• 64 questions

APUSH Period 6 Practice Test

Unofficial multiple-choice practice for Period 6 of AP United States History, 1865 to 1898: the West, industry, the Gilded Age.

In the years after the Civil War, why did railroad pricing fall hardest on farmers?

Pick an answer, then press Check answer. Then you see Correct or Not quite, with the reason. Keys: A to D pick, Enter checks.

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the College Board. Bank checked October 8, 2026.

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All 64 questions

Topic 6.2: Westward expansion: economic development 5

  • After the Civil War the federal government sent survey parties across the West. What were the explorers charged with doing? Act Establishing Yellowstone National Park (1872), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 6.2
  • In June 1867 the Chinese workers building the Central Pacific Railroad between Cisco and Truckee, California, stopped work. What were they asking for? National Park Service, Golden Spike National Historical Park, "Chinese Labor and the Iron Road"; course topic 6.2
  • In the 1870s legislatures in the West and South that were controlled by the Grange passed laws on railroad rates. What did the Supreme Court decide about such laws in Munn v. Illinois (1877)? Interstate Commerce Act (1887), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 6.2
  • In the years after the Civil War, why did railroad pricing fall hardest on farmers? Interstate Commerce Act (1887), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 6.2
  • The Populist platform of 1892 asked for low-interest federal loans "as set forth by the sub-treasury plan of the Farmers' Alliance." What does that line show about the new party? Populist Party Platform of 1892, The American Presidency Project, University of California, Santa Barbara; Miller Center, University of Virginia, "William McKinley: Campaigns and Elections"; course topic 6.2
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Topic 6.3: Westward expansion: social and cultural development 7

  • The Battle of the Little Bighorn (June 25 and 26, 1876) was one part of a larger effort. What was the Army trying to do? National Park Service, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, "Context and Story of the Battle"; course topic 6.3
  • The bison of North America fell from tens of millions to fewer than 1,000 animals by the 1890s. According to the National Park Service, what drove "the Great Slaughter"? National Park Service, "People and Bison"; course topic 6.3
  • In 1893 President Grover Cleveland appointed the Dawes Commission to negotiate with the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Seminole nations. What did the acts that followed take from them? Dawes Act (1887), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 6.3
  • In the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868) the Sioux and Arapaho gave up land promised in earlier treaties. What did they keep? Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 6.3
  • President Rutherford B. Hayes said that "many, if not most, of our Indian wars have had their origins in broken promises and acts of injustice on our part." What was he admitting? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Rutherford B. Hayes: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 6.3
  • Why did many land allotments made under the Dawes Act of 1887 fail as family farms? Dawes Act (1887), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 6.3
  • Yellowstone became the first federally protected national park on March 1, 1872. How had easterners' view of the West changed by then? Act Establishing Yellowstone National Park (1872), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 6.3

Topic 6.4: The "New South" 8

  • After emancipation many freed people in the South had no money to buy land. On what terms did most of them farm? National Park Service, Homestead National Historical Park, "Exodusters"; course topic 6.4
  • After federal troops stopped upholding the Republican governments of Louisiana and South Carolina in 1877, how were Black southerners kept from voting over the next two decades? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Rutherford B. Hayes: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 6.4
  • The Atlanta newspaperman Henry W. Grady used the phrase "New South" in a speech in New York in December 1886. What did he and other boosters of the New South want? Teaching American History, Ashland University, "Henry Grady's Vision of the New South"; course topic 6.4
  • Booker T. Washington, Atlanta Exposition Address (September 18, 1895): "In all things that are purely social, we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress." What course was he urging? Booker T. Washington, Atlanta Exposition Address (1895), Teaching American History, Ashland University; course topic 6.4
  • George Henry White of North Carolina left the House of Representatives in 1901. Why is his departure a marker in the history of the New South? U.S. House of Representatives, Black Americans in Congress, "The Fifteenth Amendment in Flesh and Blood, 1870-1901"; course topic 6.4
  • How did the case of Plessy v. Ferguson begin? Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 6.4
  • In 1883 the Supreme Court struck down the Civil Rights Act of 1875, which had barred discrimination in inns, public conveyances and theaters. On what ground? Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 6.4
  • The journalist Ida B. Wells-Barnett is best known for her crusade against lynching. What did she urge church groups and women's clubs to do? Library of Congress, The African American Odyssey, "The Booker T. Washington Era"; course topic 6.4

