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CHAPTER 17
Business and Labor in the Industrial Era, 1860–1900
TRUE/FALSE
1. In a capitalist democracy like America, a common source of social instability is the tensions
between equal political rights and unequal economic status.
2. The number of inventions registered at the U.S. Patent Office remained fairly constant
through the nineteenth century.
3. Westinghouse’s system of transmitting electricity over long distances lost the “battle of
the currents.”
4. The railroad merged transportation and communication in that it paralleled a network of
telegraph poles.
5. Many people followed the construction of the transcontinental railroad, as the major
newspapers printed sensational stories about it.
6. The term “robber baron” was used to describe executives known for their shady
financial practices.
7. Andrew Carnegie invented the process that enabled a dramatic increase in steel production.
8. J. P. Morgan was born in poverty but became a wealthy man through hard work, unlike
Carnegie and Rockefeller.
9. Andrew Carnegie was an outspoken opponent of the idea of the “Gospel of Wealth.”
10. During and after the Civil War, the Republican party supported protective tariffs that raised
revenue and protected domestic industry from foreign competition.
11. By the 1880s, most states had outlawed child labor.
12. The Sand-Lot Incident in San Francisco in 1877 was an attack against Chinese immigrants.
13. Like the AFL, the Knights of Labor admitted only skilled workers.
14. One of the causes Mother Jones actively pursued was to end the exploitation of children
in the workplace.
15. Anarchists oppose all forms of government.
16. The Haymarket Riot helped grow the membership of the Knights of Labor.
17. The events of the Lattimer Massacre involved ethnic tensions, not just those between
protesters and authorities.
18. The Western Federation of Miners rejected the violent approach of some labor organizations
but continued to welcome only white male members.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following occurred from the end of the Civil War to the turn of the century?
a.
The value of manufactures increased sixfold.
b.
Farm production declined.
c.
The nation’s population greatly decreased.
d.
Fewer women and children worked.
e.
Innovation in business remained stagnant.
2. What was the post–Civil War marketplace increasingly becoming over the years 1860–1900?
a.
essentially a replica of the European marketplace, as the United States acquired the capital to model
goods and services after European businesses without enough left over to allow for ingenuity
b.
a collaborative marketplace, as leaders of Big Business sought to increase competition because it
would lead to a greater diversity of goods and services and better working environments
c.
a transparent marketplace that strongly discouraged lobbying out of fear that, in response, the small
pool of consumers would grow distrustful of corporations and only support small businesses
d.
a truly national marketplace for the sale and distribution of goods and services, in large part thanks
to the expansion of transportation systems and instantaneous communication networks
e.
a constrained marketplace due to the loss of the cotton economy in the South and the resulting long-
term blow to the North’s main industries, including textiles and oil
3. Which of the following statements accurately describes the conditions affecting the industrial development of the
United States during the second half of the nineteenth century after the Civil War?
a.
The end of the slave labor system following the war irreparably disrupted the national economy in
such a way that for the rest of the century, the standard of living declined.
b.
In response to the horrific practices of slavery, federal and state regulation prioritized the creation
of safe workplaces and fair business practices across industries.
c.
The rising tide of immigrants at the time created a large workforce willing to work for low pay as
well as a market of consumers.
d.
The intense fighting and movement during the war had resulted in the debilitating depletion of
natural resources across the country, such as minerals, oil, coal, and iron ore.
e.
The United States experienced fierce competition with foreign manufacturers resulting from strong
wartime alliances, which ultimately slowed domestic growth.
4. What were so-called bonanza farms that spread across the country during the second half
of the nineteenth century?
a.
farms that were fertilized using new chemical compounds developed in labs
b.
farms that were fortunate enough to have large deposits of oil discovered on them
c.
farming communities established in Kansas by African American migrants from the South
d.
socialist farming collectives established in unorganized western territories
e.
corporate-owned farms that were run like factories
5. What does the term “economies of scale” describe?
a.
government efforts to develop the economy on solid investments and produce goods carefully
without concern for cost
b.
