Question 1

What ultimately resulted in a decline in child labor?
A) mandatory school attendance
B) legislation by the Progressive era Congress
C) the decreasing population of young children
D) lower wages paid to children

Accepted Answer

Mandatory school attendance laws required children to attend school, reducing the time they could spend working and thus contributing to the decline in child labor.

Question 2

How did innovations that Henry Ford developed or improved like the assembly line and standardized parts benefit the automobile industry?
A) A wide variety of cars in different styles and colors were produced by the Ford Motor Company.
B) Workers were paid higher wages but worked longer hours so that they could afford to buy cars.
C) More cars were produced for less money and then sold for cheaper rates.
D) Workers had greater opportunities to organize a union at Ford Motor Company.

Accepted Answer

The assembly line and standardized parts allowed for more efficient production, reducing costs and enabling cars to be sold at lower prices, thus making them more accessible to a wider range of consumers.

Question 3

How did capitalists respond to Ohio Senator Mark Hanna's request that industrialists should turn labor into "the ally of the capitalist, rather than a foe"?
A) Most industrialists refused to compromise their authority and implemented more antiunion policies.
B) Most industrialists willingly met with labor leaders and mutually agreed to better workers' benefits.
C) Labor leaders turned down industrialists' compromises because they wanted to keep the strike as a measure of negotiation.
D) Industrialists gave labor leaders the authority to establish "closed shops" where all workers had to join the union.

Accepted Answer

Most industrialists were resistant to the idea of compromising with labor and saw maintaining strict control over their workforce as essential to their authority and business model. They continued or even intensified their antiunion policies rather than seeking to make labor an ally.

Question 4

How did laundry owner Curt Muller, who argued that current law deprived his workers of the right to control their own labor, react to the Supreme Court's decision in Muller v. Oregon?
A) He lowered the maximum hour rate for his female employees.
B) He fired all his female employees and replaced them with Chinese men.
C) He instituted more beneficial health and disability qualities for his female employees.
D) He hired a larger number of women to work in his laundry.

Accepted Answer

Curt Muller reacted to the Supreme Court's decision in Muller v. Oregon by firing all his female employees and replacing them with Chinese men. This was a direct response to the court's ruling, which upheld a law limiting women's work hours, and reflects how employers might seek to circumvent labor restrictions by hiring workers not covered by such laws.

Question 5

-Why did photographer Edward Curtis choose to portray many of the Native Americans, such as these Crow warriors, as figures riding off into the distance in his ethnographic project The North American Indian?
A) He wanted to publicize their skills as horsemen.
B) He wanted to show that many Indian cultures were already on the verge of disappearing.
C) He wanted to capture the variety and richness of Native American culture.
D) He wanted to keep the public aware of the problems related to forced assimilation.

Accepted Answer

Curtis aimed to capture the essence of Native American life and culture at a time when he believed it was disappearing, using imagery like figures riding off into the distance to symbolize the fading away of these cultures.

Question 6

-How does Jessie Willcox Smith's illustration from her 1909 book The Seven Ages of Childhood contradict what working-class children between the ages of 10 through 15 were experiencing in the early twentieth century?
A) Health rates for young children were essentially better than what is illustrated in this image.
B) Children like the five-year-old in the picture actually spent more time in school than at home.
C) Children had healthier dietary habits that went beyond eating bowls of porridge.
D) Over 1.75 million children were working in factories, home sweatshops, or farms at this time.

Accepted Answer

Smith's illustration likely depicts an idealized version of childhood, contrasting sharply with the reality that over 1.75 million children were engaged in labor, often under harsh conditions, rather than enjoying carefree moments.

Question 7

What preferred method did labor leaders use to try to ensure that health and family benefits offered by employers not be eliminated during times of economic downturn?
A) strikes
B) court injunctions
C) turning to government regulation
D) collective bargaining

Accepted Answer

Collective bargaining is the process through which labor leaders negotiate with employers on behalf of workers to ensure benefits, including health and family benefits, are maintained or improved. This method is preferred for addressing workers' rights and benefits directly with employers, rather than through strikes, legal action, or relying solely on government regulation.

