period 6 (1865-1898)

Question 1

what is the period after the reconstruction era called? what is it generally known for?

Answer 1

the gilded age
known for the start of big corporation/big business corruption, an unstable economy, political corruption, the rise of the populist party, the growth of the second industrial revolution, the rise of urbanization and bad city conditions, the rise of the factory, new immigration v.s. old immigration (continued through progressive era), changing roles of women, and the “new south”

Question 2

what effects did the mechanization of agriculture have on farmers’ businesses?

Answer 2

made farming a lot more efficient, and fewer people were needed
overproduction
made agriculture a lot less expensive
sabotaged small farmers because buying the machines needed for mechanized agriculture was really only realistic for large landowners- small farms couldn’t afford it- helped the growth of large-scale farming business

Question 3

what problems did farmers have in the early gilded age? (before the crime of ‘73)

Answer 3

railroad companies were unfair to farmers (preference to other businesses, overcharging, no rebate, etc.)
tight currency supply left farmers unable to pay debts
not making as much money because of lowered agricultural prices and isolationist mindset of u.s.

Question 4

describe the inflation dilemma of farmers- why did they want inflation?

Answer 4

they were in a lot of debt because of paying for mechanization, and the price of agricultural goods going down
if inflation happened, the debts they owed wouldn’t be inflated, but the amount of money they made for their crops would be inflated
making it easier to pay back their debts

Question 5

what was the banking system before the resumption act of 1875 or the crime of ‘73?

Answer 5

paper currency backed by gold and silver

Question 6

what was the populist party?

Answer 6

a political party representing laborers and farmers

against deflation/small supply of money and against big business

Question 7

what was the grange? when was the grange founded?

Answer 7

founded in 1867

a group of farmers that pushed for laws to protect farmers’ interests

Question 8

what and when was the wabash case?

Answer 8

1886 supreme court decision stating states could not make rules regulating interstate trade

Question 9

what and when was the interstate commerce act?

Answer 9

1887 act that established rules for proper business and meant to eliminate monopolies in the railroad industry
forced railroads to publish rates ahead of time- meant to get rid of unfair treatment of farmers

Question 10

when and what was the chinese exclusion act?

Answer 10

1882 act that inhibited chinese immigration to america

Question 11

what were boomtowns?

Answer 11

towns that were set up very quickly by people moving westward for mining

Question 12

how were cowboys and cattle related?

Answer 12

the cattle would take over large grazing areas in the great plains
this also destroyed the buffalo population
cowboys would round them up and herd them to railroad stops
this stopped later on into the gilded age

Question 13

how was the farming system in the west like throughout the second industrial revolution?

Answer 13

similar to the farming systems of the south and its large-scale agriculture business

Question 14

what and when was the indian peace commission?

Answer 14

1867 attempt to make peace and stop all the fighting

failed

Question 15

what and when was the battle of little big horn, or custer’s last stand?

Answer 15

1874 battle between americans and natives

turning point in americans establishing authority over natives

Question 16

what was president grant’s policy for the native americans?

Answer 16

assimilation- he would attempt to absorb them into american culture

Question 17

what and when was the dawes severalty act?

Answer 17

1887 act that dissolved native tribes as legal landholding entities, and split up the land into smaller plots of land for individual native families

Question 18

what was the carlisle institute?

Answer 18

a school during the gilded age that tried to educate young natives to become more american

Question 19

what was the ghost dance movement?

Answer 19

american indian cultural movement during the gilded age (or after the age of the indian wars) that emphasized cooperation, and a spiritual practice involving dancing

Question 20

what and when was the wounded knee massacre? why did it happen?

Answer 20

1890 massacre of american indians.

meant to put an end to the ghost dance movement and the age of indian wars

Question 21

what was sharecropping? how did it affect black people?

Answer 21

southern farming practice involving renting out tools and a portion of land from a wealthy white landowner, and paying the money back each harvest with a portion of crops
gave black people similar conditions to slavery, with only a little more autonomy, but showed how economic conditions for blacks did not change a lot

Question 22

what and when was the plessy v. ferguson case?

Answer 22

1896 supreme court decision legalizing jim crow laws, or segregation
“separate but equal” was okay

Question 23

what and when were the slaughterhouse cases?

Answer 23

1873 cases that declared national rights were different from state rights, and the 14th amendment only protected national rights, and couldn’t be used to stop segregation

Question 24

what were jim crow laws?

Answer 24

southern laws that legalized segregation

Question 25

who was booker t. washington? how did he relate to du bois?

Answer 25

black activist who believed that in order for black people to gain a higher status in society, they needed to become financially educated and wealthy. thus, he favored a slower approach to assimilating african americans.
du bois disagreed with him, believing in immediate action against any discrimination

Question 26

what were the main differences between the first and second industrial revolutions?

Answer 26

the first had coal, while the second had steam power. the first focused on the development of machines, the second focused on the development of work and how work could be sped up using machinery. the second also emphasized the rise of big industry, and more attention for unions

Question 27

what factors aided the growing middle class during the gilded age?

Answer 27

the development of many different white collar and managerial jobs

Question 28

who was carnegie? what company did he create? how did he build his monopoly?

Answer 28

robber baron that owned a steel company called U.S steel

used vertical integration

Question 29

who was rockefeller? what company did he create? how did he build his monopoly?

