Chapter 16 Reading Guide-The Gilded Age
Key Terms for Chapter 16
p. 633-643 “The Second Industrial Revolution” all parts except “Sunshine and Shadow: Increasing Wealth
and Poverty”
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What caused the “second industrial revolution” of the late-19th century?
How did the government contribute to this industrial growth?
How did the railroads contribute to this industrial growth?
How did new technology and inventions contribute to this industrial growth?
How did business organization change during the late-19th century?
How did Americans react to these new business practices?
p. 648-655 “The Subjugation of the Plains Indians” through “The Ghost Dance and Wounded Knee”
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What was the goal of U.S. interaction with Native Americans after the Civil War?
How was the Dawes Act different from earlier Indian policy?
What were the lasting effects of the Dawes Act and the massacre at Wounded Knee?
p. 656-661 “Politics in a Gilded Age” all sections, except “The Politics of Dead Center” and “Political
Conflict in the States”
p. 664-666 “The Courts and Freedom”
p. 686-688 “Bryan and Free Silver” and “The Campaign of 1896”
• What kinds of corruption ran rampant in politics in the late-19th century?
• What efforts did Congress make to solve the problems of corruption and unrestrained capitalism?
• In debates between business vs. labor, which side did Congress and the Supreme Court usually
take?
• What was the “money question?” Which side did Populists/Democrats take? Which side did
Republicans take?
• Who won the election of 1896 and why was it significant?
p. 666-667 “The Overwhelming Labor Question” and “The Knights of Labor and the ‘Conditions Essential to
Liberty’”
p. 670-671 “The Haymarket Affair”
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How did American laborers respond to the changes caused by rapid industrialization?
Why was the Knights of Labor less successful than the American Federation of Labor?
Why were labor unions generally unsuccessful in the late-19th century?