Question 8

What was the general implication taken from the U.S. Supreme Court's statement "as healthy mothers are essential to vigorous offspring, the physical well-being of a woman becomes the object of public interest and care in order to preserve the strength and vigor of the race" in its decision in the 1908 case of Muller v. Oregon?
A) Working women were given paid maternity leave for six weeks.
B) Feminists who believed in total equality were satisfied with the Court's ruling.
C) Working women and Progressive women developed a "blacklist" of businesses that did not support women's equality.
D) Women won shorter working hours because the Court believed they were biologically inferior to men.

Accepted Answer

The Supreme Court's decision in Muller v. Oregon was based on the belief that women were physically weaker than men, and thus, needed special protection in the form of shorter working hours. This was not about promoting gender equality but rather about protecting women's supposed weaker physical state for the sake of future generations.

Question 9

What did novelist Upton Sinclair mean when he stated that he "…aimed for the public's heart, and by accident…hit it in the stomach," when he was referring to his novel The Jungle?
A) Rather than focusing on the concerns raised by the meat-packing industry, the public was more concerned about the negative impact of socialism.
B) The public misinterpreted Sinclair's intent about capitalism and mistook it for an endorsement of socialism.
C) Sinclair's novel meant to address how socialism was the only way to eliminate worker exploitation but instead shocked readers with his descriptions of the meat-packing industry.
D) President Roosevelt banned this novel after reading it because he felt the details were too scandalous.

Accepted Answer

Sinclair intended "The Jungle" to highlight the exploitation of workers and promote socialism as a solution, but readers were more shocked by the unsanitary conditions in the meat-packing industry he described, leading to reforms in food safety rather than labor.

Question 10

Why did many labor unions oppose the use of child labor in the workplace?
A) Child labor drove down adult wages.
B) Children had better opportunities to learn job skills in vocational schools rather than factories.
C) Children were only paid half or less of the wages earned by adults.
D) Children would be healthier if they worked outdoors on farms rather than indoors.

Accepted Answer

Many labor unions opposed child labor because it drove down adult wages, as children were paid significantly less, which allowed employers to reduce overall wage costs.

Question 11

-What factor contributed most to a shift from "wet" to "dry" states in the American West between 1904 and 1917?
A) growing problems with alcohol abuse by American Indians
B) women's acquisition of suffrage in the West before passage of the Nineteenth Amendment
C) the rise in violent crime and prostitution in Western cities due to alcohol
D) the increase in domestic violence resulting from the use of alcohol

Accepted Answer

Women's suffrage movements in the West played a significant role in the shift towards prohibition. Women activists, who were often at the forefront of the temperance movement, gained the right to vote in several Western states before the Nineteenth Amendment was passed nationally. They used their newfound political power to advocate for prohibition laws, significantly influencing the shift from "wet" to "dry" states in the American West during this period.

Question 12

What was one drawback of Frederick Winslow Taylor's scientific management system used at Ford Motor Company to promote efficiency?
A) eliminating workers' independence and creativity
B) speeding up the production process
C) increasing the mechanization of factories
D) providing more autonomy for the factory laborer

Accepted Answer

Frederick Winslow Taylor's scientific management system, aimed at improving industrial efficiency, often led to the elimination of workers' independence and creativity by breaking down tasks into smaller, repetitive processes that required less skill and decision-making from the workers. This approach prioritized efficiency and productivity over the individual worker's input or creative potential.

Question 13

-How does this photograph of a Ford assembly line reflect Henry Ford's statement that "the men do their work and go home-a factory is not a drawing room"?
A) Ford established a rule prohibiting workers from talking to each other on the assembly line.
B) Ford neglected his workers by not furnishing them with company-owned homes.
C) Ford believed that employers did not have a right to interfere in their employees' private lives.
D) Ford offered benefits only to certain men who met specific moral criteria.