Answer 29

robber barron that owned an oil company- standard oil. used horizontal integration

Question 30

who was j.p.morgan? what companies was he associated with? how did he build his monopoly?

Answer 30

robber barron that worked in the steel, railroad, and banking industries, and was most successful in the banking industry
used horizontal integration

Question 31

why was the closing of the frontier significant to america? when did this happen, and what were its effects?

Answer 31

it represented how manifest destiny was no longer
about reconstruction/gilded age era
it encouraged the more interventionist mood in the late 1800’s of america. new markets were needed, and many were eager to continuing by expanding into foreign markets.

Question 32

what was the gospel of wealth?

Answer 32

idea that the rich should spend their money responsibly, to try and improve the country or social problems

Question 33

what was the social gospel movement?

Answer 33

idea that churches should address social issues

Question 34

what led to an increase in the standard of life during the gilded age? what were some differences between social classes?

Answer 34

the increase in production and availability of many products, and the mechanization of manufacturing lowering the prices of many objects.
the gap between social classes was widening drastically because the rich had monopolies and big business

Question 35

what is a labor union? how did industrialization and urbanization and the popularization of factories lead to a growth in labor unions?

Answer 35

a labor union is a group of workers that organize to promote their interests and campaign for them.
as more businesses grew larger and more people moved to cities to work for them, there was a lot of competition
the increased mechanization of many industries also decrease the value of a single worker- the work they did was less specific and skilled, so the worker was more replaceable
more businesses began to pay workers less, and make their conditions worse
to combat this, workers formed unions- or organized groups of workers that advocated for their rights

Question 36

what and when were some labor battles during the gilded age?

Answer 36

great railroad strike 1877- strike of railroad workers due to wage cuts
haymarket square incident 1886- a strike that turned violent on both sides, and made many people blame the knights of labor
pullman strike 1894- railroad strike regarding wage cuts
coxey’s army 1894- group of workers that marched to the capital in an attempt to get the government to do something about the panic of 1893

Question 37

what and when was the exoduster movement?

Answer 37

movement of african americans during reconstruction and the gilded age from the south to to the north for jobs, and due to lack of political power and discrimination in the south

Question 38

describe the conditions of cities during the second industrial revolution.

Answer 38

horrible.
there were houses called “dumbbell tenements” meant to house many workers. sanitation and sewage system almost didn’t exist, and it was very easy to get sick

Question 39

what were some famous authors during the gilded age? what were they primarily known for?

Answer 39

horacio alger- known for writing stories encapsulating the american dream of getting rich quickly
edward bellamy- condemned capitalism because of big business and advocated for socialism
bret harte- romanticized the western way of life, with cowboys and tales of gold and mining

Question 40

what were some important developments of the entertainment industries during the second industrial revolution?

Answer 40

shopping malls and amusement parks

sports became highly popular

Question 41

how did the expectation of a woman’s role change during the gilded age?

Answer 41

women challenged the ideals of the “cult of domesticity”

Question 42

what were some feminist societies formed during the gilded/reconstruction ages? when were they started?

Answer 42

women’s christian temperance union- 1874 (promoted prohibition)
national american women’s suffrage association, or nawsa- 1890 (advocated for the woman’s right to vote)

Question 43

who was william jennings bryan? what was the “cross of gold” speech?

Answer 43

democratic candidate for president against mckinley in the election of 1896
“cross of gold speech”- speech that condemned the gold standard and promoted the populist ideal of currency not backed by hard money

Question 44

what and when was the resumption act?

Answer 44

1875 act that started taking greenbacks out of the economy, causing deflation and a tighter supply of money

Question 45

what was the crime of ‘73?

Answer 45

1873 act that put the united states into a gold standard rather than a bimetallic standard (silver could no longer be coined)

Question 46

what were the main differences between democrats and republicans in the late 1800’s?

Answer 46

democrats didn’t support big businesses and wanted lower tariffs
republicans supported big businesses and wanted high tariff rates

Question 47

what years was hayes president? political party?

Answer 47

1877-1881

republican

Question 48

what years was garfield president? political party?

Answer 48

1881-1881

republican

Question 49

what years was arthur president? political party?

Answer 49

1881-1885

republican

Question 50

what years was cleveland president (both terms)? political party?

Answer 50

1885-1889
1893-1897
democrat

Question 51

what years was benjamin harrison president? political party?

Answer 51

1889-1893

republican

Question 52

what and when was the pendleton civil service act?

Answer 52

1883 act that established a system that distributed government jobs based on a difficult test
(established a merit system for government jobs)

Question 53

what were political machines? what effect did they have on society? what was one of the most prominent political machines?

Answer 53

political groups that controlled the local government and thus controlled the political decisions of an area
they caused political corruption
helped immigrants assimilate by offering them jobs in exchange for their vote
tammany hall/tweed ring

Question 54

describe the financial status of the gilded age, and any important groups or developments.

Answer 54

main points include the development of big business, the gold and silver issue, rise in standard of living due to growth in production
important groups: the grange, the populist party, the robber barrons, and the middle class

Question 55

what was the new south?

Answer 55

transformation of the south from an agrarian society to an industrialized one

Question 56

what were some famous labor unions? what characteristics or differences did they each have?

Answer 56

knights of labor- accepted everyone, associated with the 1877 hay market square incident
american federation of labor- discriminated based on skilled or unskilled workers
industrial workers of the world- accepted everyone
national labor union- largest, first, discriminated based on race