Gilded Age Video Analysis

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The US notes 1.8 video mainly focused on the change that occurred during the progressive era, and why it was so important. It described the difference between Gilded Age presidents, that employed laissez-faire, and the progressive presidents. During the Gilded Age, the government left supporting the economy to companies. The government usually stayed out of economic issues, except when labor unions threatened companies, where the government supported the companies over the workers. During this period, corruption was also a major issue because of the spoils system that was in place. The spoils system, or patronage, gave political supporters the opportunity to take well-paying jobs in the government that most were unqualified for. The video …show more content…

They failed to end poverty in cities, the Republican party lost power after being split, and they neglected to pay attention to the issue of race. The NAACP was formed in the Niagara Movement because since the government was not listening to them they had to do something about it themselves. The Gentleman’s Agreement was also a bad idea because it restricted Japanese people from gaining citizenship which angered Japan. One final failure would be the prohibition failure that not only did nothing to stop crime but also possibly increased …show more content…

The government went from being involved in almost nothing to being involved with many economic and social issues. I learned just how influential each president was as well as how that has affected American society today. Nowadays we have higher expectations for the government because during the progressive era the government started to become more involved in the lives of American citizens in order to protect and help them. Because of this, now we know that our working rights will be protected, unlike those before the progressive

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