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Difficulty: MediumImmigration, Urbanization, and Social Culture

"So long as all the increased wealth which modern progress brings goes but to build up great fortunes, to increase luxury and make sharper the contrast between the House of Have and the House of Want, progress is not real and cannot be permanent. The association of poverty with progress is the great enigma of our times."
— Henry George, Progress and Poverty, 1879

Which of the following late-nineteenth-century developments was most directly motivated by the concerns expressed in the excerpt?

  1. A
    The mobilization of the Populist Party to demand municipal housing codes and public transit systems for urban factory workers
  2. The growth of the Social Gospel movement and settlement houses to address the needs of the urban poorAnswer
  3. C
    The passage of federal legislation establishing a comprehensive social welfare safety net and minimum wage laws
  4. D
    The implementation of colonial-era mercantilist policies that successfully closed the gap between industrial classes

Answer

The growth of the Social Gospel movement and settlement houses to address the needs of the urban poor
The correct answer is the growth of the Social Gospel movement and settlement houses. Henry George's critique of the stark inequalities between the wealthy and the impoverished in rapidly growing cities directly influenced late-nineteenth-century reformers. The Social Gospel movement sought to apply Christian principles of charity and justice to urban industrial problems, while settlement houses, like Hull House in Chicago, provided direct social services, education, and community support to immigrants and the urban poor.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus to identify the author's primary concern.
The excerpt from Henry George's Progress and Poverty highlights the growing divide between extreme wealth and deep poverty in industrializing cities, arguing that progress is unsustainable under these unequal conditions.
Understanding the core argument of the primary source is necessary to identify which Gilded Age response aligns with it.
2
Evaluate the options to find a late-nineteenth-century development designed to combat urban poverty and inequality.
The Social Gospel movement and settlement houses were direct efforts in the late nineteenth century to apply religious/ethical principles and provide social services to ease the hardships of the urban poor.
This matches the critique of urban poverty raised in the stimulus.
3
Verify that the other choices represent historical misconceptions or out-of-period developments.
The Populists were agrarian-focused, federal welfare laws were New Deal-era, and mercantilism is colonial-era.
Eliminating distractors ensures historical and chronological accuracy.

Key Concept

Immigration, Urbanization, and Social Culture
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Immigration, Urbanization, and Social Culture

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