APUSH > Unit 6 > Flashcards

Unit 6 Flashcards

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1
Q

Why the U.S. Became the Leading Industrial Power by 1900

A

By 1900, the U.S. surpassed Great Britain, France, and Germany in industrial production.
Key Factors:
- Abundant Natural Resources
-Coal, iron ore, copper, lead, timber, oil
-Great Lakes region became industrial core
-Large Labor Supply
-Post–Civil War population growth
-Massive immigration (Europe & Asia)
-Cheap labor kept wages low
-Large Domestic Market
-Growing population
-Advanced transportation network
-Encouraged mass production & specialization
-Capital Investment
-European investors + wealthy Americans
-Heavy investment in railroads, steel, oil
-Technological Innovation
-Labor-saving machinery
-440,000+ patents (1860–1890)
-Pro-Business Government Policies
-Protective tariffs
-Land grants & loans to railroads
-Few regulations
-Low corporate taxes
-Strong protection of private property
-Entrepreneurship
-Rise of powerful industrial leaders

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2
Q

The Business of Railroads

A

Railroads were the nation’s first big business and model for modern corporations.
Growth:
35,000 miles (1865) → 193,000 miles (1900)
Importance:
Created national market
Encouraged mass production & consumption
Boosted coal & steel industries
Standardized time (4 time zones, 1883)
Introduced:
Modern stockholder corporations
Complex financial structures
Corporate management systems

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3
Q

Eastern Trunk Lines

A

Consolidation solved incompatible gauges
Major trunk lines connected big cities
Key Figures:
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Created New York Central (NYC → Chicago)
4,500+ miles of track
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
These set efficiency standards for industry.

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4
Q

Western Railroads

A

Helped settle the West and create national unity.
Federal Land Grants:
170+ million acres granted
Checkerboard land pattern
Railroads sold land to settlers
Government expected:
Settlement
Increased land value
Military/mail transport benefit
Negative Consequences:
Corruption (Credit Mobilier scandal)
Poor construction
Railroads owned huge amounts of western land
Public backlash in 1880s

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5
Q

Transcontinental Railroads

A

First Transcontinental (1869)
Union Pacific Railroad
Built west from Omaha
Irish immigrants, Civil War vets
Central Pacific Railroad
Built east from Sacramento
6,000 Chinese laborers
Sierra Nevada tunnels
Met at Promontory Point, Utah (Golden Spike)
Other Transcontinentals:
Southern Pacific
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe
Northern Pacific
Great Northern (James Hill)
Many failed financially due to overbuilding

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6
Q

Competition and Consolidation

A

Problems:

Overbuilding

Fraud

Stock watering

Rebates to big shippers

High rates for farmers

Pools (rate-fixing agreements)

Panic of 1893:

25% of railroads bankrupt

J. P. Morgan

Consolidated railroads

Reduced competition

Created giant systems

Used interlocking directorates

Created regional monopolies

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7
Q

Industrial Empires

A

Shift from light industry → heavy industry

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8
Q

The Steel Industry

A

Bessemer Process:

Air blasted through molten iron → stronger steel

Revolutionized heavy industry

Andrew Carnegie

Immigrant from Scotland

Used vertical integration

Controlled mines → transport → steel mills

Carnegie Steel produced more than Britain by 1900

U.S. Steel

Created by J.P. Morgan

First billion-dollar corporation

Controlled 60%+ of steel

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9
Q

Rockefeller and the Oil Industry

A

John D. Rockefeller

Founded Standard Oil

Used:

Rebates from railroads

Price-cutting

Horizontal integration

By 1881: controlled 90% of oil refining

Standard Oil Trust

Board of trustees controlled many companies

Model for other trusts

Effects:

Eliminated waste

Lowered consumer prices

Massive wealth accumulation

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10
Q

Antitrust Movement

A

Sherman Antitrust Act

Outlawed combinations restraining trade

Weakly enforced

United States v. E. C. Knight Co.

