The past century saw major developments in the economic, social, political and cultural life of the

Even if the 1920’s seem affluent and prosperous on the surface, the realities of time contradicted such notions; in fact, it can be clearly stated that this decade should not be judged as an era of wealth. Inequality was rampant in society at this time, especially when it comes to stark income differences between the upper, middle and lower classes. While it can be said that the upper classes, who make up a mere 1% of the population enjoyed most of these materialistic luxuries, the vast majority of the American population was barely getting by.

The Market Revolution can be described as an early manifestation of capitalism, an era associated with a new sense of individual rights, equality, and freedom. The Market Revolution took place in the early 19th century, and it drastically changed not only the market and commerce of Americans but their personal lives as well. Before the Market Revolution America hadn’t seen any new life changing innovations, most of their goods, such as clothing and farming tools, were still being made from home, and trade was limited by poor roads and little means of transportation. In addition, the poor road system meant that there was little interaction and movement between each state. It wasn’t till the creation of new ways of communicating, steamboats, and the building of canals, railroads, and turnpikes that prompted American expansion. As a result, the United States began to see a movement of settlements westward and the rise cities. The Embargo of 1807 and the War of 1812, led to the cutoff of British imports and the need to establish the first large –scale factories; the rise of factories then led to new employment and a boom in domestic manufacturing (Foner 331). The changes led by the advances in the society of the Market Revolution evidently gave women the opportunity to gain a level of equality in both domestic and work environments, it also gave Americans the

The late nineteenth century was an era of growth in the USA. It introduced railroads, telephone lines, opportunities for entrepreneurs, and cheap goods for consumers. Mark Twain dubbed this time period the Gilded Age; the period was glittering on the surface but corrupt underneath. Between 1870 and 1900, corporations grew significantly across the board in number, size, and influence. The newfound efficiency of resources and mass production resulted in an increase in the production of American goods and the amount of unskilled laborers but also created a wide divide between classes and a maldistribution of power. The American people responded to these impacts through both an increased participation in consumerism and the formation of both

America’s industrial growth during the period from 1870 to 1900 was greatly impacted by growth of large corporations that affected the economics and politics of our nation. As corporations began to grow, so did their power and influence. Their numbers grew to be so significant that they were known to be one of the major forces within the United States, with both a great amount of power and the ability to control much within the United States. Their power and influence expanded and impacted the economic and political aspects of our nation. These corporations dominated American business and defined the American culture. The Gilded Age, a term coined by Mark

From the era of Reconstruction to the late of 19th century, the United States experienced a significant economic growth and a large number of immigrants, who were lured by enormous job opportunities. The big business starting growing rapidly due to a combination of new technology, more efficient management and access to enormous resources. From 1870 to 1900, the expansion of big corporations caused mass production and high demands of unskilled workers in the United States, while resulting more difficult situations for workers and intense political corruption. The Americans responded actively to such conditions. Some of them organized strike in order to threatened their employers and ask for better treatments, while others participated in many

Nearing the end of the Civil war and the beginning of the twentieth century the United States went through an economic revolution. During this time there was abundant natural resources, a growing supply of labor, and expanding market for manufactured goods. Because of all abundances the federal government encouraged the expansion of the railroads. This would benefit the United States economically. The Railroads were so important because it made the “second industrial revolution” possible. In 1913 the United States was producing a major amount of the world’s output. Which is more than Great Britain, France, and germany combined.

The ascendency of the United States (U.S) into the world’s hegemonic was one like none other. The start of the twentieth century brought upon revolutionary technological advancements that propelled the U.S into the leading economic superpower it remains today. Following the turbulent economic climate of the country following World War I, the development of mass production not only revolutionised the industrial sphere, but also remains widely accredited for being the key driving force behind the economic boom in the 1920s. Existing social values were reformed; free-market capitalist practices were endorsed, and American society aspired to ideals of excessive material wealth and excess. A revolution of mass consumption’ took place in this era, transforming the U.S economy one of global superiority and enabling it to exercise diplomatic authority over the rest of the world. However, it must also be considered that such developments only brought upon temporary prosperity, ultimately leading to the globally devastating Great Depression in the 1930s, and this prosperity was only enjoyed by a fraction of the population. Additionally, the importance of other factors, such as the nation’s role in WWII, and the fiscal policies implemented by the Republican government, when regarding the nation’s rise to global hegemon is fundamental.

