The Gilded Age and Progressive Era

The Gilded Age or the 2nd Industrial Revolution (1877-1900) 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 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 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 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 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 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