Gilded Age Poverty

The Gilded Age was a time where poor American citizens had to suffer with poor living standards while the rich part of the population thrived with money. The problems that occurred during the Gilded Age were mostly solved during the Progressive Era in the 1890s. By creating child labor laws, decreasing political corruption and improving the poor living standards of the lower class, many of the problems from the Gilded Age were solved.

Everyone knows what the word poverty means. It means poor, unable to buy the necessities to survive in today's world. We do not realize how easy it is for a person to fall into poverty: A lost job, a sudden illness, a death in the family or the endless cycle of being born into poverty and not knowing how to overcome it. There are so many children in poverty and a family's structure can effect the outcome. Most of the people who are at the poverty level need some type of help to overcome the obstacles. There are mane issues that deal with poverty and many things that can be done to stop it.

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.

During the first Gilded Age that occurred in the late 1800s, economic growth was at an all-time high. At this time, the wages that were given to American were at an increased rate compared to that of the wages that were given in Europe. Due to this, an abundant amount of European immigrants came over to the United States because of this inflated wage. These economic advances were due to that of several technological advances that had come about in this time. The industrial production skyrocketed, which, in turn, made for increased economic wealth for Americans.

The U.S. is among the richest countries in the world today, yet millions of people in America still live below the poverty level. The number of Americans living in poverty is increasing day by day as well as the number of children. Poverty in America has become a great threat to children’s wellbeing as they are affected emotionally, socially, and even in their school performance (Wood 720). Poverty in America is mainly caused by lack of jobs. Many people who live in poverty in the United States is due to lack of jobs and getting jobs with minimum wage. Another cause of poverty is due to the rise in the cost of living. Poverty exists in America despite the fact that is among the richest nations in the world.

The gilded and progressive eras in America were times of expansion, urbanization, and what seemed like a golden pathway to an industrialized future. In the 1850s, railroads were being built all across America, and with that came the rise of the steel and oil industries, as well as dramatic population increases in the newly urbanized cities. Such a change in society created a gap between social classes causes incredible amounts of poverty for many, and incredible wealth for few. Three main struggles during this crucial time in America were political corruption, the rapid expansion of urban cities, and the unfair, and unsafe working conditions. Through these difficult times, many different types of reform were supported, but few were actually effective.

The Gilded Age is an appropriate name for this period. On the surface, everything seemed to be wonderful. It was wonderful for certain groups of people like J.P Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, and Andrew Carnegie. They had huge fortunes which they achieved through corruption and government paybacks. They exploited the poorest of the people and the immigrants who were seeking a better life in America. These people did the back breaking work so these rich men could amass their fortunes. In the meantime, these poor people were living squalor and filth and barely surviving. As these rich men flaunted their wealth in so many ways.

The Gilded Age, was a brief period in American history, from the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s, where there was a rapid economic growth as the industry expanded, generating groundbreaking opportunities for individuals. At its triumph peak, society was perceived from the outside that the new era of Americans was prosperous, however, conspicuous consumption and luxury masked corruption and the fact that a majority of people were suffering. Like gilded gold, the outside looks exemplary, but much like the Gilded Age, the inside contrasted dramatically. Besides the wide amount of success in this era, society was unbalanced with hierarchy, with a competition of the common people and successful business, as laborers fought for recognition and

The Gilded Age was a time of industrial development, new immigrants and labor unions. Industrial developments led to monopolies, which helped men like Vanderbilt and Rockefeller prosper, but exploited the poor, often immigrant, workers who were willing to work for cheap money. Though the robber barons were a minority of the population, they still held a majority of the country’s wealth. This unequal distribution of wealth and poor working environments led to the formation and rise of labor unions, such as the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor. Theses changes shaped the social, economic and political atmosphere during the Gilded Age and led to changes for future ages.

The United States faced serious social problems during the late 19th century. This time period was later named the Gilded Age because the problems seemed to be veiled by thin coat of gold. Although the Gilded Age brought great wealth among many and new products and technology for the middle class, it did nothing for the poor but keep them working in dangerous conditions with low pay. Most Americans wanted political and social reforms due to the greed in the marketplace and corruption in politics. Most of these problems faced in the past, are problems prevalent in todays American society. We are living in the new Gilded Age. The evidence that proves this statement can be found in Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner’s 1873 novel The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today, in Andrew Carnegie's Gospel of Wealth and in a political cartoon by Thomas Nast called “Boss Tweed Money Bag”.

Many describe poverty as an economic deprivation, or lack of income. However, this alone does not incorporate the different social, cultural and political aspects of this unfortunate reality. Poverty is not only a deprivation of economic or material resources but a violation of human dignity. The general scarcity, lack, or the state of one without a specific amount of material possessions or money. It is a versatile concept that may be defined as either absolute or relative. Time and again, poverty is a call to action, for the poor and the wealthy alike, it is a call to change the world so that many more may have enough to eat, adequate shelter, access to education and health, protection from violence, and a voice in what happens in their communities.

Abstract The World Health Organization described that poverty causes the greatest suffering on humans. Poverty leads to people living in a state of financial instability that causes both physical and emotional stress. The problem of poverty has continued to be a problem to both the developing and the developed countries all over the world. The main focus in this paper is on poverty in America and how it affects the American economy. The paper will also find ways to reduce poverty, the new faces of poverty and how it affects the citizens Introduction Poverty is a where an individual or a particular community does not have sufficient amount of resources or income to cater for their needs (Dollar).

Poverty is an issue that exist not only nation wide but worldwide. When individual faces poverty he has no money, no goods such as food and means to support his life like job. The biggest issue leading to poverty is housing, the welfare and the education. To United States Poverty is a big economical problem. Nearly “forty eight million Americans” live in poverty. The rise of poverty tends to be higher in suburban that in urban large areas. The primary reason is support from food stamps and government tax credits. For the United States the line of income that puts individuals into poverty currently runs at “$23,283”. The Big states such as California, New York and Miami, had a substantial increase in Poverty since our economy took a downturn in 2008. The downturn in economy caused many job losses for people in manufacturing and construction fields leading higher unemployment rate. The rise in unemployment is a major reason for

Thousands of individuals are living in poverty. Why is it that this worldwide dilemma is still rising in rapid numbers till this day? Is it because of a lack of authoritative power, or a lack of one’s self control to do good? Despite the unknown cause, it has managed to drastically affect the lives of many. Poverty is like a curse, one that is wrongfully placed, difficult to get out of, and resistant to many forms of help.

Poverty is the state of being extremely poor and being inferior in quality. Nearly half of the world’s population, nearly 3 billion people, live on less than two dollars a day and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the poorest 48 nations is less than the wealth of the world’s three richest people combined. Poverty can be caused by many issues particularly social and economic reasons. There have been many attempts to address poverty on a global scale and these will be explored.