Multiple Choice
Identify the
choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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THE AGE OF THE RAILROADS
As the
railroads grew, their influence extended to every facet of American life, including, as in the town
of Pullman, the personal lives of the country's citizens. They determined the time standard of
the country and influenced the growth of towns and communities. The unchecked power of railroad
companies led to widespread abuses, however, which spurred citizens to demand and win federal
regulation of the industry.
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1.
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What is the main idea of the
paragraph above?
a. | There was a lack of control over the
railroads | c. | The power of
railroads led to abuses | b. | Railroads had a dramatic effect on the lives of
Americans | d. | The government moved in to control
the railroads |
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Railroads Span Time and
Space
Railroads had captured the imagination of Americans ever since the 1830s, when
Horatio Allen imported the first steam locomotive from Britain. The iron horse could cross vast
distances and terrains that exhausted horses and excluded riverboats. Rails made local transit
reliable and westward expansion possible for business as well as for people. Realizing how important
railroads were to the settlement of the West and the development of the country, the government made
huge land grants and loans to the railroad companies.
A NATIONAL NETWORK
By
1856, the railroads extended west to the Mississippi River, and three years later, they crossed the
Missouri. A decade later, crowds across the United States cheered as the Central Pacific and Union
Pacific Railroads met at Promontory, Utah, on May 10, 1869. A golden spike marked the spanning of the
nation by the first transcontinental railroad. Other transcontinental lines followed, and regional
lines multiplied as well. At the start of the Civil War, the nation about 30,000 miles of
track. By 1890, that figure was nearly seven times greater.
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2.
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What was the main mode of
transportation prior to the advent of the railroads?
a. | horses and
riverboats | c. | walking and
trains | b. | automobiles and horses | d. | trucks and wagons |
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3.
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Why did the government make
large grants of land and loans to the railroad companies?
a. | Railroad travel was cheaper than
automobile travel | c. | The government
expected to get lots of taxes from the railroads | b. | The railroads were important to the development of the
west. | d. | The Western politicians wanted the loans and land
grants |
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4.
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What is a “national
network” of railroads.
a. | a railroad system that was owned by
the National government | c. | a system of
railroads in the North but not in the South | b. | Separate rail systems in the east and the
west | d. | railroad routes that extended across the entire United
States |
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ROMANCE AND REALITY
The
railroads lent romance to long-distance travel by bringing the dreams of unsettled land, adventure,
and a fresh start within the grasp of many Americans. This romance was made possible, however, only
at the expense of the railroad workers, whose lives were stark and harsh. The Central Pacific
Railroad employed thousands of Chinese immigrants, and the Union Pacific hired Irish immigrants and
desperate, out-of work Civil War veterans to lay track across treacherous terrain. Accidents and
pneumonia and other diseases disabled and killed thousands of men each year. In 1888, when the first
railroad statistics were published, the casualties totaled more than 2,000 employees killed and
20,000 injured.
All railroad workers-whether surveyors, track layers, or engineers,
firemen, and brakemen-faced difficult conditions and numerous hazards for very little pay. As an
employee of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad complained, "We eat our hard bread and tainted meat
two days old on sooty cars up the road, and when we come home, find our children gnawing on bones and
our wives complaining that they cannot even buy hominy and molasses for food."
Just as
building the railroads was hazardous, traveling the railroads was also dangerous. Train wrecks were
common and many passengers lost there lives and were injured riding the
trains.
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5.
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What is the main idea of the
first paragraph above?
a. | Building the railroads was good for
America | c. | Building the
railroads was bad for America | b. | The Irish and Chinese suffered in building the
railroads | d. | The railroads brought many benefits
to people but at the cost of the people who built the
railroads. |
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6.
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What two ethnic groups did most
of the hard labor in building the railroads?
a. | Irish and
Chines | c. | Chinese and African
Americans | b. | African Americans and Irish | d. | Native Americans and Chinese |
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7.
