Assessment 1 Review

Following the Civil War, fewer immigrants settled in the South because

• most of the new arrivals chose to settle on the Great Plains

• freedmen had been given most of the available farmland in the South

• jobs were more plentiful for immigrants on the West Coast

• more factories that employed unskilled laborers were located in the North

Most nativists of the late 1800s would most likely have supported the

• creation of settlement houses to aid new immigrants

• passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act

• continuation of the contract labor system

• assimilation of Native American Indians into mainstream culture

The formation of national labor unions in the late 1800s was mainly a response to

• passage of federal laws that favored workers

• laws restricting immigration and naturalization

• poor working conditions and low wages in many industries

• economic depressions that had led to high unemployment

One reason the American Federation of Labor (AFL) was successful was that this organization

• focused on the needs of skilled workers

• ended the use of blacklists by employers

• rejected the use of strikes and boycotts

• called for government ownership of industry

During the 1890s, many American farmers tried to resolve their economic problems by

• joining the Populist Party

• staging violent protests against the government

• supporting government aid to railroads

• asking Congress to end agricultural subsidies

During the late 1800s, the principles of Social Darwinism and laissez-faire economics were most closely associated with the interests of

• farmers

• coal miners

• organizers of labor unions

• owners of big businesses

Congress passed the Interstate Commerce Act (1887) and the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) in response to

• foreign influences on the United States

  economy

• public demand for better roads

• monopolistic practices that were harmful to small businesses

• the failure of federal banks to provide loans to individuals

Speaker A: The government should not interfere with business. The market will regulate itself over time. Successful businesses will remain, while inefficient ones will be eliminated.

Speaker B: The inequalities resulting from unregulated capitalism are too vast. The individual worker and consumer are at the mercy of business owners. The government must do something to protect the people.

Speaker C: Government should own and manage the principal manufacturing, transportation, and banking industries.

Speaker D: The workers should control the industries in which they work. Profits should be shared equally among them.

Which speaker is expressing a viewpoint that is most consistent with the principles of laissez-faire economics?

• A

• B

• C

• D

A major cause of antagonism toward the “new immigrants” who came to the United States after 1880 was the belief that they

• were better educated than native-born

  Americans

• had a higher standard of living than most Americans

• adapted easily to American culture

• competed with Americans for jobs as

  unskilled laborers

From 1870 to 1900, business leaders in the United States often attempted to increase productivity, maximize profits, and decrease costs by

• reducing competition through the formation of trusts

• increasing benefits for industrial workers

• supporting the passage of strict antitrust laws

• preventing foreign investment in the United States