Continuity and Change in Period 6
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AP U.S. History › Continuity and Change in Period 6
Secondary source excerpt (Period 6, 1865–1898): The Civil War settled the question of secession, but not the struggle over who would benefit from the nation’s growth. By the 1890s, farmers and workers criticized railroads and banks, arguing that concentrated wealth threatened republican ideals. These critiques echoed earlier wartime debates about power but targeted new industrial institutions. Which choice best identifies a change in the main targets of reform movements from the Civil War era to the Gilded Age?
Reformers increasingly targeted ending public schools, which had been created during the Civil War.
Reformers increasingly targeted the abolition of the Constitution and the restoration of British rule.
Reformers increasingly targeted corporate monopolies, railroads, and financial power rather than secession and slavery as central threats.
Reformers increasingly targeted the expansion of slavery into the territories as the main issue after 1877.
Reformers increasingly targeted banning all immigration from Europe during the Civil War itself.
Explanation
This question analyzes changes in the main targets of reform movements from the Civil War era to the Gilded Age. The passage indicates that while the Civil War settled secession, struggles over who would benefit from national growth continued, with farmers and workers criticizing industrial institutions by the 1890s. Choice A correctly identifies that reformers increasingly targeted corporate monopolies, railroads, and financial power rather than secession and slavery as central threats, as seen in Populist and labor movements. Choice B incorrectly suggests reformers targeted abolishing the Constitution and restoring British rule.
Secondary source excerpt (Period 6, 1865–1898): The Civil War accelerated federal authority, and later decades retained a stronger national state than in the antebellum era. However, the uses of that power evolved: rather than wartime conscription and emergency measures, policymakers increasingly debated monetary policy, tariffs, and the regulation (or nonregulation) of corporations. Meanwhile, federal commitment to protecting Black voting rights eroded. Which option best captures both continuity and change in federal power across these eras?
Continuity: the Union remained at war through 1898; Change: industrialization reversed after 1870.
Continuity: federal power depended entirely on the Articles of Confederation; Change: Congress abolished the presidency in 1877.
Continuity: the federal government stayed weaker than states; Change: states lost all authority over elections after 1865.
Continuity: strong federal authority remained; Change: federal attention shifted toward economic and industrial issues as Reconstruction protections declined.
Continuity: federal troops permanently enforced Black voting rights; Change: tariffs disappeared as an issue after 1865.
Explanation
This question examines both continuity and change in federal power across the Civil War and Gilded Age eras. The passage notes that the Civil War strengthened federal authority, which remained stronger than in antebellum times, but the uses of that power evolved from wartime measures to economic and industrial issues. Choice A correctly captures both the continuity of strong federal authority and the change toward economic focus as Reconstruction protections declined. Choice B incorrectly claims the federal government stayed weaker than states, contradicting the passage's emphasis on expanded federal authority after the Civil War.
Secondary source excerpt (Period 6, 1865–1898): Wartime legislation like the Homestead Act and railroad land grants encouraged settlement; after the war, these policies continued and expanded. As settlers moved west, conflicts intensified with Native nations, and the federal government increasingly used reservations and assimilation policies. Which choice best explains a continuity in federal policy goals from the Civil War era into 1865–1898 regarding the West?
Preventing any westward migration remained the main goal to preserve Native land claims.
Encouraging western settlement and integrating the region into the national economy remained a federal priority.
Ending railroad construction remained a priority to protect the buffalo herds.
Supporting an independent Native republic in the Plains remained the chief federal objective.
Restoring Spanish control of the Southwest remained a consistent federal goal.
Explanation
This question examines continuities in federal policy goals regarding the West from the Civil War era into 1865-1898. The passage notes that wartime legislation like the Homestead Act and railroad land grants encouraged settlement, and these policies continued and expanded after the war. Choice A correctly identifies that encouraging western settlement and integrating the region into the national economy remained a federal priority, as demonstrated by continued homestead policies and transcontinental railroad support. Choice B incorrectly claims preventing westward migration was the main goal to preserve Native land claims.
Secondary source excerpt (Period 6, 1865–1898): African American political participation surged during Reconstruction, with Black officeholders and biracial state governments. By the 1890s, disfranchisement and segregation sharply curtailed that participation, even though constitutional amendments remained. Which option best identifies the change described?
