CHAPTER REVIEW
Rapid Review Guide
To achieve the perfect 5, you should be able to explain the following:
• The industrial growth that occurred in the United States during this era made the United States the major industrial producer of the world.
• The industrial growth was largely based on the expansion of heavy industry; the availability of steel was critical to this expansion.
• Taylorism and the assembly line created major changes in the workplace for factory workers.
• Horizontal and vertical integration allowed businesses to expand dramatically during this era; Standard Oil (John D. Rockefeller) and U.S. Steel (Andrew Carnegie) are the best examples of this type of expansion.
• Andrew Carnegie’s “Gospel of Wealth” proclaimed it was the duty of the wealthy to return large amounts of their wealth back to the community.
• American workers began to unionize in this era by joining the Knights of Labor, the American Federation of Labor, and the Industrial Workers of the World. Because of intimidation by company bosses and the publicity that came from several unsuccessful strikes, union membership remained low, even into the twentieth century.
• The impact of the “new immigrants'” from eastern and southern Europe on American cities and in the workplace was immense.
• The American city became transformed in this era, with new methods of transportation allowing many from the middle and upper class to move to suburbia and still work in the city.
• Political life at the state and city level during this era was dominated by various political machines, although reforms were instituted at the federal level and in some states to create a professional civil service system.
Time Line
1869: Knights of Labor founded in Philadelphia
1870: Beginning of Tammany Hall’s control over New York City politics
1879: Publication of Progress and Prosperity by Henry George
1881: Assassination of President James Garfield
1882: Chinese Exclusion Act passed by Congress
1883: Pendleton Civil Service Act enacted
1885: Completion of Home Insurance Company Building in Chicago, America’s first skyscraper
1886: Haymarket Square demonstration and bombing in Chicago
1887: Interstate Commerce Act enacted
Major strike of railroad workers; President Hayes sends in government troops to break up strike in Pittsburgh
1888: New Jersey passes legislation allowing holding companies Publication of Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy
1890: Publication of How the Other Half Lives by Jacob Riis
1892: Ellis Island opens to process immigrants on the East Coast
1893: Beginning of major depression in America
1894: March of Coxey’s Army on Washington, DC
United States becomes world’s largest manufacturing producer
1896: Decisive victory of Republican William McKinley breaks decades-long deadlock between Democrats and Republicans
America begins to recover from Great Depression of early 1890s
1897: America’s first subway begins regular service in Boston
1901: Assassination of President William McKinley
1903: Ford Motor Company established
1905: Industrial Workers of the World formed
1906: Publication of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
1909: Strike of International Ladies Garment Workers Union in New York City
1910: Angel Island opens to process immigrants on West Coast
Number of American children attending school nears 60 percent
1913: Webb Alien Land Law enacted, prohibiting aliens from owning farmland in California
Ford Motor Company begins to use assembly line techniques; 250,000 automobiles produced
Review Questions
1. The practices championed by Frederick W. Taylor that were championed by many factory owners of the era
A. made it easier for immigrant workers to assimilate into the American working class
B. ensured that all workers would receive higher wages and conditions in the factories would improve
C. emphasized the need for greater efficiency in factory operations
D. reemphasized the need for extensive training before the worker could do almost any job in the factory
E. created less profits for factory owners
(Correct Answer: C. Taylorism made efficiency in the workplace a science and set the stage for assembly line production techniques.)
2. Many citizens became involved in the political process by actively supporting the Republican and Democratic party for all of the reasons listed except
A. the parades, rallies, and campaigns of the era provided an exciting entry into the American political system
B. the strength of the two parties was roughly identical in this era, thus creating close and interesting races
C. the expansion and spread of newspapers in this era made more people aware of political developments
D. candidates for president for both parties in almost every race of this era were dynamic and very popular campaigners, thus energizing the forces of both parties
E. energetic campaign workers were sometimes rewarded with government jobs
(Correct Answer: D. Most of the presidential candidates—and presidential winners— of this era were nondescript men, thus allowing much power to go over to the Congress.)
3. An analysis of the march on Washington by “Coxey’s Army” in 1894 demonstrates that
A. large segments of the unemployed in America were willing to become involved politically to protest their situation
B. all classes in American society were deeply affected by the depression of the early 1890s
C. the policies of dealing with depression in the 1890s were somewhat similar to policies championed by Herbert Hoover from 1929 to 1932
D. public opinion had a major effect on government policy in the late 1800s
E. the march was extremely well covered by the press
(Correct Answer: C. The march had little effect on government policy. Coxey’s Army was relatively small by the time it got to Washington. Official policy of the time was that it was not the job of the federal government to actively intervene during hard times, a policy similar to that supported by Herbert Hoover in the first years of the Great Depression.)
4. The following statements are true about the new industrial city of the late nineteenth century except
A. the working class lived around the factories, usually somewhat near the center of the city
B. the factories of the city were almost always found near a source of water, since water power was common
C. mass transportation allowed workers to travel to various parts of the city, where before they had to walk to work
D. the central area of the city usually consisted of offices, banks, and insurance buildings
E. many saloons existed in working- class neighborhoods
(Correct Answer: B. By 1890 most American industry had converted to steam power.)
5. Evidence that the standard of living for the working class improved in this era could be found by carefully analyzing all of the following except
A. a comparison of increased wages with increased living costs for factory workers
B. an analysis of the increased diversity of foods available for purchase by factory workers
C. a study of former luxuries that were now staples in the homes of some industrial workers
D. an analysis of the growth of amusement parks, sporting events, and movie theaters in the major cities
E. a comparison of the wages of most immigrant workers with the wages of workers who remained to work in the “old country”
(Correct Answer: A. Many diverse foods were available for purchase by factory workers, but few could afford them. For many workers wages did go up in this period; however, increased living costs oftentimes outstripped higher wages.)