The period between 1865 and 1910 in America was a time of not only great pain and destruction but also great transition and perseverance. Various ethnic groups and different demographics suffered immense discrimination and tragedy, such as different movements put in place to put an end to different Native American peoples or the lack of gender equality during everyday life for women and men of any race/ethnicity. On top of this, as some corporations came onto a great amount of wealth and prosperity, millions of the country’s working class population, which soon included a second wave of European immigrants, lived under poverty with seemingly no social mobility. Despite these negatives, there were still some benefits to come out of this time …show more content…
Urbanization and the growth of cities along with their populations created a need for better forms of transportation, more productive technology in factories, and more efficient ways to communicate with other people. These needs gave way to many different inventions seeking to meet those demands. One of the most important of those was the cable car, the first of which was invented in San Francisco in 1876. The cable car, a means of transportation dependent on cables and tracks, was far from perfect. Even though cable cars were incredibly expensive, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks and soon cable cars and regional equivalents (like trolley cars and streetcars) spread across the country. This shift in public transportation helped the general American economy and created geographical changes, such as cities being split into efficient economic districts, that can still be seen today. Other notable technological improvements include telephones, also created in 1876, as well as the light bulb in …show more content…
It is not so significant that racial equality is achieved, or there is no race-based discrimination rampant in society, but it is enough that African Americans are able to accomplish more than they were before the Civil War and Reconstruction. For example, after the passing of the first of three Reconstruction Amendments, the 13th Amendment, slavery was abolished but many states enacted different laws and economic institutions that hindered the newly freed slaves. These setbacks were devastating for the majority of the southern black population, but with freedom came more opportunity for future generations of African Americans. For example, in the case of former slave Bill Simms, he’d lost his sister when she was sold to another slave owner and he’d only learned to read and write after he’d reached adulthood but his daughters were able to have more opportunities than he or his wife had. “…I promised [my wife] on her death bed, that I would educate our girls. So I worked and sent the girls to school. My two girls both graduated from Ottawa University, the oldest one being the first colored girl to ever graduate from that school.” (An Ex-Slave Recalls his Migration Across the Prairie, 48) Along with this, many African Americans were able to take leadership positions in different communities during Reconstruction: “During Reconstruction, black men held
Following the ending of the Civil War in 1865, America was in an era known as the Reconstruction. The Reconstruction lasted until 1877. Citizens were attempting to rebuild our nation following one of the deadliest war in American History. In this time, the Fourteenth Amendment and Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution were ratified. Although slaves were freed, African Americans still faced intense racial prejudice and discrimination.
In chapter 17, America developed urban industrial society from 1880 to 1890. Since America started to develop industrial revolution after civil war, America’s economy was expended dramatically. This economic expansion stimulated new technological growth and it also created a new group of industrial elites. In developing industrial sectors, especially standard oil industry, which was established by Rockefeller, and electricity, which was made by Thomas Edison were fasted growing sectors. Since many various goods appeared to the public, advertisements, department stores and mail-in orders increased rapidly and noticeably.
The shift in industry also allowed some African American’s from the south to move towards cities and receive jobs. Of course, they still suffered from high prejudice, the percentage of black workers jumped from 3% to 8% by the end of the war. Although they did have segregated divisions, Blacks were also allowed to join the army and fight for their country. Even Native Americans experienced a great change during the war. Most of their numbers joined the army and were allowed to fight in unsegregated
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.
Most immigrants who came to the U.S had high expectations that they would find wealth but once they arrived they realized their expectations weren’t what they expected. Although, they were disappointed in not finding wealth the conditions in which the U.S was in by the late 1800s were still a lot better than the places they all had left behind to come. The majority of the immigration population anticipation was to find profitable jobs and opportunities. When the large numbers of immigration were migrating to the U.S, it was during the “Gilded Age”, which was the prime time for the country’s expansion of industrialization. This rapid expansion of new industries led to the need of workers which motivated people from other countries to come to
Automobiles. Telephones. Lightbulbs. These were some of the major technological innovations created during 1865 to 1920. These creations impacted many Americans, even to this day.
