GILDED AGE REVIEW

During the Gilded Age there was a notable increase in federal support for —

• the growth of big business

• involvement in foreign wars

• the acquisition of foreign territories

• increased temperance regulations

Which of the following best characterizes the Gilded Age?

• The discovery of goldfields in the West led to an increase in the amount of money issued for circulation.

• Industrialists used their connections with corrupt government officials for material gain and political power.

• In the Deep South a sharp increase in immigration brought a boom in construction and industry.

• Small, family-owned farms were bought and consolidated to form large agricultural corporations.

A government’s primary role is to provide a favorable atmosphere for business, including a stable currency, hands-off regulation, and domestic order. A supporter of this idea would most likely favor-

• establishing consumer protection laws

• securing collective-bargaining rights

• levying high taxes on business

• following laissez-faire economics

This legislation affected how federal employees were hired. The law now required government jobs to be —

• based on the political party affiliation of the applicant

• determined by a merit system based on civil service examinations

• based on the approval of lawmakers

• set aside for business executives of large corporations

During the nineteenth century, one way political bosses gained voter support was by —

• campaigning for women’s suffrage

• advocating the use of poll taxes

• making improvements in urban infrastructure

• providing public assistance for former slaves

The business practice described above eventually led to the enactment of legislation that —

• guaranteed public access to corporate records

• protected consumers by prohibiting monopolies

• protected domestic industries from foreign competition

• required reciprocity agreements between state governments

The Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor developed in response to the —

• increased need to protect worker interests

• decreased power of political machines

• increased demand for skilled workers

• decreased profitability of the agricultural sector

During the late 1800's, presidents and governors most often used military force during labor management conflicts as a way to -

• support industrialists and end strikes

• make employers sign collective bargaining agreements

• protect workers from the private armies of employers

• replace striking factory workers with soldiers

In this excerpt, Justice Harlan is warning against — All who recall the condition of the country in 1890 will remember that . . . the country was in real danger from another kind of slavery . . . that would result from the aggregations of capital in the hands of a few individuals and [businesses] controlling, for their own profit and advantage exclusively, the entire business of the country, including the production and sale of the necessaries of life. —Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan, 1911

• a civil service based on patronage rather than merit

• allowing powerful monopolies to dominate interstate commerce

• a lack of federal funding for essential transportation systems

• allowing labor unions to interfere with production goals

Which application of a new technology can be attributed to an invention of Thomas Edison?

• Refrigerated railroad cars allowed food to be transported long distances.

• Light bulbs made it efficient for factory workers to work at night.

• Diesel engines were used in the production of airplanes.

• Sonar technology was used to track submarines.