Dr. Michael Wm. Doyle
Department of History
Burkhardt Bldg. 213
Ball State University
Muncie, IN 47306-0480
Office Phone: 765-285-8732
E-mail: mwdoyle@bsu.edu
Office Hours: Thurs., 2:00-4:00 P.M. & by appt.
Fax: 765-285-5612
Course Home Page: http://www.bsu.edu/web/mwdoyle/hist_202
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HIST. 202-001: U.S. HISTORY, 1877 TO THE PRESENT
Week 3:1 / Day 7 (Mon., 23 January 2006)
Reading Assignment Study Questions
Norton:
Chap. 18: “The Machine Age, 1877-1920” [part 3 of 3], pp. 498-507
Chap. 19: “The Vitality and Turmoil of Urban Life, 1877-1920” [part 1 of 3], pp. 507-513
Boller:
Doc. 11: “Production and Wealth,” pp. 56-57
Andrew Carnegie, “Triumphant Democracy” (1886), 58-62
Marcus:
Doc. 9: George Rice, “George Rice Loses Out to Standard Oil” (1898), pp. 74-80
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Norton: Chap. 18: “The Machine Age, 1877-1920” [part 3 of 3], pp. 498-507:
1. What event precipitated an increase in the sale of canned foods?
2. Briefly explain the Supreme Court ruling that gave broad judicial protection to
corporations in the 1880 and 1890s.
3. Briefly describe the tenets of Social Darwinism
4. In the late nineteenth century, what affect did tariffs have on prices?
5. In Progress and Poverty (1879) how did Henry George propose to prevent
profiteering by land speculators?
6. How did Edward Bellamy’s beliefs differ from those of Henry George and
Lester Ward?
7. According to the text, what was one of the flaws of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act?
Norton: Chap. 19: “The Vitality and Turmoil of Urban Life, 1877-1920” [part 1 of 3],
pp. 507-513:
1. How did urban growth in the late nineteenth century affect the process of
industrialization?
2. What was the economic impact on the United States of urban growth and
industrial development in the late nineteenth century?
3. According to the authors, how did the introduction of mass transit systems
transform the American city?
Boller: Doc. 11: “Production and Wealth,”pp.56-57; Andrew Carnegie, “Triumphant
Democracy” (1886) , 58-62:
1. The excerpt from Triumphant Democracy is typical of the many articles and
books Andrew Carnegie wrote celebrating the American system. Why does
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Carnegie think life “has become vastly better worth living” than it had been a
century before?
2. What particular aspects of American life does Carnegie single out for special
mention?
3. In what ways does Carnegie think life in the United States was better than life
in Europe?
4. Was Carnegie writing mainly about the life of the average or of the well-to-do
American? Cite specific passages that support your view.
5. According to Carnegie, what is the relationship between America’s economic
achievements and its democratic political system?
Marcus: Doc. 9: George Rice, “George Rice Loses Out to Standard Oil” (1898), pp. 74-80:
1. According to Rice, how specifically did Standard Oil undercut its competitors?
2. Do you agree with Rice that this constituted unfair competition? Why or why
not?
3. What was Rice’s attitude toward large corporations, and how did it reflect
popular feelings at the turn of the 19th century?
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