Continuity and Change in Period 6 Practice Test

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?

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?