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Political And Social Injustices In The Gilded Age

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The political and social injustices that were present in the Gilded Age inspired several reformists to change society through social changes and reforms. These activists sought to reform against political corruption, labor conditions, women's suffrage, and ideologies. Most of these reforms helped to improve the social issues of America's corrupt society. For instance, many people of the middle class were against the theory of Social Darwinism, the idea that some people were genetically predisposed to be better than others through natural selection and that the government shouldn't be involved in private businesses or free-markets (laissez-faire). Reform Darwinists believed that the government should be able to interfere with private businesses …show more content…

I believe that this social theory was a major step for closing the gap between the rich and the poor. The people who were better off were more influenced to help out those we were suffering because they were inspired by the idea that all people were somewhat equal and had the chance of becoming successful. The poor might have even been inspired to improve their life instead of complying with the theory that natural selection had already determined their fate. The Gilded Age offered women greater opportunities for education and public involvement, either through work or campaigns for social changes such as the fight for suffrage, campaigns for better living conditions and child care, and issues related to reproductive rights ("The Gilded Age and the Beginning"). Women confidently voiced their opinions by forming Woman's Christian Temperance Union, which worked to prohibit the use of alcohol, and establishing the settle house movement. These settlement houses provided housing, food, English lessons, day care services, and tips on how to adapt to American culture for the destitute immigrants who had nowhere to …show more content…

Through the process of industrialization and urbanization, America was able to transition from a small agrarian economy to an industrial economy that doubled. When I visualize America without the positive or negative effects of the Gilded Age, I see a small country that is isolated from others, with a poor economy that is unprofitable and weak. I imagine a country that is dominated by one race and restricted from the power of other countries. As you can infer, I firmly believe that the Gilded Age played an active role in helping America become a world power. It offered several opportunities for America to grow as a nation through its economic, industrial, and social changes. America's economy doubled, industrial cities appeared all over the country, workers were offered better job opportunities, and immigrants benefited from higher wages and jobs and even transformed America into a culturally diverse society. Not only did new technological and industrial advances help to boost production, wealthy individuals financially supported the economy and donated to many foundations, buildings, and organizations, and social reforms, such as reform Darwinism, helped

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Gilded age 1878-1889 was the age of fast growth of industry and immigrants in America history. The production of steel and iron rose radically than other time. In contrast, the Western resources increased such as silver,lumber, and gold. As well as the transportation also improved. Railroad develop and move goods from resources rich west to east.

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During the Gilded Age many workers were forced to work long hours for little pay while the businessmen make way more in a day than what they would make in a year. Child labor during the Gilded Age was 5% of the workforce and working conditions in factories and mines were terrible. During the Gilded Age anyone became if they tried, also work in factories and mines was a more reliable source of income than work on farmers. Businessmen gave people a more reliable source of income, and that makes them Captains of

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Although industrialists of The Gilded Age brought about a new societal sophistication, those of the lower class were not blessed by these of the social graces. The men of The Gilded Age the steelmaker Andrew Carnegie, the banker J.P. Morgan, the oilman John D. Rockefeller, and the railroad magnates Jay Gould and Cornelius Vanderbilt, contributed to the low income and poverty lives of their workers. Often labeled at robber barons, these industrialists took away the rights of their workers and helped make higher class children have an unfair advantage, especially in the sense of education, over the lower class youth. These men, distinctly different in their investments, all had one goal in mind. To earn a profit, no matter the cost.

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The response to poverty in the Gilded Age was the rich and the poor not being able to come to an agreement in response to those who can hardly make ends meet. Andrew Carnegie was one of the wealthiest men during the Gilded Age. Carnegie was not the best man to work for because he was against labor unions and approved using violence against his own employees. In “Andrew Carnegie, The Gospel of Wealth” It talks about how the rich and the poor could come together if they had the “proper administration of wealth.” Carnegie thought it was better to build institutions instead of give to the poor because the strength of the mind and body will benefit the community while solving the problem between the rich and the poor.

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The Second Industrial Revolution brought many great things to America such as advances in technology, new businesses, job opportunities, and "new" immigrants. America was truly the "City Upon a Hill." America, although booming after the Second Industrial Revolution, was problematic. The period after the Second Industrial Revolution is called the "Gilded Age" by Mark Twain because America at that time was glittering on the outside but corrupt on the inside.1 Alongside all the advances in the economy, technology, and society there are negative factors coinciding with the progress. The negative factors prove to be detrimental to America's society, politics, and economy.

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The Gilded Age also affected many workers. The organized efforts of farmers, workers, and local reformers faced challenges in achieving substantive change. Wealthy elites and industrialists held significant power and influence, often prioritizing their own interests over those of the organized

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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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The Gilded Age saw the rise of a new class of wealthy industrialists and a prosperous middle class. The Progressives sought to solve many of the social injustices of the Gilded Age. Upon the completion of the transcontinental railroad, it led to heightened racial tensions in California. After the railroads were completed, white workers from the East Coast and Europe could travel more easily westward where immigrant laborers were prevalent. The Progressive Era was a time when reformers sought to solve many of the social injustices of the Gilded Age.

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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 impact it had on the gilded age was the number of jobs it provided to the fresh-in immigrants. Vanderbilt knew that he could hire immigrants and they would work for not that much money and with these new railroads america will be shrunk for easier expansion of the immigrants.

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During the Gilded Age, the beliefs of Social Darwinism and Scientific Racism played a role, in shaping how elites perceived and acted upon structures. Social Darwinism, inspired by Charles Darwin's selection theory, suggested that societies progress through competition with the individuals or groups emerging as dominant. This idea justified the wealth gaps of that time by arguing that those who achieved success did so because of their superiority. The elites of the Gilded Age embraced this concept, seeing themselves as the pinnacle of fitness and thus deserving of their riches and status. Similarly, Scientific Racism used scientific methods to validate racial hierarchies and discrimination.

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132 Words | 1 Pages

Wealthy people spent their money however they pleased. The middle class struggled during the Gilded Age, their incomes stayed low for many years. That made many middle class people feel less and insecure of themselves. They feared losing their jobs and not being able to pay their houses or afford to see the doctor when sick or injured.

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707 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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1091 Words | 5 Pages

As women became more involved their ability to further improve their societal standing increased as they gained more power through reform. Women became more involved in the workforce. They were paid more, better protected, and more well respected. World War One showed the nation that women could fill the role of men and produce on a level that made them important. Women also changed the progressive era by focusing on the welfare of the poor and low class.

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The Gilded age was a period in the late 1800s (1865-1900) that showed tremendous increase of wealth caused by the industrial age. The lifestyle of the rich during this period hid the many problems of the time that eventually brought about the progressive era movement. This was a movement for reform between 1900-1920s. Progressives typically held that the irresponsible actions of the rich were corrupting both public and private life. Forces such as immigration, the Populist Party and industrialization that led to the progressive era also impacted the American government both in its activeness and its democracy.

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