The West and the Gilded Age Cities
Native Americans and Westward Expansion
1. Change in Great Plains Policy
Q: Why did U.S. policy toward Native Americans change in the Great Plains?
A: White settlers demanded land, leading to U.S. policy shifts that displaced Native Americans.
2. End of Federal-Indian Wars
Q: What event marked the end of Native American resistance?
A: The 1890 Massacre at Wounded Knee, where U.S. troops killed over 200 Lakota Sioux.
3. Intent of the Homestead Act
Q: How did the Homestead Act promote Western expansion?
A: It provided 160 acres of free land to settlers willing to farm it for five years.
4. Impact of the Dawes Act
Q: What was the purpose of the Dawes Act?
A: To assimilate Native Americans by dividing tribal land into individual plots.
Life in the Great Plains
5. Farmers’ Struggles
Q: What were major challenges faced by Great Plains farmers?
A: Droughts, locust plagues, poor soil, and high railroad rates.
6. Government Role in the Transcontinental Railroad
Q: What incentives did the government provide for railroad expansion?
A: Land grants and financial subsidies to private railroad companies.
7. Farmers and the Railroad
Q: Why was the transcontinental railroad crucial for farmers?
A: It allowed them to transport crops to national markets.
8. Exodusters
Q: Who were the Exodusters?
A: African Americans who migrated west for land and opportunity.
Economic Challenges and Reforms
9. Plains Farmers’ Financial Problems
Q: What economic issues hurt Plains farmers?
A: Falling crop prices, high railroad fees, deflation, and debt.
10. Farmers’ Support for Inflation
Q: Why did farmers want inflation?
A: Higher prices for crops meant easier debt repayment.
11. Support for Bimetallism
Q: How would bimetallism benefit farmers?
A: It would increase the money supply, leading to inflation and higher crop prices.
12. Populists and Industrial Workers
Q: Why did industrial workers support the Populist Party?
A: They both sought inflation to ease financial burdens and debt.
Industrialization and Business Practices
13. Industrial Boom Factors
Q: What led to the late 19th-century industrial boom?
A: Abundant natural resources, government support, and cheap immigrant labor.
14. Vertical Integration
Q: What is vertical integration, and who used it?
A: Controlling all production stages, used by Andrew Carnegie in the steel industry.
15. Horizontal Integration
Q: What is horizontal integration, and who used it?
A: Merging companies in the same industry to reduce competition, used by John D. Rockefeller.
16. Effect of Trusts
Q: How did trusts impact the economy?
A: They eliminated competition, leading to monopolies and higher consumer prices.
17. Criticism of Industrialists
Q: What were industrialists criticized for?
A: Exploiting workers, crushing competition, and amassing extreme wealth.
18. Government Response to Strikes
Q: How did the government typically respond to labor strikes?
A: It sided with businesses, often using military force against workers.
Political Cartoons and Gilded Age Messages
19. Monopolists and Senators
Q: How were monopolists depicted in political cartoons?
A: As controlling politicians and manipulating government policies.
20. Senate Cartoon – Two Entrances
Q: What did the two-entrance Senate cartoon symbolize?
A: The government favored monopolists over ordinary citizens.
Matching Industrialists to Industries
21. Key Industrialists and Their Industries
JP Morgan: Banking, finance, General Electric, later steel.
Andrew Carnegie: Steel.
John D. Rockefeller: Oil.
Cornelius Vanderbilt: Railroads.
Immigration in the Gilded Age
22. East Coast Immigrants
Q: Where did most Southeastern European immigrants enter the U.S.?
A: Ellis Island in New York Harbor.
23. West Coast Immigrants
Q: Where did Asian immigrants enter the U.S.?
A: Angel Island in San Francisco Bay.
24. Nativism
Q: What is nativism?
A: The belief in favoring native-born citizens over immigrants.
25. Chinese Exclusion Act
Q: What was the Chinese Exclusion Act?
A: A law banning Chinese labor immigration to the U.S.
Labor Unions and Worker Rights
26. Knights of Labor
Q: What was the goal of the Knights of Labor?
A: To unite all workers and advocate for an eight-hour workday.
27. American Federation of Labor (AFL)
Q: How was the AFL different from the Knights of Labor?
A: The AFL focused on skilled workers and better wages.
28. Haymarket Affair
Q: What happened during the Haymarket Affair?
A: A labor protest in Chicago turned violent after a bomb exploded.
Essay Questions
29. Robber Baron
Q: Define a robber baron and give an example.
A: An industrialist who exploited resources and workers for profit; example: John D. Rockefeller used monopolistic practices to dominate the oil industry.
30. Captain of Industry
Q: Define a captain of industry and give an example.
A: An industrial leader who contributed positively to society; example: Andrew Carnegie, who revolutionized steel production and funded public institutions.