...The Gilded Age was inspired by the ending of the Reconstruction Period. Mark Twain named this age in one of his books because it meant it brought in wealth and business to powerful white men and left the lower classes in poverty. Though on the surface it seemed like the gilded age would bring in good business and wealth, and it did, behind the wealth was corruption. During 1870 to 1900, big business were controlled by political bosses and they were able to have the economy and political system in the palm of their hand. As a result, they were allowed to regulate labor conditions and influenced the political system, and in return the people of America created labor unions and fought to improve the working conditions of the growing lower class. During the overtake of big businesses in America, the government took a laissez-faire approach and didn’t take action to stop the growing monopolies. It would take a couple years for the government to finally take action with the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, which would limit the monopolies power. But this proved to have little impact because of its ambiguous writing of the law the Supreme Court was able twist the law as it...
Words: 797 - Pages: 4
...During the Gilded Age period, the United States experienced countless advancements in manufacturing and industrialization by the building of factories and railroad expansions. While America’s economy and manufacturing skyrocketed, agriculture and the farmers who practiced agriculture were slowly being left behind. What once employed more than half of the United State’s population at 59.3% diminished to only 33.3% in a span of fifty years. By the end of 1899, manufacturing occupied half of the population, in addition to the growing numbers of the population involved in mining and construction. (Document 7) Due to the decrease of profits and increase in taxes held against them, farmers gained an increasing amount of discontent and resent towards...
Words: 826 - Pages: 4
...Captains of Industry? Or Robber Barons? [pic] Overview: The thirty years plus, following the end of the Civil War, is often referred to as the “Gilded Age”. This was a term coined by Mark Twain, the most renowned American writer of the period. It refers to a superficial period of intense economic growth. During this time, businessmen created large business organizations known as trusts. The ingenuity of these entrepreneurs earned the titles of “Captains of Industry”. Yet, their ruthlessness in building wealth at the expense of their competitors, workers and consumers often earned them the title “Robber Baron”. This DBQ (Document Based Questions) asks you to decide whether these businessmen were “Captains of Industry” or “Robber Barons”. Background Essay During the post-Civil War period, an era commonly referred to as the Gilded Age, the economy of the United States grew at a fantastic rate. With the exception of a recession during the mid-1870s, and another during the mid-1890s, the economic growth was in unprecedented in United States history. Manufacturing output increased by 180 percent. Railroads, an important catalyst of growth, increased in miles by 113 percent. Steel production grew to over 10,000,000 tons per year by 1900. Every aspect of the American economy expanded from traditional activities to new enterprises brought about by the huge influx of cutting-edge technological inventions. The gross national product almost doubled during the period and the per...
Words: 2205 - Pages: 9
...Primary Secondary Source #1 In the late 1800s the United States entered a period of time known as the gilded age. This time period was marked by a rise of industrialization that resulted in the emergence of big cities such as Chicago and New York. The many technological advances that came up caused our nations population to move out of rural areas and in to cities because of the many jobs that were now available. What use to be a family living in a small house on a farm, was now turning into many families crammed into large apartment complexes. Poverty was not uncommon in these cities, in fact it was the norm, along with disease, crime, and famine. Upper and middle class Americans did not witness this type of life, most assumed that is was caused by people being lazy or just making poor choices in their lives. This is what was considered the traditional views on poverty, however, Jacob Riis`s interpretation made the latter views an understatement from what was really going on. According to Jacob Riis, behind the scenes we had an oppressive tenement system that would over charge its already under paid residents, to pay for housing that was unhealthy. This oppression caused these poor residents to slip even further down the poverty slopes, so that they became victims by force rather than the traditional views that painted these folks as choosing to live this way. Jacob Riis made Americans realize the irony of the situation which was that without proper and fair control of...
Words: 351 - Pages: 2
...The period in America from 1865 to 1900 was known as the Gilded Age. This was a time for big business, industry, new inventions, and urban growth. With these new ideas and concepts came many problems. A few of these issues were political scandals, overpopulation in cities, monopolies, and bad working conditions. In summary, there were good and bad parts to the Gilded Age; however, it led to a new, modern era in America. During the Civil War, factories were working overtime to churn out supplies for the soldiers. Since the South was mainly a farming community, the North had a huge advantage, and eventually won the war. Troops were put in the South to enforce the new amendments added to to the Constitution. This included the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments that freed slaves, gave them the rights granted with citizenship, and the right to vote. The backlash of the Civil War led to industrialism....
