Gilded Age Test/Exam Questions
Exam 1875-1895
I. Given Samuel Gomper's views on labor questions, what, probably, were his objections
to
a) Socialist infiltration of the Americam Federation of Labor (A. F.
of L.)
b) Deb's new union, The American Railway Union (A.R.U,)
c) joining in a sympathy strike in support of the ARU during the
Pullman Strike.
2. In Bellamy's Looking Backward:
a) how did the State know what, and how much, to produce in the way of consumers' goods?
b) how had the status of women supposedly changed in the year 2000 from what it had been in 1887?
3. Each of the following was a critic of the
doctrine of laissez faire. What specific function or functions did each urge the
government to perform? (D0 3 OF THE 4)
a) Henry George
b) Lester Frank Ward
c) Jane Addams
d) One of the New Political Economists (John Bates Clark, Simon Patten,
Henry Carter Adams)
4. Discuss very briefly the significance (importance to history) of
any five of the following:
a) The Justice Department's ruling during the Great Northern Strike with reference
to mail trains
b) The struggle between Stalwarts and Half-Breed Republicans
e) The Treasury Surplus of the 1880's.
d) The "Crime of 1873."
e) Coxey's scheme for ending the Panic of 1893.
f) The Mulligan Letters
__________________________________________________
1. a. Identify the document from which each
of the following quotations was taken.
b. What apparently was the original
intent or purpose of the measure?
c. How was it distorted in actual
practice from that original intent?
(A) "The right of citizens of
the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States
or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of
servitude.."
(B) "The United States hereby
disclaims any disposition of intention to exercise sovereignty, jurisdiction, or
control over said island except for pacification thereof, and asserts its
determination, when that is accomplished, to leave the government and control of
the island to its people."
(C) "Every contract, combination in
the form of trust
or otherwise, or conspiracy, in restraint of trade or commerce among the several
States, or with foreign nations, is declared to be illegal".
(D) No State shall make or enforce any
law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United
States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property,
without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the
equal protection of the laws.
(E) No
public official “shall, directly or indirectly, solicit or receive …any
assessment, subscription, or contribution for any political purpose whatever,
from any officer, clerk or employee of the United States…"
2. Compare and contrast the following political movements around
the following points (devote one good paragraphs to each of the movements):
a. When (approximate dates) was the movement of political
conseqeunce?
b. What were its main goals and objectives?
c. What main group or groups were involved in the
movement?
d. To what degree did it reach or fail to reach its
goals?
3. How, specifically, did Lincoln Steffens in his book The
Shame of the Cities, go about writing the exposé of a big city boss?
How and where did he get his information and how did he check its accuracy?
4. In Expansionists of 1898, Julius W. Pratt argues
that American businessmen as a whole were opposed to the coming of the Spanish
American War.
a. What sort of evidence did he use to
prove this contention?
b. Why, according to Pratt, did
businessmen generally oppose war?
5. What were the three major controversial Supreme Court
decisions handed down in 1895? Choose one of the three and discuss:
a. The role of Attorney General Olney in the case. What
was he attempting to do?
b. What was the central point or points of the court
ruling?
c. What was the historic significance of the case?
d. When and by what action was the
decision ultimately undone?
Donald J. Mabry
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