American History Homework Seven Answers - Student Fourteen

Duncan B. American History Homework 7

1. The “Gilded Age” was the period from when Reconstruction ended in 1877 until 1896. The term comes from the American writer Mark Twain, who called it the “Gilded Age” in a book of that name. He called it that because, according to him, it looked good on the outside, but at the heart of the times was corruption.

Correct.

2. What I like about Thomas Edison was his perseverance. During his last years at Menlo Park, he was attempting to construct an electric-powered car, but could not find a way to build a battery which would hold enough charge to power a car without having to recharge ridiculously often. After spending $1,000,000 and more than a year, he succeeded in building one, but by then the gasoline-powered car was in general use—his car was a waste of time.

Excellent, and will use as a model.

3. To some Americans, the frontier was simply all that land out west where there was nothing but buffalo and hostile Indians. To others, it was the Promised Land where they could be independent and prosper.

Good.

4. The United States was the first country in the world where the inventor of something had a period where only he could produce the item—called a patent. Without this, no one has an incentive to make something new—other people simply take it. This is why few inventions come out of communist countries.

Excellent again, and will also use as a model.

5. Political cartoons communicate in common speech what some could not understand or only just grasp. Also, instead of simply stating the facts, they bring them across in a humorous way. For example, one cartoon of this period depicts a picture of the Senate, dominated by huge fat men with moneybag bodies labeled “Standard Oil Trust,” “Beef Trust,” “Coal Trust,” and so on. The “people’s entrance” is closed, and the sign reads “The Senate: By the Monopolists, Of the Monopolists, For the Monopolists!” The cartoonist’s view, that monopolists were gaining too much power, is communicated better than if he had simply stated the facts.

Terrific, and that's a superb example!

6. John Rockefeller formed the first “trust” of oil companies or any companies in the world. He also was the first to create a profitable benefit from oil. With that in mind, John Rockefeller was an extremely important figure in the period 1877-1896.

Good, but I'm not sure why that is so influential.

7. The cartoon depicts Uncle Sam on a horse riding up a road to prosperity. On one side is a solid road labeled “silver,” but instead of staying on that road, Uncle Sam is sinking in the quicksand labeled “Gold.” It depicts the government’s decision to stay with a “gold standard,” which the cartoonist did not support—he was a bimetallist.

Excellent.

H1. Grover Cleveland, although a Democrat, was extremely conservative. He refused to bail out the banks in 1893, which many conservatives would have done, despite the principles of capitalism. He opposed government spending and supported free enterprise.

Good, except I think you mean to say "which many Republicans would have done, despite the principles of capitalism." Not sure many conservatives would have done that, but I may be wrong but some may have just done that in the recent bailout!

H3. Why should the government break up monopolies? If they do, they give no incentive to owners of companies to improve their businesses; the owners know that as soon as they are doing well and are beginning to corner the market, they will be broken up.

Excellent point.

H5. Williams Jennings Bryan, one of the greatest orators in American history, was in some ways the establisher of the modern Democratic Party. His famous “Cross of Gold” speech was, in many ways, an attempt to gain the support of the masses of the people. His idea “if you legislate to make the masses prosperous their prosperity will find its way up and through every class that rests upon it” is very leftist. His speech, although brilliantly presented, was founded on wrong political ideas.

Terrific analysis. Would use as a model but I already picked two from your paper earlier! May come back later to copy this one also if I need it.

Congratulations: a perfect score including honors. 100/100.--Aschlafly 18:29, 1 November 2008 (EDT)