History
271
Devine
Midterm Review
Questions
The
short essay questions that will appear on the midterm will be drawn from the
questions below. If you are able to answer these questions, you will be more
than prepared for the midterm.
- Why were southern plantation
owners in particularly bad financial shape after the Civil War? What were some of the strategies they
pursued to restore their former wealth?
- In what ways did
Lincoln’s, Johnson’s, and the Radical Republicans’ plans for
reconstructing the South differ?
- Why did the
assassination of Lincoln make it less likely that reconstruction would be
easy on the South?
- In what specific ways
did life for the average African American in the South change after the
Civil War?
- What role did the Ku
Klux Klan play in the South during Reconstruction?
- Why was the Compromise
of 1877 that determined the winner in the Hayes-Tilden presidential
election an important moment in history for African Americans?
- Who was Booker T.
Washington and how did he propose to improve the lives of African
Americans? How was his philosophy
different from that of W.E.B. DuBois?
- What were some of the
incentives to migrate to the west in the late 19th century?
- Why was the railroad
significant in furthering the development of the West?
- What steps did the
federal government take to encourage private developers to build the
railroads?
- Why were barbed wire
and refrigerated railroad cars significant in expanding the cattle
frontier?
- How did the federal
government’s policy toward the Indians change during the late 19th century?
- During the late 19th
century, were Chinese laborers in California resented mostly by wealthy or
working-class whites? Why was this the case?
- What did Frederick
Jackson Turner’s “frontier thesis” state?
Why did Turner say the West was a “safety valve” for the United
States?
- In what ways did the
philosophy of the Knights of Labor differ from that of trade unionists
like Samuel Gompers? Which philosophy prevailed?
- Why did many farmers
want the federal government to put more money into circulation?
- Describe some of the
most important new technologies of the late 19th century and
explain why they were significant in reshaping daily life.
- What is the difference
between horizontal and vertical integration?
- Explain the role of the
“3 C’s” – competition, consolidation, and centralization – in John D.
Rockefeller’s business plan.
- What was “Social
Darwinism?” Why did many wealthy
businessmen believe in it?
- What would a Social
Darwinist say about the problem of poverty?
- What were settlement houses? What purposes did they serve?
- How did city bosses
become so powerful in major cities at the turn of the 20th
century?
- How did city political
machines integrate newcomers into urban life?
- What factors allowed
cities to grow larger during the late 19th century?
- What were some of the
things a newly arrived immigrant might do in order to assimilate into
American society? What
institutions might help him or her to assimilate?
- Why was the tariff a
controversial issue? Who stood to
benefit from a high tariff? Who benefited from a low tariff?
- Why was it difficult
for farmers to get out of debt?
- Why did farmers support
government regulation of the railroads?
- What criticisms did the
Populists make of late 19th century American society?
- Why did so many people
support “free silver” in the presidential election of 1896?
- Explain how “duty,”
“destiny,” “dollars,” and “defense” motivated American expansion at the
turn of the 20th century.
- Why did the U.S. face
an insurrection in the Philippines after the Spanish-American war?
- What was the “Open
Door” policy?
- How did Coney Island
affect relations between people of different classes and ethnicities?
- Why was a visit to
Coney Island liberating for young women?
- How did a Progressive’s
view of the world differ from that of a Social Darwinist?
- How did Progressives
employ the scientific method to solve social problems?
- Progressives declared,
“We’re all in this together.” How
did this belief shape the way they went about solving social problems?
- Why didn’t Progressives
like city bosses? How did they try
to undercut the bosses’ power?
- How were primary
elections in the South different than those in the rest of the country?
What effect did these southern primaries have on African Americans?
- What steps did Theodore
Roosevelt take to make the office of the President more powerful?
- Why did Theodore
Roosevelt found the Progressive party in 1912? What did he have against the Republicans – his former party?
- What were the two
strategies government could pursue in trying to control monopolies?
- What steps did
Roosevelt take to insure the United States could build and control the
Panama canal?
- How did the priorities
children of the city come in to conflict with the agendas of the
Progressive reformers?
- How did their
experiences on the streets prepare the children of the city for their
lives as adults?
- One young boy mentioned
in Nasaw’s book declared, “Money is everything.” Why was money “everything” for the children of the city?
- Why did U.S. relations
with Mexico become worse in the years preceding World War I?
- Why did the
assassination of one man in 1914 end up causing a continental war?
- Why did President
Wilson ultimately decide to bring the United States into World War I?
- How did new
technologies and the uneven development of technologies affect the number
of casualties in World War I?
- Why has the World War I
era been considered a low point for civil liberties in the US?
- How did the Wilson
administration mobilize the country’s resources to fight World War I? How did the government raise money to
pay for the war effort?
- Why did the women’s
suffrage movement gain support as a result of World War I?
- Why didn’t the United
States join the League of Nations?
- Why did young people
reject the values of their elders during the 1920s?
- How did attitudes about
sex and “proper” behavior change during the 1920s?
- How did the election of
Warren Harding in 1920 indicate that the nation’s mood had changed?
- What factors
contributed to the economic boom of the 1920s?
On the midterm, you will choose 7 of 10 short essay
questions (70% of the test) and answer one of four long essay questions (30% of
the test). PLEASE BRING A BLUE BOOK TO CLASS.