A shift from Northern secession in 1865 to Southern control of the Union Army in 1890.
A shift from industrial capitalism to a return of feudal landholding nationwide.
A shift from expanded Black political rights during Reconstruction to widespread disfranchisement under Jim Crow by the 1890s.
A shift from railroads to the disappearance of long-distance transportation.
A shift from permanent disfranchisement during Reconstruction to full equality in voting and officeholding by 1898.
Explanation
This question analyzes the described change in African American political participation from Reconstruction to the 1890s. The passage explains that Black political participation surged during Reconstruction with Black officeholders and biracial governments, but by the 1890s, disfranchisement and segregation sharply curtailed that participation. Choice A correctly identifies the shift from expanded Black political rights during Reconstruction to widespread disfranchisement under Jim Crow by the 1890s, representing a dramatic reversal of earlier gains. Choice B incorrectly reverses this pattern by claiming a shift from disfranchisement to full equality.
Secondary source excerpt (Period 6, 1865–1898): “Reconstruction promised a ‘new birth of freedom,’ but the end of federal troop enforcement helped Southern Democrats reassert control. At the same time, national politics increasingly centered on tariffs, currency debates, and the influence of corporate wealth. Despite these shifts, many Americans still argued—much as they had during the Civil War—over whether Washington should intervene to secure rights and reshape society.” Which development best illustrates the change described in national politics after Reconstruction?
The replacement of wage labor with an economy dominated by household artisans
The rise of debates over tariffs and monetary policy alongside growing corporate influence
The widespread acceptance of secession as a constitutional right
The immediate and permanent elimination of racial violence in the South
The end of all federal involvement in economic policy, including tariffs
Explanation
This question asks students to identify what change occurred in national politics after Reconstruction ended. The excerpt specifically states that "national politics increasingly centered on tariffs, currency debates, and the influence of corporate wealth" as federal focus shifted away from protecting Black civil rights in the South. Answer A correctly identifies this shift toward economic policy debates and corporate influence as the key political change. Answer B contradicts the excerpt which notes racial violence continued "in new forms," while answers C through E present historically inaccurate claims about secession, wage labor, and federal economic policy that don't align with Period 6 developments.
Secondary source excerpt (Period 6, 1865–1898): Republicans during the Civil War promoted internal improvements and protective tariffs; these priorities continued after 1865 as industrialists sought favorable policy. However, the political coalition changed as new issues like currency (gold vs. silver) and regulation of trusts emerged. Which option best identifies a continuity in economic policy from the Civil War era into the Gilded Age?
A continued preference for an agrarian economy and the dismantling of railroads.
Continued support for protective tariffs and policies that encouraged industrial expansion.
A continued policy of banning national banks and paper currency as unconstitutional.
A continued policy of granting voting rights only to property owners nationwide.
A continued commitment to eliminating all federal taxes and tariffs to fund the government only through donations.
Explanation
This question examines continuities in economic policy from the Civil War era into the Gilded Age. The passage notes that Republicans promoted internal improvements and protective tariffs during the Civil War, and these priorities continued afterward as industrialists sought favorable policies. Choice A correctly identifies continued support for protective tariffs and policies encouraging industrial expansion as a key continuity, reflecting the Republican Party's consistent pro-business orientation. Choice B incorrectly claims a commitment to eliminating all federal taxes and tariffs, which contradicts the period's high tariff policies.
Secondary source excerpt (Period 6, 1865–1898): The Civil War era raised questions about citizenship and national belonging; in the later nineteenth century those questions expanded as new immigrants arrived and cities swelled. While wartime debates centered on emancipation and Union, the Gilded Age saw nativist movements and restrictions alongside continued reliance on immigrant labor. Which choice best describes a change in social tensions between the Civil War era and 1865–1898?
Tensions focused exclusively on re-fighting Civil War battles between state militias.
Tensions shifted entirely to debates over monarchy versus republicanism.
Tensions increasingly focused on immigration and urban crowding, alongside ongoing racial conflicts rooted in emancipation.
Tensions disappeared because industrialization produced equal wealth for all Americans.
