Deck 18: Cities, Immigrants, Culture, and Politics, 1877-1900

Question 1

Where did Salvation Army missionaries typically look for their converts?

A)in the executive offices of big corporations
B)amongst government bureaucrats
C)on the islands of Hawaii and the Philippines
D)in barrooms, on street corners, and in brothels

Answer 1

D

Question 2

One of the most important consequences of late nineteenth century industrialization and global migrations was

A)urbanization.
B)the demise of racism.
C)the expansion of democratic principles.
D)the rise in food prices.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which European city grew roughly as fast as New York?

A)Naples
B)Warsaw
C)Berlin
D)Rotterdam

Answer 3

C

Question 4

How many immigrants arrived in the United States between 1870 and 1900?

A)about 2 million
B)less than 5 million
C)approximately 11 million
D)more than 20 million

Question 5

Which of the following cities is properly matched with its dominant industry of the late 19th century?

A)Portland, Oregon - cigars
B)Tampa, Florida - lumber
C)Winston-Salem, North Carolina - cotton
D)Johnstown, Pennsylvania - iron and steel

Question 6

What did the suburbs of the late 19th century offer to those well-off enough to afford them?

A)rich hunting grounds
B)convenient shopping
C)tree-lined neighborhoods
D)quicker commutes to work

Question 7

As a result of steamship technology,

A)more migrants arrived in the US from more distant destinations.
B)more immigrants moved from the East Coast into the American heartland.
C)more Americans emigrated to Australia.
D)more immigrants remained in Europe.

Question 8

What motivated Japanese to emigrate to the United States around the turn of the century?

A)They felt victimized by Japan's rising taxes.
B)They sought to escape religious persecution.
C)They suffered racial discrimination at the hands of Korean imperialists.
D)They resented the massive immigration of Chinese into Japan.

Question 9

A majority of 70 percent of immigrants between 1880 and 1910 was made up of

A)children under the age of 16.
B)women.
C)men.
D)mentally and physically disabled people.

Question 10

What was the American Protective Association?

A)a group of businessmen opposed to tariff reductions
B)the women's organization committed to the prevention of domestic violence
C)a nativist organization advocating strict immigration laws
D)a group of reformers lobbying for a ban on child labor

Question 11

What happened with the immigration restriction bill before Congress in the 1890s?

A)Democrats successfully blocked it.
B)Republicans split over the issue and the bill failed.
C)President Cleveland issued a similar executive order after the bill failed.
D)President Grover Cleveland vetoed it as "un-American."

Question 12

Who were "Americanos"?

A)Italian immigrants used this term for US citizens.
B)Italians used this word to describe American tourists in Europe.
C)This was an insult immigrants hurled at those that assimilated too quickly.
D)Italians used this word for returned immigrants from the United States.

Question 13

Why were immigrant laborers especially vulnerable to economic disaster?

A)They could not get used to the hard physical work in the United States.
B)They had a hard time living frugally.
C)They worked almost exclusively in seasonal agriculture.
D)They lacked the safety nets that protected them from busts and sickness.

Question 14

Why did so many wives and children in immigrant families work for wages as well?

A)For most immigrants, this was a familiar custom in the old country.
B)Most immigrant men did not make enough money to support a family.
C)Immigrant children were not allowed in schools anyway.
D)Immigrants desired extra spending money for the small luxuries of working-class life.

Question 15

Immigrant enclaves at the turn-of-the-century

A)were rarely exclusive.
B)remained isolated into the middle of the 20th century
C)were hotbeds of violent crime.
D)lacked the public social life native neighborhoods have in common.

Question 16

Who amongst Gilded Age immigrants was most likely to embrace all things American?

A)older men
B)younger women
C)the wealthy
D)the poor

Question 17

Which adjective would best fit the city of Chicago at the turn of the 20th century?

A)sleepy
B)underdeveloped
C)clean
D)undisciplined

Question 18

Why did the audiences of vaudeville shows enjoy the portrayal of contemporary ethnic stereotypes?

A)It fed their ethnic feuds and neighborhood rivalries.
B)It provided a counterweight to the worse prejudices of Anglo-Americans.
C)The numerous performances helped ease ethnic tensions and create a sense of belonging.
D)Immigrants were familiar with these stereotypes from vaudeville in the old country.