Topic 6.5: Technological innovation 3

  • A lasting telegraph cable across the Atlantic was completed in 1866. How did it change the work of governments? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "U.S. Diplomacy and the Telegraph, 1866"; course topic 6.5
  • In 1876 more than 8 million people visited the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. Which new device did Alexander Graham Bell exhibit there? National Archives, Educator Resources, "Telephone and Light Patent Drawings"; course topic 6.5
  • The National Archives says that Thomas Edison's New Jersey laboratories "were themselves inventions." What set them apart? Thomas Edison's Patent Application for the Light Bulb (1880), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 6.5

Topic 6.6: The rise of industrial capitalism 5

  • According to the Miller Center, what did business combinations like John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Trust do to their markets? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Benjamin Harrison: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 6.6
  • In United States v. E. C. Knight Company (1895) the Supreme Court ruled for a company that controlled about 98 percent of the nation's sugar refining. What was the Court's reasoning? Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 6.6
  • The Populist platform of 1892 said that "the fruits of the toil of millions are boldly stolen to build up colossal fortunes for a few," and that the nation was breeding "two great classes." What were they? Populist Party Platform of 1892, The American Presidency Project, University of California, Santa Barbara; course topic 6.6
  • The Standard Oil Trust was formed on January 2, 1882. How did a trust work? Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 6.6
  • Why did the United States work in the 1860s to establish itself "as a power in the East," the effort that produced the Burlingame-Seward Treaty with China in 1868? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "The Burlingame-Seward Treaty, 1868"; course topic 6.6

Topic 6.7: Labor in the Gilded Age 5

  • According to the Miller Center, what was new about President Hayes's use of the Army during the Great Strike of 1877? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Rutherford B. Hayes: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 6.7
  • The American Railway Union, formed in Chicago in June 1893 and led by Eugene V. Debs, differed from older unions such as the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen. How? National Park Service, Pullman National Historical Park, "The Strike of 1894"; course topic 6.7
  • The Democratic platform of 1896 objected to "government by injunction as a new and highly dangerous form of oppression." What use of the federal courts did it have in mind? 1896 Democratic Party Platform, The American Presidency Project, University of California, Santa Barbara; Miller Center, University of Virginia, "William McKinley: Campaigns and Elections"; course topic 6.7
  • In 1894 the American Railway Union refused to handle Pullman cars, and rail traffic stalled across the country. How did the federal government break the boycott? National Park Service, Pullman National Historical Park, "The Strike of 1894"; course topic 6.7
  • What set off the Great Strike of 1877 on the railroads? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Rutherford B. Hayes: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 6.7

Topic 6.8: Immigration and migration 4

  • Jacob Riis wrote of New York in How the Other Half Lives (1890): "To-day three-fourths of its people live in the tenements." To what did he tie that crowding? Jacob A. Riis, How the Other Half Lives (1890), Project Gutenberg; course topic 6.8
  • What opened on Ellis Island in 1892? National Park Service, "Ellis Island Chronology"; course topic 6.8
  • Who were the Exodusters of 1879? National Park Service, Homestead National Historical Park, "Exodusters"; course topic 6.8
  • Why did most Chinese laborers come to the United States in the later 19th century? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "Chinese Immigration and the Chinese Exclusion Acts"; course topic 6.8

