1. _________________________________ __________
Name Period
UNIT 1 STUDY GUIDE
The Gilded Age
Section 1: The Gilded Age
1. The period from 1865-1900 that was marked by the belief that things looked better on the outside than they
really were on the inside was known as the __________________________.
2. Name FOUR characteristics of the Gilded Age that made America appear “gilded”:
a. __________________________________________________________________________
b. __________________________________________________________________________
c. __________________________________________________________________________
d. __________________________________________________________________________
3. The person who coined the term “Gilded Age” was the American novelist _____________________________.
4. The belief that no matter where someone comes from, they could rise in society and go as far as their talent
and commitments take them is known as _________________________________.
5. What was the story line of most Horatio Alger novels? _____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
6. The belief that things that cannot adapt to the environment in which they live will eventually die out, while those
that do adapt thrive and live on became known as _________________________________.
7. What was the catchphrase of the philosophy of Social Darwinism? ___________________________________
8. The belief that some things were out of a person’s control and that some people failed simply because they
were caught in circumstances they could not control was known as ___________________________.
9. The philosophy which said that wealthy people who profited from society owed it something in return was the
principle known as ________________________.
10. Rich people like Andrew Carnegie practiced _____________________ which was a person using their wealth
to further social progress by making large contributions to things such as charities.
11. Reform efforts gave rise to what three organizations during the late 1800s:
a. ___________________________ b. ___________________________ c. ____________________________
12. The houses set up by Christians who were trying to improve conditions for the poor were known as
_____________________________.

2. 13. Explain how the following organizations helped to contribute to the poor in the late 1800s
a. Salvation Army: _____________________________________________________________________
b. YMCA: _____________________________________________________________________
14. The Christian reformer who started settlement houses in poor neighborhoods that spread throughout the United
States was ______________________. The most famous one she started was Hull House in Chicago.
15. The teaching of immigrant children in public schools to integrate them into American culture was known as
___________________________.
16. Why did attending public schools sometimes create problems for immigrant children? ____________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
17. Why did many African Americans have to start their own schools? ___________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
18. The African American leader who started the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama to give African Americans equal
educational opportunities was ____________________________.
19. Give two ways that industrialization affected many Urban Americans in the late 1800s:
a. __________________________________________________________________________
b. __________________________________________________________________________
20. Give FOUR types of entertainment that were popular during the late 1800s:
a. ___________________ b. ___________________ c. _____________________ d. __________________
21. The places in big cities during the late 1800s that served as an important role for male workers and served as
political centers were ______________________.
22. The two sports that were the most popular in the United States in the late 1800s were ____________________
and ________________________.
23. The type of entertainment during the late 1800s that included animal acts, acrobats and dancers was known as
_________________________.
24. One of the very first amusement parks in the U.S. was ______________________________ in New York City.
25. The music that became popular in fast-paced cities was known as ________________________.
26. One of the most important African-American ragtime composers was _______________________.

3. Section 2: Political Reforms
27. By the late 1800s, numerous politicians worked to get rid of ____________________, which is giving
government jobs out to people who aren’t worthy in exchange for their help getting elected.
28. Republicans who were in favor of making government reforms to help the poor and the needy were called
_________________ while those Republicans who did not to want changes were called _________________.
29. What president was assassinated in 1881 by a patronage seeker? ___________________________________
30. The law passed by Congress that brought an end to patronage (the spoils system) and led to the creation of the
Civil Service Commission was the ____________________________________________.
31. Under the Pendleton Act, people now had to ___________________________ to qualify for a government job.
32. Give THREE characteristics of many Republicans in the late 1800s:
a. __________________________________________________________________________
b. __________________________________________________________________________
c. __________________________________________________________________________
33. Give THREE characteristics of many Democrats in the late 1800s:
a. __________________________________________________________________________
b. __________________________________________________________________________
c. __________________________________________________________________________
34. Republicans who wanted reforms and therefore supported Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland for
president in the Election of 1884 were called ____________________________________.
35. Give FOUR problems that Grover Cleveland faced as President from 1885-1889:
a. __________________________________________________________________________
b. __________________________________________________________________________
c. __________________________________________________________________________
d. __________________________________________________________________________
36. The Supreme Court case that ruled that only the federal government could regulate interstate commerce (trade
between states) was the case of ________________________________________________.
37. In response to the Supreme Courts ruling in the case of Wabash v. Illinois, the U.S. Congress created the
__________________________________________________.

