AP U.S. History—The Gilded Age (Chapters 24 - 27) Name:
____1. White settlement of the Great Plains west of the Mississippi occurred because of
a. the discovery of gold and silver deposits.
b. encouragement by the federal government.
d. the completion of the transcontinental railroad.
d. passage of the Homestead Act.
e. all of the answers above.
____2. Women in politics gained most respect and earliest suffrage in the
a. northeastern cities. d. New England states.
b. Great Lakes region. e. Southern plantations.
c. western frontier territories.
____3. The railroads influenced the cattle industry by
a. helping to make the “long drive” economically feasible.
b. transporting cattle to markets in the North and the East.
c. bringing in farmers who fenced the plains, eventually ending the open-range form of cattle ranching.
d. influencing the growth of market facilities in Kansas.
e. all of the answers above.
____4. Which of the following is a correct statement about national politics in the Gilded Age?
a. Congress focused on the problems of industrialization and urbanization.
b. The presidents of the era expanded executive powers.
c. The two major parties avoided taking strong positions on the issues.
d. Republicans held firm control of the presidency in very lopsided elections.
e. Lack of interest in national politics resulted in low voter turnout.
____5. By the end of the 1800s, the use of pools, trusts and holding companies by big business resulted in
a. a concentration of economic power in the hands of a few. d. an increase in costs of production.
b. a slowing in the growth rate of the economy. e. a safer work environment.
c. a more even distribution of wealth.
____6. Social Darwinism argued that human history witnessed the
a. inevitable evolution of the weakest groups to the positions of highest power.
b. inevitable collapse of socialism/communism.
c. evolution of humans from the ape.
d. struggle of the races, with the strongest triumphing.
e. eventual disintegration of private property and individual entrepreneurialism.
____7. In the 1870s, efforts by the labor unions to gain bargaining power were unsuccessful primarily because
a. labor unions were not willing to use active forms of resistance such as strikes.
b. most unions tended to organize by industry instead of crafts/skills and thus reduced their total membership.
c. many of the union leaders accepted payoffs from management.
d. many Americans feared the tactics of the unions and considered them too radical.
e. the Socialist party was favored by most workers.
____8. The explosive growth of an industrial labor force in the late 1800s was due to
a. an influx of rural people for whom farming was no longer profitable.
b. the appearance of many new jobs because of the rapid growth of American industry.
c. the enormous number of immigrants who arrived in the United States between 1865 and 1915.
d. an increased need for unskilled industrial labor.
e. all of the above.
____9. The Knights of Labor was
a. an organization that worked for shorter working hours and pay increases.
b. highly selective in its membership and refused admission to women and blacks.
c. open only to unskilled, manual laborers.
d. an extremely powerful labor union whose membership reached over 1 million by 1920.
e. a union that emphasized traditional values and collective bargaining.
____10. In its efforts to help workers, the American Federation of Labor sought
a. the acceptance of women into the labor force.
b. unions organized by industry, with unskilled workers included.
c. national legislation regarding collective bargaining.
d. short-term gains such as pay increased, the eight-hour day, and improved working conditions.
e. the gradual evolution of cooperative socialism.
____11. In 1901 J.P. Morgan handled the huge industrial merger that formed the
a. Standard Oil Company. d. Pullman Company.
b. Northern Pacific Railroad. e. U.S. Steel Corporation.
c. American Tobacco Company.
____12. In the late nineteenth century, those political candidates who campaigned by “waving the bloody shirt” were reminding voters
a. of the “treason” of the Confederate Democrats during the Civil War.
b. that the Civil War had been caused by the election of a Republican president.
c. of the graft-filled “radical” regimes in the Reconstruction South.
d. that radical Republicans catered to freed slaves during Reconstruction.
e. of Ku Klux Klan violence against blacks.
___13. The presidential elections of the 1870's and 1880's
a. were all won by Republicans.
b. involved charismatic personalities.
c. were rarely close.
d. usually involved sharp partisan differences over issues like currency policy and civil-service reform.
e. aroused great interest among voters.