Limited Sherman Act to commerce, not manufacturing

Allowed trusts to continue

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11
Q

Laissez-Faire Capitalism

A

Economic Theory:

Adam Smith’s “invisible hand”

Minimal government interference

Social Darwinism:

Herbert Spencer

Survival of the fittest applied to business

Wealth = natural superiority

William Graham Sumner

Helping poor interferes with natural law

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12
Q

Gospel of Wealth

A

Andrew Carnegie (again conceptually, not re-tagged)

Wealthy must give back

Donated $350+ million

Rockefeller believed wealth was God-given

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13
Q

Thomas Edison

A

Menlo Park laboratory

1,000+ patents

Lightbulb

Phonograph

Motion picture camera

Dynamo

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14
Q

Technology and Innovations

A

Communications:

Telegraph (Samuel Morse)

Transatlantic cable (Cyrus Field)

Business Inventions:

Typewriter

Telephone

Cash register

Adding machine

Consumer Goods:

Kodak camera

Fountain pen

Safety razor

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15
Q

George Westinghouse

A

Air brake

Alternating current transformer

Electrification of cities

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16
Q

Marketing Consumer Goods

A

Department stores:

R.H. Macy

Marshall Field

Chain stores: Woolworth

Mail order:

Sears

Montgomery Ward

Packaged brands:

Kellogg

Post

Refrigerated railcars (Swift)

Created consumer culture

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17
Q

Impact of Industrialization

A

Concentration of Wealth

Top 10% owned 90% of wealth

Visible luxury (Vanderbilts)

Horatio Alger Myth

Rags-to-riches stories

Reality: most wealthy came from middle/upper class

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18
Q

Wage Earners

A

2/3 of Americans worked for wages by 1900

10-hour days, 6 days/week

Low wages due to surplus labor

Women & children worked

Average family income under $380/year (1890)

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19
Q

Expanding Middle Class

A

Rise of white-collar jobs:

Managers

Clerks

Accountants

Growth of professional services

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20
Q

Working Women

A

20% of adult women worked

Mostly young, single

Textile, garment, food industries

Clerical jobs feminized → lower pay

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21
Q

Labor Discontent

A

Factory Work:

Repetitive, monotonous

Dangerous conditions

High turnover

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22
Q

The Struggle of Organized Labor

A

Management Tactics:

Lockouts

Blacklists

Yellow-dog contracts

Private guards

Injunctions

Use of militia

Government usually sided with business.

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23
Q

Great Railroad Strike of 1877

A

Wage cuts during depression

Spread to 11 states

100+ killed

Federal troops used

First major national strike

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24
Q

National Labor Union (1866)

