Chapter 10

Question 1

What vision did mainstream Americans have by 1896 regarding individualism and government?

Answer 1

A world where hardworking individualists could rise, protected by an activist government that curbed business and organized labor.

This vision was influenced by both northern and southern views of American republicanism.

Question 2

What demographic changes occurred in American society between 1890 and the First World War?

Answer 2

Increased population size, significant population movements from rural to urban areas, and regional migrations.

This period also saw shifts in social attitudes among Americans.

Question 3

How many European immigrants came to the United States between 1890 and 1914?

Answer 3

More than 18 million.

This was part of the great Atlantic Migration that occurred after the Civil War.

Question 4

What were the learning objectives of the chapter regarding immigration and urbanization?

Answer 4

• Increased immigration and urbanization from 1890 to 1914
• Consequences of immigration and urbanization for American society and culture
• Changes in the position of African-Americans between 1890 and the First World War

Question 5

What was a key question to consider while reading the chapter?

Answer 5

In what ways did the economy and society of the USA change and develop?

Other key questions include how united the USA was during this period and the importance of key individuals and groups.

Question 6

True or False: By 1896, mainstream Americans believed that anyone could improve their economic situation.

Answer 6

False.

By 1896, it was believed that many would fail and that this was their own fault.

Question 7

Fill in the blank: The experiences of settling in a new society changed the _______ of immigrants.

Answer 7

[experiences]

Question 8

What societal changes were influenced by the great Atlantic Migration?

Answer 8

Social attitudes of Americans towards themselves and other communities changed.

This migration significantly impacted American society.

Question 9

How did the views of northern and southern Americans differ regarding government control?

Answer 9

From the North, the belief was that any American could improve their lot; from the South, the belief was that those who had succeeded should control the government.

Question 10

What was the condition of the individualist family according to mainstream Americans by 1896?

Answer 10

It was to be protected by an activist government.

This reflects a shift in societal values and beliefs.

Question 11

What was the impact of immigration and urbanization on American culture?

Answer 11

It led to significant cultural changes and adaptations within American society as new populations settled.

Question 13

What was the impact of immigration on the American economy between 1865 and 1890?

Answer 13

Immigration was both a symptom and a cause of the dynamic expansion of the American economy.

Question 14

What motivated many new arrivals to the United States?

Answer 14

Many were economic migrants drawn by the promise of work and a better life.

Question 15

What demographic shift occurred due to immigration in American cities?

Answer 15

Most migrants became urban dwellers, contributing to a population explosion in cities.

Question 16

How did immigrants influence the character of American cities?

Answer 16

Cities took on special character from the cultural identities of the migrants, creating areas like ‘Little Italy’ and the ‘Polish Triangle.’

Question 17

What tensions arose from mass immigration?

Answer 17

Tensions developed between ethnic communities and between new arrivals and earlier settlers.

Question 18

How many immigrants arrived in the United States between 1890 and the First World War?

Answer 18

18.4 million immigrants.

Question 19

Which regions saw a significant increase in immigration to the United States during this period?

Answer 19

Southern and Eastern Europe.

Question 20

What were the push factors driving immigration from Europe?

Answer 20

Poverty, hunger, and persecution.

Question 21

What were common pull factors attracting immigrants to the United States?

Answer 21

Idealized beliefs in America as a land of riches and freedom, and the attraction of joining established communities.

Question 22

What improvements facilitated increased immigration during this period?

Answer 22

Advancements in transportation and communications, including bigger and faster ships.

Question 23

What was the role of Ellis Island in immigration?

Answer 23

Opened in 1892 as a new immigration center to cope with the volume of arrivals.

Question 24

What percentage of immigrants returned home, and how did this vary by community?

Answer 24

Almost one in three returned home; 20% of Scandinavians, 60% of Italians, and 3% of Russian Jews returned.

Question 25

What demographic characteristics defined Italian immigrants?

Answer 25

80% were male, reflecting a focus on work to send money home.

Question 26

What was notable about the migration pattern of Jewish immigrants?

Answer 26

Most came as families intending to make a permanent new life.

Question 27

What challenges did mass immigration present to American society?

Answer 27

Difficulties of assimilating large numbers of new citizens from diverse backgrounds.

Question 28

What significant transformation occurred in American urban areas from 1870 to 1920?

Answer 28

The pace of urbanization accelerated, with more Americans moving to urban areas.

Question 29

What was the demographic trend in urban versus rural populations in the United States between 1870 and 1920?

Answer 29

More Americans lived in urban areas than in rural areas by 1920.

Question 30

What was the nature of the urban skyline during the period of rapid urbanization?

