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19th Century Factory Workers

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The late 19th Century was a time in the United States of America where the majority of the country 's wealth belonged to few men. Marked in history as the “Gilded Age”, this was a time of immense industrial growth through building factories and territorial expansion through the development of railroads. At the helm of this industrial growth were men such as J.P. Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and John D. Rockefeller, railroad and factory owners who experienced incredible financial success during this time period. While these men prospered, most of the country was poor and struggled to survive despite working full time for the railroads and factories. “While the rich wore diamonds, many wore rags. In 1890, 11 million of the nation 's 12 …show more content…

While some may label these railroad/business tycoons as “Captains of Industry”, it becomes clear through their oppression of workers, payment of below sufficient wages, and use of child labor that they were merely “Robber …show more content…

Workers for these railroads and factories faced many hardships. “Thomas Hobbes described life in nature as poor, solitary, nasty, brutish, short—and for many workers that was the case” Unfortunately their tough lives were mostly inescapable. The only available jobs at the time was working for companies owned by a lot of the same men with the same intentions. All wages for these jobs were so low, workers couldn’t fare the expense of trying to find better work. The average annual income of these families was around three hundred and eighty dollars, well below the poverty line of this time period. Yet a different picture was painted of the United States to other countries. Different types of literature was spread to foreign countries creating an idea of ample job opportunities leading to immense wealth only found in America. Immigrants poured into America with hopes of becoming successful through American job opportunity. People found themselves lost in the system these railroad/factory owners created. This system impoverished workers while making the owners incredibly

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New Spirits: Americans in the Gilded Age, 1865-1905 written by Rebecca Edwards provides readers with many different individual accounts to illustrate the transformative time of America during the Gilded Age. The work shows the cultural, social, political and economical elements of the age that aided in forming the America we have today. Edwards’s purpose in writing New Spirits is to offer readers new insights on the era by eliminating predetermined stereotypes one may have established before reading the work. Edwards wants readers to put aside their prior knowledge to understand just what it was like to live in the Gilded Age by providing readers with the consequences and achievements of people during the time.

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The late 19th century was full of growth, production, and business. People were craving power and seemed to achieve this through any means necessary. Consequently, a new business elite formed consisting of the richest men alive. The way in which these individuals acquired all their profits is something very contradictory even over one-hundred years later. Some historians characterize these businessmen as “robber barons” who used extreme methods to control and concentrate wealth and power, and being supported by multiple sources, this statement is justified but only to some extent.

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The factories they worked in were sometimes in poor condition. Somethings would fall from the roof injuring little kids or even adults. In the 1800’s children were forced to work in factories by their parents there was lots of poverty back then and it was not a good time era to live in. The

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This essay will examine the reasons why historians have called “The Gilded Age” to the era between 1877 and 1900, in which poverty, massive immigration, racism and corruption were the base metal of a nation that was gilded with industrialization and sudden wealth in order to make it look perfect with a shine finish. During the XIX century, United States suffered an important economic growth that took place after the civil war and the reconstruction era. The end of the war had a very decisive influence in the industrial development of the nation, giving a strong boost to it, causing a strong demand for many goods and a vertical rise in prices. The progress of American industry has had its repercussions to this day.

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Thesis : After the Civil War, America was in a post-war boom. During the 1870-1890, big business moguls, such as Rockefeller and Carnegie, create huge corporations which not only affected the economy, but also affected the political realm of America. While many may assume that during the rise of these big business helped to change the economy and politics,  the real focus was on the responses formed by society, such as labor unions, increase public outcry, and political opposition groups that helped to change society. A: Economically, big business flourished during the late 1800s.

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Factory Working Working in the 1800’s was hard and was very dangerous, by the mid 1800’s America was using machines to produce most things such as clothing, shoes, watches, , guns, and farming machines. The workers would work an average of 11.4 hours a day. The workers were very tired. The factories were very rugged and dangerous, there were fast rapidly moving parts exposed and that cuased many accidents with adults and children.

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“Much of the blame heaped on the captains of industry in the late 19th century is unwarranted.” (Document F). The Gilded Age was a time where the U.S. economy grew very quickly and rapidly, due to the inventive minds and entrepreneurs of that time; but it has different perspectives of opinions in history today. This era led the U.S. to its state and place in the present world, thanks to its important contributors, (who are involved in the main debate of whether they were robber barons, unethical men who yearn for money, or captains of industry, leaders who add positive ideas and methods to benefit their country.) The industrial leaders of the Gilded Age are captains of industry, worthy of some gratitude and credit for how our society’s structure

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As a result, from 1860 to 1900 alone, the number of urban areas in the United States expanded fivefold (Source 2). The immigrants who desperately needed employment and the greed of factory owners made the rise of sweat shops astonishing. Around the country low-paid immigrants, including women and children, worked for excessively long

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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.

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These workers faced dangers everyday and received little pay. At the same time, many other people also had more money and leisure time. Henry George’s book, Progress and Poverty, talks about this divide. “ It was as though an immense wedge were being forced, not underneath society, but through society. Those who are above the point of separation are elevated, but those who are below are crushed down” (Document 3).

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Your analysis is most agreeable. Although the gilded age was the era of huge technological advancements, it was certainly not a pleasant time for all of the people who lived in America. It was not only the native Americans who were not in their best condition from a political and economical aspect, but the immigrants were suffering to some extent too. Unlike the Native Americans that were forced out of their homes, the immigrants had their decision made for them; they lived in tenements, because of their financial situations. Also, often times, immigrants did not have many career options, since most of them were uneducated and were struggling with the language, so they worked in railroads and mines that sometimes belonged to the Natives.

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The decade between 1890 and 1900 expressed a crucial time in the United States of America’s history. Many people experienced struggles throughout this time while others prospered. Mark Twain suggested that despite the significant achievements of the United States, Americans experienced poverty. This statement is an accurate description of the lively hood people experienced in their daily lives during the Gilded Age whether it was positive or negative. Many people during this time period focused on the positive outcomes that resulted from the Gilded Age such as new inventions, the gospel of wealth, additions of land to the country, urbanization, and middle-class improvements.

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Marquan Wade Summer 2015 Final Paper The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire A century ago, Roman Empire represented a success story for imperialist Britain as well as other European states with imperial ambitions. The Roman story of conquest was imitated, but never fully matched or even replicated. The dream that an imperial empire could not only conquer, but also create a Pax Romana, a vast area of peace, prosperity, and unity was a genuine inspiration for other empires. No other empire was capable of having such a successful reign of power, control, and satisfaction among their people as the Roman Empire did.

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In 1890, America was seen by millions of immigrants across the globe as the “Land of opportunity”. The place where anyone could become rich if they worked hard enough, equity was evenly distributed to all, and all could live comfortable and enjoyable lives. While for some this dream became a reality, the vast majority of these immigrants were dirt poor, living in cramped unsanitary living conditions, and working low paying, dead end jobs to scrape by while trustees sat on millions of dollars and lived lavish lives. This period of American history is simply known as the “Gilded Age” because although it was a time of prosperity for the US economy, life wasn’t as “golden” for the vast majority of the US population as it was made out to be. This

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Wealth, poverty, technology, decadence, the Gilded Age was a time of change and uprooting of past systems, schools of thought, and standards. It was a time of both hope and doubt for the majority of the population and brought many to be empty handed or exceedingly wealthy. The dynamic between rich and poor was shifting to a gap of wealth never before seen in the young country. The gilded age’s built up wealth disparity faded away over time. Yet today it seems that a resurgence of these features is rearing its ugly head again.

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