A

First national union

640,000 members

8-hour day

Equal rights

Declined after 1873 depression

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25
Knights of Labor
Led by Terence Powderly Included women & African Americans Reforms: Worker cooperatives End child labor End trusts Avoided strikes Peak: 730,000 (1886) Declined after Haymarket
26
Haymarket Affair
Bomb killed 7 police Anarchists blamed Public turned against unions
27
American Federation of Labor
Led by Samuel Gompers Skilled workers only Focused on wages & conditions Collective bargaining 1 million members by 1901
28
Major Strikes of the 1890s
Homestead Strike Henry Clay Frick cut wages Private guards used Strike failed Weakened steel unions Pullman Strike Wage cuts in Pullman company town Led by Eugene V. Debs Boycott of trains Cleveland sent troops Debs jailed Supreme Court upheld injunctions Debs later became Socialist Party leader.
29
Labor by 1900
Only 3% unionized Management dominant Government pro-business Growing recognition need for reform → Progressive Era Regional Differences Northeast & Midwest: Most industry Most immigrants Most cities Strongest middle class growth West & South: Developed differently
30
How was the “last frontier” settled between 1865–1900, and at what cost?
West included Great Plains, Rockies, Western Plateau. Land west of 100th meridian: Less than 15 inches of rainfall. Harsh winters, hot summers. About 250,000 American Indians lived there in 1865. Buffalo (≈15 million) central to Plains tribes. By 1900: Buffalo nearly extinct. Land fenced by homesteads & ranches. 10 new western states admitted. Environmental damage and Native displacement were major consequences
31
How did mining shape western settlement and national politics?
Gold & Silver Rushes 1848: California Gold Rush set pattern. 1859: Pike’s Peak (Colorado). 1859: Comstock Lode (Nevada) → Nevada statehood (1864). Mining booms in Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, South Dakota. Mining Methods Placer mining → simple tools. Deep-shaft mining → corporate investment required. Boomtowns Saloons, lawlessness, vigilante justice. Some became ghost towns.
32
How did nativism shape western labor?
1/3 of miners in 1860s were Chinese. California imposed foreign miners’ tax. Chinese Exclusion Act Banned Chinese labor immigration. First major federal immigration restriction. Lasted until 1965. Political Impact Silver supply fueled free silver debate (1880s–1890s). Environmental destruction. Native land loss.
33
How did the cattle industry transform the Great Plains?
5 million longhorn cattle in Texas. Railroads → eastern markets. Abilene, Dodge City = cow towns. Cowboys: Often Mexican or African American. $1/day wages. Decline of Open Range Overgrazing. 1885–86 blizzard killed 90% of cattle. Barbed wire ended open range. Shift to scientific ranching. Beef replaced pork in American diets.
34
How successful was homesteading on the Great Plains?
Homestead Act 160 acres free after 5 years. 500,000 families claimed land. Many bought land from railroads. Challenges Sodbusters built sod homes. Grasshopper plagues. Water shortages. 160 acres often too small. By 1900: 2/3 of homesteaders failed. Western Kansas lost 50% population (1888–1892). Adaptations Dry farming. Russian wheat. Irrigation & dams.
35
Why did the closing of the frontier matter?
1889: Oklahoma Land Rush. 1890 Census declared frontier closed.
36
What did Frederick Jackson Turner argue?
Frederick Jackson Turner (1893 essay) Frontier shaped: Individualism Democracy Practicality Frontier acted as “safety valve.” Feared class conflict after frontier closed.
37
How did U.S. policy toward Native Americans change after 1865?
Reservation Policy 1851 Fort Laramie treaties. 1871 Indian Appropriation Act: Ended tribal sovereignty recognition.
38
What major conflicts occurred?
Red River War (Comanche). Sioux War: 1876: Battle of Little Bighorn (Custer defeated). 1877: Nez Perce surrender. Buffalo extermination destroyed Plains culture.
39
What ended the Indian Wars?
Ghost Dance movement. 1890: Massacre at Wounded Knee. Over 200 Sioux killed. Marked end of armed resistance.
40
How did the U.S. attempt to “Americanize” Native Americans?
Boarding schools (Carlisle School). Christian conversion. Job training. Dawes Act Broke up tribal lands. 160-acre allotments. Citizenship after 25 years. 47 million acres given to Natives. 90 million acres sold to whites. By 1900: Native population ≈200,000. Later: 1924 citizenship granted. 1934 Indian Reorganization Act restored tribal structure.
41
What happened to Mexican Americans after 1848?
treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo promised rights. Many lost land through legal manipulation. Preserved culture in New Mexico & barrios. Migration for labor (railroads, agriculture). Border mostly open before 1917.
42
How did Americans respond to environmental damage?
1872: Yellowstone National Park established. Yosemite National Park (1890). Forest Reserve Act (1891). Forest Management Act (1897). Preservation vs Conservation Conservationists = regulated use. Preservationists: John Muir Founded Sierra Club (1892). Wanted land untouched.
43
What was the “New South” vision?
