ipl-logo

Gilded Age DBQ

709 Words3 Pages

The period between 1865 to 1900, also known as the Gilded Age, was an era of rapid industrialization, immigration, and capitalization in America. After the civil war, previously used factories remained and flourished as manufacturing started to replace farming; which was possible due to vast immigration from Southern and Eastern part of Europe. With an available cheap labor source, businesses rose to great heights, and competition thrived. While companies thrived, working laborers and citizens suffered. Because industrial statesman expanded wealth and created opportunities, but also exploited workers, disrupted competition, and manipulated factors of production, it is justified to characterize the industrial leaders of the Gilded age as both …show more content…

Monopolies were intended to increase profits, and “dictate” the “two great classes:” the producer and the consumer (Doc 3). Many companies like Andrew Carnegie’s steel company and Rockefeller’s standard oil company benefitted from trusts. Rockefeller successfully created a monopoly by buying rival companies, and controlling transportation rates which allowed for the transport of goods at a cheaper rate, allowing Rockefeller to lower the price of oil; this affected small companies since it was impossible for them to compete with the price (Doc 5). While many companies invested in the railroad company and created contracts to receive exclusive benefits such as lower rates, the railroads didn’t benefit the public at all, because they were built by investors that only cared about receiving a “fair percentage” of the profit, and remarked that “the public be damned” (Doc 1). Many laborers working under these company suffered due to the reduction of “the price of every labor connected with trade” (Doc 3). While these companies became wealthier, workers became poorer. For example, the laborers working in the Ohio railroad company barred train’s passage to rebel against their third pay cut. All forms of strikes and boycott emerged in the nation since no minimum wage was set. The workers risked their jobs to …show more content…

With the rise of monopolies, small companies and farmers suffered immensely likewise wages were cutback which led to many strikes and boycotts throughout the nation. However, Monopolies also lowered prices for various goods. Wealth increased due to the rich investing it and expanding new markets, which opened new job opportunities for non-skilled and skilled workers alike. Many companies also made it their duty to improve the community by funding myriad

Show More
Related
173 Words | 1 Pages

The Gilded Age was an era of rapid growth in the Americas, between 1870 and 1900. Early industrialists, like John D. Rockefeller, set out to create monopolies. In 1859, hundreds of people rushed to Pennsylvania to industrialize oil. Although they were ruthless competitors and hard-nosed employers, early industrialists like John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie should be remembered most as "captains of industry" because their grit and resourcefulness left an invaluable positive impact on American society. It is true that some industrialists exhibit a few qualities of a robber baron.

Read More
843 Words | 4 Pages

There are several issues labor and business antagonize over. There were tons of families and individuals affected by the downfalls occurring in this era. Many immigrants and workers were badly mistreated and were not really recognized by their hard work. The government gave signals for the rest of the century; there would be no strikes for the white people and blacks would be put back. Immigrants came from Europe and China to make new labor forces; these farmers were unable to purchase new machinery or pay new railroad rates.

Read More
345 Words | 2 Pages

The Second Industrial Revolution brought many great things to America such as advances in technology, new businesses, job opportunities, and "new" immigrants. America was truly the "City Upon a Hill." America, although booming after the Second Industrial Revolution, was problematic. The period after the Second Industrial Revolution is called the "Gilded Age" by Mark Twain because America at that time was glittering on the outside but corrupt on the inside.1 Alongside all the advances in the economy, technology, and society there are negative factors coinciding with the progress. The negative factors prove to be detrimental to America's society, politics, and economy.

Read More
523 Words | 3 Pages

In the late 1800’s, American business was just starting to take the familiar shape we know today. Inventions and innovations in factories were changing the meaning of ‘efficiency’ to business owners. This era has been referred to as the Gilded Age. This is because on the surface, things were going very well for industry. However, the sudden change led to problems such as child labor and dangerous working conditions, all for very little pay.

