response?
White workers protested against Chinese immigrants in part out of racism and in part out of a concern they were taking jobs and leaving white workers unemployed; the US government responded by passing the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
Why did Sanford Dole and other Hawaiian sugar planters want Hawaii to join the US?
Once they were part of the US, it would be easier to ship sugar to America, and they would no longer have to pay tariffs on their sugar
What were the main social issues affecting women and children in the Progressive Era, and what reforms did progressives seek to help them?
Two main issues were poverty and alcohol abuse. Alcohol abuse led to abuse, and often to poverty. Poverty led to both women and children working in unsafe conditions. Reforms included child labor laws, imposing safety codes, limitation/elimination of alcohol sales and consumption.
How did the Dawes plan prevent an economic crisis in Europe and help resolve the issues of war debt and reparations?
Banks in the US loaned Germany funds to continue to pay the reparations, agreed upon at the end of WWI, to Britain and France. Britain and France agreed to pay back more of their debts to the US and reduce the reparations from Germany
How did innovation in communication improve the standard of living in the US?
The telephone improved the standard of living by helping families stay in touch it improved the economy's efficiency by letting businesses gather information and place orders more quickly; and it enabled society to learn of news and events in time to make better decisions
Describe the social issues and problems that resulted from rapid urbanization, and what some social movements did to address these issues.
Urbanization resulted in problems such as crime, overcrowding, poverty, disease, and pollution because cities grew too fast for city governments to respond. Movements like the Social Gospel movement worked to better conditions in cities according to the biblical ideals of charity and justice, and set up settlement houses to provide services to the poor
What were the main results of the US’s victory in the Spanish-American War?
The US expanded its econoic interests in both the Caribbean and East Asia and increased its territory
What were the roles of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) and the National Woman’s Party in the women’s civil rights movement?
MAWSA was the largets organization, reuniting the two groups that had split after the Civil War. Led by Carrie Chapman Catt, NAWSA focused on campaigning for members of Congress who supported passage of the 19th Amendment. The Woman's Part was led by Alice Paul who preferred direct action to raise public awareness and force a response.
How did technological innovations in the workplace, such as the assembly line and mass production, affect American workers and American businesses?
Workers began to enjoy higher wages and fewer work hours. Their work became more structured and less complex as tasks were divided into very small steps and each worker had to do one step. Goods could be manufactured faster and cheaper than before, driving down the cost of manufacturing for businesses, enabling them to sell more products at lower prices to consumers.
Why did the railroad construction expand so rapidly after the Civil War?
The government program of land grants provided business leaders with a way to raise money quickly to build railroads
Explain how the free enterprise system improved the standard of living in the United States by applying innovations in transportation to urban America.
Transportation innovations such as cable cars, electric trolleys, elevators, and subways helped improve the standard of living in urban areas
How did Filipinos feel about the U.S. government after the Spanish-American War?
Filipinos believed that the US was helping them achieve independence from Spain, so they were dissapointed when their country was annexed, causing some to launch a guerrilla wa. The US attempted to gain support by improving education, transportation, and health care. These efforts were somewhat successful
Describe the steps Theodore Roosevelt took to rein in big business and then summarize his approach to regulating business.
First, he used the Anti-Trust Act to break up a potential monopoly by a railroad holding company. Finally, he established government agencies and strengthened the Interstate Commerce Commission. His general approach was to leave trusts alone because they were efficient as long as they worked for the public good.
Identify four major scientific discoveries or technological innovations that occurred in the 1920s and explain how each improved the standard of living in the US.
Ford built inexpensive cars; Curtiss invented ailerons, making planes steerable, leading to air mail and passenger planes; the invention of radio led to radio industry and new mass entertainment; indoor plumbing led to a host of new appliances related to hygiene; new discoveries in fertilizer and seeds dramatically increased food production leading to much lower food prices
What kinds of business practices caused some railroad owners to be accused of being “robber barons”?
They created companies owned by the same stockholders, and then had the companies work together to obtain contracts and manipulate prices for their own benefit. They also bribed members of Congress for grants
How did the Americanization movement seek to assimilate American immigrants into US culture?
The push to create public schools was part of the Americanization movement; public schools would teach immigrants - especially children - English, American history and values, and instill discipline that would help in the workplace
What were the human geographic factors that led the US to build a canal through Panama?
A canal would save time and money in commercial and military shipping, cutting the travel distance between the east and west coast from over 12,000 miles to less than 5,000 miles. Panama was chosen over Nicaragua because a French company was willing to sell its rights and property in Panama to the US
Compare President Taft’s record as a progressive to President Roosevelt’s achievements. How were the two men similar? Where did they differ?
Taft was more agressive in using the government to break up trusts whereas Roosevelt preferred to find a way to work with them. Taft focused on child labor issues, while Roosevelt passed the Food and Drug Act. Both were committed to conservation; Roosevelt created the Forestry Service; Taft set up the Bureau of Mines
Why was there a general rise in nativism in the 1920s? How did Congress respond to nativism?
Many feared both German and Communists after WWI. Fear of immigrants triggered a rise in nativism. Congress responded by passing the National Origins Act, which set quotas severely restricting immigration from Eastern Europe
How did the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad contribute to the closing of the frontier?
It provided a quicker method for settlers to reach the frontier; in addition, the railroads had to raise money by selling their land grants, which caused them to advertise and offer financial incentives to convince settlers to move west
How did naturalism reflect the issues facing the US in the late 1800s? Explain the positive and negative impact of naturalism in literature.