Answer 30

An ever-changing vista of new, taller buildings competing for space.

Question 31

What was one social change that accelerated with urbanization?

Answer 31

The spread of advertising and modern economic activities.

Question 33

What was the role of theatres and music halls during 1890-1920?

Answer 33

They catered for the masses.

Question 34

What were small cinemas known as?

Answer 34

'Nickelodeons'.

Question 35

Where was the film industry emerging from?

Answer 35

Small beginnings across the country.

Question 36

What factors contributed to urbanization during this period?

Answer 36

Industrialisation, urbanisation, and immigration.

Question 37

How did urbanisation affect small-town America?

Answer 37

Brought street lighting, trams, civic buildings, and public utilities.

Question 38

What was the population of the United States by 1900?

Answer 38

76 million.

Question 39

What was the population of the United States by 1920?

Answer 39

100 million.

Question 40

What was the birth rate trend in the United States during this time?

Answer 40

Declining compared to earlier in the nineteenth century.

Question 41

What was the death rate in the United States at this time?

Answer 41

16.5 per thousand, the lowest in the world.

Question 42

What internal migration trend began around 1910?

Answer 42

African-Americans began moving out of the South to Northern cities.

Question 43

What was the impact of immigration on urban populations?

Answer 43

Swelled the urban population and met demand for workers.

Question 44

What was the optimistic belief about immigrant cultures in the U.S.?

Answer 44

They would merge in a 'melting pot'.

Question 45

What was the reality of immigrant communities in the U.S.?

Answer 45

A patchwork of different communities.

Question 46

What ethnic groups were prominent in the industrialised Northeast?

Answer 46

* Irish * German-American * Polish * Jewish.

Question 47

What was the iconic example of protection offered by local politicians to immigrant communities?

Answer 47

Tammany Hall in New York City.

Question 48

What complex relationship did immigrants have with trade unions?

Answer 48

Many joined unions but were seen as a threat by older members.

Question 49

What were the names of two significant strikes in the 1890s?

Answer 49

* Homestead Strike of 1892 * Pullman Strike of 1894.

Question 50

What was a source of tension between older and newer immigrant groups?

Answer 50

The perception of newer immigrants as cheap labor.

Question 51

What was the political reaction to urban, mostly Catholic political machines?

Answer 51

A backlash that contributed to the growth of Populism.

Question 52

Fill in the blank: The _______ was the center of the Democratic political machine.

Answer 52

[Tammany Hall].

Question 53

True or False: The Jewish Quarter on the Lower East Side of Manhattan had a diverse population mix.

Answer 53

False.

Question 54

What was the main characteristic of the Northeast region in the context of American society?

Answer 54

The Northeast was dominant in terms of social trends and modernization.

Question 55

Why was the South considered 'a place apart' in society and culture?

Answer 55

Due to its plantation economy, resistance to change, and legacy of segregation.

Question 56

From around what year did African-Americans begin moving out of the South to Northern cities?

Answer 56

About 1910.

Question 57

Fill in the blank: The West's social and economic development was still _______ after 1890.

Answer 57

patchy and unfinished.

Question 58

What characterized Western society after 1890?

Answer 58

It was transient and influenced by 'rugged individualism'.

Question 59

List some groups that made up the varied population of the West.

Answer 59

* Prospectors * Ranchers * Drifters * African-Americans * Mexican migrants

Question 60

What major social movement was a significant force in America regarding society, culture, and moral values?

Answer 60

Progressivism.

Question 61

True or False: Progressives were universally supportive of immigrant communities.

Answer 61

False.

Question 62

What tragic event at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in 1911 highlighted issues in the garment industry?

Answer 62

A disastrous fire caused by poor safety conditions.

Question 63

Fill in the blank: The fight for _______ was intertwined with the impact of urbanization and traditional rural America.

Answer 63

Prohibition.

Question 64

Who was Carrie Nation and what was her role in the Prohibition movement?

Answer 64

She was known as the 'Kansas Bar Room Smasher' and advocated for direct action against alcohol.

Question 65

What organization did Wayne Wheeler lead that significantly influenced Prohibition efforts?

Answer 65

The Anti-Saloon League.

Question 66

What was the National American Woman Suffrage Association's role in the early 1900s?

Answer 66

Organizing public rallies and linking with the suffragette movement.

Question 67

What were 'graft and kickbacks' in the context of American politics?

Answer 67

Corruption practices by public officials to enrich themselves.

Question 68

What is Nativism?

Answer 68

The idea that values of people born in the United States were superior to, and under threat from, the 'alien' values of recent immigrants. ## Footnote Discussed in Chapter 3, page 24.

Question 69

Which group is introduced in Chapter 1, page 2?