Accepted Answer

Ford's statement reflects his belief in efficiency and productivity, which is why he established rules like prohibiting workers from talking to each other on the assembly line to maintain focus and efficiency.

Question 14

Why were Progressives concerned about radical trade unions like the Industrial Workers of the World?
A) The IWW's goal was to create "one big union" that welcomed all workers.
B) The IWW's key objective was to abolish private property and formal government.
C) The IWW launched sympathy boycotts to support fellow workers on strike.
D) The IWW used its economic power of collective bargaining to negotiate with employers.

Accepted Answer

The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), also known as the Wobblies, aimed for a radical restructuring of society, including the abolition of private property and formal government. This goal was far more extreme than the reforms typically advocated by Progressives, who generally sought to improve working conditions and reduce corporate power within the existing capitalist and governmental frameworks.

Question 15

-How did Lewis Hines's investigation of injured Pittsburgh workers that used photographs like this one of a young coal miner amputee help advance Progressive goals?
A) Employers paid immediate hospital expenses for the injured, but then let them fend for their selves.
B) Employers established medical practices and hospitals in their company towns.
C) States launched worker compensation programs that provided disability payments and medical care to the injured.
D) The wealthy instituted private charitable foundations to help injured workers survive.

Accepted Answer

Lewis Hine's photographs of injured workers, including young coal miner amputees, played a significant role in raising public awareness about the harsh realities and dangers of industrial labor. This awareness contributed to the push for reforms, including the establishment of worker compensation programs by states. These programs were designed to provide disability payments and medical care to injured workers, thus addressing some of the critical issues highlighted by Hine's work.

Question 16

-What type of emotion might saloonkeepers and their clients have felt when they saw prohibitionist Carry A. Nation in costume and with hatchet as she would march into saloons?
A) humor
B) religious devotion
C) fear
D) strength

Accepted Answer

Saloonkeepers and their clients likely felt fear when they saw Carry A. Nation, known for her extreme tactics of smashing saloon bars with a hatchet as part of her campaign against alcohol during the Prohibition era. Her actions were direct threats to their business and lifestyle.

Question 17

The Slaughter-House cases (1874) and Lochner v. New York (1905) were anti-Progressive cases in which the U.S. Supreme Court struck down .
A) labor's right to negotiate wages with employers
B) workers' membership and participation in unions
C) pro-union strikes and boycotts
D) employees' requests for shorter working hours

Accepted Answer

The Slaughter-House Cases primarily dealt with the interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment and did not directly address labor issues. Lochner v. New York, on the other hand, struck down a law that set maximum working hours, thus impacting employees' requests for shorter working hours. This decision was seen as anti-Progressive because it limited the government's ability to impose regulations on businesses for the welfare of workers.

Question 18

How did the 1914 Ludlow Massacre that ended with the deaths of 13 women and children after Colorado state troops set fire to their camp reveal about the shortcomings of the Progressive movement?
A) Unions realized that they needed more than just government support to solve their problems.
B) Industrialists continued to fail to provide company housing for their workers.
C) Members of similar unions remained disunited when it came to supporting their comrades.
D) The media remained insensitive to tragic situations like the Ludlow Massacre.

Accepted Answer

The Ludlow Massacre highlighted the limitations of the Progressive movement, particularly in its reliance on government support for labor reforms. Despite the movement's efforts to improve working conditions and support workers' rights, the tragedy showed that government and political support could be inconsistent or insufficient in protecting workers' interests, especially in conflicts with powerful industrial interests.