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Building the railroad was
_____ .
a. | an easy but dangerous
job | c. | a skilled and rewarding
job | b. | lonely work | d. | an unskilled and dangerous job |
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RAILROAD TIME
In spite of
these difficult working conditions, the railroad laborers helped to transform the country from a
collection of individual localities into a united nation. Though linked in space, each community
still operated on its own time, with noon when the sun was overhead. The time in Boston, for example,
was almost 12 minutes later than the time in New York. Illinois had 27 different local times, and
Wisconsin had 38. Travelers riding from Maine to California had to reset their watches at least 20
times. In 1870, to remedy this problem, Professor C. F. Dowd proposed that the earth's
surface be divided into 24 time zones, one for each hour of the day. Under his plan, the United
States would contain four zones: Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific. The railroad companies
endorsed Dowd's plan enthusiastically, and many towns followed suit. Finally, on November
18, 1883, railroad crews and towns across the country synchronized their watches. In 1884, an
international conference set worldwide time zones that incorporated railroad time, although the U.S.
Congress didn't officially adopt railroad time as the standard for the nation until
1918.
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8.
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What can we infer from the
passage above?
a. | Having four time zones was something
the railroads did not want | c. | The railroad companies had trouble creating railroad time tables because each
community had a different time. | b. | The railroads were forced by the government to adopt the new time
zones | d. | There came to be 24 time zones across the United
States |
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9.
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In 1880, twelve o’clock
was twelve o’clock. The people were unsophisticated so when it was twelve o’clock in
Chicago it had to be twelve o’clock all over Illinois as well
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10.
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Los Angeles is in the Pacific
time zone and Chicago is in the Central time zone. When it is one o’clock in Los Angeles, what
time is it in Chicago?
a. | one
o’clock | c. | eleven
o’clock | b. | three o’clock | d. | ten o’clock |
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11.
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Time zones were adopted for the
United States in
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Opportunities and
Opportunists
The growth of the railroads influenced not only Americans' concepts of
time and space but also the industries and businesses in which Americans worked. Iron, coal, steel,
lumber, and glass industries grew rapidly as they tried to keep pace with the railroads' demand
for materials and parts. The rapid spread of railroad lines also fostered the growth of towns, helped
establish new markets, and offered rich opportunities for both visionaries and profiteers.
NEW TOWNS AND MARKETS
By linking previously isolated cities, towns, and
settlements, the railroads promoted trade and interdependence. As part of a nationwide network of
suppliers and markets, individual towns began to specialize in particular products. Chicago soon
became known for its stockyards and Minneapolis for its grain industries, and these cities prospered
by selling mass quantities of their products to the entire country. New towns and communities also
grew up along the railroad lines. Cities as diverse as Abilene, Kansas; Flagstaff, Arizona; Denver,
Colorado; and Seattle, Washington, owed their prosperity, if not their very existence, to the
railroads.
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12.
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We can infer from the reading
above that
a. | the railroads were good for business
but ruined many small towns | c. | the railroads helped the American economy to
boom | b. | the railroads helped large cities to grow but hurt small
towns | d. | railroads were a minor help to the American
economy |
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13.
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The railroads caused the towns
and cities along the railroad route to depend on each other.
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14.
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The relationship of towns to
railroads is like the relationship of
a. | policemen to
firemen | c. | farms to
horses | b. | towns to cities | d. | gas stations to freeways |
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15.
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What is the main idea of the
first paragraph above?
a. | railroads supplied goods and
services to towns along the rail lines | c. | many businesses failed because of the
railroads | b. | The stockyards made Chicago famous | d. | railroads created a demand for goods and
services |
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16.
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The railroads helped to make
America a single nation.
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PULLMAN
The railroads helped cities not only grow up but branch out as
well. In 1880, for example, George M. Pullman built a factory for manufacturing sleepers and
other railroad cars on the prairie miles from the center of Chicago. Since increasing demand for the
Pullman company's cars required a large and steady work force, he built a town nearby for his
employees. In 1881, the first resident moved in.
