AP Success - AP US History: Social Darwinism in the Gilded Age
Hofstadter, Richard. The American Political Tradition: And the Men Who Made it. Vintage, 1989."The ideas of the age were tailored to fit the rich barons. Economists, journalists, educators, and writers who rushed to do them honor found a strikingly plausible rationale in Darwinian biology…From Darwin and his popularizers they learned that life is a fierce and constant struggle which only the fittest survive. Confusing evolution with progress, as was natural to optimistic spokesmen of a rising class and a rising nation, they concluded that the bitter strife of competitive industry, which seemed to mirror so perfectly Darwin’s natural world, was producing a slow but inevitable upward movement of civilization. Those who emerged at the top were manifestly the fittest to survive and carry on."
Question 1
According to Hofstadter, how did proponents of Social Darwinism in the Gilded Age interpret the relationship between Darwin's theory of evolution and economic competition?
They believed that the competition in industry mirrored the natural selection in Darwin's theory, indicating progress and survival of the fittest.
They saw Darwin's theory as a warning against the excesses of industrial competition and advocated for social reforms.
They interpreted Darwin's theory as supporting the need for government intervention to protect the weak in society.
They rejected Darwin's theory of evolution, favoring a creationist view that justified the social hierarchy.
Question 2
The passage suggests that the 'rich barons' of the Gilded Age were supported by which of the following groups?
Labor unions and working-class organizations that fought for workers' rights.
Populist politicians who sought to regulate big business and support small farmers.
Religious leaders who promoted the social gospel to improve living conditions for the poor.
Economists, journalists, educators, and writers who provided justifications for their status.
Question 3
The 'upward movement of civilization' mentioned in the passage most directly reflects which of the following historical concepts?
The belief in progress that characterized much of American thought during the late 19th century.
The commitment to preserving traditional social orders and hierarchies.
The focus on agrarian virtues and the Jeffersonian ideal of the yeoman farmer.
The push for social and political reforms during the Progressive Era.
Question 4
The ideas described in the passage most directly contributed to which of the following trends in the late 19th century United States?
The growth of the labor movement and the widespread adoption of collective bargaining.
The rise of the Populist movement and the demand for government ownership of railroads.
The expansion of social welfare programs and the establishment of a social safety net.
The justification of laissez-faire capitalism and the minimal regulation of business.
Question 5
Which of the following groups would have been most likely to oppose the ideas presented in the passage during the Gilded Age?
Industrialists like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller who benefited from the era's economic policies.
Labor activists who challenged the inequalities produced by industrial capitalism.
Politicians who supported the gold standard to ensure economic stability.
Immigrant entrepreneurs who relied on the free market to establish successful businesses.
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