Gilded means to be covered with gold and it is exactly why it is used to describe the United States from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. The Gilded age shaped The United States into a new world. With the growth of industries, growth of cities, and new technology, the United States way of life completely shifted. However, under all the amazing shining gold was a thick layer of dirt and harsh reality from the Gilded Age. Although this age was filled with many improvements, it was also filled with massive poverty, unequal wealth and political corruption. The Gilded Age was defined by many things, such as unequal wealth, political corruption, and most importantly industrialization. During this age laissez- faire capitalism, hands of government, …show more content…
Major example of monopolies were the oil industry controlled solely by John D. Rockefeller and the steel industry completely controlled by Andrew Carnegie. As a result of only a select few controlling major businesses, there was an equal distribution of wealth throughout the country and the low wages they provided for their employees only added to the poverty crisis in the United States. Although political corruption, unequal distribution of wealth, and poverty partly defines the Gilded Age, industrialization is what shapes the era. Industrialization, the shift from agriculture to manufacturing. With the help of the government loaning money and land for national rail networks, railroads boomed. It was railroad construction that pushed economic development and as a result new technology, such as the generator that allowed factories to operate at anytime, and machinery increased. Although most of these new machines and technologies made everyday lives and jobs easier, they caused tension between employers and employees. New machines could now do the same jobs people specialized in faster and cheaper. As machines became bigger in presence fewer and fewer people could compete with them. Employers started to view employees as …show more content…
During this time era the number of unions increased. Each union may have had their own agenda and only allowed certain groups of people in, they were all created from one major factor, working conditions. Harsh working conditions pushed people to fight for better rights through unions. People were expected to work in dangerous conditions and work ridiculous long hours for a small amount of pay sometimes they did not even receive money for pay, they received scrip. One major role unions helped create in today's society is an eight hour work day. Many different unions came together on “May Day” to fight for an eight hour shift at work. On May 1st in 1886 thousands of workers, being lead by Albert Parsons, marched the streets for better working conditions. Although long hours affected the lives of people negatively, the horrendous conditions they worked in caused more pain and suffering. Most of these conditions were so bad they often ended in deaths, loss of body parts and sickness. In particular, an incident that brought major awareness to dangerous working conditions is the Triangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City that happened in 1911. Young girls working in a factory got trapped when a fire broke out. The doors were locked because they did not want the girl to steal any supplies. The building also lacked a proper fire escape, which forced the
Gilded age 1878-1889 was the age of fast growth of industry and immigrants in America history. The production of steel and iron rose radically than other time. In contrast, the Western resources increased such as silver,lumber, and gold. As well as the transportation also improved. Railroad develop and move goods from resources rich west to east.
The Gilded age was a period of time, from 1865-1901 after the Civil War, when the economy switched from agricultural to industrial. During this age two famous American cases each set premises for the future. Plessy vs. Ferguson was a case in 19th century America that challenged the 13th and 14th Amendments. Louisana just passed the Separate Car Act of 1890 which stated that trains had to provide separate but equal accommodations for passengers. Homer Plessy who was 1/8th black bought a ticket for the white only section on the train to challenge this act.
The Gilded Age was a time of rapid industrialization, internal improvements, acquisition of new land, and population growth. The Civil War left the United States in a fragile state, but this time period improved the nation significantly. Cities in the east were growing rapidly and the economy needed to keep up. Major and notable corporations sprung up during this era between the 1870s and 1900s and a railroad was being built to connect and east and west coasts. This all led to the United States becoming the world’s leading industrial nation at the time.
In movies and media, building explosion being portrayed as an incredible sight to see however, what most people do not remember that it is a horrific experience that forever imprint onto the viewers. In 1886, a cigar box manufacture unexpectedly caught in an explosion that injured many young man, woman, and children. During 1880s factories are made up of large brick house that consisted of multiple stories high with big windows as the source of light. While workers and business owners knew that the working conditions are not safe, there were not many policy in America to help the workers during this time period. The Gilded Age era begins from 1870s and lasted to 1890s in the United States.