Topic 6.9: Responses to immigration 5

  • From the 1850s through the 1870s California passed measures aimed at Chinese residents, such as special licenses for Chinese businesses. Why was the federal government able to negate much of that legislation? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "Chinese Immigration and the Chinese Exclusion Acts"; course topic 6.9
  • On April 4, 1882, President Chester A. Arthur vetoed a first Chinese exclusion bill. What was his objection? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Chester A. Arthur: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 6.9
  • Settlement houses such as Hull House in Chicago helped immigrants adjust to American life. Where did the settlement movement begin? Jane Addams, "The Subjective Necessity for Social Settlements," editor's introduction, Teaching American History, Ashland University; course topic 6.9
  • What did the Geary Act of 1892 add when it extended Chinese exclusion for ten more years? Chinese Exclusion Act (1882), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 6.9
  • What did the Republican and Democratic platforms of 1896 have in common on immigration? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "William McKinley: Campaigns and Elections"; Populist Party Platform of 1892, The American Presidency Project, University of California, Santa Barbara; course topic 6.9

Topic 6.10: Development of the middle class 3

  • Andrew Carnegie wrote in "Wealth" (1889): "There are but three modes in which surplus wealth can be disposed of." Which mode did he call the duty of the rich? Andrew Carnegie, "Wealth," North American Review (June 1889), Internet Modern History Sourcebook, Fordham University; course topic 6.10
  • How did literacy among African Americans change between the end of the Civil War and 1900? Library of Congress, The African American Odyssey, "The Booker T. Washington Era"; course topic 6.10
  • What did the Second Morrill Act of 1890 require of the former Confederate states? Morrill Act (1862), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 6.10

Topic 6.11: Reform in the Gilded Age 5

  • Henry George argued in Progress and Poverty (1879) that poverty grew alongside wealth because landowners captured rising land values. What remedy did he propose? Henry George, Progress and Poverty (1879), Project Gutenberg; course topic 6.11
  • In Edward Bellamy's novel Looking Backward, a man falls asleep in 1887 and wakes in the year 2000. How has the economy changed? Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward, 2000 to 1887, Project Gutenberg; course topic 6.11
  • Why was Susan B. Anthony arrested in Rochester, New York, in 1872? National Park Service, Women's Rights National Historical Park, "Woman's Suffrage History Timeline"; course topic 6.11
  • The woman suffrage movement split into two associations in 1869. What happened in 1890? National Park Service, Women's Rights National Historical Park, "Woman's Suffrage History Timeline"; course topic 6.11
  • The Woman's Christian Temperance Union, founded in 1874, became a force for woman suffrage under Frances Willard. Who opposed votes for women for a related reason? National Park Service, Women's Rights National Historical Park, "Woman's Suffrage History Timeline"; course topic 6.11

Topic 6.12: The role of government 6

  • In 1894 Jacob Coxey led unemployed workers from the Midwest on a march to Washington, D.C. What did "Coxey's Army" ask the federal government to do? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Grover Cleveland: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 6.12
  • In 1895 Secretary of State Richard Olney demanded that Great Britain submit its boundary dispute with Venezuela to arbitration. Which principle did he invoke? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "Venezuela Boundary Dispute, 1895-1899"; course topic 6.12
  • In his first term President Grover Cleveland vetoed a bill to give drought relief to farmers in the West. What was his reason? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Grover Cleveland: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 6.12
  • Secretary of State James G. Blaine brought a Pan American Congress to Washington in 1889. What was one aim of his Latin American policy? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "Blaine and Pan Americanism, 1880s/1890s"; course topic 6.12
  • Skeptics called the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867 "Seward's Folly." What silenced them? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "Purchase of Alaska, 1867"; course topic 6.12
  • William Graham Sumner wrote in What Social Classes Owe to Each Other (1883): "Society needs first of all to be freed from these meddlers--that is, to be let alone." Which doctrine was he defending? William Graham Sumner, What Social Classes Owe to Each Other (1883), Project Gutenberg; course topic 6.12