Edison’s development of small parts that could be interchanged between machines manufactured in
his labs
c.
the ability of the economy to respond to changes in supply and demand from year to year without
disturbing investor confidence
d.
business enterprises that produced large quantities of product cheaply thanks to large workforces
and machines
e.
the sort of economy that capitalists feared would result from too much government regulation
6. Which of the following statements accurately describes the significance of post–Civil War
inventions to women in particular?
a.
Advances in technology reaffirmed that the use of all new inventions would be reserved strictly for
men and that women of all classes would be expected to remain inside the home.
b.
The invention of the typewriter and sewing machine opened up new employment possibilities to
many women, although often on the basis of the idea that women would work for lower pay.
c.
New inventions spurred the creation of sweatshops, which largely turned away women applicants
because the cramped, stifling conditions were deemed unfit for them.
d.
Employment opportunities from new inventions were closed to immigrants, especially immigrant
women, because inventors worried they would bring back blueprints to their home countries.
e.
Because women had made immense strides as nurses during the Civil War, they were entrusted
with using important new medical inventions and often went on to become doctors.
7. Which of the following did Thomas Alva Edison invent?
a.
a long-lasting electric lightbulb
d.
the telephone
b.
the air brake for trains
e.
the mechanized cotton textile weaver
c.
the airplane
8. George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla invented which device that revolutionized American industry?
a.
the internal combustion engine
d.
the lightbulb
b.
the telegraph
e.
the telephone
c.
the dynamo, or electric motor
9. Who developed the first alternating current electric system?
a.
George Westinghouse
d.
Thomas Edison
b.
John D. Rockefeller
e.
Alexander Graham Bell
c.
Andrew Carnegie
10. Why was the development of the alternating current electric system significant?
a.
It was essential for Edison to invent the lightbulb.
b.
It powered the transcontinental railroad.
c.
It enabled electricity to be transmitted across long distances.
d.
It was safer than direct current electrical transmission.
e.
It was J. Pierpont Morgan’s first successful investment.
11. What was one main reason electric motors were significant to the industrialization of the
late nineteenth century?
a.
They were used in the first automobiles, which made personal travel much easier.
b.
They powered the first lightbulbs, which allowed people to work at night.
c.
They freed factories to locate wherever they wished, not just by waterfalls and coal deposits.
d.
They forced railroads to abandon the use of steam power.
e.
They eliminated the need for oil during the industrial revolution.
12. What was the first industry to contract with “investment banks” to raise capital by selling
shares of stock to investors?
a.
the electric motor industry
d.
the agriculture industry
b.
the railroad industry
e.
the textile industry
c.
the oil industry
13. What was one of the downsides of the state of the railroad industry?
a.
As the railroad industry was in a state of decline, companies rarely hired many employees and
instead relied on intense animal labor.
b.
As the railroad industry was in a state of decline, there were not enough supplies or a process in
place for moving employees from one part of the country to another.
c.
As the railroad industry was, for a time, experiencing a boom, successful companies tended to
refuse to engage in lobbying and, thus, missed the chance to form relationships in Washington.
d.
As the railroad industry was experiencing a boom, companies often cared more about money than
preventing dangerous work conditions for their laborers.
e.
As the railroad industry was experiencing a boom, not nearly enough railroads were built to meet
the public demand, and other competing transportation technologies sprang up in the meantime.
14. A transcontinental railroad had not been built before the Civil War because
a.
the Appalachian Mountains presented great engineering problems.
b.
Congress refused to consider federal subsidies for a private railroad.
c.
the technologies for building tunnels through the Rockies did not yet exist.
d.
many southern states used the states’ rights argument to reject federal aid for railroads.
e.
North–South sectional differences prevented Congress from selecting a route.
15. Which of the following is true of the first transcontinental railroad?
a.
The passage of the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 indefinitely postponed its construction.
b.
The Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads built it along a north-central route.
c.
The route ran south through Texas and the Arizona and New Mexico territories.
d.
Little competition took place during the process thanks to major government subsidies.
e.
Only one company built it, winning a contest to get to work on the project.
16. The railroads were key in helping the United States to emerge as a
a.
model in workers’ rights.
d.
world power.
b.
largely socialist government.
e.
country on the brink of war.
c.
racially integrated nation.
17. Which of the following is true of the Pennsylvania oil rush?
a.
In terms of economic importance, it outweighed the California gold rush of a decade before.
b.
It gave J. Pierpont Morgan his start in business and helped establish him as a tycoon.
c.
It ended the monopoly in petroleum production that Oklahoma had enjoyed for half a century.
d.
It had little impact on everyday tasks because oil could not yet be refined for cooking and heating.
e.
It illustrated to many Americans that a dependence on oil might prove problematic in the future.
18. What is the name for the business strategy in which a dominant corporation buys or forces out
most of its competitors?
a.
horizontal integration
d.
vertical integration
b.
tariffs
e.
economies of scale
c.
laissez-faire
19. Which of the following best accounts for the success of Standard Oil?
a.
Its scientists found new technical processes for refining oil more efficiently.
b.
It bought out the Erie Railroad in order to keep transportation charges of goods low.
c.
It was one of the first companies to invest heavily in advertising.
d.
Rockefeller was lucky to find the highest-quality oil on his Ohio farm and sell it for profit.
e.
Its eventual corporate structure, known as vertical integration, allowed it to grow tremendously.
20. What are holding companies?
a.
firms that control the stock of other companies
b.
corporations that produce and sell their own goods
c.
a means of focusing on a smaller segment of an industry
d.
a prominent business structure that illustrated the effectiveness of the Sherman Act
e.
firms in which union membership was required by all of its participants
21. Trusts, like Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Trust, were vulnerable because they
a.
were often too large to earn a profit.
b.
were forced to spend great sums of their money on philanthropic endeavors.
c.
were appealing targets for prosecution on the grounds of monopoly or restraint of trade.
d.
controlled companies that had nothing to do with one another.
e.
paid their various subsidiaries enormous and unjustified profits.
22. What industry did Andrew Carnegie dominate by 1900?
a.
oil
d.
lumber
b.
steel
e.
coal
c.
railroads
23. J. Pierpont Morgan is similar to business leaders Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller
because he
a.
had a rags-to-riches story.
b.
was an immigrant living in New York City.
c.
came from an elite, privileged background.
d.
believed in freewheeling capitalism but hated competition.
e.
supported unions in order to gain trust among workers.
24. Sears, Roebuck and Company was a pioneer in
a.
selling goods by mail order, thereby helping transform rural towns.
b.
opening a chain of grocery stores across the United States.
c.
incorporating far more middlemen in the retail process.
d.
providing electric power for New York City.
e.
selling luxury items to the social elite.
25. During the Gilded Age, which of the following could be said of the wealthy in America?
a.
The number of millionaires actually decreased significantly, but they were far wealthier than they
had been previously.
b.
The gap between rich and poor was in many ways beginning to close, as most wealthy individuals
engaged in important philanthropy projects.
c.
Many of the newly rich engaged in “conspicuous consumption,” such as through elaborate parties,
making class divisions appear more pronounced.
d.
As the rich got richer, the standard of living in the United States plummeted such that living there
became less enticing to potential immigrants.
e.
Rags-to-riches stories abounded in such a way that this trajectory became the new norm for most
Americans.
26. What was one of the main tensions experienced by middle-class women in Gilded Age America?
a.
Middle-class women were entering professions once exclusively held by men, such as doctors and
lawyers, in record numbers; however, they were denied the proper schooling that would enable
them to be successful in these fields.
b.
More middle-class women were gaining access to higher education, helping lead to their growing
presence in the workforce, but social expectations still kept many tied to the home or steered
toward so-called home economics–type courses.
c.
