Topic 3: 9th Grade US History- Challenges in the Late 1800's

"If they dare to come out in the open field and defend the gold standard as a good thing, we shall fight them to the uttermost, having behind us the producing masses of the nation and the world. Having behind us the commercial interests and the laboring interests and all the toiling masses, we shall answer their demands for a gold standard by saying to them, you shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns. You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold." —William Jennings Bryan, "Cross of Gold" speech

Whom does Bryan refer to when he speaks of "the producing masses"?

• A. owners of factories and other centers of production

• B. laborers, farmers, and others who are directly involved in producing goods and services

• C. bankers and others who support businesses that produce things

• D. political leaders who support businesses that produce things

"I was not hostile to the white man... We preferred our own way of living. We were no expense to the government then. All we wanted was peace and to be left alone. Soldiers were sent out in the winter, who destroyed our villages. Then 'Long Hair' [Custer] came in the same way. They say we massacred him, but he would have done the same to us had we not defended ourselves and fought to the last. Our first impulse was to escape with our squaws and papooses, but we were so hemmed in that we had to fight. ... I came here with the agent [Lee] to talk with the big white chief, but was not given a chance. They tried to confine me, I tried to escape, and a soldier ran his bayonet into me. I have spoken." —Crazy Horse

Based on this text, what would Crazy Horse have thought of Manifest Destiny?

• A. He would have supported the goals of those who believed in Manifest Destiny.

• B. He would have opposed the goals of those who believed in Manifest Destiny

• C. He would have thought that Manifest Destiny did not affect his people.

• D. He would have supported the goals of Manifest Destiny, but not the way it was carried out.

"…I had a big washing and ironing to do, house to straighten out, bread to bake etc. and when Sat night came about 5 P.M. I had to lay down was just about give out. And my feet hurt me so I could scarcely stand. The balls of them even swelled. Mon and Tues this week we have worked in the garden, as the weeds have grown pretty bad. Then we washed this morning. I have been so tired since we got back. Seems like I can't get rested, but has been too much push work I guess." —Estella Stilgebouer, letter to Ella Roesch

Based on this letter from settler Estella Stilgebouer, which phrase best describes life for settlers on the Plains?

• A. free and liberating

• B. difficult for most

• C. adventurous and easier than elsewhere

• D. harder for men than women

"The people are demoralized; most of the States have been compelled to isolate the voters at the polling places to prevent universal intimidation and bribery. The newspapers are largely subsidized or muzzled, public opinion silenced, business prostrated, homes covered with mortgages, labor impoverished, and the land concentrating in the hands of capitalists. The urban workmen are denied the right to organize for self-protection, imported pauperized labor beats down their wages, a hireling standing army, unrecognized by our laws, is established to shoot them down, and they are rapidly degenerating into European conditions. The fruits of the toil of millions are badly stolen to build up colossal fortunes for a few, unprecedented in the history of mankind; and the possessors of these, in turn, despise the Republic and endanger liberty."—Preamble, Populist Party Platform, 1892

When it was written, this excerpt from the Preamble was most likely written to appeal to

• A. businessmen.

• B. farmers especially.

• C. immigrants.

• D. workers of all types.

"If you strike off into the broad, free West, and make yourself a farm from Uncle Sam's generous domain, you will crowd nobody, starve nobody, and neither you nor your children need evermore beg. . . ."—Horace Greeley, New York Tribune, February 5, 1867

In this quote, Horace Greeley is

• A. criticizing the urban poor for being burdens.

• B. analyzing the advantages of the Western frontier.

• C. ignoring the existence of Native Americans on the Great Plains.

• D. warning potential settlers of the dangers of the West.

"The white tenant lives adjoining the colored tenant. . . . They are equally burdened with heavy taxes. They pay the same high rent. . . . They pay the same enormous prices for farm supplies. . . . Now the People's Party says to these two men, ‘You are kept apart that you may be separately fleeced of your earnings. . . You are deceived and blinded that you may not see how this race antagonism perpetuates a monetary system which beggars both.'"—Thomas Watson, "The Negro Question in the South," 1892

Which argument is Thomas Watson making in this quote?

• A. Racial equality would have a negative impact on the South.

• B. In legal terms, blacks and poor whites in the South are treated equally.

• C. Conflict between the races has made it more difficult to achieve economic justice for the poor.

• D. The People's Party supports segregation while assisting people of both races.

There is not among these three hundred bands of Indians one which has not suffered cruelly at the hands either of the Government or of white settlers. The poorer, the more insignificant, the more helpless the band, the more certain the cruelty and outrage to which they have been subjected. . . It makes little difference where one opens the record of the history of the Indians; every page and every year has its dark stain. . . .—Helen Hunt Jackson, 1881

Which opinion would Helen Hunt Jackson most likely agree with?

• A. The Native Americans were never justified in resisting the whites who threatened them.

• B. Whites have every right to settle in the West as long as they leave the Native American land alone.

• C. It would be beneficial to both whites and Native Americans if the two groups could co-exist and live together.

• D. White settlers have often treated Native American with proper respect, but not recently.

Which of the following can be determined from the information in the map?

• A. The northern states have more electoral votes than the southern and western states.

• B. William Jennings Bryan was a popular candidate with lower-class people.

• C. The Populist Party was no match for the major parties in 1892.

• D. The electoral vote can win an election for a candidate who loses the popular vote.

Which of the following can be determined from the information in the two charts?

• A. McKinley carried larger states, while Bryan carried smaller ones.

• B. A state's electoral votes are not entirely dependent on its population.

• C. McKinley carred states with large numbers of electoral votes.

• D. Bryan carried Southern states, while McKinley carried those in the North.

In the year 1890, approximately what percentage of the total U.S. population lived in the West?

• A. 5 percent

• B. 10 percent

• C. 25 percent

• D. 40 percent