Deck 19: Political Stalemate and Rural Revolt

Question 1

Saloons were one of the few places where it was socially acceptable for both men and single
women to mingle and share recreation in urban America.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

After 1890, most immigrants who came to the United States as part of the "new immigration"
were from northern and western Europe.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The spread of mass transit was a major factor in the growth of the suburbs.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Between 1865 and 1900, the urban population of the United States dramatically increased.

Question 5

By the early twentieth century, going to the movie theater was the most popular form of
entertainment for working women.

Question 6

One of the biggest problems farmers faced was falling commodity prices, caused in part by overproduction.

Question 7

The scientific spirit of the Gilded Age influenced the approach of realist artists.

Question 8

Politics in the late nineteenth century was dominated by a series of presidents who were far
more powerful than the political parties.

Question 9

How did the nature of politics during the Gilded Age contribute to political corruption and stalemate?

Question 10

How effective were politicians in developing responses to the major economic and social problems of the Gilded Age?

Question 11

Why did the money supply become a major political issue, especially for farmers, during the Gilded Age? How did it impact American politics?

Question 12

What were the effects of urban growth during the Gilded Age? What problems did it create?

Question 13

Cities developed new forms of leisure and mass entertainment that were difficult to have in a
rural setting.

Question 14

By 1900, the majority of New York City's residents lived in tenements.

Question 15

Who were the "new immigrants" of the late nineteenth century? How were they viewed by American society?

Question 16

Because the Grange successfully addressed declining crop prices and the inadequate amount
of money in circulation, almost all farmers shifted their allegiance to it and abandoned the
Farmers' Alliance.

Question 17

The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was the first federal agency designed to regulate business.

Question 18

President James
A. Garfield was assassinated by a former Union soldier because Garfield
publicly opposed civil rights for black Americans.

Question 19

How did urban growth and the increasingly important role of science influence leisure activities, cultural life, and social policy in the Gilded Age?

Question 20

Mugwumps tended to oppose civil service reform.

Question 21

Which region of the United States had the greatest proportion of urban dwellers?

A) the Northeast
B) the South
C) the middle Atlantic
D) the Far West
E) the Great Plains

Question 22

What was the American Protective Association?

A) It was a group of pharmaceutical companies that began a sanitation campaign in New York City.
B) It was an anti-Semitic organization operating in the Deep South as part of the Republican party.
C) It was a secret organization whose members pledged never to employ or vote for a Roman Catholic.
D) It was a military group that campaigned for a stronger navy from its base in the Northeast.
E) It was a group of immigrants from southern and eastern Europe who fought for liberal policies.

Question 23

Which of the following did "nativists" believe?

A) Immigration was a boon to the American economy.
B) American Indians were the preferred source of workers.
C) The concept of an Anglo-Saxon "race" was outdated.
D) Religion had no place in the public sphere.
E) Immigrants were a threat to their jobs and way of life.

Question 24

Ellis Island was constructed outside the port of New York City in response to

A) garbage and sanitation problems.
B) overflowing jails.
C) the massive influx of immigrants.
D) the harbor's lack of defense.
E) the growing need for housing and apartments.

Question 25

One of the most troublesome, unintended consequences of the growth of urban populations at the turn of the century was the

A) drastically decreasing number of immigrants overall in the United States.
B) end of the "Realist" movement in art and literature and rise of the "Romantic" movement.
C) decline of vaudeville shows as a form of public entertainment.
D) growth of disease from the lack of sanitation in crowded city neighborhoods.
E) lack of what one scientist called "a mania for facts."

Question 26

Why was the development of cast-iron and steel-frame construction techniques significant to the growth of cities?

A) The growth of streetcars depended on such techniques.
B) They were the primary engines of job growth.
C) They allowed developers to erect high-rise buildings.
D) They were outdated and slowed the growth of cities.
E) They demonstrated the value of female ingenuity.

Question 27

Why was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 significant in American immigration history?

