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Enlightenment Movement In The Gilded Age

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A shift in American society and culture can be marked by times where there is an explosion of new ideas. These alternative ideas usually reflect a discontent with the status quo. As a result, movements are created in order to challenge societal norms, and they often offer solutions to the issues brought up by mainstream culture. Throughout American history, there is a constant progression of expansion of democracy and moral reform. The many new movements created during the Romantic era and throughout the Gilded Age, both reflected a rejection of mainstream culture and sought to give more people a voice. The first half of the 19th century saw a major cultural change. The Enlightenment movement was beginning to lose its traction. This was because people felt that Enlightenment ideals focused too much on the community as a whole, and that individuals were being overlooked as a result. People who were undermined by society, such as women and African Americans, supported the idea that …show more content…

This meant that there were more jobs to choose from. Large industrial businesses required middle management; people to communicate between the workers and the owners or head of the businesses. Marketing and advertising were also emerging industires at the time. These new stable jobs led to the growth of a new middle class. People now found that these jobs often gave them enough money to spend on whatever they pleased. This led to the creation of leisure activities and consumer culture. Department stores attracted people with a somewhat disposable income, as people bought not only what they needed, but what they wanted. Athletic events, amusement parks and theater shows were all leisure activities that reflected the free time middle and upper class people had in the city. The upper classes in the cities experienced new financial opportunities and enjoyed public works and

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The business industry helped cities blossom in population in citizens and manufactures. With the business industry attracting numerous amounts of people to the cities, the economic classes were beginning to take shape. The middle class lived

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In the 18th century, during the years of 1825 to 1850 America was going through Reform movements. The Reform movement sought to expand democratic ideals in the United States. The Reform movement had social, economic and political changes or events in America. Out of all of these three things, the Reform movement had a lot more social changes and events than the other two. As the Reform movement was more of a social movement that aim to make gradual changes in society or at least some parts of society.

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Many reform movements between 1825 and 1850 sought to expand democratic ideals by advocating many social and political changes including movements to prohibit alcoholic beverages, to increase public education, and to support rights for women. Movements within society were encouraged through the church as well as harmony.

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Americans now enjoyed greater democratic and individualistic beliefs that were brought about by rationalism, and changes to societal structure that were brought about by the Market Revolution. This created greater social mobility, and along with the Second Great Awakening, influenced many social reforms such as abolitionism and women’s rights. The idea of perfectibility and transcendentalism allowed women as well as African Americans to enjoy more freedoms. African Americans, free and enslaved, also developed their own culture. They created communities in which they formed strategies to keep families together in slave trade as well as gaining political status.

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Prior to 1890 to 1920, it marked a significant period of political change in the nation. Progressives implemented several changes at the municipal, state, and federal levels. They were led by reform-minded people who addressed the political, social, and economic injustices of the Gilded Era. A push for social and political reform, the emergence of numerous grassroots organizations, and political initiatives targeted at resolving the social and economic issues confronting the US were the hallmarks of this age.

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In 1877, amid an economic depression, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroads lowered their workers' wages by 20 percent. Their workers unionized in a strike that started in West Virginia. 2/3 of the nation joined, opposing the federal troops sent by President Hayes to end the strike. America’s Gilded Age was an era of confrontation between management and labor. It was an era of economic depression, growing industrialism and abysmal working conditions.

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Beginning in the late 19th Century, the Gilded Age was a historic period of time characterized by political corruption and angry sentiment towards government. As citizens of the United States became increasingly discontent about the current state of the nation, they started to express this anger in the form of reform movements. Leading up to the Progressive Era movements were various social, economic, and political concerns that revolved around political leaders failing to meet the needs of people. The rise of the Progressive Reform movements in the years 1870-1917 was largely influenced by conflict in the working class, governmental influence of big business, and the absence of civil rights for many American citizens.

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Throughout the first half of the 19th century, people worked to better their lives and reform the flaws they saw in society. The 1800's were what the American people at the time called the "era of good feeling", but there were still many problems within American society. These problems or "social ills" later led to the Reform Movement which targeted such ills. Groups of individuals were solely created to be the driving forces of this movement. The Reform Movement has greatly impacted the United States history.

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Folk Cultures and Popular Protest Even though intellects debated for more rational laws of the Enlightenment, most people in the Western World conformed to cultural values of the past. European monarchs increased their authority by changing taxes,  judicial practices, and governmental structures. As men and women resisted against the changes in the government power and cultural reforms, a lot of revolutionary agitation and conflict is created. (This plays a factor into why the revolutions occurred).

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The early 1900s were a time of widespread social and political change in America. During this time, many Americans adopted new, more modern ideas about labor, cultural diversity and city life. Some of these Progressive ideas were brought about by the need for reform in the workplace due to the grown of large companies and rapid industrialization. Not everyone supported the ideas of the Progressive Movement, however. Anti-Progressives, especially in the South, preferred traditional, rural lifestyles, and a slower, simpler way of living.

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Nineteenth century American life was a time of profound transformation across all angles of society– from the development of new manufacturing methods such as steam power and railroads, to civil rights movements such as abolitionists and women suffragists, nearly every aspect of American society was constantly changing. During this period, the United States was transitioning into what is commonly known as a “national society”, where local power was supplanted by a growing trend of national institutions and organizations. Many historians argue that the social unrest that occurred in the United States during this time was largely a consequence of the country’s transition towards a national society. While it is important to acknowledge that the

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The manufacturers started building factories on larger sites to accommodate for the growth of the population, which would employ thousands of people and drove the American industrialization. More and more people left the countryside and immigrants from other countries came to America searching for employment. As the population increased, so did the factories and thus bringing more need for housing and employment. The housing was separated into various ethnic groups and the middle class was introduced.

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With the Industrial Revolution, came a plethora of higher paid jobs for middle class men, and as the population of middle class people increased, more people got more money. The workers got paid as did the investors whose companies flourished with new educated workers to not only as artisans but also managers and supervisors. With the burgeoning middle class people improving the financial status of themselves and others, they had more prominence in economic, social, and political aspects of Britain. The middle class was seen as vital because of their efficiency in industry.

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