The American Industrial Revolution took place in the United States during the 19th and 20th century. When the new uprising change came to America, the United States was heavily influenced by European ideas, which for Europe began in the late 18th century (Hillstrom 10). America started off primarily as an agricultural country until it gained dominance in industry and finance by 1918. Labor, politics, enslaved African Americans, and such important resources were of the many factors that helped spread industrialization. Additionally, the U.S. government was effectively involved by supplying equipment and assisting to the many advancements from the nation’s transformation (Hinshaw and Stearns vol 2 491). Within a single century, the

The Gilded Age was the period of time from 1870 to 1900 where big businesses grew immensely in number, size and influence. In order to analyze how much of an impact these big businesses made, one must assess how much the economy and politics changed because of them. Economically, big businesses influenced prices in different fields, not only their own. Politically, big businesses gained control of aspects in the government and played large influence in it. As a result, Americans reacted through rebelling against these big businesses. Therefore, the expansion of big businesses after the Civil War led to them gaining more control over the economy and politics in the nation, which caused a numerous amount of strikes

The working conditions in early American factories often cost people their limbs or their life. People were severely underpaid, received no benefits or breaks, and forced to work 18+ hours per day without rest. Marxism brought forth new ideas of business structure, and Josiah Wedgewood cornered the market with ideas of vertical integration. Worker’s rights and labor laws became not just desirable, but necessary. The Knights of Labor attempted to reform the entire business model and economics of marketing structures, while Trade Unions fought for rights and regulations to make the current system workable. After the Haymarket Square Riot the Knights of Labor fizzled out after being blacklisted from industry. Though the trade unions suffered a temporary slump, ultimately the numbers prevailed. Times were tough for most people, but it is the struggles of the revolution that led to the labor laws, sanitation laws, women’s rights, and social structures we have today.

The American Struggle: America’s riches to rags history Imagine it’s the 1970’s, “the Golden Age of middle-class employment (McClelland 2013)” an era where items and jobs were plenty in the economy. America was at an all-time high. ‘The Great America’ basked in the ability to be able to make a good living and not have to have a college degree to do so. This idea flourished in the industrial age, a time where one could throw a rock and find a multitude of factory jobs.

While the second Industrial Revolution had its successes, such as the creation of new machinery and the assembly line, they came with a cost. The Industrial Revolution actually caused several problems for America such as forcing many people out of jobs, causing poverty, and the pollution produced by the large factories caused damage to the environment. This led to many political reformers wanting change in America. The reformers focused on 4 main goals, cleaning up politics, limiting the power of big businesses, reducing poverty, and promoting social justice. Several different reform groups took the cause to help reform America and to take on problems such as immigration, racial justice, women’s rights, and imperialism.

The United States of America is vastly known to be the land of opportunity, but it is difficult to convey how accurate this proved to be in the case for all minorities in the 1880’s and especially the early 1900’s. The Industrialization era (1880’s - 1900’s) brought about many “improvements” for society at the time. These improvements took various forms from influencing the American populace to work harder, to more technological advances such as: assembly lines, steel, urbanization, monopolies, and even exploitation, although it is morally inappropriate. With all of the “improvements” listed, Industrialization also brought about many drawbacks and discriminants, which mainly affected the lower half of the social pyramid or the proletariat class.

The United States doubled the nation’s wealth between 1920 and 1929, this was a massive leap in the strive for economic power. With this massive boost in a nation’s wealth, the people especially will have a massive boost in their lifestyle. This economic increase drove many Americans towards a consumer society. Moving many Americans into cities, for the first time in history, more Americans were living in cities than rural areas. Due to the growth of chain stores and national advertising, Americans were buying products from coast to coast, furthering the developmental cohesion of the country.

Since its inception, the United States of America has stood as a beacon of hope in the world and success in the world. Both Americans and immigrants who had set sail to the new world in America shared the dream of their hard work leading to wealth, success and a stable life. The nineteen-twenties offered a historically rare economy where for the first time real hard work could have real monetary pay off. A new class had arisen, a class that consisted of people as wealthy and powerful as the old elite class but who all came from poor back ground, they were the new money. A fact of reality they faced for the first time was whether or not their wealth would really make them as happy as they has anticipated, how their wealth made others view