The Gilded Age

Which statement describes an effect of mass production on the U.S. economy?

• New technology led to the rise of monopolies.
• Assembly lines increased the affordability of products. 
• Work simplification led to a decrease in hiring. 
• Older workers increased the cost of health insurance. 

How did the distribution of wealth in the United States change due to industrialization in the late 19th century? 

• Industrialists grew rich while factory workers remained poor. 
• Many industrialists created profit-sharing plans for their employees. 
• Women’s wages for factory jobs became equal to men’s wages. 
• Congress passed legislation to require industries to pay a minimum wage. 

What was the main reason disease spread rapidly in American cities in the late 1800s? 

• Mass transit was unclean and caused air pollution.
• There was not enough electricity to safely preserve food.
• City officials used funds meant for clean-up to bribe supporters. 
• Crowded tenements put more people in contact with each other. 

"To-day three-fourths of its people live in the tenements, and the nineteenth century drift of the population to the cities is sending ever-increasing multitudes to crowd them . . . . We know now that there is no way out; that the “system” that was the evil offspring of public neglect and private greed has come to stay . . . . Nothing is left but to make the best of a bad bargain . . . . The greed of capital that wrought the evil must itself undo it . . ."
—Jacob Riis, How the Other Half Lives, 1890
Why did Jacob Riis call the tenements “a bad bargain”? 

• Reformers would only help people living in tenements if they agreed to change their lifestyles. 
• Negotiations between labor unions and businesses made small strides in improving the lives of workers, but it was not enough. 
• The lack of laws protecting workers allowed businesses to pay workers so little that the workers had to live in crowded, unsanitary conditions. 
• People had more access to entertainment in the cities than in rural areas, but the trade-off was living in smaller and more crowded housing. 

Before -
One worker makes a product from start to finish.
One item is produced at a time.
Cost of item is high.
After - 
One worker makes a component of the product.
Many items are produced at the same time.
Cost of item is reduced.
Which event caused these changes?

• an increase in wages
• the development of assembly lines 
• a decrease in safety regulations 
• the support of labor unions 

Which factor most motivates people from different countries to live in the United States? 

• the use of English for business transactions 
• the opportunity to study in U.S. public schools
• the desire for democracy and economic opportunity
• the acceptance of the principles of laissez-faire capitalism

How did Andrew Carnegie vertically integrate the steel industry?

• buying his competition and closing their plants
• buying iron mines and means of transportation 
• persuading laborers and managers to cooperate 
• bribing government officials to allow a monopoly

Developments in the United States in the Late 19th Century:
• Strong national government
• Immigration provided inexpensive labor • Rapid economic and industrial growth 
How did these developments affect the United States? 

• The United States sent aid to struggling nations.
• Population growth led to an increase in family farms. 
• Economic prosperity led to decreases in labor union membership. 
• The United States expanded territorial claims to secure natural resources. 

• Andrew Carnegie
• Cornelius Vanderbilt
• John D. Rockefeller 
How did the contributions of these post-Reconstruction businessmen affect the United States? 

• Their generous charities helped foster a system of social welfare in the United States. 
• Their entrepreneurship helped the United States become a world industrial power. 
• Their donations to the arts encouraged an increase in the U.S. tourism industry
• Their focus on foreign trade encouraged the movement of U.S. companies abroad. 

Development of Manufacturing in the Early 20th Century:
• Technological improvements
• Accessibility of investment capital
• Favorable government policies
• _________?__________
Which factor best completes this list?

• Emphasis on training classes 
• Promotion of labor unions 
• Availability of immigrant workers 
• Emphasis on cottage industries