Gilded Age, Populism, Progressivism, and Early U.S. Expansion

A comprehensive set of question-and-answer flashcards reviewing major themes from the Gilded Age through early Progressive-Era reforms and U.S. expansion.

Who wrote "The Wizard of Oz," later read as a Populist allegory?

L. Frank Baum

What was the chief purpose of the Populist (People’s) Party?

To represent farmers and push for federal economic and political reforms

Which phrase did Mark Twain coin to describe late-19th-century America?

"The Gilded Age"

During the Gilded Age, what most limited presidential power?

Closely divided elections and heavy reliance on party loyalty

After the Civil War, what main factor hurt farmers’ finances?

Declining crop prices due to overproduction and poor soil

Why was Congress often viewed as ineffective in the Gilded Age?

Dominance of patronage and strict party loyalty

How did many frustrated farmers and workers respond to government inaction in the 1870s-90s?

They created third parties and reform movements

The Progressive Movement grew out of which earlier efforts?

Farmer- and worker-led reform movements of the late 1800s

Why was the 1876 presidential election so controversial?

Electoral votes were disputed in three Southern states

What financial crisis undermined Ulysses S. Grant’s popularity before 1876?

The Panic of 1873

Who was the Republican nominee in the disputed 1876 election?

Rutherford B. Hayes

What key reform did Rutherford B. Hayes endorse?

Civil-service reform and a gold-backed currency

Which Democrat ran against Hayes in 1876?

Samuel J. Tilden

How did Tilden become famous in New York politics?

By fighting corruption and helping bring down Boss Tweed

What did both parties pledge about Reconstruction in 1876?

To bring it to an end

Which terrorist groups helped Southern Democrats suppress Black and Republican votes?

The Red Shirts and the White League

What was the Compromise of 1877?

A deal awarding Hayes the presidency in exchange for withdrawing federal troops from the South

The Compromise of 1877 effectively ended what era?

Radical Reconstruction

Who were the "Redeemers" of the post-Reconstruction South?

Southern Democrats who regained control after federal troops left

How did many African Americans refer to the Compromise of 1877?

"The Great Betrayal"

Name the three key political issues of the Gilded Age.

Patronage, tariffs, and the gold standard

What is political patronage also called?

The spoils system

Which president expanded the spoils system most dramatically?

Andrew Jackson

About what share of federal jobs did Jackson replace in 1829?

Roughly 25 percent

Which federal agency saw the greatest turnover under Jackson’s patronage?

The U.S. Postal Service

What third party formed in 1872 to oppose corruption in Grant’s administration?

The Liberal Republican Party

Who led the Stalwart faction of the Republican Party?

Senator Roscoe Conkling

What did the Stalwarts fiercely defend?

The spoils system (patronage)

Who were the Half-Breeds within the GOP?

Republicans favoring limited civil-service reform

Why did President Hayes lose popularity with reformers?

The Compromise of 1877 and his weak follow-through on reforms

What happened to President James A. Garfield in 1881?

He was assassinated

Why did Charles Guiteau murder Garfield?

He was denied a patronage appointment

Which 1883 law began merit-based federal hiring?

The Pendleton Civil Service Act

What body did the Pendleton Act create?

The Civil Service Commission

Roughly what share of federal jobs became merit-based under the Pendleton Act?

About 10 to 20 percent (initially 10 percent, later expanded)

What was a major weakness of the early Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC)?

It lacked enforcement power

Which industry did the ICC initially regulate?

Railroads

Which Supreme Court ruling weakened the ICC in 1897?

Interstate Commerce Commission v. Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific Railway

Primary aim of tariff reform movements in the 1880s-90s?

To lower consumer prices and cost of living

What did the 1883 "Mongrel" Tariff achieve?

Slightly lowered tariff rates but pleased few factions

Who were the "Mugwumps" in 1884 politics?

Republican reformers who backed Democrat Grover Cleveland

Who won the presidential election of 1884?

Grover Cleveland

What personal scandal dogged Cleveland’s 1884 campaign?

Accusations of fathering a child out of wedlock

What did the 1890 Silver Purchase Act attempt to do?

Inject more money (silver) into circulation to aid farmers

Why did the Silver Purchase Act fail to help farmers?

Persisting hard-money policies still deflated prices

The McKinley Tariff of 1890 is remembered for what distinction?

It imposed the highest tariff rates in U.S. history to that date

The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 targeted what practice?

Business monopolies and restraints of trade

What did the 1890 Force Bill seek to protect?

Voting rights of Black citizens in the South

Long-term effect of remaining on the gold standard in the 1890s?

