Industrialization

Name:

Industrialization

Completion

Complete each sentence or statement.

MAIN IDEAS

Complete each of the following sentences by identifying the correct word or group of words in parentheses.

One group that scarcely participated in the migration to America’s cities was made up of ____________________ (immigrants, African Americans, white farm families).

Children often had to go to work in the factory because of ____________________ (low wages, lack of schools, lack of shelter).

In the piecework system, laborers who worked fastest and produced the most pieces earned the most ____________________ (praise, vacation time, money).

To improve efficiency, some factory employers relied on _________________________ (unemployment insurance, time and motion studies, social Darwinism).

Other employers increased productivity simply by increasing the ____________________ (work force, wages, speed of machines).

For the average worker, factory work was usually ____________________ (varied, boring, exciting).

The most-skilled and highest-paying jobs in industry went to ____________________ (men, women, children).

For children, working in factories or mines was especially ____________________ (profitable, dangerous, fun).

Multiple Choice

Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

IDENTIFYING MAIN IDEAS

Which of the following made possible the American industrial growth of the late 1800s?

a.	the household economy
b.	technological advances
c.	government reforms
d.	the development of labor unions

10.

The government contributed to the building of the transcontinental railroad by

a.	not allowing immigrants to work for railroad companies.
b.	collecting extra taxes from the industries that would use the railroad.
c.	awarding loans and land grants to private companies to build the railroad.
d.	assigning the army to lay out a path for the railroad.

11.

Which of the following revolutionized American communications in the late 1800s?

a.	steam engines and steamships
b.	the telegraph and telephone
c.	a workable light filament
d.	refrigeration and sewing machines

12.

Critics of powerful industrialists referred to them as

a.	captains of industry.
b.	philanthropists.
c.	robber barons.
d.	anarchists.

13.

The goal of the Sherman Antitrust Act was to

a.	encourage industries to form cartels.
b.	promote fair industrial competition.
c.	place higher taxes on business profits.
d.	encourage the growth of business monopolies.

14.

According to the theory of social Darwinism, the government should

a.	stay out of the affairs of business.
b.	protect the rights of workers.
c.	raise taxes on the rich.
d.	outlaw trusts and cartels.

15.

Economists call periods of boom and bust

a.	a recovery.
b.	economies of scale.
c.	a recession.
d.	the business cycle.

16.

How did industrial growth affect the distribution of wealth in the United States?

a.	All Americans enjoyed a higher standard of living.
b.	The income gap between farmers and factory workers widened.
c.	Wealth was concentrated in the hands of a few industrialists.
d.	The income gap between rich and poor grew smaller.

17.

The American Federation of Labor organized

a.	farmers, factory workers, and white-collar workers.
b.	railway and construction workers.
c.	only skilled workers.
d.	women and children.

18.

The government responded to the Pullman Strike by

a.	taking Pullman officials to court.
b.	shutting down all railway operations.
c.	using federal troops to control the workers.
d.	forcing unions and workers to negotiate.

19.

The expansion of American industry was sparked mainly by

a.	public welfare programs.
b.	technological advances and financial investments.
c.	a decline in productivity in Europe.
d.	government involvement in the economy.

20.

One of Thomas Edison’s major accomplishments was

a.	developing a more efficient way to make steel.
b.	inventing the telegraph and telephone.
c.	helping to make electricity more widely available.
d.	preaching the “gospel of wealth.”

21.

John D. Rockefeller gained control over much of the oil industry by

a.	managing a trust made up of Standard Oil and allied companies.
b.	buying large sections of the transcontinental railroad.
c.	going into partnership with Andrew Carnegie.
d.	charging higher prices than his competitors.

22.

Congress passed the Sherman Antitrust Act to

a.	encourage the formation of more cartels.
b.	tax business profits.
c.	keep industries from cutting off competition.
d.	end child labor in factories.

23.

Andrew Carnegie argued that the success of wealthy industrialists

a.	helped the entire nation.
b.	should be limited by the government.
c.	was illegal according to the Sherman Antitrust Act.
d.	had no effect on average Americans.

24.

The business cycle might best be described as

a.	unbroken business expansion.
b.	a long period of depression.
c.	expansion followed by recession.
d.	wide unemployment.

25.

During the late 1800s, children often worked in factories because

a.	their parents believed in the process of “natural selection.”
b.	families needed the income to survive.
c.	employers offered high wages to skilled children.
d.	there were no public schools for children to attend.

26.

The nation’s first major labor strike was started by

a.	anarchists in several city governments.
b.	steel workers upset by the use of scabs.
c.	railway workers angered by wage cuts.
d.	women protesting discrimination.

27.

Samuel L. Gompers opposed letting women join the American Federation of Labor because he believed that

a.	employers would not negotiate with a union having women members.
b.	women would get better jobs than men.
c.	women in the work force would drive wages down.
d.	women were not capable of holding jobs outside the home.

28.

Some employers forced workers to sign “yellow dog contracts” stating that

a.	workers would not join labor unions.
b.	workers would work 12-hour days.
c.	no scabs could be hired.
d.	women and children would be prohibited from the workplace.

29.

One thing a person could do in 1900 but not in 1865 was

a.	ride on a train.
b.	sew a dress.
c.	play a phonograph.
d.	read at night.

