Quiz #1 – Flashcards

By 1890, the majority of Americans: A) worked as farmers. B)worked in the mining industry. C) were moving into the middle class. D)worked for wages. E) worked as independent craftsmen.

Which of the following statements best summarizes the reasons for the tripling of railroad track miles in the U.S. between 1860 and 1890? A) Federal and state governments aided private investments by investing and subsidizing railroad operations. B) Foreign capital funded the railroad boom, especially in the West. C) Private investment and massive grants of land and money by the federal, state, and local governments spurred the building. D) The government built the tracks and accrued vast debts and deficits in the process. E) New technologies made the construction of rail lines cheap, quick, and easy.

In 1883, who divided the nation into the four major time zones still used today? A) An organization of Western states B) A politically-connected group of powerful Chicago businessmen C) The major railroad companies D) The federal government E) A trust made up of the leading mining and lumber companies

The economic development of the American West was based on: A) lumber, mining industries, tourism, and farming. B) the cooperation of the Plains Indians. C) transportation modes other than the railroad. D) the continued spread of self-sufficient farmers. E) farming only.

What was the aim of Carlisle, a boarding school for Indians? A) To convert them to Christianity so they would become missionaries on the reservations. B) To civilize them, making them "American" (as whites defined the term). C) To prepare them for life on a reservation. D) To train them in the professional skills necessary to return to the reservation as doctors and teachers. E) To prepare them for service in the U.S. military.

Elections during the Gilded Age: A) were generally quiet affairs with few rallies or speeches. B) brought an end to the Democrat Party's control of the South. C) suffered from a lack of party loyalty among voters. D) suffered from low voter turnout. E) were usually closely contested, especially at the national level.

The Grange was an organization that: A) established cooperatives for storing and marketing farm output. B) pushed for railroads to acquire more land in the West. C) pushed for an eight-hour work day. D) sought to raise railroad rates. E) opposed government regulation of shipping charges.

One of the reasons the Great Strike of 1877 was important is that: A) not since the Civil War had so many people been killed. B) the victory won by labor was the greatest for the labor movement in all of American history. C) it proved the theory of Social Darwinism. D) it underscored the tensions produced by the rapid industrialization of the time. E) it showed how effective the Knights of Labor could be in organizing workers.

In his speech "A Second Declaration of Independence," labor leader Ira Steward argued that the most pressing problem facing the nation was: A) the growing gap between the rich and the poor. B) the rise of bonanza farming. C) railroad and transportation costs. D) slavery. E) westward expansion.

All of the following factors contributed to the explosive economic growth during the Gilded Age EXCEPT: A) availability of capital for investment. B) low tariffs. C) abundant natural resources. D) an abundant and growing labor supply. E) federal land grants to railroads.