USHC 3 Capitalism and Reform Cloze Quiz

The United States economy grew exponentially in the second half of the 1800s due to the foundation of the ________________, the opening of the West, and the increased amount of capital in circulation during and after the Civil War.

Prominent industrialists, representing railroads, finance, steel, and oil, used innovative methods to take advantage of these conditions by creating the first business __________ in America.

Although the United States’ industrial output became the largest in the world, the __________ between the wealthy and the poor, especially in urban areas, contributed to demands for reform.

Laborers began to join forces to protect themselves against exploitation by forming __________, utilizing collective bargaining, and participating in strikes.

While vilified in the public imagination, these strikes were often unsuccessful because owners could rely on the abundance of unskilled laborers to replace striking workers as well as __________ intervention to end the strikes.

While unions sought to curb the power of these monopolies, business owners utilized Social Darwinism to justify their practices and also argued that their accumulation of wealth was ultimately beneficial to society through their __________ efforts.

Government policies supported westward expansion at the expense of (a)   and the growth of big businesses at the expense of the ​ (b)   .​

• Native Americans
• Raliroad tycoons
• laborers
• industrialists

While __________ policies allowed for the unprecedented expansion of big business, at the same time, the American Dream could not be realized by the masses.

Policies to remove or __________ Native Americans were enacted by the government to support the economic goals of corporations.

The government provided __________ to big businesses that allowed them to flourish and ultimately grow into monopolies in their respective industries.