Promoted by Henry W. Grady Industrial growth. Diversified economy. Attract northern investment. Low-wage labor.
44
How did the South industrialize?
Birmingham → steel. Richmond → tobacco. Textile mills expanded. Standardized railroads. Population & industry grew rapidly.
45
Why did the South remain poor?
Northern capital dominated. Workers earned half national average. Poor education. Late industrial start. Agriculture still dominant.
46
Why were southern farmers trapped in poverty?
Cotton acreage doubled. Cotton prices fell 50%. By 1900: 50% white farmers tenants. 75% black farmers tenants. Sharecropping + crop liens → debt cycle. Diversification Efforts George Washington Carver Promoted peanuts & crop rotation.
47
How did Jim Crow become law?
Redeemer Democrats regained control. Used race to divide poor farmers. Supreme Court Decisions Civil Rights Cases (1883). Plessy v. Ferguson Upheld “separate but equal.” Jim Crow laws spread.
48
How were African Americans disenfranchised?
Literacy tests. Poll taxes. Grandfather clauses. White primaries. Lynching (1,400+ in 1890s). Exclusion from juries & skilled jobs
49
How did Black leaders respond?
Ida B. Wells → anti-lynching campaign. Migration to Kansas & Oklaho Booker T. Washington ❓ What was Washington’s philosophy? Founded Tuskegee Institute. Economic self-help. Avoid agitation for social equality. Created National Negro Business League. W.E.B. Du Bois ❓ How did Du Bois differ? Demanded immediate civil rights. Opposed accommodation.
50
Why did farmers nationwide feel oppressed?
Farming declined from 60% → 37% workforce. Specialized in single cash crops. Expensive machinery.
51
Why did farmers blame railroads and trusts?
High shipping rates. Discriminatory pricing. Protective tariffs. Property taxes (not income taxes).
52
How did farmers organize?
The Grange (1868) Social → political movement. Cooperatives. Granger laws. Munn v. Illinois (1877) upheld regulation.
53
What was the first federal regulatory law?
Created Interstate Commerce Commission. Regulated railroad rates. Often helped railroads more than farmers.
54
What reforms did farmers demand?
Direct election of senators. Graduated income tax. Lower tariffs. Silver coinage (inflation). Federal crop storage. Federal loans. Led to the Populist Party (1892–1896).
55
How did the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair symbolize both the promise and problems of industrial America?
Official name: World's Columbian Exposition Celebrated 400th anniversary of Columbus’s voyage. Attracted 12+ million visitors. Showcased: New industrial technologies. Urban planning and architecture. “White City”: Gleaming white buildings. Classical architecture. Represented order, progress, and national pride. Reality: Chicago also had a “gray city”: Pollution, poverty, crime. Massive immigrant population (¾ foreign-born or children of immigrants). Symbolized 3 major forces reshaping America: Industrialization Immigration Urbanization
56
How did immigration transform the U.S. population between 1850–1910?
U.S. population: 23.2 million (1850) 76.2 million (1900) 16.2 million immigrants (1865–1900). 8.8 million more (1901–1910). By 1900, 15% of Americans were foreign-born.
57
What “push” and “pull” factors drove immigration in the late 19th century?
ush Factors (Europe): Poverty & displaced farmworkers. Urban overcrowding. Religious persecution (especially Jews in Eastern Europe). Political unrest. Pull Factors (U.S.): Religious & political freedom. Industrial jobs. Western land opportunities. Cheap steamship travel (steerage class).
57
Why and how did the U.S. begin restricting immigration?
Early Restrictions Chinese Exclusion Act Banned Chinese laborers. First federal immigration restriction. 1882 laws excluded: Paupers Criminals Mentally ill 1885 Contract Labor Law: Limited imported labor contracts. 1892: Ellis Island opened. 1917: Literacy test passed.
58
How did “old” immigrants differ from “new” immigrants?
Old Immigrants (before 1890) Northern & Western Europe: Britain, Germany, Scandinavia. Mostly Protestant. Literate, skilled. Assimilated more easily. New Immigrants (1890–1914) Southern & Eastern Europe: Italy, Poland, Russia, Greece, Slovakia. Catholic, Orthodox, Jewish. Often poor & illiterate peasants. Settled in ethnic urban neighborhoods. 25% were “birds of passage” (temporary workers).
59
Who Supported Restrictions?
Labor unions (wage fears). American Protective Association (anti-Catholic). Social Darwinists (belief in racial hierarchy). Depression-era scapegoating.
60
Why did immigrants cluster in ethnic enclaves?
Tenements housed 4,000+ per block. 1879 NYC law required bedroom windows. “Dumbbell” tenements built. Problems: Cholera Typhoid Tuberculosis Enclaves preserved: Language Religion Culture Served as stepping stones to upward mobility.
60
How did industrialization cause rapid urban growth?
1900: 40% lived in cities. 1920: Majority urban. Internal migrants: Rural whites. Nearly 1 million African Americans (1897–1930). Cities provided: Factory labor. Consumer markets.
61
How did transportation reshape urban living?
Horse-drawn streetcars → electric trolleys. Subways & elevated trains. 1883: Brooklyn Bridge completed. Enabled: Commuting. Suburban growth. Result: Income segregation.
62
Why did cities grow upward?
