Chapter Twenty Two: The Progressive Era, 1895-1917

Practice Quiz:

1. What factors contributed to magazine popularity and success in the early 1900s?
a. appealing pictures, fiction, low costs, and revealing journalism
b. labor union support, sensationalism, and new poetry
c. wealthy oligarchy support, new art work in color, and international focus
d. use of cutting-edge words like “new” and “mass” and yellow journalism

2. The ________ set new standards for mass production in the early 20th century.
a. Colt .45 revolver
b. Philco radio
c. Ford Model T
d. General Electric oscillating fan

3. Between 1898 and 1903, the American economy saw
a. an increase in the number of smaller businesses.
b. greater competition among all businesses.
c. a wave of mergers and consolidations.
d. the outlawing of trusts.

4. In the new industrial system, workers
a. found a safer working environment.
b. took greater pride in their workmanship.
c. frequently faced repetitive and boring work tasks.
d. noticed little change in their work environment.

5. This disaster forced state and national attention on working conditions in factories and stores.
a. Homestead mining strike
b. Farmington fire
c. Hormel stampede
d. Triangle Shirtwaist fire

6. Why did people flee farms in the early 1900s?
a. Pests destroyed most crops across the South, and farmers fled debt.
b. Whites came to associate farming with Mexicans and African Americans.
c. Drought destroyed most crops across the Mid-West, and farmers fled debt.
d. People were attracted to the more modern, cosmopolitan life of the city and suburbs.

7. Which of the following most accurately describes women in the workforce in 1920?
a. Half of all medical school graduates were women.
b. More than one quarter of all employed women held clerical jobs.
c. Colleges and universities provided maternity benefits to female faculty members.
d. Unlike many black women, white women tended to stay in the labor force after marriage.

8. Why was it mostly women that advocated for child laborers in the early 1900s?
a. Women are naturally more caring and attentive to children than men.
b. Men made more money than women, so they didn’t have to worry about working conditions for themselves or others.
c. Many women suffered the same hardships as child workers, so they empathized and wanted to change conditions for all workers.
d. All of the women advocates were mothers and laborers themselves, so they stood to gain from reforms for themselves and their families.

9. At the beginning of the twentieth century, many African Americans
a. found their situation improved substantially.
b. received equal opportunities for quality education.
c. worked in the South under conditions of peonage.
d. had little reason to protest.

10. In the first decades of the twentieth century, Mexican immigration to the United States
a. rarely occurred.
b. increased dramatically.
c. had little impact on the United States.
d. was encouraged by the U.S. government.

11. Immigrants to the United States in the early 1900s
a. were generally received with open arms.
b. were easily assimilated into American society.
c. encountered considerable hostility from American nativists.
d. prospered financially and socially.

12. Why did labor productivity drop between 1915 and 1918 in the United States?
a. Their main markets were in Europe, which was embroiled in war and not buying products in significant amounts.
b. The male labor force were all fighting in WWI, so production virtually ceased in most industries.
c. Race riots were so violent that they affected and, in some cities, halted factory production.
d. Laborers were so unhappy with working conditions, wages, and hours, that they couldn’t be as productive as they were in the past.

13. The Industrial Workers of the World
a. was the most radical American labor union.
b. was led by J.P. Morgan.
c. had little impact on immigrant workers.
d. was readily accepted by the American business establishment.

14. The violence of ________ led to the establishment of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
a. hockey
b. football
c. baseball
d. basketball

15. A popular form of entertainment that drew from the immigrant experience was
a. jazz.
b. ragtime.
c. vaudeville.
d. the minstrel show.

16. Popular music in the Progressive Era
a. was strongly influenced by the African American experience.
b. experienced little change.
c. became more classical in its orientation.
d. traced its roots to western Europe.