30.

The ability to communicate with a moving train improved railroads by

a.	helping avoid collisions.
b.	allowing passengers to call home.
c.	keeping trains “on time.”
d.	increasing profits.

31.

In 1885, Alexander Graham Bell helped set up a company to build

a.	power stations.
b.	long-distance telephone lines.
c.	sewing machines.
d.	the transcontinental railroad.

32.

Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse both worked wonders with

a.	steel.
b.	the telegraph.
c.	mail delivery.
d.	electricity.

33.

Without the Bessemer process, Americans might not have been able to create

a.	train engines.
b.	sewing machines.
c.	the Morse code.
d.	the Brooklyn Bridge.

34.

Why were industrialists during the age of big business called “captains of industry”?

a.	They were willing to use any means to win the war against their competition.
b.	They increased the supply of goods and created many jobs.
c.	They created a technological revolution with their ideas.
d.	They drained the country of its natural resources.

35.

How did Andrew Carnegie gain control of the steel industry?

a.	by giving away his money
b.	by becoming a partner of Edwin Drake
c.	by buying all the other steel mills
d.	by practicing vertical consolidation

36.

According to the theory of social Darwinism, what was the role of government in economic matters?

a.	to protect workers and consumers
b.	to enforce the Sherman Antitrust Act
c.	to tax the profits of big business
d.	to stay out of the affairs of business

37.

How did John D. Rockefeller gain control of the oil industry?

a.	He formed a trust.
b.	He practiced vertical consolidation.
c.	He joined a cartel.
d.	He practiced free trade.

38.

By the end of the 1800s, how did most Americans view industrialists?

a.	They admired them for trying to help consumers.
b.	They respected their success at driving out the competition.
c.	They did not trust them.
d.	They believed that they had worker interests at heart.

39.

Some workers, upset by the gulf between rich and poor, embraced socialism, but many more turned to

a.	“yellow dog” contracts.
b.	government programs.
c.	labor unions.
d.	anarchism.

40.

Unlike the Knights of Labor, the American Federation of Labor included in its membership

a.	African Americans.
b.	women and children.
c.	only skilled workers.
d.	many farmers and factory workers.

41.

Employers used all of the following in their attempts to crush labor strikes except

a.	“yellow dog” contracts.
b.	women and children.
c.	collective bargaining.
d.	federal and state troops.

42.

The nation’s first major labor strike was begun by

a.	railway workers angered about wage cuts and unsafe trains.
b.	steel workers upset by the use of scabs.
c.	women protesting lack of advancement in factories.
d.	Pinkerton agents who threw a bomb at police.

43.

The strike at the Carnegie plant in Homestead eventually ended after Henry Frick

a.	allowed steel workers to join the American Federation of Labor.
b.	negotiated a contract with Eugene V. Debs.
c.	shut down the plant.
d.	was nearly assassinated by an anarchist.

44.

As a result of the Pullman Strike, for the next 30 years the government

a.	supported labor unions.
b.	tried to break up monopolies.
c.	denied recognition to unions.
d.	outlawed collective bargaining.

Short Answer

KEY TERMS

Explain how each of the following relates to industrialization in the late 1800s.

45.

piecework

46.

division of labor

KEY TERMS

Use each key term in a sentence that suggests the meaning of the term.

47.

socialism

48.

Collective bargaining

49.

scabs

50.

anarchists

INTERPRETING A CROSS-SECTIONAL MAP

51.

What city was the lowest point on the Union Pacific section of the railroad?

52.

How long was the transcontinental railroad?

53.

What mountain range had the highest point on the Central Pacific section of the railroad?

54.

Approximately how high was the railroad at Aspen, Colorado?

ANALYZING A DOCUMENT

The excerpt below comes from a New York newspaper article that appeared on September 26, 1874. In it the reporter describes the tenement factories in which cigar makers had to live and work. Use it to answer the questions below.

. . . Entering the narrow hall, . . . the olfactories [sense of smell] are at once startled by a pungent odor, so strong in some instances as to make a sensitive person sneeze “on sight,” or rather “on smell.” This is, of course, the tobacco. . . . It was said that in cold weather the odor was so overpowering and pungent, doors and windows being closed, that persons unaccustomed thereto were compelled to shut their eyes in pain. Yet about 4,000 people eat, cook and sleep, as well as work, in these places. Young children fall asleep from the narcotic effects of the pervading odor. Women suffer greatly from it. . . .

—The New York Sun, September 26, 1874

55.

How did working conditions affect the health of workers in cigar factories?

56.

During what time of year was the tobacco odor most overpowering? Why?

57.

What would you find worst about these conditions if you had to work or live under them? Explain.

58.

According to the article, who was most affected by conditions in this cigar factory?

Essay

CRITICAL THINKING

59.

Recognizing Cause and Effect What were the main causes of population growth in American cities in the late 1800s?

60.

Making Comparisons Historians have used the terms “robber barons” and “captains of industry” to describe the powerful industrialists of the late 1800s. Compare the two points of view reflected by these terms.

61.

Recognizing Ideologies Explain the theory of social Darwinism.

62.

Identifying Alternatives Which side did the federal government choose to support in the major strikes of the late 1800s? What actions did the government take?