Immigration During The Gilded Age

One of the most notable times during the late 19th century was the Gilded Age. There were many things that led up to this period of time which included poor farming conditions, massive immigration, and economic opportunity in cities. The Gilded Age was in many ways the culmination of the Industrial Revolution, when America and much of Europe shifted from an agricultural society to an industrial one. The rise of big farming led to small farmers losing their land. Many gravitated to urban areas looking for jobs. Millions of immigrants and struggling farmers arrived in major cities looking for work which hastened the urbanization of America. Socially, there was a rapid increase in population mainly due to immigrants; culturally, new religious

The immigrants had many reasons as to why they wanted to flee their countries. Land by mechanization of farm work caused many displaced farm workers to fall into poverty. Europe experienced overcrowding and joblessness due to a population boom that they weren’t prepared for. The United States had many factors that attracted these immigrants. The United States was exceptionally known for its reputation in having political and religious freedom. Economic opportunities presented by settling on the Great Plains and abundance of industrial jobs in U.S cities were quite vast. With the invention of large steamships and relatively inexpensive one-way travel in ship’s steerage, it was possible for millions of poor Europeans to immigrate. The immigrants were seen as two different groups: “Old” immigrants and “new” immigrants. “Old” immigrants came from Northern and Western Europe and were mostly Protestant. They mainly came for economic reasons. “New” immigrants came from Southern and Eastern Europe and were mostly Catholics. They mainly came for religious freedom. Old immigrants were able to adapt to the American lifestyle more easily because

Politics in the Gilded Age were characterized by scandal and corruption, but voter turnout reached an all-time high. During this era, voters turned out at a higher rate than at any other time in American history. However, the two major political parties (Democrats and Republicans) were both riddled with corruption and scandal. Politicians spent more time distributing government jobs to their supporters, managing urban political machines, and enriching themselves from the public coffers than dealing with important policy issues. Political machines were unofficial organizations designed to keep a certain political group or party in power. Those who ran the machine, known as Political Bosses, were picked by others to help them win, and they would in turn help in handing out city jobs and contracts. William Magear Tweed, also known as “Boss Tweed,” was an American politician and one of the most popular bosses. He was known for being the “boss” of Tammany Hill, the Democratic Party political machine that played a major role in the politics of 19th century New York City. Immigrants were often used by political machines. They would be picked up and fed in exchange for voting the way the machine wanted. In the Women’s Suffrage movement, Wyoming granted women’s suffrage in 1869, and by 1900 some states allowed women to vote in local elections. This was a big step up in