Transportation In The Gilded Age

After the railroads the technology seemed to explode to the fast pace world we have today. But, the businessmen were still corrupted and didn’t have boundaries when it came to making

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 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.

Also, the Canal led to New York having the busiest port in America (Doc. 1B). The New York State Canal Corporation states that “Within 15 years of its opening, New York was the busiest port in America, moving tonnages greater than Boston, Baltimore, and New Orleans combined”

This law increased custom duties by nearly 50% on imports of more than 20,000 types of goods. Many countries, as a retaliatory measure, also increased their import taxes. As a result, world trade fell sharply, which contributed to exacerbating the Great Depression. With overproduction still occurring, this international standstill only made to intensify the already critical situation. The tariff also increased living costs, limit exports and hurt investors as the high tariffs would make it harder for debtors to pay off loans, continuing to weaken banks.

Prohibition was a major event in American history. It showed the weaknesses of morale in the United States, and how much people loved alcohol.

But the profit of building the railroads was hit and the railway industry began to decline. Railway was an urgent need to operating the goods but there wasn’t enough traffic to sustain them. Oil was another lucrative business during the Gilded Age. John Rockefeller saw an opportunity that seemingly everything required oil during this era: factory, machines, ships, and, later, automobiles. The application of oil made the train speeded up.

“Americans think the U.S. economy benefits when big businesses or small businesses make a profit, although, by 84% to 64%, more consider small-business profits helpful”(Saad). Although those are some supporting facts for large businesses in America, they are too powerful and too rich. In the past and even in present time large companies generally hurt their consumers and workers. The main focus for businesses is to make money off their customers.

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

Steam was one alternative source of power. By the mid-19th century, commuter railways using steam locomotives connected affluent residents living in small suburban areas to places of work and entertainment in large cities. Although this was an innovation in terms of urban transport, steam as a power source presented many challenges. The public considered these steam locomotives to the noisy, thought they produced too much pollution, and other dangers associated with the technology to be nuisances. Another concern was that until the 1870s this form of travel actually cost more than the horse-car.

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.

There have been steam engine trains trailing the United States in the early 1800’s. Many of the early ones ran only a few dozen miles. When the railways ran longer distances, the cost to build and later ride them were be extremely high. However, long distances were what Minnesota needed to keep up with the competitive and growing nation around it. “Construction began on the first track in 1861 in St. Paul and was completed in 1862.”

By the end of the war American Industry was small, and hand labor would remain widespread which would limit the capacity of the industry. After the war the Industry of America would change very dramatically, hand labor was replaced by machinery this would increase the production capacity tremendously. The new railways would provide for goods being distributed very far. Inventors would innovate new and wanted products to the public then the businesses would be able to provide products quickly and in much larger quantities. Another thing about Industrial Growth was that investors and bankers would help business leaders by supplying them with huge amounts of money so that they would be able to expand their

Because of the trouble between white settlers and immigrants at that time there were numerous outbreaks of violence and laws aimed towards discrimination. Social- Chinese immigrants who migrated to the west would work for wages considerably less than normal and them doing so caused tension between white settlers. Economic or type of economy- The west relied more on agriculture than any other place because it was the most efficient.

One of the greatest eras of the American history that brought remarkable advances in labor rights is the era of the Great Depression that saw an increase in the number of labor movements and mass radicalization of workers. Unknown among many people is that the growth and success of the American labor movements during the years of the Great Depression encompassed an intersection of political, social, and economic concerns. It should remain remembered that the immediate occurrence of Great Depression happened a few years after the end of the First World War that many countries were unprepared to meet its aftermath. According to great American historians, there were significant differences between the achievement of the labor movements during the era of Great Depression and those of the Gilded Age or the 1920s. This essay broadly discusses the reasons why worker achieved greater advances in higher wages, better hours, and other gains during the Great