AP U.S. History Flashcards: Continuity and Change in Period 6
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 26 cards to help you master important concepts.
Identify the key drivers of rapid economic development from 1865-1898.
Rapid economic development was generated by large-scale industrial production, massive technological change, expanding communication networks, and pro-growth government policies.
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Identify the key drivers of rapid economic development from 1865-1898.
Rapid economic development was generated by large-scale industrial production, massive technological change, expanding communication networks, and pro-growth government policies.
What was a frequent consequence of increased migration to the West?
The movement of large numbers of migrants to the West frequently provoked competition and violent conflict.
What societal condition led to the development of new perspectives on the economy and labor?
A variety of perspectives on the economy and labor developed during a time of recurring financial panics and downturns.
How did government policies support rapid economic development during this period?
Pro-growth government policies, combined with technological change and expanding communication networks, helped generate rapid economic development and business consolidation.
How did industrialization impact population distribution in the U.S.?
Industrialization spurred international and internal migration that increased urban populations and also encouraged larger numbers of migrants to move West.
What inspired the major political debates of the Gilded Age?
Dramatic social changes that occurred during the period inspired the era's political debates over issues like citizenship, corruption, and government's role.
Industrial Capitalism
An economic system that rose in the United States due to technological advances, large-scale production methods, and the opening of new markets.
Business Consolidation
A feature of the late 19th-century economy where large-scale production and pro-growth government policies led to the merging and rapid growth of businesses.
What were the outcomes of the Gilded Age's new cultural and intellectual movements?
These movements led to public reform efforts and political debates over economic and social policies, while also challenging and supporting the social order.
Internal Migration (late 19th century)
The movement of people within the United States, which along with international migration, increased urban populations and contributed to westward expansion.
To what extent did industrialization bring change to the United States from 1865 to 1898?
Industrialization brought massive and dramatic change, transforming the economy, society, and culture through new technologies, production methods, and migrations.
What was the connection between social change and politics in the Gilded Age?
The dramatic social changes of the period directly inspired major political debates over economic and social policies, such as citizenship and corruption.
How did expanding international communication networks affect the U.S. economy?
These networks, along with technological change and pro-growth policies, helped generate rapid economic development and business consolidation.
What were the primary motivations for migrants moving to the American West?
Larger numbers of migrants moved to the West in search of land and economic opportunity.
What factors spurred new responses from farmers in the late 19th century?
Consolidation within agriculture, along with periods of economic instability, spurred a variety of responses from farmers.
What was the broad impact of migration during the age of industrialization?
The migrations that accompanied industrialization transformed both urban and rural areas of the United States and caused dramatic social and cultural change.
The Gilded Age
A period in U.S. history that produced new cultural and intellectual movements, public reform efforts, and political debates over economic and social policies.
What was the primary political debate concerning the economy during the Gilded Age?
A central political debate concerned the proper relationship between business and government amidst rapid industrialization and consolidation.
What three factors encouraged the rise of industrial capitalism in the U.S.?
The rise of industrial capitalism was encouraged by technological advances, large-scale production methods, and the opening of new markets.
What were three key topics of political debate during the Gilded Age?
Major political debates of the era centered on citizenship, corruption, and the proper relationship between business and government.
Agricultural Consolidation
A process in which new systems of production and transportation enabled the merging and scaling-up of agricultural operations, similar to industry.
How did periods of economic instability affect farmers?
Periods of instability, combined with the consolidation of agriculture, spurred a variety of organized responses from farmers seeking economic and political change.
What two forms of migration fostered the growth of a new urban culture?
Both international and internal migration increased urban populations, which in turn fostered the growth of a new urban culture.
New Urban Culture (Gilded Age)
A social and cultural environment that grew in cities as a result of increased populations from both international and internal migration.
What was the relationship between technology and agriculture in this period?
New systems of production and transportation, which were forms of technological advance, enabled the consolidation of agriculture.
Describe the dual nature of new cultural and intellectual movements in the Gilded Age.
New cultural and intellectual movements of the period both buttressed (supported) and challenged the social order of the Gilded Age.