A) It sent all the Chinese immigrants in the United States back to China, establishing a precedent for deporting long-established immigrants.
B) It barred Chinese laborers from entering the country, becoming the first federal law to restrict immigration on the basis of race and class.
C) It was the first time Congress was unable to override a presidential veto of an immigration law, highlighting the power of the executive branch.
D) It angered most Americans, leading to massive violent protests that would successfully prevent other immigrant groups from being targeted.
E) It removed all restrictions from American immigration law, reinvigorating the view of America as a country of immigrants.

Question 28

Middle- and upper-class families in streetcar suburbs spent much of their leisure time

A) together at home playing games or reading books.
B) socializing in saloons.
C) attending vaudeville shows.
D) traveling out West.
E) helping those in poverty.

Question 29

What do cholera, typhoid, and yellow fever all have in common?

A) They can all be spread due to poor sanitation.
B) They can all only be found in rural areas.
C) They are all sexually transmitted diseases.
D) They are all food-related diseases.
E) They are all genetic disorders.

Question 30

Over the two decades following the election of 1896, a more diverse coalition of Democrats
and Republicans who would call themselves "progressives" emerged.

Question 31

Around 1900, what urban gathering place often hosted political discussions as well as social gatherings for immigrants and working-class men?

A) coffeehouses
B) diners
C) dance halls
D) tenements
E) saloons

Question 32

What was the main idea at the center of what became known as reform Darwinism?

A) Humans, like animals, lack minds capable of bringing social change on their own.
B) The government should remain uninvolved in both education and social work.
C) Cooperation, rather than competition, would best promote human progress.
D) The possibility of reform rests entirely with evolutionary forces.
E) For society to truly reform, any "imitation" of welfare must cease.

Question 33

Which of the following is true of William Graham Sumner?

A) He established one of the many pillars of the progressive movement during the late nineteenth century.
B) He was one of the most outspoken opponents of Darwinism in America and refused to apply it to social institutions.
C) He argued in his book Folkways that it was a mistake for the government to promote equality as it went against "survival of the fittest."
D) He was a government employee who, like Darwin, focused on the role of the human brain in shaping social change.
E) He was one of the most important realist writers in that he focused on the sentimental and worshipped nature.

Question 34

Which of the following statements accurately describes the experiences of many working-class women in Gilded Age America?

A) Few working-class women, whether married or single, experienced any leisure time at all, as venues such as the cinema were far too expensive and limited to members of the upper class.
B) Many married working-class women worked and had little leisure time regardless, but finding fellowship with other women on the street while tending to other responsibilities was common.
C) Married working-class women had far more opportunities for recreation and leisure than married working-class men, as the vast majority of them were forced to remain home during the workday.
D) A number of working-class women ran for political office, which led to a widespread sense of camaraderie and hope among them and contributed to improving working conditions.
E) Most working-class women had left the cities with their families and, thus, experienced a loss of leisure time, as they were forced to work long hours on family farms.

Question 35

A believer in Social Darwinism would agree with which of the following?

A) an income tax that burdened the wealthy more than the poor and used those proceeds to sponsor food banks and homeless shelters
B) sanitation and housing regulations paid for by tax revenue and enforced strictly by the federal government
C) a "hands-off" government policy in regard to business intended to protect a free, competitive marketplace
D) laws like the Sherman Anti-Trust Act meant to eliminate monopolies and, thus, allow a greater variety of people to rise to the top
E) legislation that protected the right of labor unions to organize and bargain with management

Question 36

What led to the growing concentration of the working poor in the "inner cities," while middle-class professionals and business executives increasingly lived further away from
City centers?

A) growing belief in Reform Darwinism and the wish to spread it
B) the increasing number of theaters and restaurants found beyond city limits
C) the lack of jobs in general, not just those that were high paying
D) the growth of transportation options such as streetcars and trolleys
E) mistrust of how safe new, taller apartment complexes were

Question 37

Which of the following groups largely settled in California and was the first nonwhite and non-African group to migrate to the United States in the late nineteenth century in large
Numbers?

A) Japanese immigrants
B) Mexican immigrants
C) Philippine immigrants
D) Indian immigrants
E) Chinese immigrants

Question 38

Which of the following is true of Herbert Spencer?

