Deck 18: The Emergence of Americas Labor Consciousness

Question 1

In the late 19^th and early 20^th century, the relative earnings of foreign workers were ________________ the earnings of native workers after adjusting for differences in schooling, skills and other factors.

A) approximately equal to
B) much less than
C) slightly greater than
D) much greater than

Answer 1

approximately equal to

Question 2

_____________ is (are) the key factor in explaining the decline in death rates in the U.S. in the late 19^th and early 20^th century.

A) Improved sanitation
B) Improved medical treatments
C) Urbanization
D) A more varied and nutritious diet

Answer 2

Improved sanitation

Question 3

After 1896 the majority of immigrants to the U.S. were from

A) Great Britain and Ireland.
B) Scandinavia .
C) Central, Eastern and Southern Europe.
D) Germany .

Answer 3

Central, Eastern and Southern Europe.

Question 4

Which of the following is most accurate about the period between the Civil War and World War I?

A) Many people moved to urban areas because the death rates were much lower there than in rural areas.
B) Labor unions increased their membership significantly, and by the end of the period about 10 percent of the total labor force was in unions.
C) Women's participation in the labor force decreased because they did not want to work in the industrial sector.
D) The large increase in population was caused, in part, by significant increases in the birth rate.

Question 5

Between 1860 and 1890, both daily wages and annual earnings

A) fell slightly.
B) stayed roughly the same.
C) increased by 10%.
D) increased by 50%.

Question 6

The Contract Labor Law, which was passed in 1864 and repealed in 1868,

A) authorized labor contracts made abroad between American companies and foreign workers.
B) resulted in a large increase in European immigration to the U.S.
C) was supported by American wage earners.
D) authorized workers to strike and engage in collective bargaining.

Question 7

By 1920, the average work week in manufacturing was about _______hours, although it was significantly lower for _________.

A) 40; immigrants
B) 50; skilled workers
C) 60; unskilled workers
D) 45; women

Question 8

In 1860 the ratio of farmers to manufacturing workers was roughly ____ ; by 1910 that ratio was ____ .

A) 1:1; 1:5
B) 1:3; 1:1
C) 3:1; 1:1
D) 10:1; 1:1

Question 9

Between 1800 and 1940, the U.S. birthrate fell steadily.  Factors contributing to this downward trend include

A) urbanization.
B) rising female employment.
C) compulsory schooling
D) declining infant mortality.
E) All of the above.

Question 10

Different political and cultural histories probably made immigrants' assimilation into the American labor force

A) more enjoyable.
B) much easier.
C) just as hard as for rural white Americans.
D) more difficult.

Question 11

All of the following groups benefited from immigration to the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th century except

A) steamship companies
B) mining companies
C) manufacturing companies
D) railroads
E) All of the above benefited from immigration.

Question 12

The actual cultural differences between Northern and Western Europeans on the one hand and Southern and Eastern Europeans on the other, Walton and Rockoff imply

A) made little difference for the prejudices of native-born Americans.
B) shaped the ways native-born Americans treated immigrants profoundly.
C) determined whether native-born Americans treated the immigrants with prejudice.
D) were minimal.

Question 13

Most immigrants to the U.S. in the 1980s and 1990s were from

A) Asia .
B) Eastern Europe .
C) Western Europe .
D) Mexico and Latin America.

Question 14

All of the following groups benefited from immigration to the U.S. in the late 19^th and early 20^th century except

A) manufacturing and mining companies.
B) retailers.
C) railroad companies.
D) unskilled native workers.

Question 15

Which of the following statements is least accurate with regard to immigration after the Civil War?

A) The number of immigrants fluctuated dramatically until World War I.
B) The proportion of immigrants from Northern and Western Europe fell dramatically.
C) The cost of crossing the Atlantic was much lower than it was in earlier decades.
D) A growing network of relatives in the US could help immigrants find jobs and places to live.
E) The majority of immigrants moved to the Midwest to take advantage of the excellent farming opportunities.

Question 16

In the 1870s, roughly ___ percent of immigrants came from northern and western Europe; by 1910, more than ___ percent of the total came from southern and eastern Europe.

A) 10; 10
B) 20; 80
C) 40 ; 60
D) 80; 60

Question 17

Which of the following was NOT a major factor in explaining the decline of death rates in the U.S. in the late 19^th and early 20^th century?

A) urbanization
B) improvements in sanitation
C) improvements in medical treatments
D) Both a and c are correct.

Question 18

Between 1870 and 1920, the U.S. labor force

A) grew at about the same rate as the population.
B) grew more rapidly than the population.
C) fell despite rising population.
D) grew at a slightly lower rate than the population.

Question 19

In 1917, Congress imposed a serious restriction on immigration when it passed ________________ over President Wilson's veto.

A) a quota system
B) a minimum wealth standard
C) a literacy test
D) a ban on Chinese immigration

Question 20

According to Brinley Thomas, the inflows of immigrants to the U.S. in the late-19^th and early 20^th centuries

A) caused simultaneous growth surges in the U.S. and Europe.
B) caused growth surges in the U.S. to coincide with slowed growth in Europe.
C) hampered the growth of both the U.S. and Europe.
D) had no systematic impact on growth patterns in the U.S. or Europe.

Question 21

In Coppage v. Kansas (1912), the Supreme Court held that

A) all employers were required to offer employees the option of joining a union.
B) an employer's right to require that employees sign "yellow-dog contracts" was protected by the 14^th Amendment.
C) "yellow-dog" contracts were illegal for any business engaged in interstate commerce.
D) using federal troops to break strikes was a legitimate use of police power.
E) All of the above.

