Question

1. following the civil war, the government believed in a laissez-faire economy, believing that a free economy would regulate itself and that competition would create fair wages and prices. the government didnt realize that the robber barons and trusts would literally squash competition, giving complete market control to their owners. having no competition allowed the robber barons to set prices extremely high, while keeping the wages they paid their workers very low.

realizing that things were getting out of hand, congress attempted to regulate these giant trusts. in 1890 congress passed the sherman antitrust act, which outlawed trusts. but big business wasnt so easily stopped. these acts were rarely enforced.

the workers werent entirely silent during this period. hazardous working conditions, low pay and long hours led hundreds of thousands of workers to organize into unions. the knights of labor were one of the first major unions. they demanded equal pay for women and an end to child labor, among other progressive ideas.

partly as a result of hazardous working conditions,
a. trusts were outlawed. b. the knights of labor dissolved.
c. antitrust laws were rarely enforced. d. workers organized into unions.

Explanation:

The text states that hazardous working conditions, low pay, and long hours led workers to organize into unions. The question asks for a result of hazardous working conditions, so the correct option directly reflects this cause-effect relationship.

Answer:

D. workers organized into unions.