Deck 14: The Terrible Seventies

Question 1

In the late nineteenth century the political influence of the railroad in California

A)promoted corruption in politics.
B)pervaded all levels of government.
C)was reinforced by a powerful railroad political machine.
D)all of the above

Answer 1

all of the above

Question 2

California state law prohibited cities and towns from paying cash,land,and other subsidies to railroad companies.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

"Ralston's ring" was

A)a circle of mercury deposits around Virginia City.
B)a distinctive tone to warn of weakening mine timbers.
C)the first group to be called Kings of the Comstock.
D)completed in 1852 at a cost of $20 million.

Answer 3

the first group to be called Kings of the Comstock.

Question 4

The tragedy at Mussel Slough revealed

A)Collis P.Huntington's unwillingness to compromise.
B)popular resentment against large landholders.
C)public resentment against railroad business practices.
D)all of the above

Question 5

The Big Four eliminated competition from water transportation by

A)acquiring control of the California Steam Navigation Co.
B)blockading the state's major inland waterways.
C)establishing the state Hydraulic Rate Commission (HRC).
D)all of the above

Question 6

Henry Miller and Charles Lux were major California land owners.

Question 7

Rates charged by the 19^th-century California railroad system were generally consistent and fair.

Question 8

The effect of the 1870s Comstock boom on California was to

A)worsen the condition of the depressed economy.
B)relieve the depressed economy.
C)ruin nearly all of the state's private banks.
D)intensify the influence of the railroad in politics.

Question 9

The completion of the first transcontinental railroad paradoxically marked the beginning of a deep and prolonged depression in California.

Question 10

During the economic depression in California of the late 1860s,Chinese immigration

A)decreased slightly.
B)increased sharply.
C)was halted by treaties between the U.S.and China.
D)was encouraged by California labor unions.

Question 11

The "battle of Mussel Slough" clearly demonstrated intense popular resentment against California's large landholders and railroad interests.

Question 12

The Big Four set shipping rates in the 1870s

A)as mandated by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC).
B)according to the highest charges the traffic could bear.
C)in collusion with the Santa Fe Railroad.
D)as dictated by Adolph Sutro and his allies.

Question 13

The Southern Pacific Railroad was incorporated in Kentucky.

Question 14

The railroad enterprise of the Big Four in the 1870s

A)enjoyed a high degree of freedom from competition.
B)had to compete with nearly one hundred other railroad companies for local business.
C)had to compete with two other railroad companies for transcontinental revenues.
D)had to compete with water transportation companies.

Question 15

By the late nineteenth century the largest private landholder in California was

A)the Bank of California.
B)"Ralson's ring".
C)Crow and Hart
D)the Southern Pacific Company.

Question 16

In the decade following completion of the transcontinental railroad,California's

A)economy resisted the effects of the national depression.
B)maritime trade with the Orient increased.
C)real estate values increased.
D)unemployment increased.

Question 17

The first Comstock silver boom of 1859 produced little wealth and attracted little attention in California.

Question 18

The city of Modesto was named indirectly for

A)William Ralston.
B)Leland Stanford.
C)James W.Mackay.
D)Oliver M."Odysseus" Odesto

Question 19

According to the textbook,railroad land grants in California proved to be a wise and sound government policy.

Question 20

During the 1860s the Central Pacific successfully acquired monopolistic control of water and rail transportation on and around San Francisco Bay.

Question 21

Explain the effects of the Comstock silver booms on California's economy.

Question 22

The Bank of California was founded by Adolph Sutro.

Question 23

What were the effects of the railroad's transportation and land monopolies on California society?

Question 24

The "Irish Four" were officials of the Southern Pacific.

Question 25

Who were the antagonists in the "battle of Mussel Slough"? What issues were at stake? What does this episode reveal about public attitudes in California during the late 19^th century?

Question 26

Trace the evolution of the Big Four's transportation and land monopolies in California.

Question 27

Explain the negative effects of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on California's economy.