High land values downtown. 1885: First skyscraper in Chicago. Enabled by: Steel-frame construction. Elevators. Central heating. Churches replaced by office towers as skyline symbols.
63
How did cities balance private enterprise and public welfare?
Initially: Private companies ran utilities & transit. Reforms added: Sewer systems. Water purification. Zoning laws. Police departments. City Beautiful movement: Beautification. Public parks. Civic pride. Debate over public vs private control continued.
64
How did urbanization affect family life?
Divorce increased (1 in 12 by 1900). Smaller families. Children became economic liabilities in cities. Birthrate declined steadily (1820–1920).
64
Why did suburbs grow around American cities?
Reasons: Cheap land. Rail transportation. Balloon-frame houses. Ethnic & racial prejudice. Desire for privacy & lawns. Designer: Frederick Law Olmsted Designed Central Park. Planned suburban communities. Result: U.S. became first “suburban nation.”
65
How did religious groups adapt to urban America?
Catholicism grew (immigration). Cardinal James Gibbons supported labor. Salvation Army helped poor. Moody Bible Institute founded by Dwight Moody. Church of Christ Scientist founded by Mary Baker Eddy.
65
How did political machines control urban governments?
Machines = organized political groups. Bosses distributed jobs & services for votes. Provided: Food. Housing help. Jobs for immigrants. Corruption common. Example: Tammany Hall Boss Tweed stole millions.
65
How did writers challenge laissez-faire capitalism?
Progress and Poverty Proposed single tax on land. Looking Backward Imagined cooperative future society. Shifted opinion toward regulation.
65
Why did reformers push for prohibition?
Alcohol linked to poverty. Woman's Christian Temperance Union Led by Frances E. Willard Anti-Saloon League (1893). 21 states dry by 1916. Carry A. Nation smashed saloons.
66
How did middle-class reformers help immigrants?
Settlement workers lived in poor areas. Hull House Founded 1889 by Jane Addams Services: English classes. Childcare. Job training. 400+ houses by 1910. Inspired Progressive reforms.
66
How did the women’s suffrage movement grow?
1890: National American Woman Suffrage Association formed. Leaders: Elizabeth Cady Stanton Susan B. Anthony Wyoming granted full suffrage (1869). Women gained property rights.
67
How did religion inspire reform?
Applied Christianity to social justice. Leader: Walter Rauschenbusch Linked religion to Progressive reform.
68
How did schooling expand and modernize?
Compulsory education laws. 90% literacy by 1900. Land-grant colleges (Morrill Acts). Johns Hopkins pioneered graduate research. Elective system at Harvard.
69
How did Darwinism influence social sciences?
Emergence of sociology, psychology. W. E. B. Du Bois Used statistics to study race. Advocated for equality.
70
How did realism and naturalism reflect modern life?
Realism Mark Twain Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Focused on greed, racism, everyday life. Naturalism Stephen Crane Jack London Theodore Dreiser Emphasized environment shaping destiny.
71
How did architecture reflect industrial modernity?
Louis Sullivan “Form follows function.” Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie style. Henry Hobson Richardson Romanesque style.
72
How did new musical forms emerge from urban America?
John Philip Sousa marches. Jazz pioneers: Jelly Roll Morton Buddy Bolden Scott Joplin “Maple Leaf Rag.”
73
How did mass entertainment reflect urban life?
Joseph Pulitzer William Randolph Hearst Rise of yellow journalism. Spectator Sports Boxing: John L. Sullivan Baseball: Became national pastime. Football: First game: Rutgers vs Princeton (1869). Basketball: Invented 1891.
74
Why is the period from 1877–1900 called the “Gilded Age,” and why is it considered politically stagnant?
Term comes from Mark Twain’s 1873 novel The Gilded Age. “Gilded” = thin layer of gold covering something cheap underneath. Refers to: Surface wealth and industrial growth. Underlying corruption, inequality, and political weakness. Characterized by: “Forgettable” presidents. No president serving two consecutive terms (until Cleveland’s nonconsecutive terms). Parties avoiding controversial issues. Failure to address problems of industrialization and urbanization.
75
What factors caused political gridlock and limited reform during the Gilded Age?
Three major causes: Prevailing political ideology Campaign strategies Party patronage system
76
How did laissez-faire ideology contribute to inaction?
Popular ideas: Laissez-faire economics. Social Darwinism. Government should not interfere in business. Federal courts: Narrowly interpreted regulation powers. Result: Few meaningful reforms. Weak enforcement of regulatory laws.
77
Why did close elections discourage strong political positions?
Elections (1876–1892) were extremely close. Divided government common. Example: Republicans controlled presidency and Congress only briefly (1889–1891). Strategy: Avoid alienating voters. Focus on voter turnout rather than policy. Campaigns featured: Brass bands Parades Free beer Buttons & slogans High turnout (≈80%) due to: Strong party loyalty. Ethnic, religious, and regional ties.
78
