ShmoopTube

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[ musical flourish ]

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And here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by societal change,

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the nickels and dimes left over after economic revolution.

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Which of the following shifts in American society

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is reflected in this image right here?

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All right, and here are your potential answers.

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[ meow ]

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Nothing about this cartoon makes work look very appealing.

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Unless work involves taking a snooze on a giant bag of money.

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Well, let's see which answer best describes the changes that

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strained society at the time.

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Does this image reflect B - the shift

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from a society dominated by the wealthy

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to a classless society?

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Well, there seems to be a pretty big difference between

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the Gilded Age millionaires resting up top

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and the working class toiling away down below.

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So that's a strike against B and D.

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Does this cartoon characterize C - the shift from a

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primarily English nation to a culturally diverse nation?

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There were certainly lots of immigrants helping shore up

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this new economy, but the cartoon doesn't really take a stand

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on that one way or the other. So it's not C, either.

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Which means that this image most reflects A -

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the shift from an agricultural economy to an industrial economy.

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Many Americans moved from small towns

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to big cities in hopes of finding job opportunities

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in newly opened factories. But workers received

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meager wages compared to the millions made by

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company owners. So A is the correct answer.

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Sadly, this cartoon is a pretty accurate reflection of the pain

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felt by the working class during an otherwise booming

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economic period. Maybe adding some

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kittens and puppies could lighten the mood

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and the load a little bit.

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[ honk ]

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