A) He coined the phrase "survival of the fittest" and held ideas at odds with those of Charles Darwin.
B) He believed evolutionary processes were completely separate from human social institutions.
C) He strongly disagreed with the idea of a laissez-faire government and tried to move away from it.
D) He was a renowned philanthropist and helped transform New York City into a welfare state.
E) He is famous for having co-written On the Origin of Species with Charles Darwin.

Question 39

Between 1880 and 1890, the traditional pattern of immigration changed in that most new immigrants were

A) from northern and western Europe.
B) from southern and eastern Europe.
C) of Teutonic and Celtic origin.
D) from Mexico.
E) of the professional class.

Question 40

Which of the following statements accurately describes tenement houses in New York City during the Gilded Age?

A) They were cramped, yet offered more privacy than regular apartments.
B) They were urban, yet offered fresh air and large amounts of natural light.
C) They were crammed together and often housed twenty-four to thirty-two families.
D) They helped lower crime rates by building a sense of community.
E) They usually had only a few families in each building.

Question 41

Mugwumps were centered in

A) the land grant colleges across the country.
B) the agricultural colleges of the South.
C) the Far West and major universities.
D) the Midwest and small colleges.
E) large cities and major universities in the Northeast.

Question 42

In the election of 1892, what political party emerged to champion the interests of rural Americans in the South and West?

A) the Farmers' Alliance
B) Democrats
C) the People's party
D) Republicans
E) the Greenback party

Question 43

What strategy did Republicans commonly use in political campaigns during the 1870s and 1880s?

A) They accused Democrats of having caused "secession and civil war."
B) They appealed to racial prejudices to gain white voters' support.
C) They courted the vote of immigrants and Catholics.
D) They promised to adopt silver coinage to make cash more available.
E) They promoted reformers' plans to regulate the railroads and Big Business more aggressively.

Question 44

Which of the following was true of both Republicans and Democrats in the 1870s?

A) Both parties took credit for abolishing slavery and saving the Union, which led to most day-to-day power coming to reside within the federal government.
B) Both parties came to develop factions that promoted honesty in government, even as both had their share of officials willing to buy or sell government jobs and legislative votes.
C) Both parties actively pursued controversial issues due to the low voter turnout of the Gilded Age and their certainty that they would avoid a close election.
D) Both parties rejected the idea of high tariffs on imports in all instances, even when they would benefit industry leaders, for fear of what it would do to the economy.
E) Both parties suffered from the lack of party loyalty in Gilded Age America and often lost prominent leaders who switched sides depending on the political climate at the time.

Question 45

What was the MOST common theme of literature during the Gilded Age, such as William Dean Howell's The Rise of Silas Lapham and Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth?

A) the spectacular rather than the everyday
B) the worship of money
C) the sentimentality of America
D) a glorified view of the necessity of war
E) the divinity found in nature

Question 46

Which two "swing" states of the time determined many of the presidential elections in the Gilded Age?

A) Connecticut and Massachusetts
B) New York and Ohio
C) Iowa and Kansas
D) Virginia and Louisiana
E) South Carolina and Georgia

Question 47

Which of the following is true of William Tweed?

A) He founded the Populist party and, like many populists at the time, used his influence to cut down on the number of contracts between business leaders and politicians.
B) He was a prominent figure in Chicago who put an end to the patronage system, causing many party bosses in other areas to remove it as well.
C) He founded the Greenback party and used his platform to cut back significantly on the number of immigrants allowed into American cities.
D) He was the mayor of Kansas City and, due to his corruption, did little to bring structure, stability, and services to the city's communities.
E) He controlled the Tammany Hall ring in New York City, and like other party bosses, used a "machine" or network of neighborhood activists and officials to govern.

Question 48

Who were the Mugwumps?

