Unit VIII
FOCUS QUESTIONS
Chapter 24 pp. 530 - 543
• Discuss the impact of the new
transcontinental rail system on the American
economy and society in general during the
late nineteenth century. Be specific.
• What wrongdoing were railroads guilty of?
Provide specific examples. Why was the
Interstate Commerce Act such an important
piece of legislation?
• How did the huge industrial trusts develop in
industries such as steel and oil and what was
their overall effect on the economy?
Chapter 24 pp. 543 - 556
• What early efforts were made to control the new
industrial giants and how effective were these
efforts? Provide specific examples.
• How were American laborers effected by the
Industrial Revolution? Provide specific examples.
• Compare the impact of the new industrialization on
the North and the South. Why was the “New South”
more a slogan than a reality?
• Explain the similarities and differences between the
National Labor Union and the Knights of Labor.
• What factors led to the eventual decline of the
Knights of Labor? How was the AFL different from
previous unions?
Chapter 25 pp. 558 - 572
• What factors led to the growth of cities in the second
half of the 1800's? Provide specifics.
• What new social problems did rapid urbanization
create? Provide specific examples.
• How did the “New Immigration” differ from the “Old
Immigration”? Be specific.
• Discuss the “social gospel” movement. What role did
religion play overall in helping the urban and often
immigrant poor?
• Discuss the so-called “nativist movement”. How did
some native-born Americans respond to the new
challenges associated with this period of
unprecedented mass immigration?
Chapter 25 pp. 572 - 582
• What effect did Darwin’s new theory of evolution have
on Christian churches? Be specific.
• Explain the differences in beliefs between civil rights
leaders Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois.
• Describe the major intellectual achievements and
movements of the late 1800’s. Provide specific
examples. (Hint: Don’t forget “Makers of America”)
• How did reform writers in the 1870's and 1880's
attempt to address the problems of their time?
Provide specific examples.
• Did the trends in writing after the Civil War make it a
good period for literature? Explain.
Chapter 25 pp. 582 - 592
• What did many novel writers in the late 1800's have
in common? Provide specific examples.
• Discuss the so-called “New Morality”. What
evidence demonstrated a battle raging over sexual
morality?
• What changes were occurring in the women's
rights movement as a result of the rapid
urbanization of America? Provide specific
examples.
• What social causes were women (and many men)
involved with in the late 1800's? Be specific.
• What forms of recreation became popular from
1870 to 1900?
Chapter 26 pp. 594 - 608
• Describe the overall effect of increased westward
expansion on the life and culture Native
Americans.
• Discuss in detail the so-called “Indian Wars” and
speculate as to why Native American efforts to
resist subjugation ultimately failed.
• What specific actions did the federal government
take to try forcibly to assimilate Native
Americans? Evaluate the effectiveness of these
policies.
• How did the successive phases of mining, cattle
raising and farming each contribute to the
settlement of the Great West?
Chapter 26 pp. 610 - 624
• Describe the phenomenon of “The Fading
Frontier” and evaluate the so-called “safety-valve
theory”.
• What specific factors made western farmers
increasingly vulnerable economically even as
they were expanding their agricultural production
in the Great West?
• How did the Grange as well as other farming
organizations attempt to help farmers? What did
the Populist party platform demand?
• “The free-silver election of 1896 was probably the
most significant since Lincoln’s victories in 1860
and 1864.” Explain.