Question 19

-How might Progressives' reactions to Lewis Hine's "Sadie Pfeiffer, Lancaster Cotton Mills, South Carolina" have differed from their reactions to his photo "Newsies Smoking on a Monday Morning, St. Louis, Missouri, 1910"?
A) Progressives probably would have been angry that the little girl was standing idle but amused at the young boys' antics.
B) Progressives probably would have been accepting of the little girl's working under adult supervision but angry that three young boys were working without such supervision.
C) Progressives probably would have felt protective of the little girl working practically alone in the big factory but would have been upset by the vice of the young boys.
D) Progressives probably would have feared what the future held for the young boys but would not have been as concerned about the future of the little girl.

Accepted Answer

Progressives were concerned with child labor and its impacts on children's welfare and future. The image of Sadie Pfeiffer working alone in a large factory would likely have evoked a protective response due to her vulnerable situation. The photo of the "Newsies" smoking, a vice, would have also concerned Progressives, reflecting their broader agenda to protect children from exploitation and harmful environments.

Question 20

Why did temperance organizations like the Anti-Saloon League and the Women's Christian Temperance Union appeal to rural residents of this country?
A) They were concerned about the influence of urban pleasures and beer-drinking immigrants.
B) There was a serious problem with the production and sale of moonshine liquor in rural areas.
C) Saloons contributed to the nation's troubles with labor by providing a place for unions to meet.
D) Saloons served as headquarters where dishonest urban politicians paid immigrants for votes.

Accepted Answer

Rural residents were often concerned about the influence of urban pleasures and the behaviors of immigrants, particularly those associated with drinking, which temperance organizations opposed.

Quiz 18: Creating a Democratic Paradise: The Progressive Era, 1895-1915

What ultimately resulted in a decline in child labor?

How did innovations that Henry Ford developed or improved like the assembly line and standardized parts benefit the automobile industry?

How did capitalists respond to Ohio Senator Mark Hanna's request that industrialists should turn labor into "the ally of the capitalist, rather than a foe"?

How did laundry owner Curt Muller, who argued that current law deprived his workers of the right to control their own labor, react to the Supreme Court's decision in Muller v. Oregon?

-Why did photographer Edward Curtis choose to portray many of the Native Americans, such as these Crow warriors, as figures riding off into the distance in his ethnographic project The North American Indian?

-How does Jessie Willcox Smith's illustration from her 1909 book The Seven Ages of Childhood contradict what working-class children between the ages of 10 through 15 were experiencing in the early twentieth century?

What preferred method did labor leaders use to try to ensure that health and family benefits offered by employers not be eliminated during times of economic downturn?

What did novelist Upton Sinclair mean when he stated that he "…aimed for the public's heart, and by accident…hit it in the stomach," when he was referring to his novel The Jungle?

Why did many labor unions oppose the use of child labor in the workplace?

-What factor contributed most to a shift from "wet" to "dry" states in the American West between 1904 and 1917?

What was one drawback of Frederick Winslow Taylor's scientific management system used at Ford Motor Company to promote efficiency?

-How does this photograph of a Ford assembly line reflect Henry Ford's statement that "the men do their work and go home-a factory is not a drawing room"?

Why were Progressives concerned about radical trade unions like the Industrial Workers of the World?

-How did Lewis Hines's investigation of injured Pittsburgh workers that used photographs like this one of a young coal miner amputee help advance Progressive goals?

-What type of emotion might saloonkeepers and their clients have felt when they saw prohibitionist Carry A. Nation in costume and with hatchet as she would march into saloons?

The Slaughter-House cases (1874) and Lochner v. New York (1905) were anti-Progressive cases in which the U.S. Supreme Court struck down .

How did the 1914 Ludlow Massacre that ended with the deaths of 13 women and children after Colorado state troops set fire to their camp reveal about the shortcomings of the Progressive movement?

-How might Progressives' reactions to Lewis Hine's "Sadie Pfeiffer, Lancaster Cotton Mills, South Carolina" have differed from their reactions to his photo "Newsies Smoking on a Monday Morning, St. Louis, Missouri, 1910"?

Why did temperance organizations like the Anti-Saloon League and the Women's Christian Temperance Union appeal to rural residents of this country?