Apush Agriculture to Industry Questions

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It just didn’t happen, because the american dream was based on ;lies. Yet these rich though it to be true and judged those who had not succeeded economically because of it. As for the poor, the wealthy seemed like self-justified snobs. Hye bragged about their riches and said it was god’s will, or that they were morally heightened etc. which angered the poor. This disdain between classes could easily cause conflict and even another civil war especially if the classes don’t begin to understand each other..

6. Why did American workers have such trouble responding to the new industrial conditions of labor? Why were businesses and the middle-class public generally hostile to allowing workers to organize as industries did? Why did the Af of L survive while the Knights of Labor failed?

American workers were having trouble responding to the new industrialized labor because it was so mindless and numbing. This caused “individual originality and creativity to be stifled” (550), which to anyone would be hopelessly boring and a sad life. Just imagine doing the same task in an interchangeable part factory your entire life? I sure would be bored. Also, new machines took the jobs of these manual workers and the workers had no power to fight a huge industry about even basic rights. This caused the creation of unions, which many people hated because it seemed they demanded more money and didn’t deserve it. Businesses and the middle class public especially had hostility toward unions because it seemed like they were complaining for no reason and being whiney babies, especially during the economic depression at the time. The Af of L survived while the Knights of Labor failed because they were smart. They didn’t ask for better wages or conditions during economic downfall like the knights, so they had less hatred and anger. Because everyone knows if you ask for money during an economic decline people with no jobs will be really angry and spiteful that you’re complaining.

7. Did the development of American cities justify jefferson’s claim that “when we get piled up in great cities we will become as corrupt as Europe”?

8. Compare the “heroic” story of immigration, as illustrated in the statue of liberty with the historical reality. What explains the ambivalence towards the new immigrants reflected in lazarus’ poem?

The “heroic” story of immigration that the usa falsely portray of itself was that they accepted all with open arms and full hearts, and that immigrants were welcomed and could create a better life and could live the american dream. Thye could find a job and work for good money and live in a house and do good for themselves and theo=ir prosperity.In reality, america discriminated on which immigrants could come in and many naitivists didnt want any immigrnats coming at all. This led to making immigration “padlocked against defective undesirables-plus the chinese” (571), aka creating restrictive laws on immigration and banning chinese from immigrating for no apparent reason. The ambivalence reflected in Lazarus’ poem is there mainly to portray America as the true land of the free and opportunity, and to better foreign relations. It was a gift from France after all, so it would only be ight to seem kind and loving especially to them.

9. Did urban life cause a decline in american religion or just an adjustment to new forms?

Urban life caused a decline in american religion for many reasons. As the working hours became longer, the less free time people had to spend on church, leading to people feeling that “traditional doctrines and pastoral approaches [were] irrelevant”(572). As well as time constraints, morality in general in cities tended to be lower. People wanted to spend their hard earned money and wages on booze, gambling, and prostitutes, the good old material items in life, instead of getting stuck praying in a dark, boring church. There was no physical meit to church, so people just stopped going. Also, because cities grew to be so large it became increasingly difficult to navigate to farther cities without either spending a lot of time walking ora lot of cash to get there. Most churches were too far to comfortably travel to, so people just didn’t go. In a sense, they were lazy.

10. Why did urban life alter the condition of women and bring changes like birth control and rising divorce rates to the family?

Urban life brought women economic freedom in the form of typewriting and more as jobs and occupations, which “encouraged sexual freedom and the new morality began to be reflected in soaring divorce rates, [and] the spreading practice of birth control” (585). Having the means to support oneself as a woman because of new economic opportunities provided by urban life was liberating and empowering, leading to a new morality that feminists used to loosely talk about sexuality and more. It opened the floodgates to potential future equality, and was furthered by journals, news, and other modes of communication at the time especially the telephone. This was all new and excited and real to them, and led to female empowerment and happiness. Also because the woman’s main job was not to child rear anymore, more opportunities awaited her than just raising children and working on a farm her whole life; she could in theory do any type of factory job she wanted and get paid for it, though not paid very well or equally in any way. Thye h=still had a long way to go and we still do nowadays, as female empowerment is shunned and the pay grade for just white women is 75 cents to a man’s dollar, a black woman is 64 cents, and a latina is 58.