124© Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Prentice Hall. All rights reserved.

Note Taking Study GuideSEGREGATION AND SOCIAL TENSIONS

CHAPTER

9 SECTION 1

Name Class Date

Focus Question: How were the civil rights of certain groups in Americaundermined during the years after Reconstruction?

Record the ways in which different groups challenged Resconstruction.

ChallengingDiscrimination

Mexican Americans

African Americans

Women

Chinese immigrants

Black newspapers

Fought forright to vote

© Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Prentice Hall. All rights reserved.

125

READING CHECK

What act prohibited Chineseworkers from entering theUnited States?

VOCABULARY STRATEGY

What does the word exploitedmean in the underlinedsentence? Circle any words orphrases in the surroundingsentences that help you figureout what exploited means.

READING SKILL

Summarize Booker T.Washington and W.E.B. Du Boishad different responses todiscrimination. Describe thoseresponses.

After federal troops left the South, southern states enacted JimCrow laws. These laws segregated blacks and whites. Railroadcars, restaurants, and many other places were segregated. Theselaws were constitutional as long as states maintained “separatebut equal” facilities. Southern states exploited AfricanAmericans by passing measures that prevented many of themfrom voting. They enacted a poll tax, which required voters topay a tax to vote. Voters also had to pass literacy tests.

African Americans refused to accept their status as second-class citizens. They established black newspapers, women’sclubs, fraternal organizations, schools and colleges, and politi-cal associations. Former slave Ida B. Wells wrote articlescondemning the treatment of blacks and criticizing lynching.Booker T. Washington argued that African Americans shouldwork with segregation. He recommended they build reputationsas hardworking and honest citizens. However, W.E.B. Du Boisargued that blacks should demand equality immediately.

Chinese immigrants also faced racial prejudice. Congresspassed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which prohibited Chineseworkers from entering the country. Chinese migrants turned tothe federal courts. In 1898, the Supreme Court ruled that citi-zenship could not be taken away from individuals of Chinesedescent who were born in the United States.

Mexican Americans also struggled against discrimination.Despite guaranteed property rights, many Mexicans lost theirlands after the Mexican-American War because they wereunable to prove ownership. In the late 1880s and early 1890s, LasGorras Blancas (the White Caps) fought back. They engaged inguerrilla warfare against the railroads and large ranchers.

Women continued to fight for the right to vote, to ownproperty, and to receive an education. Although women failedto gain the vote, the number of women attending collegejumped dramatically.

Review Questions1. What actions did southern states take to limit the rights of

African Americans?

2. How did African Americans respond to segregation?

Section SummarySEGREGATION AND SOCIAL TENSIONS

CHAPTER

9 SECTION 1

Name Class Date

126© Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Prentice Hall. All rights reserved.

Note Taking Study GuidePOLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHALLENGES

CHAPTER

9 SECTION 2

Name Class Date

Focus Question: Why did the political structure change during the Gilded Age?

As you read, describe the issues that dominated national politics in the 1870s and 1880s.

I. Politics and Economics

A. Political Stalemate

B. Corruption in Politics

1.

2.

3.

C. Money Matters

1. Tariff policies debated

2.

a.

b.

© Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Prentice Hall. All rights reserved.

127

READING CHECK

What is the term for the use ofgold as a nation’s currency?

VOCABULARY STRATEGY

Find the word integrity in theunderlined sentence. The word“weak” earlier in the sentencehas a negative meaning. Use thisclue to help you figure out themeaning of integrity.

READING SKILL

Identify Main Ideas What twoeconomic issues were important to politics during theGilded Age?

During the Gilded Age, neither the Democrats nor the Republicans held control for more than two years in a row.This made it difficult to pass new laws. Presidents during thisera seemed weak and lacked integrity. Inaction and corruptionwere common.

Under the spoils system, politicians gave government jobsto loyal party workers without consideration of their qualifica-tions. Government officials used federal contracts to convincepeople to vote for their candidates.