A) a powerful "political ring" based out of Cincinnati, Ohio, that came to influence national politics
B) politicians who wanted to ensure that patronage remained in the hands of Democrats at the national level
C) a group of Republicans against James Gillespie Blaine who believed in reform and building honest government
D) social Darwinists who spread their social and political philosophy throughout the South and engaged in lobbying
E) members of a primarily rural organization who fought for the interest of farmers before the birth of Populism

Question 49

Which of the following would MOST likely have been a Gilded Age Democrat?

A) a New England Protestant
B) a nativist
C) an Irish immigrant
D) an African American
E) a Union veteran

Question 50

Which of the following statements accurately describes the Sherman Anti-Trust Act?

A) Congress passed it due to pressure from many European nations that had already outlawed monopolistic business practices.
B) Democrats had control of Congress and managed to defeat its passage right at the last moment, thereby ensuring the continuation of monopolies.
C) It was the most well-enforced act of legislation in many decades and became the ideal model for government regulation in business.
D) It centered on tariff policy and convinced Republicans to lower tariff rates dramatically, thereby allowing for more European competitors.
E) Although largely for show, it banned the practice of powerful corporations plotting to establish monopolies or hold back trade in their industries.

Question 51

How did most farmers respond to falling crop prices at the end of the nineteenth century?

A) They voluntarily grew fewer crops to decrease the supply and raise the value of the crops that they did sell.
B) They grew still more crops in order to make ends meet, tragically lowering the price of crops even more by increasing the supply.
C) They petitioned the government to buy up surplus crops to ensure that demand remained proportional to the supply.
D) They petitioned Congress to raise tariffs on imports from abroad to reduce international competition.
E) They hired immigrant laborers who would work for little money to harvest their crops and reduce their overhead.

Question 52

In what way was Gilded Age politics different from American politics today?

A) During the Gilded Age, the payment of dues to join a party was unheard of, and members tended to lack much loyalty to their party, often moving from one to the other.
B) During the Gilded Age, bribery in politics was nonexistent because the federal government had put strict rules and punishments in place to deter potential offenders.
C) During the Gilded Age, the role of the federal government far surpassed that of state governments due to the movement beyond sectional differences after the Civil War.
D) During the Gilded Age, there were few potential immigrant voters, which led organizers to focus solely on gaining the votes of long-established, aristocratic families.
E) During the Gilded Age, most political activity was focused on the state and local levels, with the federal government an insignificant force in the daily lives of most citizens.

Question 53

Who was Mary Elizabeth Lease?

A) the initial founder of the Patrons of Husbandry who ensured the passage of the subtreasury plan
B) an aristocrat who started a feminist movement when she was denied the ability to study law
C) a fiery speaker for the farm protest movement who viewed eastern financiers as the enemy
D) the writer who crafted the 1892 Omaha platform for the People's party
E) the lone female leader in the Stalwart movement who helped win the group the support of women

Question 54

Which of the following cultural movements developed due to the experiences of the Civil War, combined with an increasingly scientific approach to modern life?

A) cubism
B) fundamentalism
C) transcendentalism
D) Romanticism
E) realism

Question 55

Why was the Supreme Court decision in Munn v. Illinois significant to understanding the power of government to regulate industry?

A) It was a ruling that lasted for a century and denied the right of state and local governments to regulate industry.
B) It upheld the sweeping power of the federal government to regulate any industry in any fashion it saw fit.
C) It denied the federal government any power to regulate any industry, as Big Business was seen as untouchable.
D) It upheld the right of state and local governments to regulate industry essential to the public interest.
E) It decided that all government regulatory power over industry rested with city and town governments.

Question 56

What was the purpose of the "subtreasury plan"?

A) It promoted deflation by withdrawing silver certificates from circulation.
B) It reestablished the gold standard.
C) It reclaimed unused land from the railroads.
D) It allowed farmers to secure low-interest government loans.
E) It said that the national bank could pull supplemental cash from private banks.

Question 57

What distinguished the Granger movement from the Farmers' Alliances?