Answer 69

The Ku Klux Klan. ## Footnote Important to understand its historical context.

Question 70

What terms summarize the position of African-Americans between 1865 and 1890?

Answer 70

White supremacists, lynchings, and Jim Crow. ## Footnote Refer to Chapter 1, pages 8-10 and Chapter 3, pages 28-30.

Question 71

What significant event regarding African-Americans occurred following the US entry into the First World War in 1917?

Answer 71

Their position and circumstances began to change, discussed in Chapter 12, page 113.

Question 72

What role did saloons play for the working class in the late nineteenth century?

Answer 72

They met needs such as washing, meeting space, and communication, often free of charge. ## Footnote Saloons served as communication centers and provided shelter for workers.

Question 73

What were the different types of saloons and their functions?

Answer 73

Occupational saloons, ethnic saloons, and neighborhood saloons. ## Footnote Each type emphasized different features and served various community needs.

Question 74

What overlapped with the campaign for women's suffrage during the period of urbanization and immigration?

Answer 74

Prohibition and the ideas of nativism and immigration restriction. ## Footnote The revival of the Ku Klux Klan also emerged during this time.

Question 75

What was the American attitude towards immigrants in the early twentieth century?

Answer 75

There was ambivalence, with a long history of both acceptance and restriction. ## Footnote Many native-born Americans believed in the potential for assimilation.

Question 76

What was the impact of lynchings on African-Americans between 1889 and 1929?

Answer 76

3724 people were lynched, with 85% being African-Americans and nearly all lynchers being white. ## Footnote Fewer than 50 of the perpetrators were arrested, highlighting systemic injustice.

Question 77

Who proposed an Anti-Lynching Bill in 1901?

Answer 77

Congressman George Henry White. ## Footnote The bill was defeated in Congress despite efforts for reform.

Question 78

What was the role of politicians like Governor Ben Tillman in the lynching of African-Americans?

Answer 78

They openly encouraged lynch mobs and defied federal government efforts. ## Footnote Tillman had significant influence and power within the Democratic Party.

Question 79

What was the outcome of the Springfield riot in 1908?

Answer 79

It led to the formation of the NAACP in 1909. ## Footnote The NAACP aimed to abolish segregation and enforce equal voting rights.

Question 80

Who was W.E.B. Du Bois?

Answer 80

An African-American scholar and activist, first to receive a PhD from Harvard, and co-founder of the NAACP. ## Footnote He promoted a more activist approach to civil rights.

Question 81

Fill in the blank: The regular occurrences of _______ symbolized the existence of the Jim Crow system.

Answer 81

lynchings.

Question 82

True or False: The majority of lynching victims between 1889 and 1929 were white.

Answer 82

False. ## Footnote 85% of victims were African-Americans.

Question 83

What was the Niagara Movement?

Answer 83

A movement founded by W.E.B. Du Bois in 1905 promoting civil rights and activism. ## Footnote It later joined forces with the NAACP.

Question 84

Who furiously denounced the political progress made under Theodore Roosevelt?

Answer 84

Ben Tillman

Question 85

What was the stance of black leaders like Du Bois towards President Wilson's approach?

Answer 85

Disillusioned by the cautious approach

Question 86

What was the significance of Woodrow Wilson's public statements in 1912?

Answer 86

Hopes were placed in them for political progress

Question 87

What was the revival of the Ku Klux Klan from 1915 indicative of?

Answer 87

The ongoing racial tensions and challenges

Question 88

What film, made in 1915, depicted the Ku Klux Klan as a protective force?

Answer 88

Birth of a Nation

Question 89

Who wrote 'A History of the American People'?

Answer 89

Woodrow Wilson

Question 90

What were the two significant transformations in the United States before WWI?

Answer 90

Rural America and Urban America

Question 91

What did the social changes before WWI produce?

Answer 91

Losers as well as winners

Question 92

What prompted demands for reform from progressives and social reformers?

Answer 92

Social, ethnic, and regional tensions

Question 93

How did others view the turbulence of American society during this period?

Answer 93

As inevitable growing pains of dynamic industrial growth

Question 94

What intensified the rate of social change from 1917 onwards?

Answer 94

The impact of the First World War

Question 95

Fill in the blank: In the years 1890 to 1914, American society changed _______.

Answer 95

[dramatically]

Question 96

What should you consider when assessing the validity of the statement about American society?

Answer 96

The extent of change that occurred

Question 97

What is necessary to establish when evaluating historical extracts?

Answer 97

A clear overall context

Question 98

What is the main theme discussed in the extracts regarding immigration?

Answer 98

Arguments in relation to immigration to the United States