Question 19

The sports and recreation craze of 1890s was part of a larger reaction to

A)obesity.
B)the vanity of young Americans.
C)the militarization of American society.
D)the regimentation of urban industrial society.

Question 20

Which of the following emerged as one of the greatest urban crises at the turn of the century?

A)public transportation
B)housing shortage
C)police brutality
D)traffic congestion

Question 21

What made the Democratic politician William M. Tweed famous?

A)He pushed through significant immigration reform.
B)He was a fierce defender of union rights.
C)He established racial segregation throughout the South.
D)He stole between $50 million and $200 million from New York City.

Question 22

The founding voice of the social Gospel movement was

A)Josiah Strong.
B)Grover Cleveland.
C)William M Tweed.
D)Frances Willard.

Question 23

Why did charity workers regularly inspect and investigate families requesting their help?

A)They wanted to ensure they were providing sufficient support.
B)They wanted to discern the worthiness of the family in need.
C)They wanted to make sure that no need was overlooked.
D)The inspection of charity cases was a federal regulatory requirement.

Question 24

Why did the settlement house workers believe that the environment in which people lived shaped their lives?

A)Many of them were disciples of Charles Darwin and other naturalists.
B)They had lived among the poor and witnessed the destructive environments.
C)They were raised in liberal settings that discounted individual accountability.
D)Most were immigrants and had serious misgivings about the United States.

Question 25

What did Frances Willardof the WCTU oppose?

A)alcohol consumption
B)common-law marriage
C)immigration
D)wage labor

Question 26

Why did national politics in the late 19th century accomplish so little of substance?

A)At the time there was no demand for political change on a national level.
B)National politics were preoccupied with the demands of foreign affairs.
C)The main focus of most politicians was to hold onto office rather than risk change.
D)The political differences amongst the many parties in Congress were too big to accomplish anything.

Question 27

What did the coinage act of 1873 accomplish?

A)It introduced silver as the basis for the national currency.
B)It made gold the nation's monetary standard.
C)It prohibited the use of greenbacks.
D)It established the Federal Reserve system.

Question 28

What was the approximate turnout of eligible male voters in the presidential election of 1896?

A)45 percent
B)65 percent
C)80 percent
D)97 percent

Question 29

The People's (Populist) Party first appeared in

A)the Northeast.
B)the South.
C)the cities.
D)the West.

Question 30

Why did the speech William Jennings Bryan gave at the Democratic Party convention in 1896 become known as "The Cross of Gold Speech"?

A)Bryan's oratory was elegant, and but failed to capture the hearts of his listeners.
B)In his speech, Bryan opposed the free coinage of silver.
C)Bryan's speech was unusually loaded with biblical references.
D)In his speech Bryan likened the gold standard to Christ's cross.

Question 31

To what religious faith did members of the Salvation Army belong?

A)Protestant Christianity
B)Catholicism
C)Judaism
D)Islam

Question 32

What disturbing question did the dramatic expansion of cities in the late 19th century pose for Americans?

A)Could the United States ever reach the European level of civilization?
B)Did cities constitute an advance or the decline of the Republic?
C)Were cities ever going to produce the comfort level of country living?
D)Could American farmers ever feed the growing urban population?

Question 33

Which of the following cities claimed a population of over 1 million people at the midpoint of the 19th century?

A)Chicago
B)Paris
C)Philadelphia
D)Tokyo

Question 34

In 1900, what percentage of those dwelling in the nation's 12 largest urban centers were either foreign-born or had parents who were born abroad?

A)30 percent
B)40 percent
C)50 percent
D)60 percent

Question 35

Which region remained largely rural at the turn of the century?

A)the Pacific Northwest
B)the Northeast
C)the South
D)the Midwest

Question 36

Why did the cities of the late 19th century begin to grow vertically?

A)Technological innovations made the skyscraper possible, and it became the housing format of choice.
B)Congested and densely packed, many cities could only grow up.
C)The new economy required space for the armies of blue-collar workers.
D)Environmental restrictions limited the possibilities for cities to develop horizontally.

Question 37

Which nation had the largest proportion of immigrants at of the end of the 19th century?

A)Australia
B)New Zealand
C)Argentina
D)Canada

Question 38

Why did the French Canadians from Québec head south to New England?

A)They were facing an overpopulated countryside and diminishing access to land at home.
B)They were hoping to find employment in the steel and lumber mills of New England.
C)They suffered serious persecution for holding on to the French language.
D)A predominantly Jewish community, they feared the anti-Semitism of Canadians.