Words: 464 - Pages: 2
...In greed, there were some political, social, and economic conditions driving industrial growth from 1870 to 1890 in the United States. There were some positive and negative aspects of industrialization in the Gilded Age. Greed is good. There were more inventions produced towards the end of the chart and were getting more complex. The majority of railroads were in the east coast. They were expanded in the middle and some towards the west coast. The railroads changed from 1860 to 1890 by the total mileage of the region west of the Mississippi River increased from 2,175 to 72,389 and the population of that area increased fourfold. During the late 1800s, immigration increases rapidly. The Senate ran during the late 1800s by the business owners are running the Senate....
Words: 314 - Pages: 2
...“It was so easy to disappear, so easy to deny knowledge, so very easy in the smoke and din to mask that something dark had taken root. This was Chicago, on the eve of the greatest fair in history” (p.12). The Gilded Age was a period in American history characterized by a theme of image versus reality. The 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago accurately reflected this portrait of America and showed how a covering of ‘gold’ masked the negatives of the time. The fair’s image was one of excess, extravagance, and innovation, yet few experienced the underlying truth of failure and disaster. The World’s Columbian Exposition was dedicated to showcase the Nation’s image of power and prominence and designed to encapsulate the pride and progress Chicago and...
Words: 566 - Pages: 3
...During the industrialization of America, growth in businesses boomed, especially in factory work involving steel, coal and timber. The companies that ran these industries quickly became very rich. “By the turn of the century Andrew Carnegie, the steel tycoon, made over $20 million a year tax-free (there were no income taxes then). Yet, the vast majority of Americans were barely getting by. One of Carnegie's steelworkers would have earned about $450 a year working 12-hour shifts six days a week.” There were no government regulations for these companies, and monopolies, greed, crime, and political corruption escalated. At this time, there was a great influx of immigration, and workers often found low paying jobs in factories riddled with unsafe...
Words: 344 - Pages: 2
...The corruption and dysfunction of the Gilded age led to the organization of the Progressive reform. The economy of the Gilded age was building and changing drastically but with unethical morals. The progressive reform wasn’t to take away the ideas and production the gilded age brought to America but was to build upon its foundation. The Gilded age was a time period of monopolies, corruption and ultimately greed. The money that was produced due to the up building of industries such as steel, oil and many others was just the beginning. The Progressive reform began with progressivism, producing a more efficient economy and political movement to show America’s progress with the industrialization and urbanization. During the Gilded age there...
Words: 362 - Pages: 2
...Is the American Century Over? Joseph Nye opened up his conference explaining the meaning of the title of his new book. The term “the American Century” was coined by Henry Luce, the former Time publisher, in 1941, in order to describe what he hoped would be the future of the United States and the reason why they should get involved in the Second World War. Thus, for Nye, the American Century refers to the period that followed the Second World War, with the Truman doctrine, when the US realized that it could no longer be isolated from the rest of the world. Surely the United States played a primary role in the second part of the 20th Century, especially in the last part of the Century, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and it is still under many aspects the leading power of the world. Therefore, why should the American Century be over? According to Nye, for the sense of declining that the American people started to feel after the economic crisis. This sense of declining is not something new, though, but can be found throughout all the American history: from the fear of the puritans of losing their rigid morality to the belief of a possible Soviet overcoming after the launch of Sputnik. Nowadays the United States feels threaten by China; but is the US really in decline? In order to understand this, first of all we need to define what we mean by decline. Nye thinks that there are two types of decline that a country can experience: the absolute decline and the relative decline...
Words: 1646 - Pages: 7
...In the Gilded Age, newly wealthy Americans began to compete for Europe’s extraordinary Old Master pictures, causing a major migration of art across the world. Old Masters, New World is a look at the cutthroat competition, financial aspect, intrigue, and double-dealing often involved in these paintings. It is also about the power of the amazing paintings that drove these collectors such as financier J. Pierpont Morgan, sugar king H. O. Havemeyer, Boston aesthete Isabella Stewart Gardner, and industrialist Henry Clay Frick. It is a great book about the arrival of the artwork of the Old Masters such as Raphael, Michelangelo, and El Greco in the United States. On one hand, it was definitely about the acquisition of Old Masters paintings from Europe by Americans. However, this book was not about artwork at all; instead, it was much more about the people who bought the art. The movement began when these extremely wealthy people bought very expensive and exquisite paintings. They bought these works of art for people to admire their wealth and taste. Old Masters New World is about the Americans of the late 19th century who found themselves interested in bringing the art of the Old Masters across the ocean. Saltzman does her best to give each of these people a voice and personality, to bring them to life for the reader. You will get to know each of these people and their histories. While there is definitely a discussion of art, the book is much more about the world of art dealing...