Read More
1098 Words | 5 Pages

As the industrial revolution progressed into the Gilded Age, life changed a lot for those in the marginalized populations. Working conditions worsened, women in the workforce increased, and wealthy people believed they were above everyone else. Wealth created huge problems for the marginalized populations due to their bad working conditions which included health risks, little pay, and long hours. The number of factories were increasing so fast that the manufacturers started to disregard their workers. During the Gilded Age, many rich people believed that they had superiority over poor people.

Read More
489 Words | 2 Pages

Imagine working sixteen hours a day in an unsanitary, dangerous, place for a big business gaining two dollars. This is what laboring-class Americans had to go through during the Gilded age. Politically, the first largest American labor union was formed during the Gilded age and many other organizations formed as well as violent strikes. Socially, different ethnics joined together to share their thoughts and realize the evils of big business and of the federal government. Mentally, most we 're losing their personal life while some were financially stable and glad.

Read More
988 Words | 4 Pages

Factories were paying far too little for someone to feed their whole family for that little, so many either would die or would turn to crime to survive; these laborers wanted equality. Men, women, and children were working and got employed in factories to work, and the dangerous and strenuous labor that children were put through to help the family expense caused many young children to die. Workers individually could not stop corporations, but collectively they could make an impact on their wages. The corporations eventually had to succumb to the pressure of labor supplies because the National Trade Union convinced the majority of the labor force to work from 12 hours a day to 10 hours. After the labor unions won, workers worked less, and they still had the same salary.

Read More
355 Words | 2 Pages

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.

Read More
722 Words | 3 Pages

During the times of the Gilded age the labor issues that were occurring were terrible. The amount of labor violence at hand continued to increase, while workers were taken advantage of in numerous ways. They were forced to work for extremely long hours a day with barely any pay, not only were their hours strenuous but work would also take place in very dangerous working conditions. Because of the horrific treatment workers would often organize unions which only made employers even more determined to retaliate. Thus causing workers and industrialists to be at constant conflict, whether it be the fight over control, or just the nonstop strikes and

Read More
535 Words | 3 Pages

The businesses took advantage of their workers by extending work hours but also leaving their wages the same. They were trying to work them for every penny they could not caring who they were hurting in the process. The people also disfavored the new political system they did not agree with politicians no longer listening to the opinions of the people, they felt that they were being silenced and they could do nothing about it. The corporations may have lowered the costs of a few accommodations but it was outweighed by the unfairness the people had to deal with.

Read More
1015 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More
1038 Words | 5 Pages

Farmers and Industrial Workers in the Gilded Age In a time when industrialization was booming, immigrants were racing towards the “American Dream”, and cities were growing towards the sky, the United States was thriving. As a country, the United States went from rural, to mostly urban, which made America “the world’s largest industrial power” as stated by John Green. Since the U.S. had become mostly urban, this left the very few rural workers (farmers), and even some of the industrial workers unhappy. This period of industrialization is called the Gilded Age than spans from 1865 to 1900.The farmers and industrial workers responded to the Gilded Age in significantly negative ways including unions against their authority, strikes and political

Read More
358 Words | 2 Pages

This helped workers to have time for their family and better working conditions. In the text, it said in the Bret and Rosa Strike that "The workers won over better wages and better working conditions. " The working conditions were increased by having lunch breaks and being able to go to the bathroom when they needed to. It also increased the pay for each job.

Read More
783 Words | 4 Pages

But that cheap labour comes at a cost and subsequently affects working class Americans. Working for less than minimum wage, in turn, forces many Americans to work for less than they initially would work for. The short term effects impact workers, but the long term effects could potentially affect the business owners if and when punishment is bestowed upon. Ultimately, there is a reduction to staff, which adds to our nation’s unemployment, or the business itself could be shut

Read More
1747 Words | 7 Pages

in 1929 a coal mine worker only earned a third of what the rest of the nation did. There was also troubles in the textile industry because of the invention of new materials and the overproduction of the previous one. Cartels, trusts and monopolies - ‘fixed the market’ and tried to keep prices high and wages

Read More

More about Gilded Age DBQ

Related Topics

Open Document