Extra Credit Paper: Corruption Hidden among the Transcontinental White, Richard. “Information, Markets, and Corruption: Transcontinental Railroads in the Gilded Age” The Journal of American History 90:1 (June, 2993) 19-43 The Gilded Age described an era within the United States History that marked high economic growth and masked serious social problems. An increase in industrialization attracted many to a number of new opportunities to become part of the rising industries.
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.
Natalie Merchant, singer of “Gold Rush Brides” mentioned various aspects of American History situating around Westward Expansion in her lyrics. “The land was free and the price was right.” In this line there’s a reference to the Homestead Act which allowed Americans to put in a claim for free acres of federal land by encouraging westward migration. “The Price was right” referred to the small filing fee that the Homesteaders had to pay. “I see indians that crawl through this mural that recalls our history.”
Copperheads The Copperheads were a vocal group of Democrats in the Northern states of the Union in the 1860’s. They had very strong beliefs about the war and were very vocal about it. There were two sides of thought about the war. Those who stood by Lincoln throughout the war and those who were determined to set him up to fail.
In the early 19th century many religious and racial groups migrated to the Americas due to persecution. From these groups formed the New England, Middle and Southern Colonies. Each set of colonies were based off of different natural resources and each allowed the regions to prosper. Whether they were proprietor, religious or royal colonies they each were original founded under the British government as a way to expand the country’s borders. In the end due to conflicts with neighboring Indians, different Religious groups, and later Britain itself.
The Gilded Age was the period 1870 to 1900 were Industries grew exponentially and working environments for employees decreased. Coined by Mark Twain, it was a satire phrase to describe the increase social problems that were the result of a few businessmen becoming rich. The Progressive Era began as a social movement and grew into a political movement in the United States, spanning from the 1890s to 1920s. This was an era of political reform and social activism.
Exam Paper 1 In what ways did the American West of the late nineteenth century represent a contrast to the East? In what ways did the two regions resemble each other?
"It made my heart thump, for I was certain it was gold.” James Wilson Marshall upon finding gold at the base of Sierra Nevada Mountains. Before the United States had been birthed into existence, even before Colorado had been an idea that had been staked out and called a state, the land was quite open and dominated by the Native Americans. There wasn’t much of a drive for settlers to push into the rugged mountain country compared to their Eastern, developed counterparts. These mountain ranges and peaks were, for the most part, uninhabitable to those who didn’t have close ties to the lands.
The late 19th century was a time of exploration, innovation, and continued westward expansion. The West, however, was not as glorified as people today like to think it was. Westward expansion had many benefits, the main being lots of new land for both the Americans and immigrants, but many ideas of the West have been altered throughout the years. The West was romanticized in many ways, people moved to the West in the pursuit of happiness, but today many hardships of westward expansion have been ignored. Cowboys and homesteads are two major concepts that have been romanticized today about the West.
In a time after the Civil War, when a transcontinental railroad was created connecting the East and West, people began to move and settle across the country, creating new urban cities and manufacturing hubs. It was because of the railroad that the Second Industrial Revolution and the Gilded Age took place which rapidly increased the manufacturing of products through the new machines in factories and the spread of ideas by the telegraph and railroad. It was in this context that many farmers, as well, began to move West and experience a loss in the prices of their crops. It is also in this context that many workers were forced to work long, laborious hours with little pay. Farmers responded to industrialization in the Gilded Age by forming organizations such as the Granger movement and the Farmers Alliance as well as creating the Populist Party.
Jessica HillisMr. GillardAP US History5 January 2007Essay 16: Gilded AgeThroughout history, certain periods of time have been given certain names based on thehappenings that occurred. Many have called the period of 1865 to 1901 the “Gilded Age”, be-cause it was “shiny and pretty” on the outside but it was “rough and ugly” underneath. The term“Gilded Age” was actually coined by Mark Twain who satired the Gilded Age with a GoldenAge.
In a time, in 1865, Reconstruction was ending. The Compromise of 1877 led the Republicans to end their fight for racial equality. This led to Rutherford B. Hayes, the President of the United States, to pull out troops from the South causing the Republican Party to dismiss. The end of Reconstruction brought America to imperialism. Imperialism allowed for America to gain more power by taking over territories aggressively.
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
The California Gold Rush of 1848 brought gold-seekers from the eastern United States and Chinese immigrants from abroad to the California frontier, a move that established San Francisco as the west coast urban center of commerce and trade. The conclusion of the Civil War and the abolition of slavery left a void in the Southern states’ economy as southerners struggled to keep up with the demands of their formerly slave-worked plantations. As San Francisco was making strides mimicking American imperialism over its surrounding land and resources, slavery was not an economic commodity that previously existed in the west. The population of Chinese immigrants had been rising well before the influx of people traveling west in search for gold also. The introduction of 13th Amendment had forced whites to morally equalize human rights to apply to blacks, which had never been of equal status before.
In both the early and late 19th century there were a lot of things that contributed to the growth of America. Economically, during this point in time there was extreme growth. Up to the end of the Civil war, the way people went about life was about to change even more than what has already changed in the last fifty years. Post-Civil war, over 4 million slaves were freed. They migrated and assimilated towards the pacific coast and towards northern states.