Words: 579 - Pages: 3
...progressive era was shaped by events that happened during the Gilded Age. These events were largely political, economic and social in nature, aspects which are central to the life of Americans till this day. During the Gilded era, one can see the scenario where there was a struggle between the status quo of the white upper class and larger percentage of people that were mostly poor laborers. Professor Kelley talks about the wealth being concentrated only among one percentage of the citizens. As the era came to an end to usher in the progressive era, aspects of labor unions, women's groups, politics and the macro economy had matured. Labor unions were formed during the Gilded Era to fight for workers rights and negotiate with employers on important affairs. The union leaders succeeded in many ways by championing industrial strikes that forced employers to the discussion table. For instance, the Railway Strike of 1877 is one of the most notable actions by workers to show their disapproval of the system. At this time, women also took the cue and formed groups that would empower them socially and economically. This because of the realization that unions were more effective since they were better organized and negotiated collectively. Ultimately, American woman’s rights began to be recognized bit by bit on matters concerning social independence and economical space during the Gilded Era. One positive aspect which the Gilded era contributed to the Progressive era was the maturity and...
Words: 358 - Pages: 2
...History 1302 November, 13, 2013 Thesis statement: during the gilded age there were created several documents that expressed the way the different social groups were thinking and feeling with the changes in the society. There is no doubt the gilded age was a key historic moment in the developing of the United States of America to become the place that now we know, during this period the economy growth thanks to the combination of certain factors such as the appearance of great businessman who built the corporations that were the bases of the economy and a huge improvement in the technology. This historic moment set the path to became into the society that now we are. The assembly line together with the mass production and was established during this time. It also was a time of corruption one of the most important things that this time gave to the world is the institution of monopolies. Henry Demarest wrote an article called “wealth against commonwealth” in 1894 This article was written with the intention of showing what was really happening in the world of the monopolies during the gilded age. The author probably was motivated by what he was watching; the inequality between the rich and the poor, too many were poor and just a few were extremely rich. He described the wealth as some kind of infection, He thought that we were losing the liberty that we earned by falling into corruption trying to be wealth. Demarest mentioned that...
Words: 1504 - Pages: 7
...Affidavit I am a witness for The Gilded Age. The time period of the Gilded Age was roughly around when the Civil War ended right up to when World War II commenced. This period was marked in American history by the massive growth of industry. The iron and steel industry grew dramatically and there was an increased demand for western resources such as lumber, gold, and silver due to the fact that it improved transportation. Railroad development dramatically grew, as trains were needed to move goods from the west to the east. This was Cornelius Vanderbilt’s area of expertise. John D Rockefeller was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, whereas Andrew Carnegie built a Steel Empire from the ground up. However all of these so-called, “geniuses” were robber barons, because they ridiculously rich through their ruthless business deals. The Gilded Age was exactly what the name means; having a pleasing or showy appearance that in all reality conceals something of little worth. Although everything seemed glitzy and glamorous on the outside that was not how it truly was. In 1890, 11 million of the nation’s 12 million families earned less the $1200 a year. From this, the average annual income was only $380, which was well below the poverty line. Many Americans and new immigrants crowded into urban areas, causing them to be teeming with crime and filth. Andrew Carnegie was the creator of the Steel Empire and is considered a Robber Baron because he rose to the top...
Words: 629 - Pages: 3
...The Rise of Professional Sports 5 November 2015 Abstract Sports became a professional phenomenon during the Gilded Age of America, which consisted of a period of unprecedented success for Americans in regard to wealth and long-term business enterprises. During the Gilded Age period, the country was consumed by the belief that every man had an opportunity to become wealthy, and those who were wealthy actually were able to spend their leisure time consumed with spending this wealth on lavish pursuits. ("Why Sports History Is American History | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History," n.d.) It was during this era that the rise of professional sports began to emerge as a way for the wealthy to entertain themselves during their leisure time. It was also during this time that immigrants were coming into the country in the millions, and the use of sports was an opportunity for these recent newcomers to become “Americanized” wherein the use of sports was an avenue to identify with their new country. This became an important way for these immigrants to mark their progress within the American society. Coupled with the political machines of that time, sports became a way to elicit support from large groups of people that were in support of specific geographic areas wherein the politicians who used sports for leisure also saw the importance of using them to garner support from immigrants. These were seen as community building institutions, and they are still used as...
Words: 493 - Pages: 2
