Deck 21: The Progressive Era 1900-1917

Question 1

The "progressive movement" was driven by:

A) the ideas of Eugene Debs.
B) the leadership of the Populist Party.
C) the contention that individualism, and not government help, could solve social ills.
D) a general belief that moderate reforms were needed to help end social disorder.

Answer 1

a general belief that moderate reforms were needed to help end social disorder.

Question 2

After the depression of the mid-1890s, a majority of Americans began to:

A) feel that new measures were needed to promote social progress.
B) look to the ideals of the Socialist Party as the foundation of a new order.
C) stay away from the polls in national elections.
D) call for an end to the two major political parties.

Answer 2

feel that new measures were needed to promote social progress.

Question 3

Public outrage against unsafe working conditions peaked when:

A) leaders of the I.W.W. were arrested in a massive raid.
B) young female workers died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire.
C) the government destroyed socialist printing presses.
D) John D. Rockefeller refused to become involved in the Colorado Fuel and Iron strike.

Answer 3

young female workers died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire.

Question 4

All of the following are true about working conditions in the early 1900s EXCEPT:

A) industrialists refused to resort to the subdivision of labor.
B) America consistently led the world in industrial accidents and deaths on the job.
C) wages were so low that most industrial workers made less than a living wage.
D) workers were plagued by unsanitary, dangerous working conditions.

Question 5

The immigrants known as new immigrants included all of the following groups EXCEPT:

A) Irish Protestants.
B) Italians.
C) Poles.
D) Russian Jews.

Question 6

Americans of "Old Stock" sometimes disliked new immigrants because:

A) they felt that the immigrants were taking desirable, middle-class jobs.
B) they believed that presence of immigrants hurt moves toward improving worker safety.
C) they viewed predominantly Catholic and Jewish immigrants as threats to social stability.
D) they objected to the Republican Party's recruiting of immigrant voters.

Question 7

Leaders of the Social Gospel movement sought to:

A) establish parochial schools in urban neighborhoods.
B) combine religion with laissez-faire philosophies.
C) introduce religious ethics to industrial relations.
D) back socialist candidates for national office.

Question 8

Proponents of the Social Gospel believed all of the following ideas EXCEPT:

A) empathizing with the plight of the working poor.
B) emphasizing a literal interpretation of the Old Testament.
C) advocating a wider tolerance of different religious faiths.
D) promoting the role of Christianity in addressing social problems.

Question 9

The main goal of the muckrakers was to:

A) raise the public's awareness of social problems.
B) support socialistic policies in the U.S. Congress.
C) ruin the reputations of presidential candidates.
D) end the legality of alcohol consumption.

Question 10

Which work of literature was NOT authored by a muckraker?

A) The Jungle
B) Christianity and the Social Crisis
C) "The Shame of the Cities"
D) The Octopus

Question 11

Theodore Roosevelt's reform philosophy was closest to that of:

A) muckraking journalists.
B) the Gospel of Efficiency.
C) the Knights of Labor.
D) the Social Gospel Movement.

Question 12

Frederick Taylor's scientific management emphasized all of the following ideas EXCEPT:

A) assigning simple, repetitive tasks to workers.
B) speeding up the production process.
C) increasing the mechanization of factories.
D) providing more autonomy for the factory laborer.

Question 13

The American Federation of Labor:

A) represented many females working in the clothing industry.
B) worked hard to unionize people of all ethnic backgrounds.
C) primarily represented skilled workers.
D) was eventually supplanted by the I.W.W.

Question 14

The International Workers of the World differed from the A.F.L. by:

A) organizing all types of workers from a wide variety of ethnic groups.
B) refusing to support strikes as a method of protest.
C) rejecting the sit-down strike as an effective labor tactic.
D) only organizing skilled laborers in their union.

Question 15

Which of the following statements about women in the early 1900s is NOT true?

A) More women than before were working outside the home.
B) Fewer working women were choosing to get married.
C) Women began to organize their own labor unions.
D) Women's clubs were becoming seedbeds of many reform movements.

Question 16

An accomplishment of the Women's Trade Union League was that it:

A) convinced Congress to end child labor.
B) provided an outlet of protest without resorting to strikes.
C) united working class and middle class women in one group.
D) merged with the American Federation of Labor.

Question 17

Progressive reformers looked to _________ to gain ideas.

A) Asia
B) South America
C) India
D) Europe

Question 18

Most American socialists did NOT advocate:

A) the creation of a stronger central government.
B) public ownership of railroads and utilities.
C) a worldwide revolution by the working class.
D) economic change accomplished through political action.

Question 19

One effect of socialist ideals being openly expressed was:

A) the move of progressives toward moderate reforms.
B) the demise of the Socialist Party by 1910.
C) the nationalization of the nation's railroads.
D) the downfall of fundamentalism in the South.

Question 20

All of the following groups or people opposed progressive social reforms EXCEPT:

A) supporters of the Social Gospel Movement.
B) Protestant fundamentalists.
C) Billy Sunday.
D) John D. Rockefeller.

