The Second Industrial Revolution marked a period of profound changes to American society that were characterized by rapid growth of businesses, tenements housing thousands of residents, and an overall change in society as a whole. The Second Industrial Revolution was the time period when production shifted from handcrafted materials to mass-produced materials with machines. The rapid and unprecedented growth of the American economy created a necessity for a larger labor force, which created a number of problems that needed to be addressed. Changes to the American economy during the Second Industrial Revolution propelled the nation towards unprecedented growth but also undermined the idea of democracy and the American Dream by creating a wide …show more content…
Despite existing imbalances,the extent of this wealth gap had never been seen before. The poor were crammed into filthy tenements, struggled to put a loaf of bread on the table, and often accompanied their children to a sweatshop each morning where they faced a 12 hour shift. Many of these poor people were immigrants who fled from their native countries for the fabled American Dream, only to come to something that fell far short of what they had envisioned. The situation was aggravated by the Laissez-Faire style government, which failed to address any issues, undermining the fundamental ideas of democracy. Counterwise, the rich at the top flaunted their wealth and hid the struggles of the poor at the bottom, a concentration of power in the hands of 4,000 families that combined owned more than the rest of the U.S as a whole. “The rich showed their dominance by showing how much money they could spend on things they didn’t need.” (The gilded age 2/9) Not only did the rich conspicuously consume, but they also hid the struggles of the poor at the bottom, casting a shadow over them, thus the naming of this time period being the gilded age. This difference in classes and power ultimately served to demonstrate an undermining of democracy and the idea of the American dream, shifting the American experience into one of the rich at the top or the poor at the bottom. The result of …show more content…
As big businesses bloomed with figures that dominated the American picture such as John D Rockefeller, much more sinister things happened at the bottom. As families struggled to put food on the table, they treaded their way to work in the morning in droves. Nothing better awaited them there. “To reach their quota, girls had to work 84 hour weeks for a wage of 5 cents an hour”(garment industry). Not only were these people malnourished, but overworked, underpaid, and valued as something less than a human, a tool. Industrialization didn’t help with this either. An unstable economy caused by industrialization meant that workers were not sure whether they were going to get paid at the end of the day or not, going back to their already struggling families empty handed. In addition, new machines produced more goods in less time and usually only now required low skilled workers. Instead of being immersed into their job, workers became a part of the machine, a part of the production, surrounded by heavy machinery, dust, and hundreds of workers all constantly struggling in hopes to get a small raise or improvement to their lives. Not only were these workers no longer even looking for the “American Dream” most had been promised, most were struggling to cling onto the outer brims of society. Not simply a violation of democracy, but of human rights and ethical code itself. This abuse
Many Americans became frustrated and worried with the wave of poverty hitting the nation, becoming hopeless and living in poor conditions, where “lights were cut off…cut off the water”, and starvation began to take over, creating
The impoverished worked for extremely low wages mainly because of major issues, such as a language barrier, that hindered their ability to find decent work in the United States. These individuals were being charged unrealistically high rent by the same people who paid them extremely low wages (Riis, Ch. 12). Riis’ is portraying poverty as being a tool that enables people to take advantage of others. Riis tell a story of a man who was blacksmith in is home land but do to his inability to speak English stops him from being able to practice his trade. He and his wife had no other choice but to work a cigar makers with his wife and son.
The result is a “class system based on widening gaps in income wealth, and power between those on top and everyone below them” (Johnson 44). Although many Americans despise their lot in life, they have little choice but to work for the oppressive system. Capitalism produces oppressive consequences in which the class system provides little to no security to those who are not in the top ten percent. Bambara does not hesitate to call the reader’s attention to this fact through the ideas of Miss Moore. Sylvia narrates that Miss Moore is “boring us [the children] silly about what things cost and what our parents make and how much goes for rent and how money ain’t divided up right in this country” (Bambara 146).
The American Industrialization was in the late 1800’s making many things to improve the economy. The American Industrialization was caused by multiple factors, some of the factors included a growing population, a willing work force, high tariffs, among many more. These effects made people willing to work at lower wages so they can get jobs and buy American made goods. There were many outcomes of the Industrial Revolution, both positive, like improving people's lives, and negative effects, like exploitation of workers. The positive effects of American Industrialization is how it make work cheaper, employed thousands of workers, and improving people’s lives.
