How Does Technology Affect The Gilded Age

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Technology greatly impacted the Gilded age. Technology brought more competition into the industry. Also, it made life much easier for people in the United states to live. It is true that technology did create tension between the classes. Competition increased due to new technology being created throughout the Gilded age. The light bulb is a great example of this. Thomas Eddison created the light bulb, and while the invention was his own, the electricity that powered the light bulb is what created the competition. When Thomas Eddison once again shot down his apprentices idea of A.C. current he ended up creating his own competition. Tesla, Edison's former apprentice, took his idea of A.C. current and found a rather wealthy man, Westinghouse, to fund his idea and get A.C. electricity powering houses, and other places. In doing this Tesla created more competition in not only electrical industry, …show more content…

Inventions like the automobile made a faster form of transportation open to the public; this would allow people to be able to go from places in a timeless matter compared to their other forms of transportation such as boats, and railroads. Also, the light bulb allowed people to save money and power their houses at the same time. Once the light bulb was put in, and electricity was wired through the house, they didn't have to pay for more light bulbs for a long period of time; compared to how much money families would spend on buying standard oil to light their homes, electricity and light bulbs were a giant money saver for many families during the Gilded Age. These inventions were not limited to the United States, though, over time technology diffused into other countries due to trade. In short due to new technology being created and new ways of doing things industrialized the lives of millions of people across the globe were made