Question 21

A peak of anti-union violence occurred when:

A) police broke up a memorial parade for workers killed in the Triangle Shirtwaist fire.
B) supporters of Eugene Debs marched to Washington D.C.
C) Robert LaFollette was nominated for president.
D) armed guards shot and burned striking miners, and their families, in Ludlow, Colorado.

Question 22

Most settlement houses were staffed by:

A) industrial laborers during off-hours.
B) union organizers.
C) foreign-born socialists.
D) middle-class women.

Question 23

A housing reform leader who worked at University Settlement in New York was:

A) Lawrence Veiller.
B) Charles Sheldon.
C) Walter Rauschenbush.
D) Billy Sunday.

Question 24

Reformers who focused on ending child labor faced resistance from big business and:

A) the American Federation of Labor.
B) some poor parents who needed the extra income.
C) believers in the Social Gospel Movement.
D) leaders of the settlement-house movement.

Question 25

In which of the following years was the percentage of employed children between 10 and 15 the highest?

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

Question 26

In general, American reforms that addressed awful working and living conditions were:

A) far less effective than social reforms passed in western Europe.
B) successful at ending urban poverty before 1920.
C) responsible for making the abolition of child labor the first victory of labor unions.
D) opposed by Eugene Debs as conforming to capitalism.

Question 27

John Dewey and Jacob Riis were activists in the move to make progressive reforms:

A) in the Protestant Church.
B) that would provide national health insurance.
C) in public education.
D) designed to enhance the profits of big corporations.

Question 28

All of the following statements about Margaret Sanger are true EXCEPT:

A) she was indicted for distributing reformist literature.
B) women failed to follow up on the cause she championed.
C) she was viewed as controversial by fundamentalists.
D) she fled to Europe to avoid legal pressure from authorities.

Question 29

Reforms in rural areas during the early 1900s achieved all of the following aims EXCEPT:

A) increasing the number of agricultural colleges in the South.
B) improving roads and communication in remote regions.
C) managing to stop rural people from being drawn to urbanization trends.
D) creating more consolidated school districts in rural areas.

Question 30

Many progressive reformers supported prohibition legislation because:

A) prohibition laws had succeeded at reducing alcoholism in western Europe.
B) they believed alcohol was a cause of poverty and many other social problems.
C) they wished to break monopolies controlled by liquor manufacturers.
D) it was a major aspect of the Socialist Party's platform.

Question 31

The Harrison Act:

A) criminalized gambling across the nation.
B) denied labor unions the right to collective bargaining.
C) restricted the distribution and use of narcotics.
D) created minimum-wage requirements for women.

Question 32

In the early 1900s, the involvement of white reformers in the black struggle for equality:

A) was especially prevalent in the South.
B) was discouraged by W. E. B. Du Bois.
C) was declared illegal by the Supreme Court.
D) was limited to small numbers of progressive activists.

Question 33

Changes in the strategy of suffragettes in the early 1900s included:

A) nominating middle class women for national political office.
B) not allowing men to join women's rights organizations.
C) adopting activist tactics such as rallies and political lobbying.
D) focusing on achieving local voting rights, not national voting rights.

Question 34

The Nineteenth Amendment:

A) gave women the right to vote.
B) provided for the direct popular election of U.S. senators.
C) limited presidential terms.
D) made the distribution and use of alcohol illegal.

Question 35

Reformers who called for use of the Australian ballot succeeded in achieving:

A) the guarantee of biracial tickets in the North.
B) the right of voters to have privacy in the voting process.
C) an end to illegal campaign contributions.
D) an end to the use of literacy tests as a requirement for voting.

Question 36

Suffragists won their first victories in the:

A) Northeast.
B) Midwest.
C) South.
D) West.

Question 37

The accomplishments of Mayor Samuel "Golden Rule" Johnson in Toledo, Ohio, included:

A) being the first black man elected to the position of mayor in any American city.
B) overseeing the successful attempt to attain women's suffrage in Ohio.
C) supporting the successful passage of prohibition legislation.
D) defeating the two established parties and passing many social reforms.

Question 38

Use of the initiative allowed reformers to:

A) become directly involved in labor negotiations.
B) propose legislation directly to the electorate.
C) impeach legislators who were unresponsive to change.
D) run third party candidates and receive federal funds.

Question 39

As governor, Robert LaFollette successfully passed all of the following reforms EXCEPT:

A) the nation's first state income tax.
B) workers' compensation.
C) women's suffrage at the state level.
D) popular voting in primaries.

Question 40

Why were Mark Twain and other critics wary of Theodore Roosevelt's presidential style?

A) They objected to his reformist philosophies.
B) They believed he was too closely tied to the interests of Standard Oil.
C) They felt he was a show off and far too flamboyant.
D) They did not like his consistent refusal to consult labor leaders.

Question 41

A major difference between Theodore Roosevelt and the presidents of the Gilded Era was:

A) Roosevelt was much more aggressive in his use of presidential power.
B) Roosevelt did not feel that labor-management relations were a vital issue.
C) Roosevelt distanced himself from the growing influence of the press.
D) Roosevelt was a Republican and they were Democrats.