Middle-class women had advanced greatly in terms of the breadth of the roles they played in
society, partly because of their responsibilities during the Civil War, so that by the time the Gilded
Age arrived, the sole issue was women’s voting rights.
d.
Due to the lack of women’s colleges or co-ed institutions, few middle-class women entered the
workforce, which contributed to the great struggle most middle-class families at the time faced in
being able to afford their lifestyles.
e.
Because of the state of the economy following the Civil War, most middle-class women were
forced to work exclusively outside the home; however, the women’s movement of the time resisted
this as it prized the domestic sphere.
27. What was neurasthenia?
a.
an illness caused by the sudden spread of sugary foods and beverages, which greatly increased the
caution the public displayed toward the rise of consumerism
b.
a widespread post-traumatic stress disorder that affected soldiers who had fought in and
experienced the horrors of the Civil War
c.
a resistant strain of cholera that grew into an epidemic due to the terrible, unsanitary conditions of
tenements in cities during the Gilded Age
d.
a crippling malady miners faced due to exposure to unclean air that led the federal government to
pass sweeping legislation guaranteeing the health of workers
e.
a condition with symptoms such as hysteria and depression, often diagnosed by male physicians to
force women back into the cult of domesticity
28. Jane Addams is best associated with
a.
publicizing the work of Mother Jones.
b.
leading the Molly Maguires.
c.
promoting the International Workers of the World.
d.
founding Hull House.
e.
joining the Knights of Labor.
29. What was the guiding philosophy behind the Ladies’ Home Journal?
a.
Jane Addams and other female writers edited it to provide a woman’s perspective on science and
politics.
b.
It advocated for women’s equality with men and at first was circulated in secret among women
readers.
c.
It promoted middle-class values of the time and the idea that women had a domestic role in life.
d.
It focused solely on social movements as a means to help draw readers to the work of unions and
other groups.
e.
It was a muckraking newspaper that predominantly published stories about the exploits of
millionaires.
30. Which of the following statements describes the experiences of industrial workers in Gilded
Age America?
a.
Real wages fell because of rising prices.
b.
A forty-hour workweek was the standard.
c.
Government regulations provided a safe work environment.
d.
Working and living conditions remained dangerous.
e.
Forging a work permit for children was seen as taboo.
31. Which of the following statements accurately describes child labor in Gilded Age America?
a.
Child laborers tended to go to work against the will of their parents.
b.
Child laborers often received an education funded by their employers.
c.
Child laborers suffered many more accidents relative to adult workers.
d.
Child labor laws at the federal and state levels regulated how long children could work per week.
e.
Child laborers were hurt more often in farm roles than industrial roles.
32. How did unions often fare in organizing labor around the years 1860–1900?
a.
Conditions were so terrible in the various work environments that unions experienced no trouble
with recruiting members, growing unimpeded.
b.
A defining principle of unions was that they refused to engage in violence of any sort, so they had a
difficult time getting through to executives.
c.
Immigrants from many different ethnic groups were far more likely to join unions than white
Americans.
d.
Unions faced significant obstacles, such as the so-called blacklisting of union organizers to keep
them from getting hired.
e.
Only middle-class Americans had the means to join unions, which resulted in the exclusion of the
working poor.
33. The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 was provoked by
a.
wage cuts that followed a depression.
b.
the railroad’s refusal to hire blacks and women.
c.
concerns over workplace safety.
d.
worker demands for paid vacations.
e.
the deaths of four children in an explosion at Pullman’s factory.
34. What was the effect of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877?
a.
It demonstrated that immigrants, especially those from China, had reached such numbers that they
were becoming highly influential in compromising with executives to meet their needs.
b.
It won higher wages for railroad workers due to the participants’ persistence and the sympathy of
influential individuals who had followed the events in the newspapers.
c.
It was the last nationwide labor uprising because it convinced other workers that such events were
fruitless and that the government did not care enough even to send troops.
d.
