Guilded Age

Urban Political Machines

1) How did political machines both help and harm the communities they operated in?

2) Describe one method political machines used to manipulate elections.

National Corruption

1) Give an example of corruption during the Guilded Age, use that example to answer the question: Why do you think corruption was so prevalent during this era? (Provide a thesis and concise analysis of your example)

Reform Efforts

1) What effect did reform have on lawmaker sand business during this period? Use a minimum of 2 examples in your answer.

The Populist Movement

a) What were three main goals of the Populist Party platform?

b) Why did the Populists struggle to gain support from industrial workers?

c) How did racism impact the Populist movement's ability to unify farmers across racial lines?

a) The video mentions that both major parties were "pro-business" but favored different types of businesses. How might this have affected political debate and policy-making during the Gilded Age?

b) Compare the political issues of the Gilded Age to those of today. What similarities and differences do you notice?

c) Why do you think third parties like the Populists struggled to gain long-term success in American politics?