...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...
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...The Gilded Age, a period beginning in the 1870’s and lasting until the late 1890’s, was an era in American history characterized by unparalleled economic growth and technological advancements while also plagued by significant social and political challenges. The name Gilded Age is derived from famous author Mark Twain’s novel of the same name, written for the purpose of exposing the blatant corruption and excessive materialism of America’s most rich and powerful. This essay aims to analyze the juxtaposition of prosperity among the wealthy elite and inequality during the Gilded Age. The rampant industrialization of the Gilded Age propelled prosperity by fostering great economic growth and technological innovation, consequently exacerbating...
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...The Gilded Age was a time period named by Mark Twain which incorporated a ton of social and economic problems. The gilded age had its share of pros and cons depending on what social class you were in. The gilded age also helped create many technical advancements and amazing inventions. On the other hand, the gilded age was a huge constructor of child labor. The gilded age had many pros but one that stands out is the technical advancements and inventions. During this period Henry Bessemer created a cheap and efficient way to produce steel, which also helped to influence mass production. The cost to produce a long ton of steel dropped from $49.81 to $7.47, which increased the production rate and decreased the labor requirements. Before steel...
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...The term “gilded age” was a term coined by Mark Twain, who wrote jokingly about the problems of an expanding population masked by a thin sheet of gold. The Gilded Age was a time period in American history that spanned from 1871 to 1900. It was a time of growth and change in cities. In a more proper way, or as Mr. Lore says, “The Gilded Age was a time of vast change in America’s cities. Rapid industrialization, urbanization, and immigration transformed cities”. In the classroom, students always learn about what happens everywhere but not in their own individual cities. This essay demonstrates what happened in our hometown city of Philadelphia: the industries, immigration, laws, and movements. The region’s major industries included textiles, locomotive manufacturing, ship building, iron and steel production, and sugar refining. When petroleum was discovered in Western Pennsylvania, Philadelphia became an oil storage and refining center. They played big roles in producing a large sum of money into...
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...From the aftermath of the Civil War to the turn of the 20th century, America saw the Gilded Age, which was characterized by unprecedented industrial and urban expansion. Yet underneath the surface of this growth and development, there were widespread corrupt practices, political unrest, and social injustices in society. The Gilded Age in America is a particular subject of analysis that Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History (Seventh Edition), Chapter 16, delves into. The word "gilded," which was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner, accurately describes the contradictory character of the time, in which wealth concealed more serious social divides. Through primary sources like Andrew Carnegie's 1889 “Gospel of Wealth” and William...
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...The Gilded Age ‘ The Gilded Age was a time of huge social change and economic growth in the United States. This time period brought a rapid development in urbanization, industrialization, the building of the railroads, innovations in science, and the rise of big business. New products and technologies improved middle-class quality of life for Americans. The rise of the Gilded Age in American History helped the American economy long-term to this present day. Economic development in the United Sates was made through the impact of transportation innovations. The Gilded Age brought upon positive changes in America there was a demand of manufactured goods that increased, therefore, needing an efficient way to keep up with high demand. This brought upon the construction of the first transcontinental railroad, connecting the Pacific and Atlantic lines, which would be used for centuries to come. The Pacific Railway Act passed on July 1, 1862 provided what was needed for the construction for this production. In the act it states: The question of "internal improvements" was constantly before Congress in the 19th century: Should Congress assist in improving the country’s transportation system? One such improvement was the dream of constructing a railroad that would cross the entire country. Railroading became a highly profitable business venture during this time period. The expansion of the railroads meant that goods and products could be more easily exported around the country...
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...The Gilded Age The purpose of this essay is to show how the Industrial Revolution of the Gilded Age contributed to increased problems in gender, race and class in the latter half of 19th century America. Mark Twain coined the term "The Gilded Age" between the years 1870 and 1900 America in reference to the gold gilding that became popular in the era, but also masked very serious social conflicts that arose across the country (Twain, 1996). Ultimately, with economic growth came wider income gaps and brutal social issues with gender, race and class that divided the country. Throughout the Gilded Age, swift financial growth simultaneously increased the size of the labor force, which in turn increased wages (Roediger, 1991). Given that these wages were higher than in Europe, people immigrated to America en masse, which then increased the overall poverty rates (Roediger, 1991). The Gilded Age also transferred industry from independent craftsman toward railroads, factory manufacturing and mining, which created less skilled and more regimented labor forces. This meant that people were forced to work under poor conditions, which stripped workers of their independence, which was the American way prior to the Industrial Revolution (Twain, 1996). These mass-production methods were created as offshoots of the steam engine with technical advancements expanding the size of workforces, making them larger and set up to accommodate more production, which created new jobs with a higher...
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...Gabriel Lima AP United States History Mr. Reinhardt June 10th, 2024. Immigration during the Gilded Age and Its Impact on America’s Development. The period between 1870 and 1920, often referred to as the Gilded Age, was a transformative era in American history, marked by rapid industrialization, urbanization, and economic expansion. Central to this dynamic period was the massive influx of immigrants who arrived on American shores in search of better opportunities. These immigrants played a pivotal role in shaping the economic landscape of the United States, contributing significantly to its growth and development. They provided the labor force essential for the burgeoning industries, fueled innovation and entrepreneurship, and enriched the...