Topic 6.13: Politics in the Gilded Age 8

  • How did most white southerners vote in the decades after Reconstruction ended? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Rutherford B. Hayes: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 6.13
  • On which question did the Republican and Democratic parties of the Gilded Age most regularly take opposite sides? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Chester A. Arthur: Domestic Affairs" and "Benjamin Harrison: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 6.13
  • The Pendleton Act of 1883 gave out federal jobs by competitive examination. Why was its first effect small? Pendleton Act (1883), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 6.13
  • Which of these did the Populist Party demand in its Omaha platform of 1892? Populist Party Platform of 1892, The American Presidency Project, University of California, Santa Barbara; course topic 6.13
  • Why did many farmers and other debtors of the 1890s want silver coined freely? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Benjamin Harrison: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 6.13
  • Why did President Hayes decide to remove Chester A. Arthur as collector of the Port of New York? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Rutherford B. Hayes: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 6.13
  • Why did the Populist Party nominate the Democrat William Jennings Bryan for president in 1896? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "William McKinley: Campaigns and Elections"; course topic 6.13
  • William Jennings Bryan, Democratic National Convention (July 9, 1896): "Burn down your cities and leave our farms, and your cities will spring up again as if by magic. But destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in this country." What was his argument? William Jennings Bryan, The Cross of Gold Speech (1896), Teaching American History, Ashland University; Miller Center, University of Virginia, "William McKinley: Campaigns and Elections"; course topic 6.13

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to Unit 6 (Period 6: 1865-1898) of the College Board's AP U.S. History Course and Exam Description, effective fall 2026, https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-us-history-course-and-exam-description.pdf, read 2026-10-08. Each fact was read on 2026-10-08 in the public page named under its question: the National Archives' Milestone Documents and teaching pages, the Office of the Historian of the U.S. Department of State, the Miller Center of the University of Virginia, the National Park Service, the Library of Congress, the U.S. House of Representatives, The American Presidency Project (University of California, Santa Barbara), Teaching American History (Ashland University), the Internet Modern History Sourcebook (Fordham University) and Project Gutenberg. Licence: Own work. Short quotations from the public documents named under each question.

How it works

This APUSH Period 6 practice test has 64 questions of our own on 1865 to 1898, many set on a line from a law, a platform or a speech. It is unofficial and not affiliated with the College Board, which owns AP.

Read the full guide

What Period 6 covers

Unit 6 of the College Board's course description, read October 8, 2026, lists fourteen topics, and twelve have questions here: the West's economy (5) and its society (7), the New South (8), technology (3), industrial capitalism (5), labor (5), immigration and migration (4), responses to immigration (5), the middle class (3), reform (5), the role of government (6) and politics (8). The first topic, context, and the last, continuity and change, are worked into the rest. The description gives no topic a weight, so that spread is ours.

Where the answers come from

Each answer names the public page that confirms it, most often the National Archives, the State Department's Office of the Historian, the Miller Center or the National Park Service.

  • Pair each problem with its law: railroad rates, the 1887 Interstate Commerce Act; trusts, the 1890 Sherman Act; spoils, the 1883 Pendleton Act.
  • Know 1877 twice over: federal troops stop upholding the last Republican governments in the South, and the Great Strike stops the railroads.

Questions and answers

What is Period 6 in APUSH?

Period 6 is 1865 to 1898, the Gilded Age: the settling of the West, the New South, big business and labor, immigration and the growth of cities, reform movements, and a politics of tariffs, silver and Populists.

Is APUSH Unit 6 the same as Period 6?

Yes. The course has nine units and each one is a period, so Unit 6 and Period 6 name the same years, 1865 to 1898.

How much of the APUSH exam is Period 6?

The College Board's course page gives Unit 6 between 10 and 17% of the exam. Its course description suggests about 18 class periods for the unit.

Why does Period 6 start in 1865 when Period 5 ends in 1877?

The course lets the two overlap. Reconstruction, 1865 to 1877, is taught in Period 5. Period 6 follows the West and the industrial economy from the end of the Civil War, so this test leaves Reconstruction to the Period 5 page.

Is this the College Board's Unit 6 progress check?

No. Progress checks are the College Board's own and reach students through AP Classroom. Every question here is ours, written from the published topics of the unit and from public records, never from an exam.

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