It revealed how polarizing the relationship between the working poor and executives had become
and ended when the workers, who lacked organized bargaining power, returned to work.
e.
It was not taken seriously because only white working men participated, having failed to convince
the large numbers of women and minority laborers to join the protesters.
35. Which of the following is true of the Workingmen’s Party of California?
a.
It was the political wing of the National Labor Union.
b.
It was based on anti-Chinese sentiment, which came to be a national issue.
c.
It campaigned on increasing immigration to provide a larger workforce.
d.
It ended when the 1877 railroad strike ushered in better working conditions.
e.
It folded when Grant sent the military to occupy the mines.
36. The Sand-Lot Incident refers to
a.
a women’s movement event that made voting rights more likely.
b.
white workers refusing to work on the railroads.
c.
white workers attacking a group of Chinese workers.
d.
the growth of baseball as a spectator sport.
e.
Chinese workers protesting poor working conditions.
37. Which of the following statements accurately describes the National Labor Union?
a.
It developed in response to and was helped by the decreasing power and size of corporations.
b.
It opposed reforms such as cooperatives and equal rights for women and blacks.
c.
It opposed the printing of paper money to inflate the currency and thereby relieve debtors.
d.
It was influential in getting Congress to enact an eight-hour workday for federal employees.
e.
It was less concerned with political and social problems than with bargaining with employers.
38. Why was there a growth of craft unions during the Civil War?
a.
The end of slavery flooded the labor market with workers.
b.
The war sparked an increased demand for skilled labor.
c.
Unskilled laborers were constitutionally prohibited from unionizing.
d.
Craft unions would not have to admit the freedmen.
e.
The American education system expanded dramatically during that period.
39. How was the Knights of Labor unique as a labor group?
a.
It formed a successful political party that greatly influenced the topics and outcomes during the
campaigns of Gilded Age presidential elections.
b.
It celebrated the current version of the wage system and capitalism in general, believing they were
beneficial to laborers so long as they could get health insurance through unions.
c.
It organized members strictly by their particular trade, allowed only men to join, and sought to
ensure that men would continue to receive higher pay than women.
d.
It grew rapidly, even as trade unions collapsed during the depression of the 1870s, and continued
advocating the revolutionary overthrow of capitalism.
e.
It encouraged doctors, lawyers, and bankers to join its ranks because the elite nature of its
membership would make positive legislation more likely to be passed.
40. Of which of the following was Mary “Mother” Jones a member ?
a.
the Socialist party
d.
the Democratic party
b.
the Republican party
e.
the Whig party
c.
the Tea party
41. Mother Jones promoted
a.
workers’ rights and unions.
d.
temperance.
b.
laissez-faire economics.
e.
the free press.
c.
alternating current electricity.
42. What was the Haymarket Riot of 1886?
a.
It was a fight for child labor rights started by the Knights of Labor and, because so many people
were sympathetic toward children, improved public opinion of unions in general for years to come.
b.
It was an insurrection led by miners that evolved into a productive meeting between workers and
management, ushering in an era of improved relations in industries across the nation.
c.
It was a days-long demonstration for railroad workers’ rights that angered the government, but
because it remained peaceful in nature, none of the events’ leaders
could be prosecuted.
d.
Occurring amid a strike in favor of the eight-hour workday, it was what journalists called
America’s first terrorist bombing and was blamed on anarchist leaders despite a lack of evidence.
e.
Primarily a demonstration for African American rights in the workplace, it resulted in government
officials emerging as martyr figures, as several of them got hurt trying to stop the demonstrators.
43. What was the American Federation of Labor (AFL)?
a.
It was a group of separate national unions organized by delegates from craft unions and primarily
concerned with securing concrete economic gains.
b.
It was a union that grew rapidly because it only comprised larger manufacturing industries such as
steel, textiles, and tobacco.
c.
It started out as industrial unions that joined with craft unions to increase their bargaining power
and adopt a unified identity.
d.
