Period 6 (1865-1898)

Overview

Welcome to Period 6! This period accounts for roughly 13% of the exam.

Why were these years chosen for this period?

1865 marked the end of the Civil War. Americans began to expand westward at increasingly high rates. The federal government provided incentives to railroad companies to build transcontinental railroads. Native Americans, farmers, and the industrial work force make up a large portion of this time period. 1898 marked the beginning of the Spanish-American War – the US burst onto the international scene.

Potential Short Answer Questions/Essay Topics Include:

• Comparing and Contrasting different labor unions (Knights of Labor and AFL)

• Comparing and Contrasting “”Old” Immigration with “New” Immigration

• US relations with Native Americans in the late 19th century

• Reasons for the development of the Populist Party

Thematic Questions

American & National Identity: How did the rapid influx of immigrants from other parts of the world than northern and western Europe affect debates about American national identity?

Work, Exchange, & Technology: How did technological and corporate innovations help to vastly increase industrial production? What was the impact of these innovations on the lives of working people?

Migration & Settlement: How and why did the sources of migration to the United States change dramatically during this period?

Politics and Power: How did the political culture of the Gilded Age reflect the emergence of new corporate power? How successful were the challenges to this power? Why did challenges to this power fail?

America in the World: How did the search for new global markets affect American foreign policy and territorial ambitions?

Geography & the Environment: In what ways, and to what extent, was the West “opened” for further settlement through connection to eastern political, financial, and transportation systems?

Culture & Society: How did artistic and intellectual movements both reflect and challenge the emerging corporate order?