Industrial Revolution

Question 1

What is the industrial revolution (1800s-early 20th century)?

Answer 1

The period when the U.S. economy went from agricultural to manufacturing.

Question 2

What were the main benefits of industrial revolution (5)?

Answer 2

1) labor movement
2) “Better” pay for the working class
3) lower cost of goods due to mass production
4) technological advancements (telephone, cars, electricity, etc.)
5) Eventually, government regulation of business practices

Question 3

What were the main woes of the industrial revolution (4)?

Answer 3

1) child labor
2) long working hours and hazardous working environments
3) poor sanitation and diseases due to overcrowding in cities
4) created increased demand for slave labor because of the cotton gin upped cotton use.

Question 4

What is the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890)?

Answer 4

A bill that prohibited monopoly.

Question 5

What is the Federal Reserve Act (1913)?

Answer 5

A bill that created the Federal Reserve System and the Central Bank to regulate monetary policies.

Question 6

What is the relationship between the industrial revolution and immigration?

Answer 6

The plentiful jobs and the success stories poised the U.S. as a land of economic opportunity. This narrative of the U.S. attracted millions of immigrants throughout the 19th century.

Question 7

Why did many of the 19th-century immigrants come to the U.S.?

Answer 7

Many came because of they wanted to gain economic prosperity, to escape political turmoil, or to attain religious freedom.

Question 8

What was the significance of the 19th-century immigration (4)?

Answer 8

1) increased U.S. population
2) changed U.S. ethnic demography
3) brought cultural diversity
4) created social tension

Question 9

Describe the First Wave of U.S. immigration

Answer 9

Occurred from 1820-1860.

The immigrants were mostly the Irish (1/3 of immigration) and Germans. Irish settled in cities close to the harbor, whereas Germans settled in midwestern cities.

This said, some of the immigrants were also Britons.

Question 10

Describe the Second Wave of U.S. immigration

Answer 10

Occurred from 1880-until the 1924 quota legislation

The immigrants were mostly from South and Central Europe (e.g. Italy, Russia, Greece, Poland, etc.).
Americans were not very welcoming to these immigrants as they were to the immigrants of the First Wave.

Question 11

What is the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882?

Answer 11

A legislation that prohibited Chinese immigration to the U.S.

Question 12

What is the Gentlemen Agreement (1907)?

Answer 12

An informal agreement between Theodore Roosevelt and the Japanese government. The agreement was for the Japanese government to limit Japanese immigration to the U.S. to professional and business people in exchange for the integration of Japanese and White students in the U.S.

Question 13

What is the Immigration Act of 1924?

Answer 13

A legislation that prohibited all Asian immigration to the U.S. and placed quotas on immigration from non-Western Europe.

Question 14

What is the Ellis Island?

Answer 14

Operated from 1892-1954
It was an immigration station located on the tip of the Hudson River close to New York; it was used to inspect incoming immigrants “for quality.”

Question 15

What Andrew Carnegie known for?

Answer 15

Steel tycoon

Question 16

What is JP Morgan Known for?

Answer 16

Banking magnet

Question 17

What is John D. Rockefeller known for?

Answer 17

Oil tycoon

Question 18

What is the highlights of the first industrial revolution (4)?

Answer 18

1) improved machinery (mostly in textile)
2) improved transportation (railroad, canal, steam ships)
3) improved telecommunication (telegraph)
4) market revolution

Question 19

What is the highlights of the second industrial revolution (6)?

Answer 19

1) improved processes (Bessemer steel process, standard time, refrigerated meat vehicles)
2) telephone
3) spread of electricity
4) mass production and consumer goods
5) deskilling and assembly line
6) banking and business investing

Question 20

What is the Glided Age (1865-1898)?

Answer 20

Marked by rapid economic growth, emergence of middle class, urban dwelling, factory work, economic disparity, and laisses faire capitalism

Question 21

What gave rise to the labor movement (later 1800s)?

Answer 21

Labor unions sprang up in response to the mistreatment of factory workers.

Laisses faire economy politics left business and labor regulations to business, but business were not fair in its treatment of workers (long hours, poor environment, small pay). These condition caused workers to start uniting by 1869 to demand better conditions.

Unions did not start making real progress in the lives of workers until early/mid 1900s.

Question 22

What are the when, why, and how of the U.S. imperial era?

Answer 22

Starting from 1898, after the U.S. had defeated Spain in the Spanish-American war, the U.S. established itself as Cuba’s “chaperone” and acquired Guam, Puerto Rico, and Philippines as territories. And in a separate event, U.S. planation owners dethrone Hawaii’s queen and the U.S. eventually annexed Hawaii.

The two chief reasons for becoming a an imperial power were to establish new markets and to gain raw materials for industry. Still some historians believe that the desire to garner the respect of other nations nations played a role as well.

Question 23

What was the Progressive movement?

Answer 23

Lasting from 1898-1920s, the progressive movement was an intense effort to improve society both socially and politically.

The industrial revolution brought about social problems such as unsanitary living conditions, labor abuse, child labor, and even government corruption. The progressives aimed to enact government policies to address these social problems.

This said, the progressive movement was no where close to perfect: many policies/practices were racist e.g. eugenics and anti-immigration laws.

Question 24

Explain Theodore Roosevelt’s “Big Stick Diplomacy”?

Answer 24

Teddy Roosevelt advocated for a strong army and navy and his foreign-policy mantra was “speak softly and carry a big stick.” Part of his Big Stick policy was to intervene in the financial affairs of Latin-American countries as a way of preventing European take over of these countries.