It was a governmental organization initiated by Congress to get a better sense of workers’ needs
before passing legislation.
e.
It was established in response to the thriving organized labor movement signaled by the Homestead
Steel strike and Pullman strike.
44. What was the significance of the Homestead Steel strike?
a.
It greatly improved the public reputations of business tycoons such as Carnegie and Rockefeller, as
their reluctance to dissolve unions made them appear more moral and compassionate.
b.
Waged against a Carnegie company, it represented a test of strength for the organized labor
movement and resulted in the elimination of a prominent union of iron and steel workers.
c.
It was the first major strike that took place in the Far West on settlers’ homesteads, signifying that
labor unions were sure to not only survive but thrive despite the tests of time and space.
d.
Although it grew violent, it established a precedent in which the government would refuse to send
the militia or military to labor demonstrations in order to maintain everyday people’s trust.
e.
It showed that in terms of putting down labor demonstrations, business leaders were strongly at
odds with local, state, and national officials and rejected the idea of working together.
45. Violence erupted during the Homestead strike when
a.
Andrew Carnegie announced his plans to sell the plant to J. P. Morgan.
b.
chief executive Henry Frick tried to break the strike by bringing in Pinkerton agents.
c.
police attempted to break up a secret protest meeting organized by homesteaders.
d.
it became clear that Carnegie’s profits had been slashed in half and he was close to bankruptcy.
e.
Andrew Carnegie fired chief executive Henry Frick, who was sympathetic to the organizers.
46. What contributed to Eugene V. Debs’s success as leader of the American Railway Union?
a.
his detachment from anything related to politics
b.
his resolve not to negotiate at all costs
c.
his anti-immigrant sentiment
d.
his opposition to labor radicalism
e.
his genuine goodness and nonviolent approach
47. What was the significance of the railcars connected to Pullman cars during the Pullman strike?
a.
They allowed the strikers to create as big a disruption as possible, as they set railcars on fire and
derailed whole trains.
b.
They greatly increased the likelihood that Pullman would accept Eugene V. Debs’s initial plea for a
negotiated settlement.
c.
They were used as justification for a federal intervention, as President Cleveland claimed that the
strike must be ended because it interfered with the mail.
d.
They allowed union leaders throughout the country to exchange correspondence during the strike,
greatly shifting the odds in their favor.
e.
They were a bargaining tool that Eugene V. Debs used to successfully avoid prison and go on to
enjoy a private life out of the spotlight.
48. President Grover Cleveland’s response to the Pullman strike was to
a.
declare his sympathy for the strikers.
b.
order George Pullman to restore his workers’ wages.
c.
appoint Eugene Debs to his cabinet.
d.
send federal troops to keep the trains running.
e.
socialize the industry by allowing the government to manage the company.
49. Which of the following accurately describes the events surrounding the Lattimer Massacre?
a.
Many workers, especially immigrants from central or eastern Europe, were killed while peacefully
protesting dangerous mining conditions, and all of those accused of the killings were acquitted.
b.
Violent protests led by anarchists broke out near an important harvesting machine company, and
amid the confusion, an individual threw a bomb into the crowd, maiming or killing dozens.
c.
White miners brutally murdered fellow African American miners out of fear that they would take
their jobs, but a landmark court case resulted in sentencing the perpetrators to life in prison.
d.
The federal government figuratively killed all major laws that effectively benefited Big Business in
response to a series of unusually fatal mining accidents in Pennsylvania.
e.
Swayed by unions, several elite factory owners dramatically resigned from their positions, and for
the first time, a widespread public uproar ensued in response to poor working conditions.
50. What was the purpose of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)?
a.
It would serve largely as a mediator, bringing all rival socialist parties together under one mission
and prioritizing compromise over any sectarian disputes.
b.
It was an organization that had originated in Europe and that spread to the United States with the
chief goal of improving international trade.
c.
It was a labor union geared toward middle-class white workers, as they had a difficult time
identifying with the immigrants and migrants of typical unions.
d.
