U.S.

HISTORY HONORS: FINAL EXAM_WRITTEN

Modern America: Colliding and Dividing Worlds - The Gilded Age

PART I: READING BASED QUESTIONS. STATE YOUR ANSWERS BRIEFLY.

1. Provide a definition of the term “Gilded Age.”

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2. Based upon the information provided, what made this time period such a moment for fantastic and unprecedented
economic growth? Identify 3 key contributing factors.
1.
2.
3.
3. During this time period, an elite group of wealthy industrialists emerged that dominated their industries and amassed
huge fortunes. Their accomplishments produced mixed reactions, with supporters referring to them as “Captains of
Industry,” and opponents referring to them as “Robber Barons.” Using the information provided, identify at least 2
key reasons that support the use of either of these terms for these people.
“Captains of Industry” “Robber Barons”

1. 1.
2. 2.

PART II: WRITTEN ANALYSIS. RESPONSES MUST BE ORIGINAL.

4. According to the reading, “By the early twentieth century, the richest nine percent of Americans controlled 75 percent
of the national wealth. Yet, working families were forced to rely on two, three, and sometimes four incomes, just to
make ends meet. To the poor, the working class, the reformers, and the consumers, the Gilded Age was not so golden.
Still, the businessmen of the period felt justified in their actions, as the United States became the world’s leading
industrial power, with the U.S. producing as much as Germany, Great Britain, and France combined.” Do you find
this to be fair or unfair at this time in history? Briefly explain your answer.
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5. According to the reading, “The standard of living for many American workers increased. As Andrew Carnegie said in
The Gospel of Wealth, ‘the poor enjoy what the rich could not before afford. What were the luxuries have become the
necessaries of life. The laborer has now more comforts than the landlord had a few generations ago.’ In many ways,
Carnegie was correct. The decline in prices and the cost of living meant that the industrial era offered many
Americans relatively better lives in 1900 than they had only decades before. For some Americans, there were also
increased opportunities for upward mobility.” Overall, do you think the time period of the Gilded Age had a more
positive or negative effect on America?
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EXTRA CREDIT : POLITICAL CARTOON INTERPRETATION

Using the political cartoon provided, what do you think is the most important component, feature, or message
contained within it, and what does it reflect about the United States during the Gilded Age? Offer a brief explanation
of your response.
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