Immigrants During The Gilded Age

In 1808, the United States banned the importation of slaves. In 1853, the US Customs and Border Patrol Agency was established In 1855, an immigration landing depot opened at Castle Garden. Before it's close in 1890, 34 million people entered the United States through Castle Garden.

The United States had many economic problems after becoming a country, and as many other countries looked overseas for solutions. When America gained independence it was flooded with immigrants, urbanizing the cities and creating many changes. One change is that manufacturing became more common and soon it was making more money than agriculture. But Britain, Germany, and several other powers put a tax on imported manufactured goods in an attempt to preserve their own factories. So the US just started looking to lesser developed countries such as China to sell them.

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

Americans had rarely accepted outsiders as equals, and that was the case with immigrants coming to the U.S in the 1840s to the 1920s. A time in America where immigrants were not considered inferior to native white Americans did not exist. The hatred of anything non-American, especially with the coming of World War I in 1914, would only cause more Americans to despise immigrants. Part of this was rooted simply in racism, which existed towards groups other than African Americans, but much of it was simply that Americans considered themselves the chosen people while everyone else was below them. Thus, despite immigrants being accepted into America, those immigrants were still treated far worse than white citizens between the 1840s and 1920s, for the prejudice against them was obvious even in the laws created.

The immigrants saw America as their best opportunity for creating the new start they desired. Many people sold all their property just to afford the trip to America. Their journey featured many hardships that made travel to their new home difficult. Even after they arrived, their

The Truth: In the United States in the mid-1800’s people from both European and Asian countries began to immigrant to New York City in the search for a better life. Coming to the United Sates was not an easy task but based on the conditions in their native countries it was well worth it. There were many reasons as to why people left their native countries which included overpopulation, crop failures, religious and political corruption and plundering economy due to the industrial revolution and job losses. The reason they came to the United States and saw it as a better way of life was because of the freedom that was offered, economic opportunity and the abundance of land.

Following the first transcontinental railroad in 1869, the United States had an era of economic development in which the country rapidly transformed into an industrial nation by 1900. This era is referred to as the Gilded Age and during this time America had a significant increase in immigration, urbanization and most significantly industrialization and segregation. With this shift to industrialization, the country was in desperate need for vast numbers of workers to build and maintain these new industrial businesses, such as the newly formed transcontinental railroad, who could be paid a very low wage. Professional historians, James Henretta and David Brody, explain that women, immigrants and mainly children were used in these factories since they were willing to work and could be paid less (Henretta, Brody 505,506). As this economic boom progressed and the country had created an effective business model, the devastating conditions grew worse.

Lex Gilded Age Immigrants During the Gilded Age “New” Immigrants came and were worse at integrating than the Old Immigrants. New Immigrants which hailed places like Greece, Mexico, and China. New Immigrants that didn’t speak English and didn’t share the same customs. How racist was the gilded age?

Your analysis is most agreeable. Although the gilded age was the era of huge technological advancements, it was certainly not a pleasant time for all of the people who lived in America. It was not only the native Americans who were not in their best condition from a political and economical aspect, but the immigrants were suffering to some extent too. Unlike the Native Americans that were forced out of their homes, the immigrants had their decision made for them; they lived in tenements, because of their financial situations. Also, often times, immigrants did not have many career options, since most of them were uneducated and were struggling with the language, so they worked in railroads and mines that sometimes belonged to the Natives.

In a time after the civil war, America improved their financing by switching to the gold standard, improved communication by boosting the telegraph, improved transportation by building railroads, and improved wealth by giving contracts for clothes to multiple companies. The economy was also improving massively also due to natural resources, demography, and law. Railroads allowed people as well as supplies to be transported quicker, safer, and cheaper. Companies bought each other out and formed monopolies which made the price go up and the owners very wealthy. Aside from all of these positives, there are also various problems that took place during the Gilded Age (1865-1900).

Between 1870 and 1900, an estimated 25 million immigrants had made their way to the United States. This era, titled the Gilded Age, played an extremely important role in the shaping of American society. The United States saw great economic growth and social changes; however, as the name suggested, the Gilded Ages hid a profound number of problems. During this period of urbanization, the publicizing of wealth and prosperity hid the high rates of poverty, crime, and corruption. European immigrants who had come to the United States in search of jobs and new opportunities had fallen into poverty as well as poor working and living conditions.

The mid-19th century saw an unprecedented wave of immigrants coming into the country. At its peak, Ellis Island, the main processing station for immigrants, handled an astounding 5,000 people every day. Because of the language and culture barriers faced by each group of people, they often settled amongst themselves. Very quickly, country-specific neighborhoods began popping up throughout New York and the surrounding area. This helped to alleviate the stresses with moving to a new country; however, most immigrants came to the United States penniless and lived in low-income housing as their jobs rarely supported themselves let alone their families.

During the late 1800s there was a time period called the “Gilded Age”. The Gilded Age is a time period the economy was struggling along with the people of the era. Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and Thomas Edison were some examples of successful business owners and Robber Barons of that time. Robber Barons were the people who stole money from the public along with natural resources such as soil, land, etc. These men were supposed to be great leaders, but instead they enforce horrible working conditions.

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.

Urbanization in America Business and industrialization centered on the cities in America like New York, Boston, and Chicago. The increasing number of factories created an immense need for labor which got people in rural areas to move to the city, and bringing immigrants from Europe to the United States. Urbanization changed America in many ways but specifically in a social and economic way leading to today’s America. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, urbanization was increasing at a startling rate.