Pullman's idea of a company town
for his employees was inspired in part by New England textile manufacturers, who had traditionally
provided housing for their workers. Pullman was a model town, providing clean, well-constructed brick
houses and apartment buildings with at least one window in every room-a luxury for city dwellers. In
addition, the town offered its residents medical and legal offices, shops, a church, a library, a
theater, and an athletic field.
As Richard Ely observed, however, the town of Pullman remained
firmly under company control. For example, residents were not allowed to loiter on their front steps
or to drink alcohol. Pullman hoped that his tightly controlled environment would ensure a stable work
force. The widespread dissatisfaction of employees like Walter Burrows proved Pullman wrong, however.
The dissatisfaction grew and led to a violent strike in
1894.
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17.
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What did George Pullman
do?
a. | invented the Bessemer steel
process | c. | manufactured
railroad cars | b. | was a labor organizer | d. | investigated the railroad
companies |
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18.
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What did Pullman hope to
achieve by building a town for his workers to live in?
a. | thought he would make his employees
happy and loyal workers | c. | wanted to stop
drinking on the part of his employees | b. | thought he would make money on the rents he
charged | d. | his town was a good income tax
deduction |
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19.
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What did Pullman’s
workers do in 1894?
a. | increased production by
25% | c. | moved into the town that Pullman
built for them | b. | went on strike | d. | made Pullman the most popular industrialist in
America |
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CREDIT MOBILIER
The desire
for control and profit that led Pullman to create his company town-and that enraged many of his
employees-was common among industrialists. Some railroad magnates, or powerful and influential
industrialists, carried it even further, into self-serving corruption. In one of the most infamous
schemes, stockholders in the Union Pacific Railroad formed, in 1864, a construction company
called Credit Mobilier that enabled them to skim off railroad money for themselves. They gave
this company a contract to lay track at two to three times the actual cost-and pocketed the profits.
To prevent government meddling, they donated shares of stock to about 20 representatives in Congress
in 1867.
A congressional investigation of the company, spurred by reports in the New
York Sun, eventually found that the officers of the Union Pacific had pocketed up to $23 million
in stocks, bonds, and cash. Testimony implicated such well-known and respected federal officials as
Vice-President Schuyler Colfax, House Speaker James G. Blaine, and Congressman James Garfield, who
later became president. Although these public figures made off with their profits scot-free, the
reputation of the Grant administration and the Republican Party was
tarnished.
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20.
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What was the Credit
Mobilier?
a. | a company that built railroad
cars | c. | a bank that financed the
railroads | b. | an accounting firm that uncovered scandal in the
congress | d. | a construction company that charged
the government excessive fees for building the railroad |
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21.
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Credit Mobilier proved that
politicians were not involved in any scandal?
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22.
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Who was president during the
Credit Mobilier scandal?
a. | Lincoln | c. | Ulysses Grant | b. | Rutherford Hays | d. | Garfield |
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The Grange and the
Railroads
The corruption in the railroads further enraged the people who relied on this
means of transport for their living. Farmers depended on the railroads to transport their products.
Farmers were especially affected, and the Grangers began demanding government control over the
railroads. The Grange was an organization of farmers that tried to represent the farmers
interests
RAILROAD ABUSES
Farmers were angry with railroad companies for a host
of reasons. They were upset by misuse of government land grants, which the railroads sold to other
businesses rather than to settlers as the government intended. The railroads also entered into formal
agreements to fix prices and keep farmers in their debt. In addition, they charged different
customers different rates, often demanding more for short hauls-for which there was no alternative
carrier-than they did for long hauls.
GRANGER LAWS
In response to these abuses
by the railroads, the Grangers took political action. They sponsored state and local political
candidates, elected legislators, and pressed for laws to protect their interests. In 1871, as
a result of their pressure, Illinois authorized a commission "to establish maximum freight and
passenger rates and prohibit discrimination." In the wake of this success, Grangers throughout
the West convinced state legislators to pass similar laws.
