InQuizitive Chapter 16: Business and Labor in the Industrial Era, 1860–1900

True or False:

To the degree that a partnership existed between Big Business and the federal government following the end of the Civil War, all regions of the nation were universally supportive of such a partnership and the government policies that developed as a result of it.

False

Identify the examples of laissez-faire economic doctrine during the late nineteenth century.

Correct Answer(s):

- the federal government's lack of oversight for the working conditions for wage earners

- some politicians' willingness to stay out of business in exchange for campaign contributions

Incorrect Answer(s):

- federal subsidies, loans, and land grants for the building of the first transcontinental railroad

- Morrill Tariff

Which of the following statements accurately describe the opportunities available to women because of the changes wrought by the industrial revolution that came after the Civil War?

Correct Answers(s):

- Inventions of the time created tens of thousands of new job opportunities for women to work as secretaries or clerks, or in other office-related jobs.

- An increasing number of women were allowed to attend and graduate college.

- A growing number of women had more opportunities outside the home to pursue their own successes and interests.

Incorrect Answer(s):

- While some women entered the workforce, these jobs tended to require women to remain at home.

Identify the ways that the government helped to stimulate the economy during the Civil War and the years that followed.

Correct Answer(s):

- Republican economic policies passed during the Civil War helped protect American industries from foreign competition.

- Republican economic policies passed during the Civil War helped create a unified national market.

Incorrect Answer(s):

- The Civil War destroyed the plantation economy and subsequently returned the United States to being a nation of small rural farms.

Just as technological innovations were critical to the economic growth of the late nineteenth century, so too were innovations in finance and business organizations.

Match the financial and business terms with their definitions.

CORPORATION -

a legal entity that separates the ownership of an enterprise from the management of its operations and affords shareholders the protection of limited liability.

HOLDING COMPANY -

a company that owns a majority of the stock in other companies, but produces nothing itself.

TRUST -

an arrangement that gives a person or corporation the legal power to manage another person's money or another company.

What late-nineteenth-century development led to a growing class-consciousness in the United States?

The growing gap between the rich and the poor.

FEEDBACK:

The increased visibility of class divisions fostered a greater awareness of social class.

Which of the following statements accurately describe the events surrounding the Pullman strike of 1894?

Correct Answer(s):

- President Cleveland was prohibited by an injunction, or court-ordered decree, from interfering with the strike.

- The primary reason employees went on strike was to prevent the mail from being delivered, as Pullman cars were primarily used to haul the nation's mail.

Incorrect Answer(s):

- President Cleveland sent in federal troops effectively to end the strike and resume rail commerce, thereby using federal power to support the interests of Big Business.

- Pullman employees joined the American Railway Union, led by Eugene V. Debs, due to the conditions and high prices found in their "company town."

Place in chronological order the following events that contributed to the organized labor movement in the late nineteenth century.

1. The Knights of Labor emerge.

2. The Haymarket Riot erupts.

3. The American Federation of Labor forms.

4. The American Railway Union organizes the Pullman Strike

Place in chronological order the following events that led to the dominance of John D. Rockefeller in the oil industry.

1. The Standard Oil Company gains more than 90 percent of the oil refining market in the United States.

2. Rockefeller creates the Standard Oil Trust to circumvent anti-monopoly legislation.

3. The Supreme Court of Ohio orders that the Standard Oil Trust be dissolved.

4. Rockefeller brings his entire industrial empire under the direction of the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, a gigantic holding company.

Identify the impacts of the innovations of the second half of the nineteenth century.

Electric Motors -

allowed factory owners to locate factories wherever they wished

Sewing Machine -

allowed clothing to be mass produced

Railroads -

as the first truly big business, served as the catalyst for the transition to an urban-industrial economy

Commenting on women in public roles, E. L. Youmans, a prominent science writer, remarked, "If there is one thing that pervades and characterizes what is called the 'woman's movement,' it is the spirit of revolt against the home, and the determination to escape from it into the outer spheres of activity."

Which of the following statements accurately describes some of the backlash or limitations women faced when trying to escape the "cult of domesticity" in the Gilded Age?

Correct Answer(s):

- Women's programs of study in college were often focused on "finishing" courses or "home economics," which typically emphasized domestic roles women could resume after college.

- As editor of the magazine Ladies' Home Journal, Edward Bok tried to "keep women in the home" by filling the magazine's pages with information on sewing, cooking, religion, politics, and fiction.

Incorrect Answer(s):

- Jane Addams became a leading advocate for domestic training for women, as opposed to technical training that would lead to jobs beyond the home.

Which of the following statements accurately reflect the development of labor unions after the Civil War through the early twentieth century?

Correct Answer(s):

- The growth of new businesses required a massive labor force, creating the opportunity for workers to form unions that would represent their interests collectively.

- Workers from all types of industries and skill levels typically benefited from the formation of industrial unions.

Which of the following examples accurately reflect the relationship between the federal government and Big Business during the Gilded Age?

Correct Answer(s):

- By adopting a laissez-faire approach, the government tended to avoid interfering in the cutthroat and destructive practices of Big Business.

- The federal government used tariff policies to strengthen its alliance with Big Business, helping to increase the income of those businesses that supported the Republican party.

- The federal government passed the Homestead Act of 1862 to create new markets for goods and services supported by Big Business.

Incorrect Answer(s):

- Congress rejected the Pacific Railway Act because it wanted the government to maintain control over transportation projects and reap the economic benefits through tax dollars.