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...During the eighteenth and nineteenth century, the Industrialization Era took place and changed the way America and Europe produced merchandise forever. America and Europe continually grew more urban and factories transformed the entire way the typical working man spent his work day. The Gilded Age followed the Industrialization Era and represented the large economic growth in America. After the Gilded Age, the Progressive Era occurred. The Progressive Era began in the late 18th century and political reform and social activism became the active goal during this time. During the Progressive Era, environmental protection was needed in order to save the Earth from the rapidly increasing urbanization. It was people like Theodore Roosevelt and Gifford...
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...this time period went through grim employment, and horrible living conditions for the poor and working classes. At the same time this time, an age known as the Gilded Age, was an era of rapid growth, especially in the North and West America. In addition to Gilded Age, came a movement named the Progressive Movement. The Progressive movement's main goal was to wipe out corruption in government. At this very key time in history, there were many...
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...During The Gilded Age, corporations grew exponentially, as a result industrial powerhouses emerged from the rust of the Civil War. Sequentially, migration and urbanization sprung from the rise of big businesses which lead to industrial productivity. As manufacturing supersedes agriculture, consolidation eventually leads to standardization of the industry which provides an influx of steel, rail and standard gauges. Thus, as industrialization boomed a spirit of innovation and invention swept over the nation. Post-Civil War, businesses grew controlling of the economy, influenced politics through corrupt acts, and changed societal views on labor. In the late 19th century, the Scottish-born American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie...
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...The large manufacturing firms offered employment to her population. Division of labor that resulted meant increased production. America is endowed with a rich and varied natural resource base. The water supply helped generate power for running industrial machines while the large forest resource provided timber. Coal was used in the railway transport to provide energy. By 1850 America had already laid 14500 km of rail on her soil and by the 1900 it had reached 320000km making the distribution of goods become faster with low cost of production as a result .Communication also improved with railways taking over from stagecoach in mail delivery. Alexander Graham Bell discovered the telephone in 1876 further making communication more efficient. During the period of industrialization, the population...
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...Running Head: The Rise of a Mass Society Summary The Rise of a Mass Society Summary Team C Due Week 2 Erik Escobar Kimberly Foster Brianna Gomez Cristina Gonzalez Isabel Ortega Ricardo Ruiz The Rise of a Mass Society Summary The word Gilded is best described in the words of writer Mark Twain from his novel written in 1873; The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today. When asked today what we thought Gilded means people think of this novel and describe Gilded as a form a greedy political corruption. The first gilded age was in 1874 to 1900. Twains book and definition of Gilded definitely summarized the corruption in public lives during the late 1800s. The term “Free Market” is a voluntary agreement of the exchange between two or more people in society. The type of exchange do vary and in any combination of two economic goods either tangible commodities or the services from another person. (Rothbard, Murray, N. 2008) Like many new things there are benefits as well as disadvantages to any system. The Free Market has its high points one of which helped society out of the first gilded age in the 1890s. However even though the free market was successful certain social classes still struggled and did not get the opportunity to enjoy what the market had to offer. The department store was introduced to society back in the nineteenth century. The very first real department store was owned by a man named Aristide Boucicault in Paris, France. Before the free market Aristide sold...
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...The Pullman and Homestead strikes both happened during the Gilded Age. It was a period of rapid industrialization, urbanization and economic changes following the American Civil War (Hamblin, PowerPoint). Both of these strikes represented an unstable period of time in American history. Originally, Mark Twain in 1873 described this period of time as the social reality of economic hardship and political corruption in an age of perceived wealth and excess (Hamblin, PowerPoint). The rich had power. Business owners were so involved that they would try many ways to make their company increase profits, such as reducing wages of all workers. The government acted as an oligarchy. When the factory owners wanted to stop strikes, they would ask the government...
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...America’s Post-Civil War Growing Pains Alyssa Harpster Dr. James Allen History 105 January 27, 2013 There were three major turning points during the period of 1865 -1900. (Schultz, 2012) states that reconstruction is the federal government’s attempt to resolve the issues resulting from the end of the Civil War. Lincoln (Schultz 2012) says issued a ten-percent plan offered amnesty to any southerner who proclaimed loyalty to the Union and support the emancipation of slaves. Once 10 percent of voters signed the oath in the election 1860, it could create a new state government and reenter the Union according to (Schultz 2012). Another major turning point was industrialization. (Schultz 2012) states that the Civil War stimulated the industrial development, with the expansion of the railroad and numerous scientific breakthroughs. The third major turning point during this period was the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. (Schultz 2012) Lincoln was shot while watching a play at Ford’s Theater in Washington D.C. With the death of Lincoln, Andrew Johnson became the next President, and he had no concern for the future of the black people in America according to (Schultz 2012). Two major historical turning points on America’s current society are the adoption of the Fifteenth Amendment and advertising. (Schultz 2012) says the Fifteenth Amendment prohibited any state from denying citizens the right to...
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