1. What was the purpose of federal land grants to railroad companies and how much land was distributed?

2. What negative consequences resulted from railroad subsidies and land grants?

1. Why did Congress pass the Interstate Commerce Act and what did it require of railroads?

2. How did the Interstate Commerce Commission's actual impact differ from its intended purpose?

1. What concerns about corporate trusts led Congress to pass the Sherman Antitrust Act?

2. Why was the Sherman Antitrust Act ineffective in stopping trusts during the 1890s?

1. How did the federal government use foreign policy to promote economic growth?

1. What event prompted Congress to pass the Pendleton Act and what did the law accomplish?

2. How did the civil service reform change the way politicians funded their campaigns?

1. What groups favored easy money and what economic benefits did they expect from it?

2. Why did bankers and creditors support hard money backed by gold?

3. What happened to the value of the dollar between 1865 and 1895 under the gold standard?

1. Why was the Greenback Party formed and what electoral success did it achieve?

2. What happened to the Greenback Party and what goal did it leave behind?

1. Why did critics call the end of silver coinage in the 1870s the 'Crime of 1873'?

2. What did the Bland-Allison Act allow and why were farmers and miners dissatisfied with it?

1. Why did southern and some northern Democrats oppose high protective tariffs?

2. How did protective tariffs harm American farmers and contribute to agricultural problems?