An American History

The merger movement of 1897–1904 (discussed in the previous chapter) left
broad sections of the economy under the control of giant corporations. The
political system had stabilized. The white North and South had achieved
reconciliation, while rigid lines of racial exclusion— the segregation of blacks,
Chinese exclusion, Indian reservations— limited the boundaries of freedom
and citizenship.
Yet the questions central to nineteenth- century debates over freedom— the
relationship between political and economic liberty, the role of government
in creating the conditions of freedom, and the definition of those entitled to
enjoy the rights of citizens— had not been permanently answered. Nor had the
dilemma of how to reconcile America’s role as an empire with traditional ideas
of freedom been resolved. These were the challenges bequeathed by the nine-
teenth century to the first generation of the twentieth.

CHAPTER REVIEW

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What economic and political issues gave rise to the Populist Party, and what changes did
   the party advocate?


2. How did employers use state and federal forces to protect their own economic interests,
   and what were the results?


3. Compare and contrast the goals, strategies, and membership of the American Federation
   of Labor and the Knights of Labor (you may want to refer back to Chapter 16).


4. Who were the Redeemers, and how did they change society and politics in the New South?


5. Explain how changes in the politics, economics, social factors, and spread of violence
   affected the situation of blacks in the New South.


6. How did religion and the idea of the Lost Cause give support to a new understanding of
   the Civil War?


7. What ideas and interests motivated the United States to create an empire in the late nine-
   teenth century?


8. Compare the arguments for and against U.S. imperialism. Be sure to consider the views of
   Josiah Strong and Emilio Aguinaldo.


9. What rights did Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans gain in these years, and
   what limitations did they experience? How did their experiences set the stage for other
   restrictions on immigration?

CHAPTER REVIEW ★^689

How did the United States emerge as an imperial power in the 1890s?