Naturalist literature drew poeples attention to the problems caused by rapid industrialization and urbanization. The literature downplayed heroism and the ability of people to make a difference and thereby discourage readers from taking actions. A positive impact was that readers might tend to react to the stories by looking to the government to intervene and make things more fair
How did the Open Door Policy and dollar diplomacy affect the economy in the US?
Both policies helped to increase American trade and investment; the Open Door policy ensured American access to China's goods and market and led to more trade with China, while dollar diplomacy led to more American investment in Latin America and more trade with the region
What was the impact of the Progressive Party on the 1912 election?
Roosevelt ran as the Progressive nominee and, as a reslt, the votes for Republicans were split, giving the election to Woodrow Wilson and the Democrats
How did women’s roles change during the 1920s? What caused these changes and what were the effects?
With the passage of the 19th Amendment, women felt freer to make other changes in how they lived their lives. They began to attend college, enter the workforce, gain financial independence and change their style of dress, shunning traditional sterotypes.
How do big businesses benefit from economies of scale?
When a company incorporates and sells stock, it raises money to ivest in new technology, hire large workforces, and purchase machines to increase its efficiency. When purchasing goods or services on a large scale, the coporation has the power to negotiate better prices and rates, thus decreasing the overall cost of manufacturing and producing goods quickly in large quantities
Define patronage and explain the spoils system. Then explain why many Americans believed that civil service reform was needed.
Paatronage is when government jobs are given to friends and suporters as a reqard for their support. The spoils systemm is the idea that when people are elected to office, they can choose who to hire for jobs in the government. Americans believed civil service reform was needed because they felt patronage led to corruption and inefficiency
(Chapter 12 Overflow) What actions did union leaders take to expand economic opportunities for women in the late 1800s?
They fought for better wages, a minimum wage, an eight hour workday, benefits, and the abolition of child labor
What actions did W.E.B. Du Bois take to expand political rights and economic opportunities for African Americans during the Progressive Era?
Du Bois founded the Niagra Movements and helped found the NAACP which fought for political rights, equality, and economic opportunity for African Americans. He served as the editor of The Crisis, the NAACPs journal
Why did many members of the “Lost Generation” choose to leave the US? How does the book The Great Gatsby reflect their view of American culture at that time?
Many members of the "Lost Generation" left the US because they had become disillusioned with post-war consumer society. The Great Gatsby reflects the Lost Generation's critical view of the superficial and careless nature of this society
What technological innovation did Andrew Carnegie bring to the steel industry and how did it affect economic development in the US?
Carnegie introduced the Bessemer process to the steel industry and it made his steel mills so efficient that they could produce steel more cheaply than ever before, thus increasing the pace of US economic development
How did physical and human geographic factors impact the Klondike Gold Rush?
The discovery of gold in remote norhern Canada set off the gold rush, nut the great distance, the need to cross mountains, and the severe climate made it very difficult to get there or to extract the gold; less than hald of the people who left reached the gold field; only 1 in 10 found gold, and only a few hundred became wealthy. The gold rush helped develop lower Alaska and led to the rise of bomtowns. It also flooded gold into the US economy helping to increase the money supply and end deflation
(Chapter 12 Overflow) What contributions did Jane Addams make to help women workers?
Jane Addams helped create the Women's Trade Union League (WTUL)
Explain the actions that lawyer Sigmund Livingston took to help the Jewish religious minority expand its political rights and economic opportunities in American society.
Livingston formed the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which fought to prevent stereotypes and discrimination against Jews and other religious and ethnic minorities
In what ways did Hollywood films of the 1920s express the issues and characteristics of the time?
Some told stories of WWI and its aftermath, and were often blunt about the cost and impact of the wat on people's lives. Many told stories of complicated relationships between men and women and reflected some of the changing nature of relationships in the 1920s. Many films focused on Christian themes
In what ways did the laissez-faire economic policy change the structure of American business and how did these changes affect the government’s relationship with business?
Without government regulation, businesses were able to compete and grow based on their efficiency. As they grew bigger, they benefited from economies of scale; as a result, they drove small family owned companies out of business. Having a small number of businesses meant they could try to collude in setting prices or creating monopoly; as a result, the government began to pass laws preventing businesses from creating pools and monopolies and limiting their ability to merge into even larger companies
What social issues faced African Americans in the rural South in the years after the Civil War? How did they respond?
Many rural African Americans were sharecroppers, deeply in debt; some chose to leave the south and move west (Exodusters); others formed the Colored Farmers Alliance and joined the People's Party
(Chapter 12 Overflow) What were some of the costs of the laissez-faire approach to economics for American workers?
Because the government did not regulate workplace safety, conditions in factories and mines were difficult, dangerous, and unhealthy. Workers breathed in lint, dust, and fumes; machines lacking safety devices led to injuries
(Chapter 17 Overflow) What impact did Marcus Garvey have on the African American community and what actions did he and his organization take to expand economic opportunity for African Americans?
Garvey promoted the idea of black nationalism, black pride, self-reliance, separation from whites; he founded the UNIA, which promoted education for African Americans.
What caused the Great Migration and what effect did it have on the political power of African Americans?
Migration to the northern cities to work in the factories during WWI concentrated African Americans, allowing them to form a voting bloc in northern cities where there they were able to vote, and there was no official segregation