A) Whereas the Grange had always focused solely on social and recreational activities as a means of raising awareness of the plight of farmers, the Alliances focused solely on political action.
B) Whereas the Grange enacted legislation only at the state level and often took out loans from banks, the Alliances focused solely on the local level and refused to participate in loans.
C) Whereas the Grange supported free-silver economic policies and low tariffs, the Alliances supported the gold standard and high tariffs.
D) Whereas the Grange failed to address declining crop prices and the inadequate amount of money in circulation, the Farmers' Alliances were created expressly to solve this problem.
E) Whereas the Grange was predominantly a wing of the Democratic party, the Alliances were predominantly a wing of the Republican party.

Question 58

Why was the Interstate Commerce Commission created?

A) to expand American exports
B) to regulate railroads
C) to encourage increased imports of foreign goods
D) to boost the dairy industry
E) to clean up corruption in politics

Question 59

Which of the following statements accurately summarizes the nature of Gilded Age politics?

A) Presidents tended to be far more powerful than parties during the Gilded Age, transforming the nature of the executive branch.
B) New movements and parties failed to arise at any point during the Gilded Age, as it came to be defined by the remarkable existing leadership.
C) Elections remained one of the few areas of politics that were untouched by the influence of Big Business.
D) Dominated by "special interests," the Gilded Age showed more political corruption than political innovation.
E) Gilded Age politicians struck a sharp contrast with leaders of Big Business in that politicians based their decisions on morality alone.

Question 60

Why was Lester Frank Ward's Dynamic Sociology considered a challenge to William Graham Sumner's "social Darwinism"?

A) Whereas Ward embraced the notion of "survival of the fittest," Sumner embraced the notion of "survival of the smartest."
B) Whereas Ward believed that humans had no control over their destiny, Sumner argued that as the best fit organisms, humans had great power to promote public welfare.
C) Whereas Ward believed that Darwinian evolution was an important discovery, Sumner strongly felt that it went against the beliefs of Christianity.
D) Whereas Ward believed intellect, informed by science, gave humans the ability to shape social change, Sumner believed society functioned according to natural selection.
E) Whereas Ward denied the existence of evolution, Sumner focused entirely on the scientific theory of evolution as opposed to its social implications.

Question 61

By the end of the Gilded Age, the values of a metropolitan and industrial America had triumphed
over those of a rural and agrarian America. What evidence supports this statement?

Question 62

What was one reason why the Democratic convention in 1896 held in Chicago was one of the greatest turning points in American political history?

A) Cleveland emerged as stronger than ever due to his success in quickly responding to and curbing the depression of 1893, setting a precedent for future presidents.
B) The economic issues of everyday people were largely forgotten, as candidates focused solely on how best to support Big Business in their speeches and campaigns to the public.
C) Promises made to African Americans and immigrants for the first time became the central focus of a presidential election, as they were considered the most influential block of voters.
D) The Democratic Party was fractured, and the Silverite, largely rural delegates surprised the party leadership and the "Gold Democrats," or "goldbugs," by capturing control of the convention.
E) For the first time since the Civil War, the Democrats developed a unified platform that would go on to earn them votes in all areas of the country and secure them a presidential victory.

Question 63

Compare social Darwinism and reform Darwinism. What were the basic assumptions of each movement?

Question 64

One of the causes of the 1893 depression was failure of

A) the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad.
B) the stock market.
C) the commodity price index.
D) housing starts in 1891 and 1892.
E) regulation of the railroads on the part of Cleveland.

Question 65

Describe the Election of 1896, including the key issues and candidates. As part of your
response, be sure to address the significance of this election for populism in America.

Question 66

How did immigration to America change in the latter half of the nineteenth century, and what
was the response to that change?

Question 67

During the 1896 campaign, William Jennings Bryan

A) promised to continue the policies of Grover Cleveland.
B) tried to deemphasize his platform's demand for free silver.
C) spoke and campaigned all over the country.
D) refused to mix politics and religion.
E) ran what journalists called a "front-porch campaign."

Question 68

Describe politics in the Gilded Age. What were the main issues? What factors influenced
voters to be either Republican or Democrat?

Question 69

Following the 1893 depression, Coxey's Army

A) demanded government jobs for the unemployed.
B) organized a massive protest march down Wall Street.
C) tried to overthrow the government.
D) carried Cleveland into the White House.
E) formed as a faction of Republican congressmen.

