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Gilded Age Review Questions

Terms in this set (16)

What was the Gilded Age?
period of American history - 1870s through 1890s - that looked GOLDEN on the OUTSIDE because of economic growth, but was ROTTEN on the INSIDE because of corrupt politics & growing gap between the rich & poor
What are 5 key characteristics (defining features) of the Gilded Age?
- industrial growth in the Northeast
- growth of big business & monopolies
- corrupt government, political machines
- railroad construction
- westward expansion
How did the US government's laissez faire economic policy impact businesses during the Gilded Age?
the federal government took a hands off approach, not creating or enforcing any laws to regulate businesses which led to the growth of BIG businesses & monopolies
How did construction of the Transcontinental Railroad impact the US?
1. cheaper & faster movement of goods provided people with needed essentials
2. connected distant markets for trade aiding farmers
3. facilitated statehood for states out west by making moving west easier
What policies did Populist Farmers support during the Gilded Age?
- government ownership of railroad (to end exploitation)
- graduated income (amount of taxes u pay depend on how much $ you make)
- direct election of senators (to represent farming interests)
- coining of silver (more available $ than gold)
What is the physical geography of the Great Plains & how did this impact homesteaders?
flat grassland, no trees, & drought (lack of rain) meant that farmers had to build sod houses & use dry farming techniques in order to grow food
What is industrialization?
the process by which people moved from making products in homes to mass producing goods in factories
What is a monopoly?
when a single company controls the production of an industry that provides a good or service by unfairly eliminating their competition - like Amazon vs Barnes & Nobles
Why did the government begin to pass legislation to prohibit (outlaw) monopolies?
to protect consumers from greedy businesses that only cared about the aggregation of capital (getting rich)
Which 2 pieces of legislation aimed to address the economic problems created by monopolies during the Gilded Age?
- the Sherman Anti-Trust Act
- the Interstate Commerce Act
gave the federal government the power to break up & regulate monopolies & trusts
How did industrialization lead to the development of groups like the Knights of Labor & the American Federation of Labor?
industrialization had created low-wage, low-skill jobs in which workers were exploited by their wealthy bosses & could be easily replaced
What led to the growth of urban areas like New York City on the East Coast from 1850 to 1890?
industrial jobs attracted Americans to cities AND led to increased European immigration to the US
What is nativism?
favoring of native-born Americans & promotion of immigration restrictions to create an ethnically homogenous society
What led to the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 that banned immigration from China for 62 years?
nativism & racial prejudice that aimed to reduce competition for jobs in on the West Coast
What are political machines?
groups that controlled cities by offering favors or services to immigrants in return for votes to stay in office
How did political machines gain so much power during the Gilded Age?
by building urban infrastructure or providing services to immigrants & the poor in cities that local governments didn't have the resources to provide themselves
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