The Gilded Age

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.

In contrast of the Gilded Age, the Progressive Era was a response to the problems that were created by the Gilded Age. Unlike the Gilded Age, the Progressive Era did not support laissez-faire and rejected the idea of Social Darwinism. Thus in 1901, Theodore Roosevelt was elected president and came into office with his Square Deal policy. Included in this policy were Roosevelt’s three C’s - control

* The Great RR Strike of 1877 shut down railroads from WV to CA & resulted in hundreds of deaths

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

Throughout the end of the 19th century and into the 20th century, the United States saw a huge growth both socially and economically. The Gilded Age and the Progressive Era was a time when we saw great industrialization as well the construction of new railroads across the country. However, during the years of 1870-1900, known as the Gilded Era, this period was seen as a time filled with great corruption and uncontrolled politics and capitalism. Well-known author Mark Twain referred to these years of as the “Gilded Age” to reference how on the surface everything looked as though it was perfect or glittering, however beneath it all was corruption. (Mintz, S) Even though this era was known to have a great deal of corruption and scandals, it can also be seen that it was a time for development. A lot was changing and people were transforming from small town producers to urbanized workers. It is also to be considered as a time of economic and political reform. The last few decades of the 19th century will prove to be rough and challenging as people struggle to adapt to the new changes. As the turn of the century came, America entered into a new time known as the Progressive Era. During the early years of the 20th century Americans began to see political, social and economic reforms. There would be stricter laws on child labor, factory regulations were being improved, schools and playgrounds were being built and the corrupted politics were being replaced with more efficient

The progressive era was a period of time of widespread social activism and political reform across the united states. It started in 1890’s and ended in the 1920’s really not that long ago. The purpose of this to eliminate problems that were caused by industrialization, urbanization, immigration, and corruption in the government.The gilded age was the time between the civil war and world war 1. The population had grown in the U.S as well as the economy as that started to happen political corruption and corporate financial. Gilded age and Progressive Era may seem similar in some way based off their definition but they are basically opposites. Keep on reading and you’ll see how they differ from.

In response to the Gilded Age of the late 1800’s, the turn of the century marked the official birth of a new Progressive Era in the United States. Much like the Populist movement just before it, the Progressive Era inspired huge support for reform to eradicate corruption in politics. Similarly, the Progressives also succeeded in instituting economic reforms that limited the immense wealth of the super-rich and aided the labor unions. Moreover, Progressive reform groups especially focused on improving social conditions at the national level for people in the middle and lower classes. Such successes can be attributed to the hard work of the Progressive Era reformers and the federal government. However, the Wilson Administration, in particular,

The Gilded Age (1869-1896), cynically named so by Mark Twain, was a time of industrial growth and underwhelming political movement. After Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, the Union’s top general, was elected President of the United States during the 1868 election. Grant himself really wasn’t cut out to be a politician, however, with the support of the Republicans and the campaign slogan “let us have peace” that resonated with the still war scarred nation he won. Other one liners such as “vote as you shot” and waving the bloody shirt, or reminding the public the gruesome war they just finished, were commonly used to rally citizens behind the Republican candidate.

Recovering from the Gilded Age and the abundance of corruption, the Progressive era Presidents had to satisfy American whose feelings toward government were bitter. In order to separate themselves from the past presidents, Roosevelt, Taft and Wilson enacted many reforms in the areas of economics, politics, and most importantly social interaction that produced more successes that out weighed the limitations present at the time. The reforms created by the Progressive Era changed America into a more regulated and fair business environment. Prior to the 1900’s, America was run by “robber barons” or wealthy capitalist that used the law to knock out competitions. Many big companies used laws such as the Sherman Anti- Trust Act to take down labor

Over time, from the Gilded Age to the 1940s, the United States made progress toward a more equal economic lifestyle for all Americans. Through a combination of laws, organizations, and determined citizens, the powers of businesses were regulated, workers were given rights, and America was transformed into an economic superpower. The Gilded Age was a time when the wealthy Titans of Industry held unlimited power, with no laws to hold them back. The first signs of progress began to show in the Progressive Era, largely due to muckrakers like Ida Tarbell and government officials such as President Theodore Roosevelt. The government strictly regulated monopolies, but that changed with the laissez-faire economic strategy in the Roaring 20s. While the

To be gilded is to have an appealing quality which covers an unappealing quality. Throughout the late nineteenth century, several economic, social, and political advancements occurred, such as a rapidly expanding railroad industry, wealth spread throughout the country, and all time high voting turnouts. Meanwhile, the lower class expanded, children endured grueling working conditions, and political corruption occurred. The latter issues were overshadowed by the former economic, social, and political advances, causing the late nineteenth century to be called the Gilded Age.

Even though Democrats and Republicans could not agree on many issues in America, both parties supported the growth of business in America. The government thought it was not their duty, but the business job to control mostly all aspects of the business. Since the government did not set forth any rules or regulations to business, many businesses could set any rules they pleased towards their employees. Business owners could set low taxes while not being questioned, and many businesses regulated the wages of their employees. Many children who were young were also allowed to work in factories without being paid. Because there were not any rules stating they could not pay or even have younger children working, business owner were not penalized for these actions. Although the government did not place any regulations toward the business, they protected private property of the

Essay #3 – Class and Labor The “Gilded Age was a time of tremendous growth and change in the face of America and its history. Commencing right after the Civil War, this age brought about an onslaught of immigrants from the European nations including; Russia, Poland, and Italy with the hopes and dreams of being a part of this bustling time of urbanization and industrial boom. These immigrants believed for their skilled and unskilled labor alike they too could be the next Carnegie, an immigrant from Scotland who moved to the US and after working several jobs on the railroad systems made a few very smart investments and ended up owning the Carnegie Steel Corporation, the largest steel corporation in the world. Why would these immigrants believe

the gilded age, as coined by mark twain, is a term describing the glossy surface but retched core of late nineteenth century america. this scathing euphemism stems from the literary definition of the word gilded, which describes an object as being coated with golf leaf or paint, much like 1890's America. in this way, the Chicago world's fair of 1893 as described by Erik Larson proves to be a shockingly accurate metaphor for the time period it occurs in. the fair itself turns out to be a magnanimous success, marked by its dazzling achievements in technology and overall splendor. however, the corruption, extortion, and overall evil that it took to make the fair happen is much akin the politics and economic practices of gilded age corporations.

This era of the political systems is commonly referred to as The Progressive Era. Even though the political parties did not shift in this era, the central issues that were up for debate did, and the Republican Party dominated national politics when it came to these issues. The central internal issues facing the United States at this time were: the role of labor unions, corruption in party politics, racial segregation, women’s suffrage, control of immigration, primary elections, government regulation of railroads and large corporations, money (gold versus silver), child labor, and the protective tariff. The main champions of reform during this time were Republicans Theodore Roosevelt and Robert LaFollette who crusaded for protection of consumers against impure and mislabeled products, regulation of big business, and the rights of workers to organize unions. However, the Republican Party became known as the party of business over the next several decades, while the Democrats drew more support from the less affluent and recent immigrants to the United States. In 1929, during The Great Depression, a realignment occurred in the political systems, bringing about the fifth party system (Shmoop Editorial Team B,