Native Americans In The Gilded Age

As America entered the Gilded Age, its urban population grew, nativists resisted minorities, government corruption was rampant, and immigrant populations increased substantially (Shi and Tindall 626-644). Government corruption was exemplified by the patronage system, under which loyal supporters of politicians were given government jobs (Shi and Tindall 641). Most of the immigrants from this period were from southern and eastern European countries, such as Russia, Poland, Greece, and Italy, and were judged as inferior by many Americans because of their cultural differences (Shi and Tindall 630). Immigrants also caused tension during WWI because of their lingering loyalties to nations on either side of the conflict (Chapter 21 Overview). A combination of factors, including manifest destiny and a need for raw materials and naval bases, eventually prompted the U.S. to adopt the practice of imperialism (Shi and Tindall 666).

Many of the people who emigrated to the US were known as “birds of passage” because their only purpose for immigration was to get a job, earn a sufficient amount of money, and return to their native land to support their family. The other immigrants also came to America to find a job, but their purposes were more long-term. Turmoil and low quality of life in Europe sparked a mass migration from places like Russia, Japan, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. Thus, this large number of immigrants provided a readily available workforce, desperate for any job that paid a wage. The effects of immigration’s role in the rise of Big Business are not just limited to the new technology and ideas from Europe, but also the increased belief in the middle class and urbanization.

The tension between the upper class and the lower class is caused by the pure fact of jealousy and not being nearly close financially. The tension of the Gilded Age influenced/molded America by opening jobs for immigrants, the creation of the middle class, the expansion of cities, and it also shifted the population for the countryside to the inner

Although the condition seems much improved, consumers don’t know the true fact- “Today, American citizens simply cannot know the working conditions of the factories that make the products they buy. We cannot know how the chemicals, tools, and technologies in these workplaces affect workers.”(In the Global Apparel Industry, Abusive and Deadly Working Conditions Are Still the Norm)-many workers have to inhale harmful gases, face dangerous situation everyday. More, reports indicate that women make up the vast majority of the workforce, but men make up the supervisors, which is the same as what happened in the Gilded Age. “The darker side of the growing population in cities was racial tension and

Business owners made lots of money from the railroads because they were able to transport goods farther and faster with ease. Although the railroads tremendously impacted businesses and therefore the economy, the native americans were negatively impacted because the railroads were being laid on “their” land. This caused distrust between the settlers and the natives because of the “disrespect” for the land. Because of the new ways of transportation, the industrial revolution took place causing skilled artisans to be replaced by unskilled workers that used large complex machines. The

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. During the 1840s-1850s Americans saw a huge increase in the number of immigrants arriving in America, and this only lead to white American citizens fearing them during that period. There was fear for many reasons, the main reason being Americans feared that immigrants would steal their jobs. Namely these jobs were in New York city and other large coastal

Vanderbilt made millions using the railroad system and built an empire with them. 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 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. The period from 1870 to 1900, big businesses governed by Robber Barons sprung up and took control of the economy and the political system that governed the American People. The American people responded by forming labor unions and tried to improve the plight of the poor. Laissez-faire

The period from 1877 to 1920s economic, political and social crises hits the American society. During this period industrialization significantly impacted people 's lives in a variety of ways. The booming industries transformed America into urban culture. However, this transition came with complex social, economic and political challenges. Living conditions of workers, housing, transportation, epidemic, an environmental problem emerged with the growing industries and urbanization in the country.

The 19th century was the era of the Gilded Age, where the economy was booming, bringing great changes that affected the lives of workers and entrepreneurs. During this period, there was a large influx of immigrants that were coming to America to look for job opportunities. The migration of immigrants proved useful as a source for cheap labor, allowing an even higher rise in the U.S. economy. While American industrialization may have benefited the upper class of the American society, the effects were opposite to the workers of the lower classes. This problem was especially worse for immigrant workers as their belief in the so-called American dream has been worn down due to the misery they had to endure.