President James Garfield and other prominent figureswanted to reform the civil service system. This systemincludes federal jobs in the executive branch. In a reformedsystem, government workers would get jobs based on theirexpertise. Vice President Chester Arthur signed the PendletonCivil Service Act in 1883 after Garfield was assassinated by acitizen who felt cheated out of a job. This act established a civilservice commission. The commission wrote an exam that allpotential government workers took. Getting a job was basedon how well one did on the exam, not on one’s political affilia-tion and connections.

The tariff and the monetary policy were two economicissues that created controversy during this era. Republicansfavored a high tariff. They argued that it would create new jobsand allow industry to grow. Democrats believed high tariffswould raise prices and make it harder to sell American goods abroad.

There was disagreement over the gold standard, the use ofgold as the basis of the nation’s currency. Bankers and othersfeared that the use of silver for coins would undermine the economy. Farmers argued that the rejection of silver moneywould lead to low prices and financial ruin. Congress passed theCoinage Act of 1873, which ended the minting of silver coins.After protest, however, it authorized minting of silver dollars.

Review Questions1. How did the spoils system create government corruption?

2. How was the civil service system reformed after the assassi-nation of President Garfield?

Section SummaryPOLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHALLENGES

CHAPTER

9 SECTION 2

Name Class Date

128© Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Prentice Hall. All rights reserved.

Note Taking Study GuideFARMERS AND POPULISM

CHAPTER

9 SECTION 3

Name Class Date

Focus Question: What led to the rise of the Populist movement, andwhat effect did it have?

As you read, list the reasons that farmers in the South and West felt the need toorganize and the effects of their effort.

• Falling prices

•

•

•

•

•

Farmers organize.

• The Grange provides education on new farming techniques and calls for regulation of railroad and grain elevator prices.

•

•

•

•

Effects

Event

Causes

© Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Prentice Hall. All rights reserved.

129

READING CHECK

What candidate did Populistsendorse in the 1896 presidentialelection?

VOCABULARY STRATEGY

Find the word network in theunderlined sentence. Now,eliminate the word from thesentence and read it again.What word might you use inplace of network? Use thisstrategy to help you figure outthe meaning of network.

READING SKILL

Identify Causes and EffectsDescribe the problems that ledfarmers to create groups suchas the Grange.

Between 1870 and 1895, farm prices dropped sharply. The costof doing business also increased. Many farmers mortgagedtheir farms to survive. They blamed high fees and interestcharged by the railroads and banks for their problems.

In 1867, Minnesota farmer Oliver H. Kelley organized theGrange, an organization of farmers. It was one of a network oforganizations created to solve farmers’ problems. The Grangecalled for the regulation of railroad and grain elevator rates andprompted the federal government to establish the InterstateCommerce Commission (ICC). Farmers’ Alliances began work-ing for reform in the late 1870s. They called on the federalgovernment to establish postal banks to provide farmers withlow-interest loans.

The Populist Party, or People’s Party, grew out of theFarmers’ Alliances in 1892. The party grew rapidly, puttingpressure on the two major political parties to consider theirdemands. They called for the coinage of silver to fight lowprices. To combat high costs, they demanded governmentownership of railroads. In 1892, they elected several governorsand senators, and ten congressmen. Their presidential candi-date received more than one million votes.

In 1896, Populists were forced to decide whether to nomi-nate their own presidential candidate or to endorse DemocraticParty nominee William Jennings Bryan. They chose toendorse Bryan, who supported many Populist proposals.

Bryan lost the election to Republican candidate WilliamMcKinley. Bryan’s emphasis on monetary reform did notappeal to urban workers. The Populist decision to endorseBryan weakened the party at the local and state levels. Theparty never recovered, and by the early 1900s, it had disap-peared as a viable alternative to the two major political parties.

Review Questions1. What did the Populist Party hope to achieve?

2. Why did the Populist Party decline in the late 1890s?

Section SummaryFARMERS AND POPULISM

CHAPTER

9 SECTION 3

Name Class Date