Question 39

Why did Protestant Americans believe that Roman Catholics could never be loyal Americans?

A)At the time, the United States Constitution mandated the Protestant faith.
B)Catholics had a primary allegiance to the Pope.
C)The social values of their faith made Catholics unsuitable for a capitalist economy.
D)The sexism of Catholics made it impossible for them to respect the voting rights of women.

Question 40

Why did Chinese migrants to the West Coast maintain their language, dress, and hairstyles?

A)California and other Western states required Chinese to remain easily identifiable.
B)In the frontier West, the Chinese -- like any other immigrants -- had to live with what they brought.
C)Many Chinese were sojourners planning on returning to China.
D)Many Chinese earned good money in the tourism industry by remaining authentically "Asian."

Question 41

Which of the following was the LEAST likely reason for immigrants to return to their homeland?

A)climate
B)homesickness
C)the secular nature of American society
D)economic failure

Question 42

What triggered the blaze of anti-Chinese sentiment in the 1870s?

A)the California gold rush
B)the criminal activities of Chinese gangs in Western cities
C)the Opium Wars
D)a severe economic depression

Question 43

Americanization could create the most serious tensions and misunderstandings between

A)brothers and sisters.
B)parents and children.
C)neighbors.
D)friends.

Question 44

Why did Italy see dramatic increases in landholding at the turn of the century?

A)The massive outmigration to the United States reduced competition over existing real estate.
B)Italians imported American real estate law, making landholding easier
C)The increase in land ownership was a result of return migration and the influx of capital.
D)The Italian government made land ownership easier in order to discourage outmigration.

Question 45

Which of the following migrant groups is properly matched with their particular job and industry concentration in America at the turn of the century?

A)Poles - steel mills
B)German Jews - municipal work crews
C)Italian men - garment industry
D)Eastern European Jews - liquor trade

Question 46

Why did immigrant laborers suffer death and injury at much higher rates than their native-born counterparts?

A)They spent their evenings in saloons and tended to sleep on the job.
B)They were unhappy with their jobs and refused to follow orders.
C)Language barriers of made it difficult for them to understand directions.
D)They were physically weaker and got injured more easily.

Question 47

How did immigrants at the turn of the century support newcomers from the old country?

A)They used their connections to win them jobs in high places.
B)They got them an apartment and covered their rent for a few months.
C)They opened their homes to provide them a foothold in America.
D)They taught them English.

Question 48

Many immigrants in late 19^th century America began to reject the tradition of arranged marriages and embraced more American notions of

A)dating.
B)romantic love.
C)living single.
D)employing a matchmaker.

Question 49

How did middle-class citizens in the United States and Europe view cities in the late 19^th century?

A)They were sites of boredom and predictability.
B)They were enviable pinnacles of civilization.
C)They were the primary social problem of the age.
D)They served as models for diversity and multicultural understanding.

Question 50

Which sport helped create a sense of community in the diverse and fragmented cities of late 19th century America?

A)basketball
B)baseball
C)American football
D)soccer

Question 51

Which sport was popular with modern middle class women after the 1890s?

A)bicycling
B)soccer
C)softball
D)basketball

Question 52

What accounted for the bad governance of so many cities in the Gilded Age?

A)There was too much red tape.
B)Citizens did not pay the taxes to fund proper city government.
C)Political machines often were more interested in lining their pockets than serving their constituents.
D)Most city dwellers felt they did not need a city government.

Question 53

What was the purpose of the city missions?

A)They sought to blunt the influence of Roman Catholicism.
B)They were meant to help immigrant workers negotiate good labor contracts.
C)They served as churches for immigrants.
D)They were supposed to promote the activities of city government.

Question 54

By 1900 the number of settlement houses in US cities was approximately

A)10.
B)100.
C)200.
D)1000.

Question 55

How did Jacob Riis succeed at getting New York's worst tenements destroyed and the child labor laws more effectively enforced?

A)He appealed to president Theodore Roosevelt.
B)He worked as the city's health and safety inspector.
C)His photography made the plight of New York's poor visible to millions.
D)Riis transformed New York through his philanthropic real estate developments.

Question 56

Like many reforms of the era, temperance and prohibition was

A)a hopeless cause.
B)an international movement.
C)terribly misguided.
D)an outgrowth of socialism.

