The Gilded Age

The Gilded Age (1877-1900) and Progressive Era (1890-1914) What defines the Gilded Age? Are we in a Gilded Age today? How can progressive reforms fix problems such as those seen in the Gilded Age? Gilded Age Defined The late 1800s is often called the Gilded Age because of the great wealth of a few that masked the devastating poverty of the many. The blame for poverty was largely put upon the poor with ideas such as Social Darwinism and writings such as Horatio Alger Jr.’s “rags to riches” novels. Gilded Age Social Darwinism Horatio Alger, Jr. Technologies of the Gilded Age New technology would provide great changes during the late 1800s. The technologies helped cities grow, made communication faster, made travel faster, and increased the role of mechanization and electricity in our lives. Bessemer process Alexander Graham Bell Thomas Edison Industrialists Businesses and the individuals that controlled them grew incredibly large and powerful in the late 1800s. The industrialists behind the businesses were sometimes called “captains of industry” because of the advancements that their businesses made, such as providing jobs and generating money that went to good causes. These industrialists were also sometimes called “robber barons” because of the negative impacts of their huge companies, such as ruthless business practices and involvement in political corruption. Andrew Carnegie Gospel of Wealth John Rockefeller J.P. Morgan Cornelius Vanderbilt trust monopoly horizontal consolidation vertical consolidation Labor The growth of big business led to increased abuses of workers, often immigrants, in sweatshops. This included low wages and child labor. Labor unions would form and expand in response to these abuses, most famously the American Federation of Labor. The tactics used by labor unions were mostly ineffective due to the power and influence of the industrialists and the oversupply of immigrant workers. The government sided with the big businessmen, even using police and federal troops to force an end to strikes. Also, it did not help that unions often lacked the numbers they needed due to discrimination based on skill-level and ethnicity. sweatshop labor union Knights of Labor American Federation of Labor Samuel Gompers Eugene V. Debs Great Strike of 1877 Haymarket Riot Homestead Strike Pullman Strike collective bargaining closed shop yellow-dog contracts Sherman Anti-Trust Act Urbanization and Immigration The growth of industry and much immigration brought about urbanization. As new immigrants moved to the cities, they met much nativism, one reason that ghettos defined the makeup of many cities of the time. The cities grew faster than they could accommodate the needs of a larger population, leading to many problems such as poor sanitation and deadly fires. Overall, there was not much done to address these problems in the Gilded Age, Frederick Law Olmstead being an exception. The concentration of population in cities did allow for some new recreations, including amusement parks and spectator sports. urbanization New Immigrants melting pot theory Ellis Island Angel Island ghettos nativism Chinese Exclusion Act dumbbell tenements Frederick Law Olmstead Political Corruption Politicians had the reputation for being corrupt in the late 1800s. Two reasons for this include rapid urbanization and laissez-faire government. Big businessmen routinely bribed politicians to meet their needs. Political machines ruled the cities. Ulysses S. Grant’s presidency is an especially corrupt time in politics marked by numerous scandals and excessive patronage. There were some reforms during the Gilded Age, though these were largely ineffective at producing any real change. laissez-faire government political machine Tammany Hall Boss Tweed graft Whiskey Ring Scandal Credit Mobilier Scandal patronage Civil Service system Pendleton Act Sherman Anti-trust Act initiative referendum recall secret ballot Progressive Muckraking and Results The Progressive Movement emerged as a response to the problems of the Second Industrial Revolution. People, such as the muckrakers, started making the public aware of how bad the problems were. The problems had gotten so bad that the public could not ignore them anymore. Reforms came about in new laws, progressive politicians being elected, and individuals taking action as seen in Jane Addams’ Hull House. progressivism muckraker The Jungle Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Lewis Hine Ida Tarbell Jacob Riis Social Gospel Movement settlement house Hull House Carrie Nation prohibition 19th Amendment Lincoln Steffens Thomas Nast 17th Amendment Robert LaFollette Progressivism in the Federal Government Teddy Roosevelt’s presidency would begin progressivism in the federal government. His Square Deal set out to control corporate abuses, protect consumer from dangerous products, and conserve our nation’s natural resources. William Howard Taft was Roosevelt’s hand-picked successor, though Taft upset Roosevelt by being more conservative than Teddy had hoped. When the Republicans picked Taft as their candidate for the election of 1912, Teddy formed the Bull Moose Party. This split the Republican vote and Wilson won. He would continue progressive reforms, most notably in finance and trust legislation. Square Deal “Trust Buster” Anthracite coal miner’s strike of 1902 Elkins Act Hepburn Act The Jungle Meat Inspection Act Food and Drug Administration Pure Food and Drug Act Payne-Aldrich Tariff election of 1912 Progressive Party (a.k.a. Bull Moose Party) Federal Reserve Act Clayton Anti-Trust Act African-Americans in the Progressive Era After slavery ended, African Americans were kept inferior by other means. These included voting restrictions, violence, and segregation. The Progressive Era push for reform was also seen in fighting inequality. Responses to inequality differed in the black community. Booker T. Washington represented the moderate approach, endorsing gradual improvements for African Americans beginning with economic equality. W.E.B. Du Bois represented the more extreme approach, endorsing immediate equality. poll tax literacy test grandfather clause lynching Jim Crow Plessy v. Ferguson de facto segregation de jure segregation Great Migration Ida B. Wells Booker T. Washington accommodation Tuskeegee Institute Atlanta Compromise Address Up From Slavery W.E.B. DuBois “talented tenth” Souls of Black Folk Niagara Movement NAACP Progressive Era Innovations Progressivism also led to reforms in business. This includes Henry Ford’s innovations, such as the five-dollar day, forty-hour week that began the trend of workers as consumers. Innovations would provide new technologies to buy and new ways to buy them. Model T Wright brothers mail-order catalogs