Essay On The Gilded Age

The Gilded Age was the time Civil War and the World War 1. It is also known for the population and economic growth that went rapidly during this time. All the good things led to a lot of political corruption and bad deals. The American political landscape during this time was more corrupt and they didn’t care about political ethics. The business owners had more power than the politicians.

The last reason that the wealthy industrialists are Captains of Industry is because of the new technologies that were invented during this time period. These new technologies helped not only the economic growth but also sparked ideas on how to organize businesses. For example this is shown in the article “The Gilded Age” when the author says “new technologies and new ways of organizing business led a few individuals to the top.” Another example of this is shown in the article “The Development of Industrial State” the author states “An outburst of new technological innovation in the late 19th century fueled this headlong economic growth.” This evidence really shows that when most people hear new technologies they think of just the new inventions.

The Gilded Age was a time of good and bad economic growth. In America during post civil war times, years 1870 to 1900, the nation was prospering on the surface, but was corrupt underneath; large businesses took control of the economy, changed society, and influenced politics nefariously. By the end of the nineteenth century, monopolies and trusts exercised a significant degree of control over key aspects of the American economy. Carnegie used vertical integration to take over the steel industry. He then set up a mega trust with Rockefeller, who was in the gas and oil industry, JP Morgan, who was a banker, and Vanderbilt, who was high up in the railroad industry.

The end of the reconstruction era gave rise to the gilded age. The gilded age was a time of economic growth. It was the second industrial revolution, urbanization, immigration and political/economic corruption. The congress and the big business were more influential than the presidency. The term ‘Gilded Age’ was termed by Mark Twain who described the wealthy who were covered in a ‘layer of gold’, a superficial layer can be peeled and reveals unpleasant things.

After the Civil War, the Second Industrial Revolution was established due to America’s rapid growth for industry and economics. Capitalists during the industrial period of 1875-1900’s were either accused of being a robber baron or a captain of industry. Some capitalists leaders who were accused of being a robber baron or captain of industry included J.P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, Andrew W. Mellon, and John D. Rockefeller. A robber baron is a business leader who gets rich through cruel and scandalous business practices. The captains of industry is a business leader who wants to better the companies in a way that it would be positively contributing to the country.

Wicker Park was just a prairie before two brothers Charles and Joel Wicker purchased land along Milwaukee Avenue in 1870. When the Great Chicago Fire happened, and the city was starting to rebuild itself some chicagoans looked beyond the city limits. The land attracted families wanted to rebuild after the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. The Great Fire spurred the first wave of development. Homeless chicagoans looked for building new houses.

The impact it had on the gilded age was the number of jobs it provided to the fresh-in immigrants. Vanderbilt knew that he could hire immigrants and they would work for not that much money and with these new railroads america will be shrunk for easier expansion of the immigrants.

The Teams began to build stadiums which helped the sports industry tremendously. “The 19th century had admired its sporting heroes, but the mass media extended their reach, transforming local idols into national celebrities. Many cities built huge football stadiums and baseball parks. The number of Americans attending sports games doubled during the decade.” The sports industry impacted the 1920’s and clearly helped bring in fans and income towards the industry.

The Gilded Age lasted from 1870-1900 The Gilded Age, which spanned the final three decades of the nineteenth century, was one of the most dynamic, contentious, and volatile periods in American history. America's industrial economy exploded, generating unprecedented opportunities for individuals to build great fortunes but also leaving many farmers and workers struggling merely for survival. Overall national wealth increased more than fivefold, a staggering increase, but one that was accompanied by what many saw as an equally staggering disparity between the rich and the poor. Industrial giants like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller revolutionized business and ushered in the modern corporate economy, but also, ironically, sometimes destroyed

The exposition also included foreign culture, entertainment, and amusement rides. They, the Americans, came together despite their differences and made this event a success. (7-8) The Tennessee Centennial Exposition gave a lot of attention to the educational and social progress of the new

“Much of the blame heaped on the captains of industry in the late 19th century is unwarranted.” (Document F). The Gilded Age was a time where the U.S. economy grew very quickly and rapidly, due to the inventive minds and entrepreneurs of that time; but it has different perspectives of opinions in history today. This era led the U.S. to its state and place in the present world, thanks to its important contributors, (who are involved in the main debate of whether they were robber barons, unethical men who yearn for money, or captains of industry, leaders who add positive ideas and methods to benefit their country.) The industrial leaders of the Gilded Age are captains of industry, worthy of some gratitude and credit for how our society’s structure

As our country reached the late 1800’s, Americans found themselves face to face with era known as the ‘Gilded Age’. Companies were created and grew rapidly during this time period. Some of the most famous entrepreneurs were John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie, who seemed to be the perfect models for the ‘rags to riches’ story. Many people debate which entrepreneur was a better role-model. Due to his low prices, the high demand for his products, and the way he sought to eliminate any possible competition, John D. Rockefeller is clearly the better role-model for today’s entrepreneurs.

As industry exponentially grew after the Civil War, the need for labor and materials to power newly-created manufacturing giants caused new social classes to form: the rich corporation owners and the poor laborers. Unfathomably rich Robber Barons, or plutocratic American Capitalists, dominated the economy and industry and profited from the slave-like work of millions of poor laborers during this time period. Moreover, the poor working class and the rich further divided by distribution of wealth. Therefore, exploitation of capitalism widened the gap between the rich and poor classes of America, and both newly-formed classes developed reasons for the change.

The Gilded Age became significantly popular in America during the 19th century. The term “Gilded Age” was coined by the American author Mark Twain based on the presence of corruption and exploitation during the time period (Sayre 1049). The Gilded era was marked by the growth of industrialization, urbanization and a high immigration influx of nonnative Americans (Sayre 1048-1049). Furthermore, the Gilded Age proved to be significant in westward expansion as many individuals migrated to the West in order to fulfill their aspiration of obtaining land and to avoid any form of impediments instituted by other individuals living in those areas (Sayre 1048). In addition, New York City served to be an agora for the growth of industrialization and urbanization

America brought forth the music class, jazz, yet Paris was the first to hail it as a craftsmanship. War-weary and hungry for diversion, the citizens in the 1920s and 1930s embraced this new musical form. Performers such as outcast creators, cutting edge experts, flappers, and socialites focalized on the clubs and men 's clubs where jazz ruled. As jazz advanced, it got to be connected with current developments in expressions of the human experience and acclaimed as the sound of the twentieth century. Paris respected the United States infantry groups that played all through Europe amid World War I.