Question 57

Who supported the gold standard?

A)Republicans
B)Populists
C)Democrats
D)farmers

Question 58

Why did Charles Guiteau assassinate Presient James Garfield?

A)A labor radical, he was angry over Garfield's anti-union stance.
B)He had hoped to obtain an office in the Garfield demonstration.
C)He was a deranged man looking for attention.
D)Garfield had had an affair with Guiteau's wife.

Question 59

How did Democrats, the governing party, fare in the 1894 midterm elections?

A)They gained seats in House and Senate because of their handling of the economic crisis.
B)They lost over 100 seats, the largest shift in congressional power in history.
C)They lost over 100 seats to the Populist party which made a strong showing nationwide.
D)They held on to exactly half of all seats, securing the perfect stalemate for the next two years.

Question 60

The Populist party opposed

A)the direct election of Senators.
B)a graduated income tax.
C)the protection of labor unions.
D)a deregulated railroad industry.

Question 61

Identify who, what, where, when, and/or why the following are important:
1. "great cities"
2. industrial metropolis
3. suburbs
4. "new" immigration
5. the "golden door"
6. chain migration
7. boarders
8. romantic love
9. "the National Game"
10. ward boss

Question 62

Which of these factors most likely prompted rural people to look to cities for work?

A)the need for adventure
B)interest in urban culture
C)agricultural mechanization
D)a distaste for hard work

Question 63

Why was the city of Chicago so ideally situated for dramatic growth during the Gilded Age?

A)It was built on flat land.
B)It was far away from hostile Indians.
C)The adjacent lake provided sufficient water.
D)It sat between the nation's manufacturing and farm-belt.

Question 64

Most "new" immigrants originated in

A)Northwestern Europe.
B)Latin America.
C)Southeast Asia.
D)Southeastern Europe.

Question 65

Which of the following best describes the efforts to "Americanize" immigrants?

A)Let them learn their constitutional rights so they can be engaged citizens.
B)Give them the opportunity to educate themselves so they can contribute to society.
C)Let us change them without them changing us.
D)Let's learn from the best of what the immigrants have to offer.

Question 66

Which of the following was a long-term consequence of child labor?

A)Youngsters developed a lifetime interest in the mechanical arts.
B)Children quickly learned the importance of saving and spending wisely.
C)Children from low-income families were likely to remain low income workers.
D)Children who worked at an early age often rose to success and prominence.

Question 67

The Alianza Hispano Americana started in 1894 in the town of

A)Tucson.
B)Miami.
C)Los Angeles.
D)New York.

Question 68

Amusement parks provided a much-needed outlet for

A)suburbanites.
B)young working people.
C)international tourists.
D)the elite.

Question 69

The lifeblood of the politics and Gilded Age was

A)reform.
B)fiscal policy.
C)patronage
D)lobbying.

Question 70

What important principle of the Social Gospel did Hull House and other settlement houses represent?

A)Work hard and prosper.
B)Live among the poor and share their lives.
C)Empathize, educate, elevate.
D)Let individualism blossom.

Question 71

Who did farmers look to in their effort to ensure equal rights to all and special privileges to none?

A)the federal government
B)railroad corporations
C)banks
D)unions

Question 72

Why did some Americans at the turn of the century view the Salvation Army as eccentric?

Question 73

What was the difference between modern cities of the Gilded Age and "walking cities" of the early 19^th century?

Question 74

What was nativism and how did Americans typically practice it?

Question 75

What were the transnational identities in the global migrations of the Gilded Age?

Question 76

Why were American reformers so interested in banning alcohol?

Question 77

Discuss the origins of the Populist movement and what it promised. Do you think Populists were looking backward, or forward?

Question 78

Discuss the similarities and differences between the growing new cities across the globe in the late nineteenth century. What united Berlin, Tokyo, and New York? What differentiated them from each other?

Question 79

Identify who, what, where, when, and/or why the following are important:
1. steerage
2. California's Workingmen's Party
3. "Ok Boys"
4. mutual aid societies
5. H.G. Wells
6. football
7. Toynbee Hall
8. civil service reform
9. Omaha platform
10. front porch campaign

Question 80

What drove the growth of second-tier cities in the Gilded Age?

A)a specialization in manufacturing or processing
B)bedroom communities in suburban housing developments
C)the business of trade and transportation
D)the emergence of modern state and county capitals