History 110: U.S.

History since 1877

Dr. Kempker
First Exam

There are two parts to the exam and 50 total possible points for this exam. DO NOT CONSULT
ONLINE SOURCES, except those provided below. This is as much to help you as it is to ensure that
you access good, scholarly information. You can use notes from class and the textbooks for class
(Exploring American Histories or American Issues) as well. You do not need to cite from these
sources, but can use them to frame your answer. If you directly quote from any source, you should
use quotation marks, but you do not need to provide page numbers.

Just write or type your answers to these questions and email them to me by Wednesday, 4-29 at 5:00
p.m.

Section I: Short Answer

Answer the following three short answer questions, each worth 10 points for a total of 30 points
possible.

1. How new was the New South? What changes (and what does not) in the South after the Civil
War (1865-1890)
In addition to your class textbooks, you can consult these online sources:
 American Yawp (online textbook): http://www.americanyawp.com/text/15-
reconstruction/
 Mississippi History Now (article):
http://www.mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov/articles/204/index.php?s=articles&id=204

2. Compare and contrast the Homestead Act with the Dawes Severalty Act. In what ways were
they similar? In what ways were they different?
In addition to your class textbooks, you can consult this online source:
 American Yawp (online textbook): http://www.americanyawp.com/text/17-conquering-
the-west/

3. What were the demands and arguments of the People’s Party? How and why did they call on
government to act in their interests?
In addition to your class textbooks, you can consult this online source:
 The People’s Party and the Omaha Platform: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5361/

Section II: Essay

Answer the following in the form of a well-organized essay that uses specific examples to support its
generalizations. This section is worth up to 20 points.

1. Why and how did Americans shift from advocating a laissez fair economic approach in the
early Gilded Age to an increasingly activist approach by the first decade of the twentieth
century? What prompted this shift in attitude and what solutions were offered to the problems
of big business?

In addition to your class textbooks, you can consult these online sources:

HIS 110 Prep Sheet for Exam 1

 Digital History on the Gilded Age: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/era.cfm?
eraid=9&smtid=1
 Digital History on the Progressive Era: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/era.cfm?
eraid=11&smtid=1
 The Khan Academy on the Progressive Era:
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/rise-to-world-power/age-of-
empire/a/the-progressive-era

HIS 110 Prep Sheet for Exam 1