The Gilded Age was an age of rapid economic growth. Railroads, factories, and mines were slowly popping up across the country, creating a variety of new opportunities for entrepreneurs and laborers alike. These new inventions and opportunities created “...an unprecedented accumulation of wealth” (GML, 601). But the transition of America from a small farming based nation to a powerful industrial one created a huge rift between social classes. Most people were either filthy rich or dirt poor, with workers being the latter.
Although this assumption did not apply to all wealthy men, it did in fact apply to a man named George Pullman. George Pullman was an American engineer who designed and manufactured the Pullman sleeping car. Although his invention did lead to a boom in business opportunities, it did end in a “great depression”. During this time, Pullman laid off workers and cut their wages, all while refusing to lower their rent for the model homes they lived in. This unfortunate reality can be depicted/proven through the political cartoon entitled “The Condition of the Laboring Man at Pullman”.
The saying that history repeats itself has been proven to be true time and time again. History seems to be doomed to repeat itself as if lessons were never learned from past mistakes. The Gilded Age is a unique period in American history that is undoubtedly repeating itself in the modern day. Corruption, unprecedented immigration, and the massing of wealth by the top 1% of the population are just a few of the things that characterize this period of American history. The same issues that plagued America over 100 years ago are re-emerging in todays’ society leading scholars to say that America has arrived in “The Second Gilded Age”.
Every immigrant who came to this country in the 1920’s chose the short straw. Everyone faced a hardship whether it was economic, social, or spiritual. Americans then saw this problem and falsely concluded that these people don’t work hard enough to battle their hardships, which is why they cannot move up the social ladder. However, there are other factors such as class to oppress, repress and create a false mindset of the poor. This is portrayed in Betty Smith’s
At the turn of the century, American society has changed dramatically. Many people call the year after Civil war the “gilded age”; the year of economic growth, new technologies and products improved, industrial workers working for low pay, and politicians were corrupt. During this period, the economy grew rapidly, producing enormous amounts of prosperity. However, majority of the population was struggling to get by, while the industrial and financial class people live comfortably.
A minor effect of industrialization on US society was the rapid rise of immigration to America which led to decreased costs of living and a decrease in job security. Due to the
Wealth, poverty, technology, decadence, the Gilded Age was a time of change and uprooting of past systems, schools of thought, and standards. It was a time of both hope and doubt for the majority of the population and brought many to be empty handed or exceedingly wealthy. The dynamic between rich and poor was shifting to a gap of wealth never before seen in the young country. The gilded age’s built up wealth disparity faded away over time. Yet today it seems that a resurgence of these features is rearing its ugly head again.
Working Poor “When the poor or newly poor are asked to define poverty, however, they talk not only about what’s in the wallet but what’s in the mind or the heart” (Shipler 10). The United States of America is a place which has an enormous population filled with foreigners and immigrants. Many enter America to get a better job, a fresh start, and to live the American Dream. In the 21st century, the gap between the rich and the poor has greatly widened even though America’s economy is skyrocketing as the years go by. Poverty has been a major issue due to various occasions but people who are in the middle and high classes do not know the hardships these poor workers go through just so that they could have a chance to own valuables.
Under the capitalist hand Poverty in America stomped over immigrants in the 1900’s like a herd of elephants roaming through the African savanna. The tremendous effect of the American dream was shown as thousands of immigrants came into the US. Little did everyone know that making money, living a warm life, finding a stable job, and hope for a better life was all a lie. In fact, poverty was so bad that “by 1904 one in three people living in the cities was close to starving to death.”
After the end of World War II, most of the world was in ruins, and the United States became the forefront of economic production. However, the government had come into even more control of common lives, and people were losing the last of their self-sufficiency and being able to function independently and support themselves, locking the population into the economic system that continues today while still falsely promising them riches. The idea had become cemented that poor people were poor for a reason and that anyone, if they were talented or motivated enough, could become rich. This belief persisted despite the truth that “poor” people were neither truly poor nor to blame for their circumstances, in most cases. However, this process had not yet completed itself until much later after World War II.
Before the advancement of automated machinery, basic production was often done manually, consuming more time and amounting to minimum productivity. The second Industrial Revolution prove to be a key factor in the history of the United States of America and entire world in the 1920’s. The second wave of industrial revolution change people’s lives and open more doors for advancement in the workforce. It did in a way because “Much of the newer, automatic machinery could be operated by unskilled and semiskilled workers, and it boosted the overall efficiency of American industry. The machine industry itself, particularly the manufacture of electrical machinery, led in productivity gains, enjoying one of the fastest rates of expansion.