Understanding Progressivism and the Gilded Age

The time period referred to as the Gilded Age is (a)   .

• 1850s to 1870s
• 1870s to 1890s
• 1890s to 1910s
• 1910s to 1930s

Who coauthored the novel "The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today"?

• Charles Dickens

• Mark Twain

• F. Scott Fitzgerald

• Ernest Hemingway

What does the term "gilded" suggest about the Gilded Age?

• It was a time of widespread prosperity for all.

• It was a time of superficial wealth covering underlying issues.

• It was a time of complete economic equality.

• It was a time of technological stagnation.

What was one of the main goals of the Progressives during the Progressive Era?

• To increase the power of state legislatures

• To make politics more democratic

• To reduce government intervention in the economy

• To maintain the status quo

Explain how the Seventeenth Amendment changed the election process for U.S. senators.

• It allowed the President to appoint senators.

• It allowed state legislatures to elect senators.

• It allowed voters to directly elect senators.

• It allowed the Supreme Court to appoint senators.

Analyze why the Progressives wanted to change the way U.S. senators were elected.

• To increase the power of the federal government

• To ensure senators were more accountable to the public

• To reduce the influence of political parties

• To decrease voter participation

What economic disparity existed in the Gilded Age according to historian Eric Foner?

• The richest 10 percent owned more wealth than the other 90 percent.

• The richest 1 percent owned more wealth than the other 99 percent.

• The wealth was evenly distributed among all Americans.

• The poorest 50 percent owned more wealth than the richest 50 percent.

Match the following political ideologies with their main focus during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

• Progressivism

• To promote isolationism in foreign policy

• Libertarianism

• To maintain traditional values and resist change

• Conservatism

• To use government to bring about economic and social change

• Isolationism

• To reduce government size and influence

Evaluate the impact of the Seventeenth Amendment on the democratic process in the United States.

• It decreased voter influence in elections.

• It increased voter influence by allowing direct election of senators.

• It had no significant impact on the democratic process.

• It led to the abolition of the Senate.

What was one method state legislatures used before the Seventeenth Amendment to align their choices with popular opinion?

• Holding referendums

• Conducting public opinion polls

• Using elections to conform their choices

• Consulting with the President