Tensions ended when the U.S. stopped receiving immigrants after 1865 by constitutional amendment.
Explanation
This question analyzes changes in social tensions from the Civil War era to the Gilded Age. The passage indicates that while Civil War-era debates centered on emancipation and Union, the later period saw expansion of citizenship questions due to immigration and urbanization. Choice A correctly identifies that tensions increasingly focused on immigration and urban crowding, alongside ongoing racial conflicts rooted in emancipation, as seen in nativist movements and continued struggles over Black rights. Choice B incorrectly claims tensions disappeared due to equal wealth distribution, which contradicts the period's growing inequality.
Secondary source excerpt (Period 6, 1865–1898): The late nineteenth century witnessed new technologies and business forms—corporations, trusts, and national advertising—creating a more integrated economy than in the Civil War years. Yet government and business leaders continued to argue that “free labor” and opportunity justified social inequality. Which option best identifies a change in the structure of the U.S. economy from the Civil War era to 1865–1898?
The economy shifted away from railroads toward a canal monopoly controlled by the federal army.
The rise of large corporations and national markets reshaped production and distribution beyond the more regional wartime economy.
The economy stopped using money and returned to barter nationwide after 1873.
The economy became primarily based on slave plantations expanding into the Southwest.
The economy returned to small-scale household production and eliminated factories by 1880.
Explanation
This question analyzes changes in the structure of the U.S. economy from the Civil War era to the Gilded Age. The passage describes how the late nineteenth century witnessed new technologies and business forms creating a more integrated economy than during Civil War years. Choice A correctly identifies that the rise of large corporations and national markets reshaped production and distribution beyond the more regional wartime economy, as seen in the growth of trusts and national advertising. Choice B incorrectly claims the economy returned to small-scale household production and eliminated factories.
Secondary source excerpt (Period 6, 1865–1898): The Civil War era saw massive casualties and a new scale of national mourning. In the decades that followed, memorials, veterans’ organizations, and reunions kept the war present in public life, even as Americans confronted new industrial problems. Which choice best identifies a continuity in American culture from the Civil War era into 1865–1898?
Americans stopped discussing the Civil War entirely after 1865 due to a federal ban on memorials.
Public commemoration of the Civil War through memorials and veterans’ groups remained significant.
Civil War memory disappeared because veterans were denied citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment.
Commemoration focused exclusively on celebrating the Confederacy as the national government.
Commemoration ended because the U.S. abolished holidays and public gatherings in 1870.
Explanation
This question examines continuities in American culture from the Civil War era into 1865-1898. The passage describes how the Civil War created massive casualties and national mourning, and in following decades, memorials, veterans' organizations, and reunions kept the war present in public life despite new industrial challenges. Choice A correctly identifies that public commemoration of the Civil War through memorials and veterans' groups remained significant, maintaining the war's cultural importance throughout the period. Choice B incorrectly claims Americans stopped discussing the Civil War entirely after 1865.
Secondary source excerpt (Period 6, 1865–1898): The Fourteenth Amendment promised equal protection, but later interpretations often favored corporations and limited federal remedies for racial discrimination. This represented both continuity in using law to define rights and a change in who most benefited from legal protections. Which choice best reflects this change in constitutional interpretation by the late nineteenth century?
Courts ended judicial review and placed all constitutional interpretation in the hands of state militias.
Courts abolished the Fourteenth Amendment and reinstated the Dred Scott decision as binding law.
Courts required immediate land redistribution to freedpeople as the main meaning of equal protection.
Courts mandated integrated public accommodations nationwide in the 1870s and enforced it consistently through 1898.
Courts increasingly applied rights language to protect property and corporate interests, while narrowing federal protection of Black civil rights.
Explanation
This question analyzes changes in constitutional interpretation by the late nineteenth century. The passage indicates that while the Fourteenth Amendment promised equal protection, later interpretations often favored corporations and limited federal remedies for racial discrimination. Choice A correctly identifies that courts increasingly applied rights language to protect property and corporate interests while narrowing federal protection of Black civil rights, as seen in cases like the Civil Rights Cases and Plessy v. Ferguson. Choice B incorrectly claims courts abolished the Fourteenth Amendment and reinstated Dred Scott.