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Quiz for Thinking Like a Historian: The Risks and Rewards of Technological Innovation

Question

1. How does John B. Morris characterize the railroads in his 1828 speech (source 1)?

As a threat to the traditional American way of life

As a development that will benefit the eastern states

As a boon to every aspect of life in the United States

As an innovation with advantages and drawbacks

Correct. The answer is c. Morris characterizes the railroads as a development that will benefit every element of America life in the present and in the future.

Incorrect. The answer is c. Morris characterizes the railroads as a development that will benefit every element of America life in the present and in the future.

Question

2. The illustration of the passenger car depicted in source 2 was intended to convey which of the following messages about railroad transportation?

Railroads would be fast and efficient.

Trains could carry unprecedented numbers of passengers.

Railroad transportation would be a completely new experience

Train travel would be familiar, pleasant, and luxurious.

Correct. The answer is d. The illustration of the passenger car depicted in source 2 was intended to convey the message that train travel would be a pleasant and luxurious experience, not unlike that of riding in a fine stagecoach.

Incorrect. The answer is d. The illustration of the passenger car depicted in source 2 was intended to convey the message that train travel would be a pleasant and luxurious experience, not unlike that of riding in a fine stagecoach.

Question

3. Which of the following messages did source 3 attempt to convey about the Camden and Amboy Railway?

Trains provide benefits for Americans from all walks of life, not just the wealthy.

Trains are modern, sleek machines that have made Philadelphia a suburb of New York.

Railroads are dirty, ugly, and dangerous and threaten Americans’ health and property.

Railroads are dividing cities and their inhabitants, not creating connections and harmony.

Correct. The answer is c. The poster in source 3 attempted to convey the message that railroads were a threat to Americans’ health, safety, and property rights.

Incorrect. The answer is c. The poster in source 3 attempted to convey the message that railroads were a threat to Americans’ health, safety, and property rights.

Question

4. According to the author of source 4, who bore the brunt of the impact of financing the railroads in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania taxpayers

The government of Pennsylvania

Railroad entrepreneurs

The federal government

Correct. The answer is a. The author of source 4 opposes the governor of Pennsylvania’s decision to allocate funds to assist in the building of the state’s various railroads on the grounds that it was Pennsylvania’s taxpayers who ultimately footed the bill, even if the railroads themselves never came to fruition.

Incorrect. The answer is a. The author of source 4 opposes the governor of Pennsylvania’s decision to allocate funds to assist in the building of the state’s various railroads on the grounds that it was Pennsylvania’s taxpayers who ultimately footed the bill, even if the railroads themselves never came to fruition.

Question

5. According to the lyrics of “The Waggoner’s Curse” (source 5), what was the economic impact of the railroad industry in the United States?

Railroads provided jobs for a wide variety of skilled American workers.

Railroads benefited the economy by allowing faster and more efficient transportation.

Railroads put many workers out of work and facilitated immigration.

Railroads brought economic harm as well as economic benefits to the United States.

Correct. The answer is c. Told from the point of view of a wagon driver, the song emphasizes the negative impact railroads had on the many workers who made their living from occupations connected to road transportation. The song also objects to Irish immigrants who had come to build railroads and the resulting increase in workforce competition.

Incorrect. The answer is c. Told from the point of view of a wagon driver, the song emphasizes the negative impact railroads had on the many workers who made their living from occupations connected to road transportation. The song also objects to Irish immigrants who had come to build railroads and the resulting increase in workforce competition.

Question

6. A historian considering all of these primary documents together would be most likely to make which of the following conclusions?

Railroads brought tremendous economic benefits that only a few naysayers refused to recognize.

Railroads transformed the American economy, creating both massive wealth and serious economic and social displacement.

Railroad entrepreneurs convinced state governments to subsidize their projects, but railroads did not bring the benefits Americans hoped to see.

State governments supported the building of the railroads primarily so they could justify tax increases and the seizure of private property.

Correct. The answer is b. Taken together, these documents would lead a historian to conclude that the growth of the railroad industry transformed the American economy in both negative and positive ways, bringing wealth and opportunities to some at the expense of others.

Incorrect. The answer is b. Taken together, these documents would lead a historian to conclude that the growth of the railroad industry transformed the American economy in both negative and positive ways, bringing wealth and opportunities to some at the expense of others.