It was intended to be one giant labor union that would take back the means of production and would
be open to all workers.
e.
It was a labor union that focused solely on the practical details of writing policy affecting workers,
rather than bringing in more emotional topics such as human rights.
51. Which of the following statements accurately summarizes an impact of the urban-industrial
revolution at the dawn of the twentieth century?
a.
Because they tended to be formed by agricultural workers, unions became a relic of a bygone era in
which the majority of the workforce was centered on farming.
b.
Despite irreparable economic setbacks after the Civil War, it enabled the United States to start
slowly inching toward a modernized economy and jumpstarted a regulated capitalist economy.
c.
It had brought about the decline of the middle class, as nearly all Americans became either
extravagantly wealthy or stricken by poverty.
d.
It shrank the country’s population because the industrialized economy required fewer workers, and
the number of overall jobs plummeted, leading Americans to emigrate in response.
e.
It had transformed the size, scope, and power of the American economy such that only
governmental intervention could restore economic fairness and social stability.
ESSAY
1. What factors account for the dramatic growth in business after the Civil War? Write an essay
that explains why each factor you identify was significant.
2. Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner published a book after the Civil War titled The
Gilded Age: A Tale of Today. What did they mean when they described the era in which
they lived as “gilded.” Do you agree with their description? Why or why not?
3. Describe Andrew Carnegie’s philosophy concerning Big Business growth and how this
reflected the perspective of some Americans. Why are the views of this single individual so
significant to understanding late-nineteenth-century American economic history?
4. Discuss how growth of industry after the Civil War changed the lives of women in the United
States. Consider, as part of your response, how class and race may have played into the roles
that women occupied in this industrialized economy.
5. Compare the aims and achievements of the Knights of Labor, the American Federation of
Labor, and the Industrial Workers of the World. What common ground do they share? What
factors help explain their differences?
6. Write an essay that explains the significance of railroad expansion in the latter half of the
nineteenth century. Discuss how these railroads were financed, who the people were behind
the expansion, and how they affected the economic development of the country in the late
nineteenth century.
7. What were the major technological advancements of the post–Civil War era? How did these
advancements contribute to the expansion of America’s industrial revolution?
8. Compare and contrast the major industrial leaders of the late nineteenth century. How did
each rise to power, and what did they do to ensure they would stay at the top of their
respective industries? What do they have in common, and what differences distinguish them
from each other? What makes each of them important to understanding the late nineteenth
century?
9. Discuss the various major strikes that occurred after the Civil War. Include the Great Railroad
Strike of 1877, the Homestead strike, and the Pullman strike. What were the similarities and
differences with each?
10. Describe the growth of radicalism in America’s unions after the Civil War. What were the
driving forces pulling the unions to the left, and how successful were they? What forces
limited radicalism’s success in the American political context?
MATCHING
Match each description with the item below.
a.
organized a week-long march of child workers from Pennsylvania to President Theodore
Roosevelt’s home in New York
b.
maintained his commitment to high tariffs after the war despite concerns that they would increase
consumer prices
c.
led the Knights of Labor and emphasized the strategy of winning political control of the areas
around unions
d.
wrote the essay “The Gospel of Wealth,” which held that with great wealth came great
responsibility
e.
met to form the Industrial Workers of the World but withdrew and went on to become a presidential
candidate of the Socialist Party of America
f.
was the head of the National Labor Union who died suddenly in 1869, resulting in its support
declining
g.
organized the Workingmen’s Party of California and blasted railroad barons for exploiting the poor
h.
invented the telephone, which would become the most valuable patent ever issued
i.
convinced middle-class women to enter the so-called real world by engaging in social work
1. Andrew Carnegie
2. Eugene V. Debs
3. Ulysses S. Grant
4. Alexander Graham Bell
5. Denis Kearney
6. Jane Addams
7. Terence V. Powderly
8. Mother Jones
9. William Sylvis
