Assignment #06

ACIE American History - Cambridge International Examinations

Mr. Anthony Perno and Mr. Victor Wisniski – American Senior High School – 2009/2010 School Year

Syllabus Excerpt: III The Impact of Economic Expansion, 1865-1917

. . . Reasons for the expansion of US industry and commerce after the Civil War. . . . Effects of technical innovations. The impact of railroad expansion. Steel, oil and finance. . . . Cult of the business ethics. . . . rise of trade unions and increasing industrial conflict. . . .

· Reading Assignment: America, Past and Present, Chapter #18, The Industrial Society, pages 511-536

· Assignment: Using the above reading assignment, the student will prepare to answer the following essay questions. (One question will be chosen randomly the day of the exam.) The essay should encompass all pertinent syllabus topics.

· Essay Questions:

1. Explain why the United States became the world’s leading industrial nation in the period 1865-1900.

2. Assess the role of technical innovation in the rapidly expanding US economy from 1865 to 1914.

3. Explain why trade unionism made only limited progress in the United States from 1865 to 1914.

4. How serious were the problems caused by the vast expansion of US industry and commerce in the period 1865-1901?