AP US History Unit 4 MCQs Flashcards
The “new immigrants” who arrived in the United States after the Civil War were different from the “old immigrants” in that they
D. Spoke different languages and had different customs than most Americans and thus were not easily assimilated
- Prior to the Civil War, immigrants predominately came from Northwestern Europe
- Mostly Protestant and spoke English easily fitting into the American society
- By 1880, “new immigrants” were from Southeastern Europe whom were mainly Catholics
and Jewish (culture was different than America’s) - Immigrants typically settled in ethnic neighborhoods of large cities like New York and Chicago
- Caused competition in the demand of unskilled factory labor
- Many new immigrants were discriminated against by their employers
- Irish began to discriminate the new ethnic groups because they were now considered “American” since they were not the new immigrants
Which of the following is true of the American rail system in the nineteenth century?
A. Government subsidies and land grants played a major role in its expansion
- Wanted to create infrastructure within the United States
- Passed Pacific Railroad Acts in 1862 giving federal land to railway corporations who agreed to
build railway systems connecting the east and west - Given large sums of cash grants to aid construction and to create connectivity between people so more economic intercourse can occur
- Idea was that if the government stimulated commerce by giving private corporations incentives to build railways, and if farmers, merchants, and travelers used the rail systems, America could
produce more goods, transport them more easily, make more money, and the federal government could tax it all - Beginning of government intervention into the American economy in a large way
“The price which society pays for the law of competition…is great; but the advantages of this law are greater…. Whether the law be benign or not, we must say of it: It is here; we cannot evade it;…it is the best for the race, because it ensures the survival of the fittest in every department.”
B. Social Darwinism
- Based on Darwin’s theory of evolution (fittest to survive, survive and thrive)
- Steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie promoted it
- Competition in an unregulated free market would produce the “fittest” products, companies,
businessmen and succeed - Rich and power men would provide jobs for the lower members of society and use their wealth to
build libraries, public parks, and other social institutions - Lead to a stronger economy
In the late nineteenth century, political machines such as Tammany Hall were successful primarily because
E. Machine politicians provided needed jobs and services to naturalized citizens in return for their votes
- City necessities such as sanitation, sewers, garbage collection, public schools, running water piped in homes were needed since millions of people flooded into the cities
- Political machines provided the services to the people but they were extremely corrupt and used illegal methods
- Political bosses were trying to become rich and influential resulting in a high political, social, and financial cost of the services
- Boss Tweed was the third largest landowner of New York who controlled many industries
- Controlled people by creating public work leading to the creation of jobs
- Demanded political support to those whom they had controlled over and sometimes used violence
- Also stole public money and gave building contracts to friends for bribe
- Expected votes in return so he could stay in power of the cities
The Free Silver campaign of 1896 received its greatest popular support from
E. Farmers, who hoped that a more generous money supply would ease their debt burdens
- Farming was a less profitable business due to the Industrial Revolution with farming machines,
cheap labor, and a large number of farmers in the west - Farmers were put largely in debt because crop prices dropped
- William Jennings Bryan believed it was unnecessary for the government to hold reserve amount of gold equal to the value of paper circulation
- Wanted to used silver to back the dollar at a value that would inflate the prices farmers received
from their crops - The more money there is available, the less it is worth
- Farmers would have to pay less money for their debts
- Businessmen and creditors favored the gold standard
Jacob A. Riis was a famous “muckraker” who wrote about
C. The misery of tenement life
- Reform journalist who searches and exposes the misconduct in public life
- Photojournalist during the industrial age
- Published his novel “How the Other Half Lives” in 1890
- Exposed things in society that needed to be fixed
- Argued for better housing, sanitation, construction of city parks and playgrounds
- Encouraged the middle-class and upper-class citizens to take an active role in shaping their
communities
What best accounts for the sharp increase of immigrants during the period 1880-1910?
A. Many southern and eastern Europeans turned to America for financial gain and political freedom
- Largest wave of immigration to the US occurred during this period
- Was a result of political and economic upheaval in Europe
- This so-called “new immigration” brought immigrants from southern and eastern Europe as well as Asia
- Between 1880 and 1910, approximately 12 million people came to the United States
- Many came to escape poverty persecution
- Led to the formation of ethnic neighborhoods with many becoming industrial workers
Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle influenced the country and ultimately led to the passage of
D. The Pure Food and Drug Act
- Attacked the meatpacking industry
- Teddy Roosevelt was sickened by the ideas written in the “The Jungle”
- There was no sanitation or regulations made through the meat industry as expressed through the publication of the book
- Led to the creation of the act to improve the overall image and standards of these food industry
- Act forbade the manufacture or sale of mislabeled or adulterated foods or drugs
- Gave the government broad powers to ensure the safety and efficiency of food and drugs
Which of the following was NOT a result of Reconstruction?