It widened the economic gap between rich and poor by keeping prices low

Why did late-19th-century farmers favor expanding the money supply?

To induce inflation, raise crop prices, and ease debt burdens

What unintended result occurred when farmers produced more to escape debt?

Prices fell even further, worsening their situation

Who founded the Grange (Patrons of Husbandry) in 1867?

Oliver Hudson Kelley

Primary goal of the Grange movement?

Help farmers cooperate, lower costs, and fight railroad abuses

What did the Granger Laws attempt to regulate?

Railroad freight and grain-storage rates

Why did courts overturn most Granger Laws?

Interstate commerce is under federal, not state, jurisdiction

What did the Greenback Party advocate in the 1870s-80s?

Paper currency not backed by gold

The Farmers’ Alliance united which three regional groups?

Southern Alliance, Northwestern Alliance, and the Colored Farmers’ Alliance

Who led the Colored Farmers’ Alliance?

Tom Watson

Purpose of the subtreasury plan?

Let farmers store crops in federal warehouses and receive low-interest loans

Why did Congress reject the subtreasury plan?

Lawmakers balked at turning the federal government into a lender

Which New Deal agency echoed the subtreasury concept?

The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) storage/loan programs

What rallying cry is Mary Elizabeth Lease famous for?

"Raise less corn and more hell!"

Approximate membership of the Farmers’ Alliance at its peak?

Over 2.5 million people

What right did the Farmers’ Alliance uniquely grant women?

The right to vote and hold office within the organization

In what year did the Populist Party formally organize?

1891

Purpose of the Populists’ Omaha Platform (1892)?

State the party’s reform goals, including income tax and public railroads

Which of these was NOT in the Populist platform?

Abolishing labor unions

Who was the Populist presidential nominee in 1892?

James B. Weaver

How did the Populists fare in the 1892 election?

They finished third but won over 1 million votes

What core idea united Farmers’ Alliance members?

Improving farmers’ economic and political conditions

Which organization had more than 1 million Black members in the 1890s?

The Colored Farmers’ Alliance

What sparked the severe depression of the 1890s?

Over-expansion and collapse of the railroad industry, revealed after Cleveland’s 1892 election

What was "Coxey’s Army" in 1894?

Unemployed workers marching to Washington for public-works jobs

Outcome of Coxey’s Army protest?

Marchers were arrested, but they boosted Populist sympathy

Primary cause of the Pullman Strike (1894)?

Mass firings and steep wage cuts at the Pullman rail-car works

Which labor leader headed the Pullman Strike?

Eugene V. Debs

Why did the federal government intervene in the Pullman Strike?

Strikers blocked U.S. mail trains

Major economic question of the 1896 election?

Whether to keep the gold standard or adopt free silver

Republican stance on money in 1896?

Support for the gold standard

Why did Populists back Democrat William J. Bryan in 1896?

He championed free silver and agrarian interests

What was the Populists’ dilemma in 1896?

Supporting Bryan risked losing their independent identity

How did Populists resolve their 1896 dilemma?

They endorsed Bryan but nominated Tom Watson for vice president

What famous speech did Bryan deliver at the 1896 convention?

"Cross of Gold"

Who won the 1896 presidential election?

William McKinley

Why did Populist influence fade after 1896?

They merged into the Democratic Party and lost distinct identity

Which gold discovery reinforced adherence to the gold standard?

The Yukon (Klondike) Gold Rush

Who were the muckrakers of the Progressive Era?

Journalists who exposed social ills and corruption

Which Jacob Riis book revealed urban poverty?

How the Other Half Lives

Name three Progressive election innovations.

Initiative, referendum, and recall

Purpose of the 17th Amendment (1913)?

Direct election of U.S. senators by voters

What was Robert La Follette’s "Wisconsin Idea"?

Use academic experts to draft evidence-based state laws

What was the tragic factory disaster that spurred safety reforms in 1911?

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire

Main objective of the Anti-Saloon League founded in 1895?

Prohibit manufacture and sale of alcohol

What did the 18th Amendment accomplish?

Nationwide prohibition of alcoholic beverages

Which labor union favored general strikes and direct action?

The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)

Ida Tarbell’s investigative work targeted which monopoly?

Standard Oil Company

Who coined the label "muckraker"?

President Theodore Roosevelt

What contradiction existed in some Progressive views on democracy?

They praised democracy yet restricted suffrage to "worthy" citizens

What U.S. amendment (1920) granted women’s suffrage nationwide?

The 19th Amendment

First Black guest to dine at the White House?

Booker T. Washington