EOC REVIEW – INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, IMMIGRATION, PROGRESSIVE ERA Q & A
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What were the economic challenges to American farmers and how did farmers respond to these
challenges in the mid to late 1800's?
Sharecroppers were unable to pay off debts and fell deeper into debt. The weight of the debt
bound the sharecropper to the landowner as completely as they had been bound by slavery.
Farmers in the Midwest formed granges and those in the West and South established Farmers’
Alliances. These groups bargained for farmers as labor unions bargained for workers. The Alliances
soon evolved into the Populist Party. Highlights of the party platform include government
regulation and ownership of railroads, coinage of silver to produce inflation, and loans to farmers.
In what ways were the railroads responsible for U.S. Time Zones?
The expanding railroad transportation network caused problems as many towns set their clocks
independently. When trains began passenger service between towns, it was difficult to set
schedules due to time differences.
Who were the significant inventors and what did they invent during the Industrial Revolution?
Henry Bessemer: Bessemer steel process- produced strong, lightweight steel; gave U.S.
manufacturing advantage.
Thomas Edison: Electricity as source of power and light- gave rise to inventions such as the light
bulb, a safer source of light to extend the day.
Alexander Graham Bell: Telephone- gave access to instant communication rather than slower
letters.
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Orville and Wilbur Wright: Airplane- first step toward rapid transportation of goods and people by
air.
How did the United States change as it shifted from an agrarian to an industrial society? The
industrial growth was powered by a shift in population from farms to the cities and by a flood of
immigrants from southern and eastern Europe. These immigrants were mostly Catholic and Jewish
who did not blend in well with previous Protestant immigrants. Cities were not well equipped to
keep up with the needs of swelling populations and class separations grew clearer in the time
period.
What social problems needed to be addressed in the United States in the late 19th & early 20th
centuries?
Big Business: Progressives believed that big business was the creator of many social ills, harming the
public interest, or good of all the people. The well-being of men, women, and children who worked
in factories was sacrificed for the greed of the factory owner. Big business led to favoritism in
government policies and assignment of government positions.
Government Corruption: Government in the Gilded Age lacked integrity. Corruption and favoritism
was common. Greedy politicians and politicians' friends could manipulate the system to win
contracts, appointments, and votes.
Women's Suffrage: A major goal of Progressives was to get rid of social injustices. This issue was not
limited to the poor and included women. The National Women's Party ushered in a new age of
protest where their belief that actions had more effect than words.
EOC REVIEW – INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, IMMIGRATION, PROGRESSIVE ERA Q & A
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What were the causes, course and consequences of the labor movement in the late 19th & early
20th centuries?
Big business was growing fast, and production had to keep up. Dangerous conditions existed in
most factories—poor lighting and poor air ventilation, faulty machinery, and exhausted and poorly
training workers—resulting in massive amounts of injuries and deaths. Fed up with poor working
conditions, workers themselves began to organize to change the workplace. Employers opposed
labor unions because the unions could use collective bargaining to obtain higher wages or better
working conditions. Most Americans condemned labor unions due to the violence that surrounded
them. The federal government was very supportive of business interests: government troops
helped break up strikes, and courts used legislation like the Sherman Antitrust Act to order unions
to stop disrupting free trade.
What were the impact of the political machines on the U.S. cities in the late 19th & early 20th
centuries?
Political bosses and other corrupt city officials ran the large industrial cities during this time period.
Much of the power of these political bosses was based on the disorder in the cities that came about
through industrialization. New immigrants could count on assistance and protection for a local
politician in exchange for a few votes.
How did nativists feel about immigration from East Asia?
Immigrants were willing to do the hardest work for low pay, so Americans looked upon them with
distrust. The immigrants were seen as intruders who had come to steal American jobs. Particular
resentment was felt toward the Chinese. This led to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. This banned
the immigration of Chinese laborers for ten years and did not allow Chinese immigrants to become
citizens. Asian immigrants crossed the Pacific to Angel Island in San Francisco Bay. Though it was
often called the “Ellis Island of the West,” the mostly Chinese immigrants who came through Angel
Island were often kept there for long periods of time. Unlike at Ellis Island, many persons at Angel
Island were ultimately denied entry.