STAAR Questions

1. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the U.S.
government attempted to facilitate the growth of
domestic industry by
A placing high tariff barriers on foreign imports
B encouraging the growth of labor unions
C repealing the Sherman Antitrust Act
D providing subsidies to small businesses

This cover from a nineteenth-century
periodical helps illustrate that the United
States was beginning to change from —
A a mostly rural society to a mostly urban
one
B a slave-owning society to one without
slavery
C a foreign policy of isolationism to one of
interventionism
D a direct democracy to a representative one

What was an economic impact of the introduction of
immigration quotas?
A American urban populations shrank.
B The wages of laborers in heavy industry fell.
C Universities could not recruit enough students.
D More jobs were available for American workers.

How did Andrew Carnegie’s leadership contribute to American
society?
A He set an example that encouraged wealthy
individuals to engage in acts of philanthropy.
B He revived conservative political thought and
questioned the unlimited expansion of federal power.
C He led efforts to overturn unjust racist laws through
peaceful litigation.
D He used his position as an influential Christian
minister to oppose both racial segregation and Communism.

During the Gilded Age there was a notable increase in
federal support for —
A the growth of big business
B involvement in foreign wars
C the acquisition of foreign territories
D increased temperance regulations

How did Andrew Carnegie contribute to American society?
A He introduced new methods for teaching literacy, improving
conditions for millions of immigrants and the urban poor.
B He produced vast quantities of steel at lower prices, making it
possible to expand railroad lines and to construct bridges and
skyscrapers.
C He recognized labor unions and provided health benefits and
shorter hours to employees, improving conditions for the
American worker.
D He developed a series of inventions making use of electricity,
improving living conditions for the average American
household.

Ford’s production of Model Ts in the early 20th century
demonstrated the economic relationship between
specialization and A reduced labor demand
B greater efficiencies in production
C higher production costs
D decreased union organization

Which useful function was served by political
machines in the late 1800s?
A They prevented corruption in local government.
B They helped provide a supply of cheap and
skilled labor for industry.
C They served as role models for future city
governments by acting as city managers.
D They assisted in the social and political
assimilation of immigrants into the community.

During the nineteenth century, one way political bosses
gained voter support was by —
A campaigning for women’s suffrage
B advocating the use of poll taxes
C making improvements in urban infrastructure
D providing public assistance for former slaves

This cartoon was published by Thomas Nast in 1871. What problem is
addressed in the cartoon?
A New citizens were often unable to exercise their voting rights.
B City governments were providing inadequate services to
residents.
C Political machines were profiting from kickbacks on public
contracts.
D The deadlock between political parties was costing taxpayers
money.

What was the primary purpose of the Chinese Exclusion Act
passed by the U.S. Congress in 1882?
A To ban Chinese from immigrating to the U.S.
B To exclude Chinese Americans from joining unions in the U.S.
C To ban Chinese Americans from working on railroads in the
U.S.
D To exclude Chinese from claiming settlement lands in the
western U.S.

Which of the following identifies an advantage of big business in the
late 19th century?
A Large businesses were more efficient than smaller enterprises,
leading to lower prices for consumers.
B Large businesses often exploited their workers, who had to
work long hours for low pay.
C Large businesses were more careful to avoid the
pollution of lakes and rivers than smaller businesses.
D Large businesses were more carefully regulated by the
government than smaller businesses.

Which was a disadvantageous practice of big businesses in
the late 1800s?
A They engaged in unfair conduct to put competitors
out of business.
B They failed to conduct research to improve their
products.
C They were slow to adopt innovations in production.
D They lacked the resources to produce goods in large
quantities.

This drawing appeared in a newspaper in
May 1893 with the caption “Panic at the
New York Stock Exchange.” It illustrates
the negative economic effects of—
A unregulated free enterprise
during the Gilded Age
B widespread labor union strikes in
the late 1890s
C American involvement in overseas
wars for colonies
D the collapse of the Southern
sharecropping system

Which statement best describes the growth of American labor
unions in the late 19th century?
A Workers organized their own labor unions against
harsh conditions despite hostility from their employers
and the public.
B Government officials encouraged workers to form
labor unions because they distrusted business-owners.
C Union leaders were unable to recruit members because
most workers were satisfied with their conditions.
D Disagreements between native-born and immigrant
workers made it impossible to organize labor unions.