These Ideas of hard work and perseverance maximized the efficiency of production. Because of all of the industrialization and immigration some problems began to emerge including, the crowding of urban areas,unequal wealth, and unemployment due to better machines or manufacturing techniques. Due to the stratifying class levels many new immigrants fell into lower levels of the wealth pyramid. This caused ethnic neighborhoods where people of the same social class, economic, status, and ethnicity lived in one area and sometimes not in the greatest conditions. One of the biggest and most Symbolic Industries of this time period was the railroad.
The Populist Party and Gilded Age Politics The Gilded Age was the era in the United States from 1870 to 1890, called so because under the seemingly positive exterior were many problems the American people had to face. America was a proud example of democracy and on the surface seemed to be doing great. Underneath the positive exterior though was political corruption and corporations which seemed to be above the control of democracy, and had almost unlimited influence on politics.
The Gilded Age was a time of chaos and new booming businesses. Many people were gaining wealth as well as losing it. The Gilded Age from above, showed a layer of gold, while underneath, showed chaos and dissatisfactory. Good work does not always come easy. For example, The Great Wall of China took about 20 years, and in those 20 years, more than 1 million people died.
The Gilded Age was an era of significant economic growth as the United States became a world power through industrialization. Before the Gilded Age, America was in the Reconstruction era. The country dealt with how to integrate millions of newly freed black Americans into all aspects of American life. It was a time of significant transformation within the United States. Just a few months later, the nation was expeditiously growing, factories, railroads, coal, and steel mining were all massive industries.
Politically, economically and socially the Gilded Age was truly a “Gilded Age”. Noteverything added to the “Gilded” effect of the time period. The “robber barons”, two major de-pressions and the labor unions (though not originally a bad thing) did add to the age. The Gilded Age saw the rise of Andrew Carnegie, John
Health hazards were a big issue in the factories. Many workers were injured or dead due to factory incidents. The factory owners weren’t responsible for their lives, so it wasn’t well addressed to the public as an issue. However, labor workers created labor unions to address their issues to the factory owners and to the government, they protested to seek their needs first and for better wages. Many factories ignored and tried not to pay that much attention.
The Gilded Age lasted from 1870 to World War 1, “1900s.” The Gilded Age was a period of fast economic development, but also much social struggle. Mark Twain in the late nineteenth century founded the “Gilded” Age, which means covered with gold on the outside, but not really golden on the inside, for example, tin. This period of time was glittering on the surface but corrupt underneath. In other words, the outside looked beautiful, but the inside looked old and trashy.
The Gilded Age was an amazing time for innovation and growth for America technologically speaking. There were several new advancements that took place during this period such as; steel, kerosene, oil, AC electricity along with DC electricity. Steel was a humongous part of the Gilded Age, this invention allowed many other creations to happen. Steel helped cause the greater production of railroad tracks and the rise of skyscrapers in big cities. These two factors put Urbanization and moving west into play.
Be that as it may, the term “Gilded Age” to describe the United States during this period of time was coined by renown American author Mark Twain with a negative connotation. Being that to be “gilded” means to be covered thinly with
The decade between 1890 and 1900 expressed a crucial time in the United States of America’s history. Many people experienced struggles throughout this time while others prospered. Mark Twain suggested that despite the significant achievements of the United States, Americans experienced poverty. This statement is an accurate description of the lively hood people experienced in their daily lives during the Gilded Age whether it was positive or negative. Many people during this time period focused on the positive outcomes that resulted from the Gilded Age such as new inventions, the gospel of wealth, additions of land to the country, urbanization, and middle-class improvements.
Extra Credit Paper: Corruption Hidden among the Transcontinental White, Richard. “Information, Markets, and Corruption: Transcontinental Railroads in the Gilded Age” The Journal of American History 90:1 (June, 2993) 19-43 The Gilded Age described an era within the United States History that marked high economic growth and masked serious social problems. An increase in industrialization attracted many to a number of new opportunities to become part of the rising industries.