Throughout the entire time period, whites continued to be opposed to Reconstruction for their own personal reasonings, and they kept resisting any attempt by the federal government to give equality to all African Americans. Once Reconstruction came to an end, there was then a time period of segregation towards blacks, leading to Jim Crow laws and a loss of focus toward African American civil rights. Since there were two world wars in a 50 year time period, the focus towards these civil rights was majorly sidetracked. In today’s society there is still believed to be problems with white supremacy and prejudice towards blacks. There will always be people who won’t ever believe in equality, but the rights that are reserved today are a major step
Urbanization may be driven by local or global economic and social changes, and most of the time is the product of industrialization. As urban areas grow the population shifts from rural to urban areas, which is an example of how society adapts to change. The industrial revolution is the best example of this transformation to urban life, people wanted to upgrade their standard of living. This had both good and bad outcomes, the good was that it increased jobs and a bad outcome was that the life for the low class wasn’t that great. Most people were working for long hours for very little money to survive.
Immigration into the “land of opportunity” was everything but a smooth, trouble-free journey for those escaping the terror, poverty and political persecution in their crumbling countries. The wave of immigrants was at its peak during the breakouts of economic depressions (Document A). The new flow of immigration doubled the American population, especially in major cities. Chasing after the American Dream, many Europeans were attracted by the employment openings and new chances they could obtain in America. However, despite their life being better than before, these immigrants still faced many obstacles and cultural conflicts trying to fit in and thrive in American culture.
In the late 1800’s through the early 1900’s the U.S economy underwent an enormous increase in its industrial and production growth of its services. Copious resources and an expanding labor force from immigrant labor, government policy, and entrepreneurs facilitated a large shift in production of manufactured goods and services. The First industrial revolution shifted production from artisans to factories, and the second revolution gave way to the expansion in the organization, coordination, which helped push the large scale of the new industry. One of the first major factors was the immigration and the technological and transportation evolution across the U.S. As stated, “...more than 25 million immigrants came to the United States between
Furthermore, they were able to establish black churches to bring the African American communities together without any white supervisions, this is an important social institution for the black communities. Taking advantage, African American saw that education was the first step to change from slave to
During the nineteenth century and into the beginning of the twentieth (also known as the Gilded Age), American cities began to blossom into diverse settings that developed new lifestyles, innovations (and inventions) and much more. Railroads and mass transits (commuting) made transportation of people and goods into the city more efficient, especially for people in the West and the South. American cities also began developing great pieces of architecture such as skyscrapers and dumbbell tenements that were work places and homes for many natives and immigrants. Additionally, the arrival of immigrants of into the land of the free provided for cheap labor for employers, contributed immensely to the cities’ population and allowed for the development of new culture in the
Undoubtedly, America has confronted many adversities throughout its history. Moreover, during the course of these challenges America prevailed, and ultimately formed a nation that has the ability to continuously adapt. There exists a myriad of examples that would support this claim; however, this essay will focus on four major events occurring between the 1860’s and 1920’s. The first event is how the American social status changed before and after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. The second event is how the Civil War played a role in creating a need for Reconstruction, and how Reconstruction culminated in the Industrial Revolution.
Regardless of whether you are taking a brief visit to a different area or go on a San Francisco cable car from one side of the city to the other, it is easy to look back and remember the experience. Not only are cable cars a cheap way to get about the town, but they're secure, quick and also have a unique history. The concept powering San Francisco cable cars started in 1869, when Andrew Smith Hallidie noticed a particularly bad horse and buggy accident when five horses were killed trying to pull a heavy load up a steep slope in poor weather conditions. His father had previously invented a strong wire rope, and Hallidie was the individual who transformed that concept into the cable car.
From the late 19th to early 20th centuries, American urbanization led to job opportunity in new bustling cities, technological advancements in transportaion, sanitation, and engineering, which led to an improved standard of living. All these benefits far outwayed the disadvantages of poor living conditions and racial and religious descrimination because the advancements that took place in this time period still effect American life