Multiple Choice
This economic policy restricts trade with other countries using tariffs. It can help specific businesses, but usually harms the economy overall. It is most useful when trying to build up “infant industries” who would otherwise be wiped out by more efficient competitors.
Protectionism
What were five general ways that the Second Industrial Revolution transformed the United States, and a specific example of each of these transformations?
The population grew
Urbanization meant more people lived in cities
Healthcare became more effective
Diseases were treated with better sanitation
New inventions became more common
Electricity and machine tools allowed for more advanced industrial processes
The economy became dominated by industrial capitalism
Trusts became more common, which allowed corporations to monopolize an industry
The U.S. government became more directly involved in the economy
The government passed the Pacific Railroad Acts, which directly gave land to corporations in order to create a transcontinental railroad
What were five consequences of the settling of the American West during the Gilded Age, including two consequences for Native Americans?
The mythology of the “Wild West” became a major part of American culture and its identity.
The West was a productive source of raw materials for the industrializing East.
Women began to get the right to vote in some of these territories.
Native Americans lost a large portion of their lands.
Native American children were subject to forced assimilation as well as physical and mental abuse.
Who benefited from the Gilded Age, and how, and who was left behind, and how?
(you don't need to write all this information for you actual essay its just to get an idea on what its about)
-Winners tended to be wealthier and whiter, as the Second Industrial Revolution had kickstarted the economy, but inequality and white supremacy was worse than ever.
Industrial capitalists were the biggest winners, and many used that victory to justify Social Darwinism, which regarded the “losers” as unworthy of help.
The “middle class” also grew, as goods became cheaper and America became more connected.
American immigrants were, in spite of their many hardships, generally winners, as they were able to escape worse lives back home and find success in America.
-Those who were left behind during the Gilded Age tended to be poorer and less white.
The urban poor were badly harmed by the poor living conditions in cities and terrible sanitation there – life expectancy and infant mortality actually got worse, despite better healthcare.
The South, including most African Americans, was left behind as Reconstruction had failed – the greatest gains of the era were in the West and North, and the South remained poor for whites and blacks alike.
Native Americans were definitely left behind, detribalization and forced assimilation had left their cultures badly harmed and most Native Americans poor and with little land.
This economic policy is a monetary system where the money being circulated is fixed and backed by a specific valuable commodity– gold kept in vault. It kept prices low (deflation), which was good for city dwellers but bad for farmers.
Gold Standard
What were four ways people tried to deal with the problems of the Gilded Age?
Industrial Capitalists felt guilty about their power, they created hospitals, libraries, and schools with their wealth.
Social Darwinism is the fake science theory that most nearly means that the problems of the Gilded Age weren’t problems.
The urban poor turned to political machines
Workers would organize into unions
What were three cultural characteristics and three political characteristics of the Gilded Age?
Three cultural characteristics:
-Railroads and telegraphs made it possible for a single unified culture to emerge in the USA.
-Goods became cheaper as a result of industrialization.
-The Third Great Awakening
Three political characteristics:
-The “Third Party System”.
-“The Era of Good Stealings”, political corruption became extremely common.
-The Women’s Suffrage Movement began to be a success, some states in the West granted women the right to vote in state elections.
A result of "The Long Depression", this event was a series of work stoppages across the United States which resulted in almost a hundred dead and a thousand imprisoned. Despite the event's significance, it did not produce any meaningful outcomes for the workers.
Great Railroad Strike of 1877
What is a “push” for immigrants, and what were four “pushes” for immigrants coming to the United States?
What is a “push” for immigrants:
-A danger that encouraged or forced them to leave their homes.
Four “pushes” for immigrants coming to the United States:
-The Great Famine in Ireland pushed Irish people to come to the USA.
-The Revolutions of 1848 was the "push" for many democracy-loving Germans to come to the USA.
-The violence caused by Risorgimento convinced many poor southern Italians to immigrate to the USA.
-Pogroms, convinced many Jewish people from Eastern Europe to immigrate to the USA.
This event was a financial crisis that was the beginning of “The Long Depression”, which would be the worst economic slump in American history until the Great Depression. It pitted business owners and workers against each other, as each group blamed the other for the effects of the crisis, and led to the end of Reconstruction.
The Panic of 1873
What were two impacts that immigrants had on the American economy and American politics?
American Economy:
Immigrants were brought in to replace unionizing workers, while others joined unions themselves.
Immigration drove up demand for goods and increased the supply of labor.
American Politics:
Immigrants strengthened American democracy through their assimilation and embrace of American values.
Political machines were able to thrive, as immigrants and other urban poor had nowhere else to turn to for assistance.
This event began the second wave of the "Long Depression", ending the "boom" years of the Gilded Age. The event caused a wave of strikes, discredited the politicians in power, and infused the Populist movement with energy.
The Panic of 1893
What were three common causes for the Frontier Wars, and what were three common consequences?
Three common causes:
-Trade disputes between settlers and Native Americans
-Settlers and Native Americans take different sides
-A desire by settlers to seize land from Native Americans
Three common consequences:
-Death from disease or violence
-Native Americans are forced into slavery
-Native Americans are forced off their land