____14. At the end of Reconstruction, Southern whites disenfranchised African Americans with
a. literacy requirements. d. grand father clauses.
b. poll taxes. e. all of the above.
c. economic intimidation.
____15. The railroad strike of 1877 started when
a. President Hayes refused to use troops to keep the trains running.
b. the four largest railroads cut salaries by ten percent.
c. working hours were cut back by the railroad companies.
d. the railroad workers refused to cross the picket lines of cargo loaders.
e. the railroads tried to hire Chinese workers.
____16. The Pendleton Act required appointees to public office to
a. take a competitive examination.
b. present a written recommendation from a congressman or senator.
c. agree to make financial contributions to their political party.
d. pledge independence from either major political party.
e. have a college degree.
____17. In late-nineteenth century elections, Democrats could count on the support of all of the following EXCEPT
a. The South. c. Immigrant groups. e. Roman Catholics.
b. Northern industrial cities. d. The Midwest.
____18. The 1884 election contest between James G. Blaine and Grover Cleveland was noted for
a. its emphasis on issues.
b. low voter turnout.
c. its personal attacks on the two candidates.
d. a landslide victory for the reform-minded Republicans.
e. its virtual tie in the electoral college.
____19. During the Gilded Age, the lifeblood of both the Democratic and the Republican parties was
a. the Grand Army of the Republic. d. political patronage.
b. the Roman Catholic Church. e. big-city political machines.
c. ideological commitment.
____20. In the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court ruled that
a. African-Americans could be denied the right to vote.
b. segregation was unconstitutional.
c. “separate but equal” facilities were constitutional.
d. the Fourteenth Amendment did not apply to women.
e. states could deny the right to vote to women.
____21. Labor unrest in the 1870's and 1880's resulted in
a. Congress’s passing legislation supporting the formation of unions.
b. the use of federal troops during strikes.
c. a ban on Irish immigration.
d. Congressional acts to ban strikes.
e. public sympathy for the plight of the industrial workers.
____22. President James A. Garfield was assassinated
a. as a result of his service in the Civil War. d. because he opposed civil-service reform.
b. because he was a Stalwart Republican. e. by a deranged, disappointed office seeker.
c. because he was associated with political scandal.
____23. The Credit Mobilier scandal involved
a. public utilities . d. railroad construction.
b. the Bureau of Indian Affairs. e. excise taxes on distilled liquor.
c. abuses of the patronage system.
____24. As a solution to the panic or depression of 1873, debtors suggested
a. a policy of deflation.
b. a passage of the Resumption Act of 1875.
c. inflationary policies.
d. restoring the government’s credit rating.
e. stronger federal control of banking.
____25. During the Gilded Age, most of the railroad barons
a. rejected government assistance. d. refused to get involved in politics.
b. built their railroads with government assistance. e. focused on public service.
c. relied exclusively on Chinese labor.
____26. The Haymarket bombing of May 4, 1886, was important to the labor movement because it:
a. aroused public opposition against labor, contributed to the decline of the Knights of Labor, and caused an increase in the membership of the AFL.
b. brought about the use of collective bargaining to settle labor disputes peacefully.
c. demonstrated to unskilled workers their vulnerability to strikebreaking actions.
d. began a tradition of federal intervention by U. S. troops.
e. created sympathy of the American public for labor.
____27. Which one of the following Gilded Age Presidents had a different party affiliation from the other four?
a. Ulysses S. Grant c. Grover Cleveland e. Chester Arthur
b. Rutherford Hayes d. Benjamin Harrison
____28. The Greenback and "free silver" movements supported
a. a sound money policy to strengthen the dollar on the international market.
b. the complete reorganization of the U.S. banking system.
c. a free enterprise approach to establishing interest rates.
d. increasing the amount of currency in circulation.
e. overthrowing the U.S. government.
____29. A major reason for the low wages of unskilled workers throughout the late 19th century was that:
a. most industries simply made too little profit and thus were unable to pass on higher wages to labor.
b. the great expense of modern factories and equipment made higher wages impossible.
c. management was able to draw on cheap labor from all over the world.
d. the cost of living was lower, and so workers required less in wages.
e. there was little demand for unskilled labor.
