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Poverty During The Gilded Age

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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. Thomas Edison created many new inventions such as the phonograph, generator, battery, motion picture and the light bulb that would allow factories to begin to run at night. Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Watson invented the telephone during this time. Andrew Carnegie was known for being a strong believer in the gospel of wealth that suggested you should either spend all of your money or give it back to the community, but you should never die as a rich man. Imperialism was a huge motive at this time because of the need for market expansion and national security. During the Gilded Age, America gained Guam, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and gave Cuba their independence, but agreed to place a naval base, Guantanamo Bay, there. Urbanization soared during the Gilded Age as people rushed to the cities for the new …show more content…

Although society today may often times recognize this time as a prosperous time that allowed growth and improvements in techniques of everyday life. Many forget to examine what everyday life, then really consisted of. Studying this time and the struggles faced can allow people to perceive events during the Gilded Age with a different

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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 expansion of the West territory fulfilled the US to become the ocean nation between Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean completely. Another identity bringing the US to change is “Gold discovery,” even if it was nine days before the treaty with Mexico in 1848, this discovery significant altered the US to the modern era. Based on above situations, the industrialization and the growth of the US began. It transformed the US society from rural to urban. The federal government offered the land distribution for agriculture, mining, and organizing settlers around many areas.

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The Gilded Age was the time period during 1865-1900. During the Gilded Age several changes took place, such as; Industralization, Urbanization, and Westward movement. Industralization was a major part of the Gilded Age. Industralization was the shift from agricultural jobs to more factory related jobs.

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Imagine working sixteen hours a day in an unsanitary, dangerous, place for a big business gaining two dollars. This is what laboring-class Americans had to go through during the Gilded age. Politically, the first largest American labor union was formed during the Gilded age and many other organizations formed as well as violent strikes. Socially, different ethnics joined together to share their thoughts and realize the evils of big business and of the federal government. Mentally, most we 're losing their personal life while some were financially stable and glad.

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A well-known writer, Mark Twain, used the term “Gilded Age” to symbolize the corruption of the American society despite its glittering surface of wealth following the American Civil War. Many industrial leaders following the war were criticized as “Robber Barons” -- the idea of becoming rich through unethical business practices -- or “industrial statesmen” for their economic influence in America. Their tactics of becoming wealthy and prosperous were often criticized as dictating the rich and the poor and destroying competitions, but the philanthropic contributions of these “industrial statesmen” toward the American economy and society are tremendous in creating America as a domination of power. According to many people, these “industrial

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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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The Gilded Age was a time of new beginnings; new buildings, new jobs, and, most importantly, a new corrupt system. On the surface, this age was a major breakthrough for the United States. Steel and iron production rose and led to the creation of bridges, railroads, and skyscrapers. But under these shiny advancements are millions of poor, overworked, African American and immigrant workers. So while the Gilded Age heavily impacted the United States, it also forced thousands of people to work in unsafe, life-threatening conditions while covering up a corrupt system.

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The Gilded Age brought America many different technological advancements such as the railroad system, kerosene, steel, and light bulbs. These advancements impacted the lives of people in America. The railroad system impacted the lives of American people by making travel much faster. Instead of the trip taking 6-7 months it can now take up to 10 days.

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During the Gilded Age wealthy people lived by an unbendable social calendar. Most wealthy people spent their time going to fairs, circus, sporting events, etc. Many Women spent an enormous amount of time hosting parties. One host actually offered their guests a cigar wrapped in hundred-dollar bills. A fairly small percentage of wealthy people lived in luxury homes.

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The Gilded Age became significantly popular in America during the 19th century. The term “Gilded Age” was coined by the American author Mark Twain based on the presence of corruption and exploitation during the time period (Sayre 1049). The Gilded era was marked by the growth of industrialization, urbanization and a high immigration influx of nonnative Americans (Sayre 1048-1049). Furthermore, the Gilded Age proved to be significant in westward expansion as many individuals migrated to the West in order to fulfill their aspiration of obtaining land and to avoid any form of impediments instituted by other individuals living in those areas (Sayre 1048). In addition, New York City served to be an agora for the growth of industrialization and urbanization

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As the US aided Cuba in its independence from Spain, the appearance of America’s power grew. This allowed the US to take over other small islands from Spain like the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico for their gain. The US used these islands for military power and usage of coaling stations and naval bases to help spread its

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The Gilded Age where the economics of policies industrial had tremendously crucially rapidly got to part where the

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Between 1870 and 1900, an estimated 25 million immigrants had made their way to the United States. This era, titled the Gilded Age, played an extremely important role in the shaping of American society. The United States saw great economic growth and social changes; however, as the name suggested, the Gilded Ages hid a profound number of problems. During this period of urbanization, the publicizing of wealth and prosperity hid the high rates of poverty, crime, and corruption. European immigrants who had come to the United States in search of jobs and new opportunities had fallen into poverty as well as poor working and living conditions.

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