Discontent Of The Gilded Age

The gilded age was a time of poverty and unfair treatment of groups of people. The ones that laid the tracks to the place we are in now, as an industrial based country, were treated poorly. The Gilded Age was covered in corruption, filth, lies, and injustice. The heart of it all, New York City, contributed the most. With the incoming factories, boats filled with desperate immigrants, and developing technologies, nothing but the word gilded could appropriately describe this time.

American’s freedom was transformed in many ways by the economic development of the Gilded Age. The Gilded Age was also known as the second industrial revolution because of the rapid growth in the economy between the end of the civil war and the bringing of the 20th century. This growth in the economy came from “abundant natural resources, a growing supply of labor, an expanding market for manufactured goods, and the availability to capital for investment” (589). From this growth in all the resources the factories and rail roads also expanded so this brought in even more money into the country. The rail roads are a big reason why the second industrial revolution was even possible because of how many miles they traveled around the united states. Foner stated “by 1913 the united states brought in one-third of the worlds industrial output-more than the total of Great Britain, France, and Germany combined” (590). There was so much growth that even the Americans of the late 19th century was amazed by the new economy.

The Gilded Age was a time where new prosperities and opportunities were forming after the end of the bloody American Civil War. The United States was able to rebuild itself after philanthropists started to help change the country into something superior and steered it away from the dreariness of the last few years. The ultra wealthy entrepreneurs of the time primarily were John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and J. Pierpont Morgan. These men were given the name “captain of industries” coined by Thomas Carlyle in his book, Past and Present, to describe compassionate and important men who made significant impacts on the nation and people of America. The wealthy industrialists of the late 19th century were “captain of industries” because they created new enterprises, they provided jobs for countless citizens, and donated to charitable causes.

Greed can be a powerful motivating force, evident through the positive impact it had on Industrialization in America during the Gilded Age. During this time new inventions became plentiful, but where there were new inventions there also had to be new businesses to back these inventions up and allow them to be successful. Wealthy business owners were able to help in this regard. They already had the capacity to help facilitate the creation of these new inventions, but it did not stop there. This is where greed came in. Greed is the intense and selfish desire for wealth, and it was this that empowered the rich during this time to expand upon their already successful businesses to become even more rich and powerful than they were before. This led to a surge of businesses in the country, and it was all due to greed. It was this desire for more that led to an increase in productivity in the country that helped with the spread of technology throughout it which made it more enticing for immigrants coming to America.

Discuss Politics in the Gilded Age. Include major political events and issues, and the roles of the “bloody shirt,” corruption, patronage, and reform movements.

During the nineteenth century, there was a time of critical social problems we now know

Greed during the Gilded Age was not good, but was still very evident in strikes and lockouts, politics, and monopolies. Greed is an intense and selfish desire to be better and have more than others and it can often cause people to get hurt and be put into dangerous situations. During the gilded age, economy was expanding and most people were motivated by wealth and their own greed. While greed may be good for the greedy, it is not good for those who are in the way of the greedy and those who just simply are not greedy.

The late 19th century of American history is most commonly known as the Gilded Age, because of its attractive appearance, but underlying corruption. Popular themes during this period were greed and guile. This can most clearly be seen in the nature of city governments and political machine systems. Political machine systems were made up influential men preying on the vulnerable for their own gain. A shining example of this unethical system is Tammany Hall. Tammany Hall was a political force in New York City from its 1789 inception as a benevolent association to its infamous end in the early 20th century (Tammany Hall). Run by William M. Tweed, commonly referred to as Boss Tweed, this political ring gained its popularity by supporting immigrants and the lower class. Tammany Hall pushed for real improvements in hospitals, schools, and infrastructure (Burns). Although these examples are viewed as a good within the system, they are irrelevant and ineffective in the overall upheaval caused by Boss Tweed and his political machine. Tweed 's idea of city government and his political machine was a failure because it took advantage of taxpayers, used political graft and corruption to disparage the Constitution, and set a bad example for future political leaders.

Following the Civil War and Reconstruction, the federal government was looking for a way to get the people motivated; motivated to work again, motivated to have a better life again, and then like an answered prayer we entered the ‘Gilded Age’. The rapid growth from 1865 to 1900 was brought on by the availability of money and resources. With entrepreneurs willing to take a risk with this money and new resources, extraordinary growth arose. Railroads were evolving everywhere and as a result the Steel industry started to rise. With this economic boom all people, especially the federal government, sought after means to sustain this sudden increase in the market. The United States government came up with a plan to promote industrial development

The Gilded Age was a time in American history, from the 1870s to the 1890s, which ostensibly characterized the country based on its economic and technological advancements. However this era’s development served as a mere facade for the corruption and classism which occurred during the time. From economic manipulation to immorality in politics, the Gilded Age is best characterized by the unscrupulous nature of individuals who sought to attain superficial success.

A successful economy is perhaps the most key ingredient leading to a successful nation. An economy is a delicate balance of many different conflicting and coexisting elements. Naturally, an economy’s success can often be measured by the amount of wealth it contains, not to mention the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of its distribution of the wealth. Effective distribution of wealth is no easy feat. Wealthy and poor people will always need to coexist- this is an inescapable truth. The government’s job in many cases becomes that of a referee. Naturally, perfect peace and harmony between two totally different classes would be a utopia, and probably will never be completely achieved. A government must, therefore,

The greatest flaw of the “Gilded Age” was that the upper class were too rich and lower class was not moving up in the economy. The Gilded Age was an age of flaw for the economy system of America. The pictures taken by photographers, Lewis Hine and Jacob Riis compared to the pictures of The Carnegie Home, show the difference between both social classes; The poor and the rich. The picture taken by Hine and Riis are depicting the lower class.

The Gilded Age was the last three decades of the nineteenth century, when America’s industrial economy exploded generating opportunities for individuals but also left many workers struggling for survival. With the many immigrants, skilled and unskilled, coming to America the labor system is becoming flooded with new employees. During this period, the immigrants, including the Italians, were unskilled and the skilled workers were usually American-born. There was also a divide in the workers and the robber barons. Robber barons were American capitalist who acquired great fortunes in the last nineteenth century, usually ruthlessly. There was much turmoil throughout the business and labor community. Two major organizations, the Knights of

The Gilded Age was an interesting time in American history, it was a period in which businesses grew, cities grew, and American GDP immensely increased. But while that happened most of the American population lived in poverty while the 1 percent lived in luxury. Though I believe it is possible to say that America currently does not live in a second gilded age. To start yes poverty in America is still a problem but according to Courtney Blair, someone at the poverty line in the United States is in the top 14% of the global income distribution(Mic). Also,

The Gilded age was named in a book by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner that was The Gilded Age:A Tale of Today. It was published in 1873 and was about politics. I think Theodore Roosevelt set the whole country on an unsustainable path to ruin. He did not save the lower class, he put them in bad conditions to work in. The meat factories that the lower-class people worked in work not sanitary, they were not safe and very dangerous. The people also got very low pay for this job . I don’t think it is right to treat people differently based on if they are low, middle, or high class. I don’t think it was right for him to make richer people pay higher taxes. Because they are working harder than other people to make more money for their family