____30. J. P. Morgan monitored his competition by placing officers of his bank on the boards of companies that he wanted to control. This method was known as a(n):
a. interlocking directorate. b. trust. c. pool. d. vertical integration. e. horizontal integration.
____31. Jane Addams is most closely associated with which of the following?
a. temperance reform. d. Protestant missions
b. higher education for women. e. the settlement house movement.
c. women's suffrage.
____32. After 1890, increased immigration began to present a national problem because
a. unskilled laborers tended to concentrate in crowded urban slums.
b. contract laborers enabled employers to combat strikes effectively.
c. the American educational system could not absorb the numbers of immigrant children.
d. unskilled laborers could not become members of labor unions.
e. skilled laborers were essential to industry.
____33. The social ethic that prevailed in late 19th century America stressed that
a. family background should determine social rank.
b. social class should determine social rank.
c. greed had more to do with success than good character did.
d. economic success was available to anyone who worked hard.
e. the “haves” had a moral obligation to share their wealth with the less fortunate.
_____34. Those believing in the idea of the "Melting Pot" predicted that
a. each immigrant group would always maintain its separate identity.
b. all immigrant groups would eventually adopt an English culture.
c. a unique American culture would emerge from the blending of Old World cultures.
d. some immigrant groups would retain their culture while others would gradually blend into the mainstream culture.
e. “birds of passage” would eventually bring American ways to other countries.
____35. Which of these statements is NOT accurate about Gilded Age Chicago?
a. The city hosted the Columbian World's Exposition in 1893.
b. The city became the epicenter of a colossal meat packing industry.
c. The city saw the completion of the nation's first massive suspension bridge.
d. The city was the home of skyscraper architect Louis Sullivan.
e. The city was the setting for Theodore Dreiser's famous novel Sister Carrie.
____36. Between 1820 and 1860 five million immigrants arrived in the U.S. Most of them came from
a. Eastern and Southern Europe d. Poland and Russia
b. Germany and Ireland e. Poland and Italy
c. Great Britain and Italy
____37. “I am tired of fighting...The old men are all killed. It is the young men who say yes and no. He who led the young men is dead. It is cold and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills and have no blankets, no food; no one know where they are, perhaps freezing to death. I want time to look for my children and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead.... I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.”
These words were spoken by:
a. General Robert E. Lee after surrendering at Appomattox Courthouse.
b. William Bradford after the first winter in Plymouth.
c. General Sam Houston after the Battle of the Alamo.
d. Andrew Jackson after the Battle of New Orleans.
e. Chief Joseph after the final defeat of the Nez Pierce Indians.
____38. It was the scene of the last major Native American (Indian) battle against the U.S. army in 1890. It was also the site of an Indian protest confrontation in 1973. The site was
a. New Orleans c. Sand Creek e. Little Big Horn
b. Wounded Knee d. Buena Vista
____39. By the end of the 1880's
a. immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe began to outnumber those from Northern and Western Europe.
b. Chinese immigration began to increase.
c. the Irish fleeing the potato famine began to arrive.
d. most immigrants were becoming farmers.
e. the first immigration quota act was passed, based on the census of 1890.
____40. The Interstate Commerce Act
a. outlawed unfair pricing activities on the part of the railroads.
b. outlawed the restraint of trade between states.
c. attempted to control business trusts.
d. extended subsidies to railroads.
e. none of the above.
____41. Which of the following best describes the Mugwumps, Stalwarts and Half-Breeds?
a. They were conflicting groups within the Democratic Party.
b. Both the Mugwumps and Half-Breeds supported reforms while the Stalwarts opposed reform.
c. Only the Stalwarts advocated civil-service reform.
d. All three groups favored extension of the spoils system.
e. They were three fledgling political parties who supported "clean" politics.
____42. Which of these statements is not accurate regarding the Gilded Age Presidents?
a. Hayes was a Republican and Tilden was a Democrat.
b. Chester Arthur became president when Garfield was assassinated.