The Grangers also set up a fund to
help citizens sue for violations of these Granger laws. The railroads fought back, challenging the
constitutionality of the regulatory laws. In 1877, however, in the case of Munn v.
Illinois, the Supreme Court upheld the Granger laws by a vote of seven to two. The states thus
won the right to regulate the railroads for the benefit of farmers and consumers. The Grangers also
helped establish an important principle-the federal government's right to regulate private
industry to serve the public interest.
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23.
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Why was the Grange upset with
the railroads?
a. | the railroads were mostly democrats
and the Grange was Republican | c. | the Grange was a construction company that tried to skim money from the
railroads | b. | the railroads charged the farmers excessive fees
| d. | the Grange was not upset with the
railroads |
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24.
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The Grange got politicians
elected to office in the 1870’s which gave the farmers representation in the
government
a. | true | c. | can not tell from the
readings | b. | false |
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25.
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What was Munn v. Illinois?
a. | Released the railroads from
government control | c. | A court ruling
that told the federal government they could not control the
railroads | b. | Upheld the freedom of the railroads to fix
prices | d. | A court ruling that allowed the government to control the
railroads |
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26.
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The Grange politicians got laws
passed that allowed the railroads to be free of government control
a. | true | c. | can not tell from the
reading | b. | false |
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27.
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The Grange laws set the price
that railroads could charge for transporting farm products to $100 per ton of produce
a. | true | c. | can not tell from the
reading | b. | false |
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INTERSTATE COMMERCE ACT
The
Grangers' triumph was short-lived, however. In 1886, the Supreme Court ruled that a state
could not set rates on interstate commerce-railroad traffic that either came from or was going to
another state. Interstate commerce involves commerce between two states. Intrastate
commerce involves commerce inside a single state. In response to public outrage, Congress passed the
Interstate Commerce Act in 1887. This act reestablished the right of the federal government to
supervise railroad activities and established a five-member Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) for
that purpose. The ICC had difficulty regulating railroad rates because of a long legal process and
resistance from the railroads. The final blow to the Commission came in 1897, when the Supreme
Court ruled that it could not set maximum railroad rates. Not until 1906, when Republican
President Theodore Roosevelt began his campaign for railroad regulation, did the ICC gain the power
it needed to be effective.
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28.
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The Reading Railroad only
operates inside the state of Pennsylvania. Would this railroad come under the control of the
ICC?
a. | yes | c. | sometimes | b. | no | d. | can’t tell from the text |
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29.
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What did the Interstate Commerce Act in 1887 do?
a. | allowed the Credit Mobilier to skim
funds from the railroads | c. | gave the Grange
the power to regulate the railroads | b. | gave the government the right to regulate
railroads | d. | made large land grants to the
railroads |
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30.
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What president fought to give
the government control over the railroads to stop abuses.
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THE PANIC OF 1893
Although
the ICC presented few problems for the railroads, corporate abuses, mismanagement, overbuilding, and
competition pushed many railroads to the brink of bankruptcy. Because the railroads were so crucial
to the nation's economy, their financial problems played a major role in a nationwide economic
collapse. The Panic of 1893 was the worst depression up to that time: by the end of 1893,
600 banks and 15,000 businesses had failed, and 3 million people had lost their jobs. By
the middle of 1894, a quarter of the nation's railroads had been taken over by banks.
Large firms such as J. P. Morgan & Company and entrepreneurs such as Cornelius Vanderbilt and his
son William seized many of the railroads. As the 20th century dawned, seven powerful companies held
sway over two-thirds of the nation's railroad tracks.
Businesses of all lands soon
followed the path of consolidation that the railroads had blazed. The age of big business had begun.
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31.
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What is the main idea of the
passage above?
a. | the depression and panic of
1893 allowed a few wealthy people to get control of most of the nations railroads
| c. | the ICC helped to keep the railroads
from bankruptcy. | b. | the panic of 1893 did not effect the railroads because they were
profitable | d. | the workers were happy to see the
railroads fail because it meant higher wages. |
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