Industrialization & Technology
What steel-making innovation dramatically lowered costs and allowed for rapid railroad and skyscraper construction
The Bessemer Process, developed by Henry Bessemer, which allowed impurities to be removed from iron efficiently.
How did Andrew Carnegie use vertical integration to dominate the steel industry
He controlled every stage of production, from raw materials to transportation and manufacturing.
What event exposed tensions between labor and business during a violent strike in 1894?
The Pullman Strike, led by Eugene V. Debs.
How did political machines like Tammany Hall maintain power?
By trading jobs and aid for votes, often through corruption.
What was the main goal of the Progressive Movement?
To fix social, political, and economic problems caused by industrialization
Why was the invention of the telephone significant to industrial growth in the late 1800s?
Invented by Alexander Graham Bell, it improved business communication, coordination, and national markets.
What was a trust, and why was it controversial during the Gilded Age?
A trust combined companies under one board to reduce competition, often creating monopolies.
Why was the Haymarket Riot significant to the labor movement?
It associated unions with violence, weakening public support for labor reform.
What was the purpose of settlement houses such as Hull House?
To provide education, childcare, and social services to immigrants and the urban poor.
How did trust-busting change the role of the federal government?
It increased government regulation of big business
How did Thomas Edison contribute to industrialization beyond inventing the light bulb?
Through his research lab at Menlo Park, which pioneered systematic invention and commercialized new technologies.
How did Standard Oil achieve dominance in the oil industry?
Through horizontal integration, buying out competitors to control prices.
What was the main goal of the American Federation of Labor (AFL)
To improve wages, hours, and working conditions for skilled workers.
How did Jane Addams contribute to Progressive reform?
By advocating for social welfare, women’s rights, and urban reform through settlement work.
What reforms made government more democratic at the state level?
Initiative, referendum, recall, and direct primaries
What role did the transcontinental railroad play in U.S. economic growth?
It connected markets nationwide, encouraged westward settlement, and boosted industries like steel, coal, and manufacturing.
What belief justified wealth inequality through the idea of “survival of the fittest”?
Social Darwinism, which argued economic success reflected natural superiority.
What push and pull factors encouraged “New Immigrants” to come to the U.S.?
Push: poverty and persecution; Pull: jobs and opportunity.
Why was investigative journalism important to the antitrust movement?
It revealed the abuses of monopolies and trusts
Why were the 18th and 19th Amendments considered Progressive victories?
They promoted moral reform and expanded democratic participation
What is the difference between a market economy and a planned economy?
A market economy is driven by supply and demand, while a planned economy is controlled by the government.
What was the main argument of Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith?
That free markets and limited government intervention lead to prosperity.
What living conditions did many immigrants face in urban tenements?
Overcrowding, poor sanitation, disease, and fire hazards.
What was the goal of settlement houses?
To help immigrants and the urban poor through education and social services
Overall, how successful was the Progressive Movement by 1920?
It achieved major reforms but failed to address racial inequality and fully eliminate poverty