The Gilded Age
America’s Gilded Age was a period of sudden economic growth and it concentrated mainly on industrialization, it lasted from 1870-1890s. The Gilded Age was when immense wealth was accumulated by a few people, such as Andrew Carnegie who dominated the steel industry and John D. Rockefeller who dominated the oil industry. These two industrial leaders were known as “robber barons” especially Rockefeller because he drove out smaller businesses and he bought out all of his oil company competitions, this type of business method he undertook is known as horizontal expansion. Carnegie on the other took a different approach, he established a steel company that was “vertically integrated, meaning he controlled more than one stage of the supply chain.
With increasing in industrialization, the workplace had become more dangerous, and businesses refused to accept responsibility for injuries to workers. Great fortunes were amassed by the industries and millions of immigrants found hope on the idea America's opportunities. Technology began to replace the need for labor, which in turn lead farmers become more efficient in producing crops, and supplies tended to surpass demand regularly, consequently lowering prices. Therefore making the farmers struggle, and essentially making the poor man poorer and the rich man richer. The Gilded Age was a time of progress for the country.
Big Business in the Gilded Age DBQ During the civil war, railroads were used to transport the needs of war. Such as guns, medical supplies, and food. After The homestead act was signed into law the need for railroads grew more rapidly as people moved west. This caused the need for oil, steel, and railroads to increase.
This essay will examine the reasons why historians have called “The Gilded Age” to the era between 1877 and 1900, in which poverty, massive immigration, racism and corruption were the base metal of a nation that was gilded with industrialization and sudden wealth in order to make it look perfect with a shine finish. During the XIX century, United States suffered an important economic growth that took place after the civil war and the reconstruction era. The end of the war had a very decisive influence in the industrial development of the nation, giving a strong boost to it, causing a strong demand for many goods and a vertical rise in prices. The progress of American industry has had its repercussions to this day.
The Gilded Age, the period between the 1870s and the early 1990s, was an era of rapid industrialization, Laissez-faire practices, and no income tax. Industry moguls, such as Andrew Carnegie and John Rockefeller, thrived, following the philosophy called 'Social Darwinism' in business while millions of men, women, and children worked long hours for low pay in dangerous factories, railroads, and mines. Starvation wasn't uncommon. All this was against common sense and totally unfair for the working class because no one could choose whether to be born in a poor and wealthy family. The companies took advantage of huge numbers of people desperate for jobs.
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.
The Gilded Age: Then and Now Throughout our history, it is believed our societies have undergone significant changes forming the way we live our lives today. Could this be true or are we simply set to relive history? The contemporary period shares many similarities with the gilded age. These two periods may seem like their worlds apart, but as we look closer, we can see that they there two eras that share many similarities.
The Gilded Age in America lasted from 1878- 1889. During this time many industries experienced drastic growth and as a result, an influx of immigrants flooded America. The 3 biggest industries included railroads, factories, and coal mines. Working conditions during the Gilded Age were poor, with low pay, unsafe working conditions, and long hours. Large corporations throughout the Gilded Age controlled the pay of many workers within the United States , held great political power by influencing legislation, and had a negative impact on a majority of American citizens.
The Gilded Age was a time of rapid industrialization, internal improvements, acquisition of new land, and population growth. The Civil War left the United States in a fragile state, but this time period improved the nation significantly. Cities in the east were growing rapidly and the economy needed to keep up. Major and notable corporations sprung up during this era between the 1870s and 1900s and a railroad was being built to connect and east and west coasts. This all led to the United States becoming the world’s leading industrial nation at the time.
The Gilded Age was an era of significant economic growth as the United States became a world power through industrialization. Before the Gilded Age, America was in the Reconstruction era. The country dealt with how to integrate millions of newly freed black Americans into all aspects of American life. It was a time of significant transformation within the United States. Just a few months later, the nation was expeditiously growing, factories, railroads, coal, and steel mining were all massive industries.
The Gilded Age, a forty-eight year period at the end of the nineteenth century, was described as a time that has a rotten core covered with gold paint by Mark Twain. During that era, after the Civil War, the nation had been filled with unscrupulous businessmen and massive corruptions. Similar to the situation in the Gilded Age, the wealth gap in today is enormous and hence causing people to call it the second Gilded Age. Although society in the U.S. is different nowadays, the economic and political situation from these two time periods share many similarities. Gilded Age is an era where economy grew astonishingly.
In a time after the Civil War, when a transcontinental railroad was created connecting the East and West, people began to move and settle across the country, creating new urban cities and manufacturing hubs. It was because of the railroad that the Second Industrial Revolution and the Gilded Age took place which rapidly increased the manufacturing of products through the new machines in factories and the spread of ideas by the telegraph and railroad. It was in this context that many farmers, as well, began to move West and experience a loss in the prices of their crops. It is also in this context that many workers were forced to work long, laborious hours with little pay. Farmers responded to industrialization in the Gilded Age by forming organizations such as the Granger movement and the Farmers Alliance as well as creating the Populist Party.
The Guilded age was a period of wealth and improvement which was used to cover up poverty and corruption inside the united states. Eventhough there were lots of improvements, not only in technology but also in society, there were lots of problems. Problems such as corruption and poverty. As time went on people started to realise this problems and some got improved, but others didn’t. This gilded age was a problem.
In 1890, America was seen by millions of immigrants across the globe as the “Land of opportunity”. The place where anyone could become rich if they worked hard enough, equity was evenly distributed to all, and all could live comfortable and enjoyable lives. While for some this dream became a reality, the vast majority of these immigrants were dirt poor, living in cramped unsanitary living conditions, and working low paying, dead end jobs to scrape by while trustees sat on millions of dollars and lived lavish lives. This period of American history is simply known as the “Gilded Age” because although it was a time of prosperity for the US economy, life wasn’t as “golden” for the vast majority of the US population as it was made out to be. This
Alice Walker’s Everyday Use (rpt. in Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson, Perrine’s Literature Sound and Structure 11th ed [Boston: Wadsworth, 2012] 166-173) is a short story told by the mother of two daughters, Mama. The story tells the tale of the return of Mama’s oldest daughter, Dee, and the problems that Dee’s return causes for Mama and her youngest daughter, Maggie. This short story includes humor and irony, displays detailed characterization, and portrays a very effective point of view. These three literary elements contribute to this story by giving insight into the past and the true personalities of the characters, and the way the characters have changed over time.
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