How did Republicans and Democrats differ socially and economically?
Republicans Supported: High protective tariffs. Pro-business policies. Strong in: North. Business class. Anglo-Saxon Protestants. Used “waving the bloody shirt”: Reminded voters Democrats were tied to Confederacy. Supported temperance. Democrats Strong in: Solid South. Northern cities. Immigrant communities. Often Catholics, Lutherans, Jews. Opposed prohibition. Favored: States’ rights. Limited federal power.
79
How did the spoils system dominate politics?
Politics focused on: Winning elections. Rewarding loyal supporters with jobs. Example: Roscoe Conkling controlled NY patronage. Republican factions: Stalwarts (pro-spoils). Halfbreeds (moderate reform). Mugwumps (reform Republicans). Politics often about jobs, not policy. Seen as low point in political integrity.
80
How did Hayes end Reconstruction and attempt reform?
Won disputed 1876 election (Compromise of 1877). Withdrew federal troops from South → Ended Reconstruction. Tried to reform corruption. Vetoed Chinese immigration restrictions. Served only one term.
81
How did patronage conflict lead to Garfield’s assassination?
Faced intense job-seeker pressure. Clashed with Stalwarts. Assassinated by disappointed office-seeker. Highlighted dangers of spoils system.
82
Why was Arthur surprisingly reform-minded?
Broke with Stalwarts. Supported civil service reform. Strengthened navy. Questioned high tariffs. Denied renomination in 1884.
83
Why was the 1884 election unusually contentious?
Republicans nominated James G. Blaine. Reform Republicans (Mugwumps) defected. Democrats nominated Grover Cleveland. Dirty campaign: “Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion.” Cleveland won narrowly. First Democrat elected since 1856.
84
What reforms did Cleveland support?
Supported civil service reform. Vetoed fraudulent pension bills. Signed: Interstate Commerce Act (regulated railroads). Dawes Act (Native American land policy). Retrieved 81 million acres of public land.
84
How did the Pendleton Act change government employment?
Passed after Garfield’s assassination. Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act Created Civil Service Commission. Jobs based on exams. Banned political contributions from federal workers. Reduced spoils system gradually.
85
Why did farmers support paper money?
Specie Resumption Act restored gold standard. Farmers wanted: Inflation. Easier loan repayment. Greenback Party briefly gained influence.
86
Why did Cleveland lose despite winning popular vote?
Republicans nominated Benjamin Harrison. Issue: high vs low tariff. Harrison won Electoral College. Republicans gained full control.
87
Why was Harrison’s Congress so controversial?
Passed: McKinley Tariff (raised tariffs to 48%). Sherman Antitrust Act. Sherman Silver Purchase Act. Increased Civil War pensions. First billion-dollar federal budget. Voter backlash followed in 1890 midterms.
88
Why was the “Crime of 1873” controversial?
Congress stopped silver coinage. Bland-Allison Act allowed limited silver coinage. Farmers demanded unlimited silver.
89
Why did tariffs divide farmers and industrialists?
High tariffs: Protected industry. Raised consumer prices. Farmers: Hurt by retaliatory foreign tariffs. Faced falling crop prices. Tariff became central political issue.
90
Why did Cleveland lose despite winning popular vote?
Republicans nominated Benjamin Harrison. Issue: high vs low tariff. Harrison won Electoral College. Republicans gained full control. McKinley Tariff (raised tariffs to 48%). Sherman Antitrust Act. Sherman Silver Purchase Act. Increased Civil War pensions. First billion-dollar federal budget. Voter backlash followed in 1890 midterms.
91
Why did farmers form a third party?
Economic hardship. Distrust of banks & railroads. Farmers’ Alliances → People’s (Populist) Party.
92
Omaha Platform
Political: Direct election of senators. Initiative & referendum. Economic: Unlimited silver. Graduated income tax. Government ownership of railroads. 8-hour workday. Federal crop storage system.
93
Why did the Populists gain influence but not win?
James B. Weaver won 22 electoral votes. Cleveland returned to presidency. South suppressed Black voters to stop Populist alliances.
94
How did the depression reshape politics?
Railroad bankruptcies. 20% unemployment. Bank failures. Cleveland: Repealed Sherman Silver Purchase Act. Borrowed gold from J. P. Morgan. Seen as favoring Wall Street.
95
How did Bryan mobilize farmers and silver supporters?
Delivered “Cross of Gold” speech. Supported unlimited silver. Backed by Democrats and Populists. Conducted nationwide speaking tour.
96
How did McKinley represent business interests?
Supported gold standard. Supported high tariff. Backed financially by Mark Hanna. Used mass media campaign Won
97
Why is 1896 considered the beginning of modern American politics?
Ended Gilded Age stalemate. Began Republican dominance. Marked shift: Rural → Urban political power. Agrarian → Industrial priorities. Populists declined. Many Populist reforms later adopted in Progressive Era. McKinley became first “modern” president: Media strategy. Active executive leadership. Expansion into world power (Spanish-American War).
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