Which of the following was a goal of the Populist Party,
identified in its 1892 platform?
A Unlimited coinage of silver
B unrestricted immigration into the United States
C An end to racial segregation in Southern states
D Lower taxes on individuals
Having behind us the producing masses of this nation and the world, supported by the
commercial interests, the laboring interests, and the toilers everywhere, we will answer
their demand for a gold standard by saying to them: “You shall not press down upon
the brow of labor this crown of thorns; you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of
gold.”
— William Jennings Bryan, Speech to the Democratic Convention, 1896.

Based on this speech, what demand did Bryan make in his
subsequent campaign for the Presidency?
A a policy of bimetallism that would help farmers by
raising crop prices
B the acquisition of colonies to increase employment
opportunities
C the creation of a national park system to protect the
nation’s wildlife
D higher tariffs to protect American manufacturers
from foreign competition

The cartoon was published in Puck
magazine in 1883. This cartoon
attacks —
A the growing influence of
labor unions
B the dangerous
conditions of factory
labor
C the excessive power of
business combinations
D the corruption of
American political
machines

What was the significance of the Interstate Commerce Act
(1887) and the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890)?
A They prevented shoddy goods from being sold
across state lines.
B They raised tariffs to encourage the further growth
of “big business.”
C They were used to break up labor unions for
interfering with free enterprise.
D They established the principle that Congress could
regulate some business practices.

How did the free enterprise system most encourage
American economic growth in the late 1800s?
A It provided incentives to inventors and
entrepreneurs to produce better goods at lower
cost.
B It permitted unskilled workers to leave their jobs to
move westward.
C It allowed the government to tell manufacturers
and farmers which goods and to produce.
D It gave employers the right to fire their workers
when business was slow.

This flier appeared on May 4, 1886. It
called on workers to assemble at
Haymarket Square in Chicago.
What inference can be made from this flier
about the demonstrations at Haymarket?
A The protesters intended to
overthrow the U.S. government.
B The protesters were members
of the American Federation of
Labor.
C The rally was held in support
of the strike at Andrew
Carnegie’s steelworks at
Homestead.
D A large number of the
participants were German-speaking
immigrants.

Which tactic was sometimes used by management in the
late 19th century to resist the demands of labor?
A strike
B boycott
C lock-out
D picket line

This newspaper depicts a strike of workers that
occurred at Homestead, Pennsylvania in 1892. Which
of the following was the main cause of the event
depicted in the newspaper?
A Andrew Carnegie had employed Civil
War veterans in place of steelworkers.
B Anarchists intended to blow up the
Homestead Steel Works near
Pittsburgh.
C Andrew Carnegie wanted to break up
the power of the iron and steel workers’
union.
D Steelworkers left their jobs to enlist as
soldiers since a future war with Spain was
likely.

In what way were most of the major strikes of the late 1800s
similar?
A They were ended by the intervention of the U.S. Army.
B They were secretly organized by the American
Socialist Party.
C They ended in important defeats for organized labor.
D They led to armed confrontations between workers and
Pinkertons.

Why did government leaders generally sympathize with business owners
against labor in the late19th century?
A Government leaders received support from business owners
and believed in laissez faire.
B Government leaders were experimenting with new ideas from
Europe such as socialism.
C Government leaders believed that conditions for industrial
workers were generally good.
D Government leaders feared violence from business owners if
they took the side of workers.
For our business interests, we desire to bring producers and consumers, farmers
and manufacturers into the most intimate relations possible. Hence, we must
dispense with a surplus of middlemen: not that we are unfriendly to them, but we
do not need them. Their surplus and their exactions diminish our profits …. We are
not enemies to capital, but we oppose tyranny of monopolies.
- Declaration of Purpose of the National Grange, 1874

This excerpt is from a declaration made at an annual
meeting of the National Grange. Who were the
“middlemen” referred to in the declaration?
A landlords and local bankers
B tax collectors and federal agencies
C sharecroppers and tenant farmers
D railroad companies and grain elevator operators