Question 42

When mine owners refused to meet with coal workers at the White House, Roosevelt:

A) decided that the executive branch no longer had a role in labor disputes.
B) made it clear that he would not use his influence to break the union.
C) appealed to the Supreme Court to intervene on behalf of management.
D) stated that John Mitchell's unreasonable nature had kept mine owners away.

Question 43

Major focuses of Theodore Roosevelt's presidency included all of the following EXCEPT:

A) using subsidies to bolster the failing Standard Oil Company.
B) seeing the president as a mediator between labor and management.
C) the conservation of natural resources.
D) suing "bad trusts" that he viewed as guilty of misconduct.

Question 44

Roosevelt's accomplishments as president included all of the following EXCEPT:

A) getting laws passed that aimed at consumer protection in food and drugs.
B) taking over after William McKinley's death and then being elected.
C) setting aside public forest lands and oil reserves.
D) promoting an amendment to establish an income tax.

Question 45

Regarding how humans should deal with the natural world, Theodore Roosevelt can best be classified a/an:

A) environmentalist.
B) preservationist.
C) conservationist.
D) deep ecologist.

Question 46

William Howard Taft's support for the Sixteenth Amendment opened a period when:

A) the federal government expanded its activities and responsibilities.
B) the Republican Party strengthened its foundation of consensus.
C) conservatives, such as Nelson Aldrich, rallied behind his aggressive social reforms.
D) labor unions declined to a role of insignificance.

Question 47

During the presidency of William Howard Taft:

A) the Republican Party split into two factions.
B) Robert LaFollette emerged as an opponent of reform.
C) Theodore Roosevelt strongly supported the beleaguered president.
D) Richard Ballinger was fired as secretary of the interior.

Question 48

Woodrow Wilson's New Freedom rejected what he called Theodore Roosevelt's:

A) lack of sympathy for labor.
B) regulated monopoly.
C) consistent favoring of big business.
D) inflexibility in foreign policy.

Question 49

Which statement best describes Woodrow Wilson's style as president?

A) He built upon Roosevelt's model of strong executive authority.
B) He kept his distance from issues, letting his cabinet take political leadership.
C) His reluctance to sponsor legislation hurt his effectiveness as president.
D) His support for radical reforms pleased socialists and advocates of women's suffrage.

Question 50

Jane Addams supported the __________ Party in the 1912 election.

A) Republican
B) Democratic
C) Progressive
D) Socialist

Question 51

The Underwood-Simmons Tariff Act:

A) was vetoed by President Wilson.
B) increased tariffs substantially.
C) increased the special privileges of industry.
D) enacted an income tax.

Question 52

The first income tax enacted after the ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment had a top tax rate of __ percent.

A) 7
B) 29
C) 42
D) 49

Question 53

Woodrow Wilson sought to reform banking primarily through the:

A) Keating-Owen Act.
B) Smith-Lever Tariff Act.
C) Federal Reserve Act.
D) Federal Trade Commission.

Question 54

The Federal Trade Commission:

A) was created during Taft's presidency.
B) quickly became friendly to business.
C) was declared unconstitutional in 1915.
D) had its commissioners appointed by Congress.

Question 55

Conservatives opposed Wilson's nomination of Louis Brandeis to the Supreme Court:

A) after Brandeis made it clear that he had never voted for Republicans.
B) due to Brandeis's lack of legal experience.
C) because Brandeis was Jewish and had issued pro-labor opinions.
D) as a result of Brandeis's close friendship with Eugene Debs.

Question 56

The ________________ Act was designed to decrease child labor.

A) Keating-Owen
B) Smith-Lever
C) Harrison
D) Hepburn

Question 57

Which of the following happened first?

A) Hepburn Act passed
B) Robert LaFollette elected governor of Wisconsin
C) Women win the right to vote for Parliament in England
D) Industrial Workers of the World formed

Question 58

Which of the following happened last?

A) Theodore Roosevelt runs for president a second time
B) Socialist Party of America organized
C) muckraking begins
D) Meat Inspection Act passed

Question 59

What characteristics defined the philosophy of Americans who fell under the general category of "progressives"?

Question 60

What social elements combined behind the move to pass prohibition legislation?

Question 61

What were examples of reform in city and rural areas?

Question 62

Compare and contrast the ideas of those Americans who believed in either conservation or preservation.

Question 63

What amendments to the Constitution were passed in the period 1910-1920?

Question 64

Compare and contrast the ideas of reform expressed by two of the three following presidents: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson.

Question 65

Some historians feel that Theodore Roosevelt was the "first modern president" of the twentieth century. What evidence supports this claim? In what ways do you feel this is true or untrue?

Question 66

In what ways did social reform and social control often intermingle in the Progressive Era? Which impulse was more prevalent in the period 1905-1918?

Question 67

How did the role of women change during the Progressive Era? What effect did this have on the advancement of progressivism?

Question 68

What views of reform were expressed by labor, blacks, and the Socialist Party? What effect did their views have on the nature of reform?

Question 69

Many historians believe that the election of 1912 revealed a desire by voters for a continuance of moderate reforms. What evidence causes historians to express this thesis? Did voters get what they wanted?