Question 22

What is the most accurate description of skilled and unskilled workers if labor supply curves are not perfectly inelastic (perfectly vertical)?

A) If the two types are complements, then the increases in immigration during the late 1800s would have increased the quantity and wages of skilled workers and decreased the wages of unskilled workers.
B) If the two types are substitutes, then the increases in immigration during the late 1800s would have increased the quantity and wages of skilled workers and decreased the wages of unskilled workers.
C) If the two types are complements, then the increases in immigration during the late 1800s would have increased wages of skilled workers, decreased the number of skilled workers, and decreased the wages of unskilled workers.

Question 23

During what period did the greatest violence between organized labor and companies occur?

A) 1800-1820.
B) 1860-1870.
C) 1875-1895.
D) 1910-1930.

Question 24

Union activity in late 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States

A) was largely apolitical at the national level.
B) was the impetus for several national parties.
C) relied heavily on help from the federal government.
D) None of the above is correct.

Question 25

In the early 1900s,

A) federal and state governments typically supported management and opposed labor unions.
B) "government by injunction" was a strong weapon for combating strikes.
C) using troops to break strikes was considered a legitimate use of police power.
D) the Supreme Court upheld employers' use of antiunion contracts.
E) All of the above.

Question 26

Violent labor-management conflicts of the late 1800s included all of the following except

A) the Haymarket Square riot
B) the Carnegie Homestead Works incident
C) the Pullman strike
D) the Credit Mobilier scandal

Question 27

Real wages of manufacturing workers

A) rose between 1860 and 1890, but then fell for much of the period until 1920.
B) remained fairly stable until 1900, but then rose between 1900 and 1914.
C) followed a general upward trend from 1860 through 1920.
D) exhibited dramatic periods of rise and fall between 1860 and 1920.

Question 28

Samuel Gompers is most recognized for:

A) the invention of air brakes for trains.
B) his role as an early union leader.
C) invention of a steel manufacturing process.
D) the development of refrigerated train cars.

Question 29

The percentage of women in the U.S. labor force ___________ between 1880 and 1920.

A) increased
B) decreased
C) remained relatively constant

Question 30

In the early 1900s, regulation of the use of child labor

A) was supported by trade unions.
B) was first legislated by some states, and later by the federal government.
C) was sometimes indirectly accomplished through compulsory school laws.
D) through federal legislation was initially struck down by the Supreme Court.
E) All of the above.

Question 31

The American Federation of Labor

A) was an amalgamation of two labor organizations.
B) had over 1 million members by 1905.
C) sought to control job opportunities and conditions within each craft.
D) allied with the National Civic Federation in attempt to create a more favorable public image.
E) All of the above.

Question 32

Statutes prescribing maximum hours and minimum wages for women were common by 1920.  The effects of these laws included all of the following except

A) complementary limits on the hours of male workers.
B) a negligible impact on female employment.
C) reduced competition for jobs between male and female workers.
D) increased employment of women in managerial positions.

Question 33

In 1910 _____________ of children between the ages of 10 and 15 had jobs, but by 1920, this percentage had fallen to ____________ .

A) 50 percent; 25 percent
B) 30 percent; 20 percent
C) 20 percent; less than 10 percent
D) 10 percent; less than 1 percent

Question 34

On the eve of World War I, gains for unions included all of the following except :

A) substantial wage gains for members in some industries, including bituminous coal mining.
B) the establishment of insurance programs to compensate workers injured on the job.
C) political victories, including the elevation of the Department of Labor to cabinet-level status.
D) legal protection of the closed shop.

Question 35

Assuming that (1) labor supply is perfectly inelastic (vertical), and (2) immigrants and skilled labor are complements, an increase in unskilled immigrant labor ___________ the real wages of unskilled labor and __________the real wages of skilled labor.

A) increases; increases
B) increases; decreases
C) decreases; increases
D) decreases; decreases

Question 36

Which of the following is most accurate about the period between the Civil War and World War I?

A) An increasing share of the U.S. population lived in rural areas.
B) Unions pursued strategies of peaceful negotiation with employers.
C) The average number of hours of work increased significantly during the period.
D) The difference between male and female wages decreased.

Question 37

American union membership as a percentage of the total nonfarm labor force reached its peak in

A) 1900
B) 1910
C) 1920
D) 1930

Question 38

Which of the following was never a labor union?

A) American Federation of Labor
B) Labor Relations Board
C) Congress for Industrial Organization
D) Knights of Labor

Question 39

The Pullman strike of 1894

A) resulted in management's agreement to negotiate with the labor union.
B) received widespread support from the American public.
C) was led by Eugene V. Debs.
D) became a model for later attempts by unions peacefully organize.
E) All of the above.

Question 40

Between the 1880s and 1920, women composed roughly ____ of the workforce.

A) 1-2%
B) 5-10%
C) 15-20%
D) 30-40%

Question 41

Immigrants tend to be ________ skilled labor and ___________ unskilled labor.

A) complements with; substitutes for
B) substitutes for; complements with
C) substitutes for; also substitutes for
D) complements with; also complements with

Question 42

If skilled labor is ___ unskilled labor, then an influx of unskilled immigrants could ____ the demand for skilled labor.

A) a substitute for; raise
B) a complement to; raise
C) a complement to; lower
D) a complement to; substitute.

Question 43

By the late 1800s, soft coal miners earned a higher hourly wage than other industrial workers of similar skill levels. The mining wage is an example of

A) wage discrimination.
B) a monopsony market.
C) a compensating wage differential.
D) an efficiency wage.