Question 70

Which of the following was an important issue for the People's party in the election of 1896?

A) reducing government regulation of business
B) the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act
C) federal Indian policy
D) preserving the gold standard
E) the free coinage of silver

Question 71

Describe how living in an urban environment impacted women's lives.

Question 72

Which of the following accurately describes Cleveland's response to the depression of 1893?

A) He led with such authority and promise that he managed to prevent a wave of labor unrest from occurring.
B) He acted too conservatively, causing the weak economy to have less money in circulation when it needed more.
C) As a populist, he had the primary objective of promoting capitalism and, in effect, refused to interfere in the economy.
D) He became a national hero because most of the country blamed the economic crisis on the Republicans and their legislation.
E) He sent Coxey's army to the hardest-hit regions of the country to help citizens cope with the economic downturn.

Question 73

The People's party (the Populists) supported which candidate in the election of 1896?

A) William McKinley
B) William Jennings Bryan
C) James Weaver
D) Benjamin Harrison
E) Theodore Roosevelt

Question 74

Describe the "urban culture" and discuss its growth in the later part of the nineteenth century.
How did life in the big city reflect the changes and challenges of urbanization?

Question 75

Discuss the status of the American economy as the nineteenth century came to an end.
Be sure to include the issues of currency and the tension between the silverites and
the goldbugs.

Question 76

What was the significance of William Jennings Bryan's "cross of gold" speech in which he famously said, "You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold"?

A) Bryan's speech came to represent his "front-porch campaign" in which he allowed other Republicans to do much of the talking and adopted a strictly middle-of-the-road approach in order to retain the votes of "goldbugs."
B) The Republicans were so moved by Bryan's speech that they threw their support behind him, ushering in a new era in which there were few major philosophical differences between parties and it was more about the candidate.
C) Bryan's speech guaranteed that the Populists would go on to win the presidential election of 1896, thereby officially marking the end of the traditional two-party system in the United States for much of the next century.
D) In agreeing to continue to back Bryan, despite the scandal that was the focus of his speech, Democrats openly showed that they prized party loyalty above all else and would ignore public opinion in terms of elections.
E) Aware of the high stakes of the election due to the depression, Democrats who had supported Cleveland were alienated by Bryan's positions in the speech, dismissed him as a socialist, and nominated their own candidate.

Question 77

How did farmers respond to the economic and political challenges of the last few decades
of the nineteenth century? As part of your response, be sure to address how this response
may have changed between the 1870s and 1890s.

Question 78

Match each description with the item below.
William Jennings Bryan

A)was a government employee who had worked his way out of poverty and became chief spokesperson for reform Darwinism
B)wrote On the Origin of Species and demonstrated the impact of the concept known as "natural selection"
C)was inaugurated as president at a time of economic recovery in part due to inflation following a depression
D)was a New York City painter known for his "spectatorial sensibility," observing the lives of others on the street and through windows
E)was a president who supported the Half-Breeds, gave an inaugural address passionately defending civil rights, and opposed labor unions and the women's vote
F)was a fiery, evangelical moralist who believed that allowing the masses to become prosperous would benefit every class
G)distanced himself as president from the Stalwarts, surprised many by becoming a civil service reformer, and contracted a kidney disease while in office
H)led march on Washington, D.C., to demand that the federal government provide jobs for the unemployed
I)was part of the Department of Agriculture and founded the Grange following a tour of the southern United States
J)was an attorney and charismatic speaker for the farm protest movement who believed the two political parties were dishonest

Question 79

What was one of the main reasons for McKinley's presidential victory?

A) Bryan could not win the support of rural America.
B) Bryan was a terrible orator who bored his audience with his speeches.
C) Bryan's "front-porch campaign" alienated many voters.
D) Bryan got little support from factory workers in the cities.
E) The Populists refused to support his candidacy.

Question 80

Describe the relationship among urbanization, immigration, and boss politics. In what ways
did all three grow simultaneously and influence one another?