4. 38. What was the purpose of the Interstate Commerce Commission? ____________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
39. The McKinney Tariff resulted in a ____________________________________________, which contributed to
an economic depression in the United States in 1893.
40. To curb the power of trusts, Congress passed the __________________________________________ of 1890.
41. Why wasn’t the Sherman Antitrust Act effective at first? ____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
42. Business responded to the Sherman Antitrust Act by ______________________________________________.
43. Informal political groups that were designed by politicians to keep power by providing voters – most often
immigrants – with life’s necessities in exchange for their votes were called ____________________________.
44. The people who ran the big-city political machines were known as ____________________________. They
were either elected officials or the person with the power behind and elected official.
45. The rise of political machines and party bosses led to a rise in ____________________ within the local
governments as party bosses would commit fraud or graft.
46. The most famous of the big-city political bosses was ________________________________ who was the boss
of the ____________________________ political machine in New York City.
Section 3: Populism
47. Give FOUR problems farmers faced in the late 1800s:
a. __________________________________________________________________________
b. __________________________________________________________________________
c. __________________________________________________________________________
d. __________________________________________________________________________
48. New technology helped farmer produce more crops, which caused prices to ___________________________.
49. The first national farm organization was the Patrons of Husbandry, which was better known as ____________ .
50. The movement to increase the farmers’ political power which worked to pass laws in the farmers’ interest was
known as _________________________.

5. 51. In the presidential election of 1896, Republicans supported a gold standard and candidate ________________
Democrats nominated the great orator _________________________, who was a supporter of unlimited silver.
Section 4: Segregation Begins
52. In 1879, thousands of African Americans migrated to the West. These migrating blacks became known as
______________________________.
53. One of the main rights that was taken away from blacks in the South by loopholes in the nation’s laws was the
right to ___________________.
54. Give THREE ways that southern governments denied African Americans their right to vote:
a. __________________________________________________________________________
b. __________________________________________________________________________
c. __________________________________________________________________________
55. Segregation in the South was enforced by laws designed to prevent African Americans from exercising their
equal rights which were known as _____________________ laws.
56. The Supreme Court case that legalized segregation was the case of _________________________________.
57. Plessy v. Ferguson was the Supreme Court case that legalized segregation and established the principle of
“_______________________________________.”
58. The unlawful killing of a person accused of a crime at the hands of a mob without a trial – usually by hanging
them from a tree – is known as a __________________________.
59. The African American writer from Memphis, who started a campaign against lynchings and who pushed courts
to bring those accused of lynchings to justice, was __________________________.
60. The African American, who believed the way to stop discrimination was for African American’s to concentrate
on economic goals rather than political goals, was ____________________________.
61. The African American who challenged government ideas and believed that the only way African Americans
would achieve full equality was to get a good education was ___________________________.
62. The organization created in 1909 that worked to improve living conditions for African Americans was the
_______________________________________________________________, better known as the NAACP.

6. Section 5: Indian policies
63. Most people who moved west were ___________________ who raised cattle or farmed the land or were
___________________ looking for gold or silver.
64. What form of transportation had the greatest impact on westward expansion in the late 1800s?
________________________________
65. Movement to the west by Americans in the years following the Civil War led to a rise in conflicts with
______________________________.
66. The law pass in 1862 that provided a legal method for settlers to buy property in the West and helped to lead to
settlement of the Great Plains was the _____________________________________.
67. Most Native Americans were nomads who lived hunting _______________________, which provided the
Native Americans with food and clothing.
68. Why did the U.S. government approve a policy of mass killing buffalo on the Great Plains in the late 1800s?
________________________________________________________________________________________
69. Name THREE famous massacres that Native Americans were victims of in the late 1800s:
a. ___________________________ b. ___________________________ c. ____________________________
70. What American military leader was ambushed and killed at the Battle of Little Bi Horn? ___________________
71. Which Indian Chief led the Nez Perce tribe in defiance of the U.S. government? _________________________
72. The government body created by federal government in 1867 in an effort tot step in and settle disputes
between U.S. settlers and Native Americans was known as the _____________________________________.
73. Give THREE ways that Native Americans were forced to assimilate into American culture:
a. ___________________________ b. ___________________________ c. ____________________________
74. The law passed in an attempt to assimilate the Native Americans into American society was the ____________
_______________, which was an attempt to break up Indian reservations into small plots of land.