E. Government grants of 40 acres and a mule to each freedman
- Part of Sherman’s March to the Sea
- Tens of thousands of freed men followed General Sherman for protection across Georgia
- Sherman offered the freed men 40 acres and a mule on the islands and coastal regions of Georgia
that used to belonged to Southern plantations owners - Many freedmen saw the policy as a passage for them to finally own land after years of servitude
- President Johnson ordered all land in the South to be returned to its previous land owners as one
of his first acts during Reconstruction
Which of the following acts was the most beneficial to labor?
A. The Clayton Antitrust Act
- Gave the government power to break up monopolies
- Continuation of the Sherman Antitrust Act
- Strengthened the Sherman Antitrust Act by being more specific and not as loose
- Outlawed certain specific practices
- Tried to protect the rights of the average worker
- Goals: To restrict businesses from becoming too large and controlling prices and to promote healthy competition amongst businesses
- Helped the labor movement by making strikes, picketing, boycotts, and other labor activities legal
Which of the following was NOT a result of the Compromise of 1877?
D. The Democrats took back the House and the Senate
- Also known as the Second Corrupt Bargain
- Democrats allowed Hayes, the Republican candidate, to assume presidency in return for the
end of Reconstruction - Union military withdrew from the South
- Democratic Party was the party of the South
- Did not have much influence in the House or Senate until the 20th century since the Northern Republicans were in control
Which of the following is most closely associated with the Populist Movement?
C. Free coinage of silver
- Also known as the Grassroot Movement appealing to the interests of the ordinary people
- William Jennings Bryan advocated for Free Silver (minting of silver coins to gold)
- Movement advocated for the incorporation of silver into the American economy to back paper
money - More money would be available if silver was incorporated into the economy making it worth less
- Would allow farmers to be able to repay their fixed loans to the bank
- Farmers wanted to devalue currency in America to relieve their financial burden to banks
Which of the following statements regarding the American Federation of labor is NOT true?
D. Its greatest appeal was to new immigrants, many of whom were unskilled
- Led by Samuel Gompers
- Was a alliance of skilled workers in craft unions
- Federations together had more power in the face of industry
- Focused on higher wages, shorter hours, and better working conditions
- Provided skilled laborers with a union that was unified, large, and strong
- Fought for worker rights in a non-violent way
- Excluded unskilled workers, women, African Americans, Latinos, and other minorities
Which of the following is true of the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887?
B. It was an attempt to assimilate the Indians into American society through individual land grants
- US government ended the system that treated Native Americans as they were nations since the American Revolution
- Indian tribes lost legal standing
- In exchange for renouncing their tribal holdings, Indians would become American citizens and would receive individual land grants
- Caused Indian rights associations to spring up across the country
- Consensus grew that Indians must be helped to become full members of American society
- Lands that were originally allotted to tribes were given to individual families
All of the following contributed to the rise of big business EXCEPT
E. The Northern Securities decision of 1904
- It was a holding company that controlled many American railroads, Standard Oil, and the American Tobacco Company
- Went against the Sherman Antitrust Act
- Roosevelt broke up the corporation
- Believed corporations who abused their power should be punished
- Earned Roosevelt the title “trustbuster”
The “Ghost Dance” movement among the Western Native Americans stressed all of the following except
D. Nonviolence
- Called for a return to the traditional ways of life and challenged white dominance in society
- Manifestation of the Indians’ anger, fear, and hope regarding white invaders, US army brutalization, and oppression of indigenous nations
- Believed engaging in religious rituals would make the white men disappeared and buffalos would return
- Indians practicing the Ghost Dance were describe as “wild and crazy” making it seem violent to the white men
- Government believed the dance was a precursor to renew Native American militancy and violent rebellion
Frederick Jackson Turner’s “frontier hypothesis” focused on the importance of
E. The existence of cheap unsettled land
- American historian who said that humanity would continue to progress as long as there was new land to move into
- The American frontier was the region of most rapid “americanization” and the place where democracy flourished
- Argued that the frontier was significant in; (1) shaping the American character; (2) defining the American spirit; (3) fostering democracy, and (4) providing a safety valve for economic distress in urban, industrial centers
- Represented the opportunity to start over by venturing out to unoccupied lands to strike rich
During the closing decades of the nineteenth century, farmers complained about all of the following EXCEPT
A. Rising commodity (goods) prices
- Based on the scale of economy
- Occurred because of overproduction
- More a product is produced, the cheaper the product is
- Farmers were part of the Populist Movement
- Purchasing products is not as expensive so it relieves their debts and burdens to the banks
- Help maintain their fixed loans rather than adding to it
