American History: The Gilded Age America

735 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Business in the gilded age 5 things related to this

Gilded Age America

Throughout the history of the United States, the Gilded Age is regarded as a period that spanned the last three decades of the 19th century. This period starts from the Civil War came to an end in the 1865 up to 1900. The term Gilded Age was formulated by writers Charles Warner and Mark Twain in The Gilded Age: A Tale of Toady in 1873. They did this since they believed it to be an era that would be characterized by a variety of severe social problems that were camouflaged by a minute gold gilding.

The Gilded Age Served as an era that was characterized by rapid growth of the economy, though significant social conflict was also prevalent. Railroads were regarded as the major industry, as well as mining, factory and labor unions became increasingly important. The wages for American skilled workers were significantly higher while compared to those in Europe. The high-speed growth of economy created tremendous opportunities, which made the US attract a large number of immigrants. A large number of people cross the seas from Europe and Asia in search of political and religious freedoms as well as employment opportunities. The immigrants from China started in the late 19th century and contributed cheap labor, especially on railway construction throughout California. The rapid growth of economy caused social conflicts, hence a new thoughts called progressivism prevailed during the 20th century. This paper will discuss the Gilded Age America and the Progressivism Age America in the context of business and capitalism, influence of immigrants from China and progressivism.

Business and Capitalism

At the onset of the 19th century's second half, America was witnessing the fastest growth in its history, whereby was pro...

... middle of paper ...

...ng the late 19th century. The widely spread use of telephone has greatly united the country and intensified the growth of the economy. From the chart in slideshow 6 (10), we see a greatly increased number of telephones usages in the year 1895-1910. The time standardization also formed during the railway expansion. Transportation and communication industrialization has united America, the union hence brought out the standardization of time. Time was an important issue during the industrialization era. As the picture on the slideshow 6 (Slideshow 6:8), there was a big clock at the top of the Boston railway station. Also in the picture of the Wanamaker in Philly (Slideshow 6:29), the clock was located at the striking top. Travellers, workers, citizens are all aware of the importance of time, which also contributed to an appeal to adjustment of working hours.

Show More
Related

  • Gilded Age DBQ Essay

    547 Words  | 2 Pages

    After the Civil War, business and corporations have expanded significantly throughout the United States. During this time period, known as the Gilded Age, many aspects of the United States were influenced by these large corporations. The Gilded Age was given that name after Mark Twain referenced it in one of his works. In the post Civil War period, big businesses governed by corrupt acts and held power of both the political system and the economy.

    Read More

  • Gilded Age: Captains Of Industry

    1281 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Gilded Age marked a period of industrial growth in America. Mark Twain termed the period of 1865 to 1896 as the “Gilded Age” to {indicate} the widespread corruption lying underneath the glittering surface of the era. Known as either “captains of industry” or “robber barons,” several prominent figures shaped this time period; these capitalists gained great wealth and success with their industries. Corrupt and greedy are two words associated with the term “robber barons,” which referred to the capitalists who acquired their great wealth in less than admirable and ethical ways. On the other hand, many referred to the capitalists as the “captains of industry” that were celebrated as admirable philanthropists; their way of acquiring extreme

    Read More

  • Gilded Age Turning Point

    246 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Gilded Age was a time in American history that came to be known as a major turning point for the country, as it marked the decline of an economy based on agriculture, and brought forth the rise of an economy based on business and industry. Following the Civil War and Reconstruction, it was a great time for change, especially for the economy. The economy improved, and at the same time, it granted more opportunities for inventors and businessmen to come out and share their talent with the the world. As America began to industrialize and make new advancements in technology, it also began to encourage the growth of the middle class and promoted the importance of social mobility and competition between businesses. The Gilded Age was a time when

    Read More

  • Gilded Age Dbq Essay

    1434 Words  | 3 Pages

    Since the government used laissez-faire in the late 1800s for the big businesses to grow, corporations like Carnegie’s Standard Steel Company or Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company could expand without limits.... ... middle of paper ... ... Lastly, the laws for the regulation of businesses were enforced until President Theodore Roosevelt had also contributed by suing companies that violated the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. The Gilded Age was known as the Second Industrial Revolution because there was change in the economy, politics, and society.

    Read More

  • Transcontinental Railroad Essay

    1297 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the 1800’s, America was going through a time of invention and discovery known as the Industrial Revolution. America was in its first century of being an independent nation and was beginning to make the transition from a “home producing” nation to a technological one. The biggest contribution to this major technological advancement was the establishment of the Transcontinental Railroad because it provided a faster way to transport goods, which ultimately boosted the economy and catapulted America to the Super Power it is today.

    Read More

  • The Importance of The Gilded Age and The Progressive Era To the Development of American Society

    962 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Gilded age and the Progressive Era are time periods that played an important role in the development of the American society. The Gilded Age is a period of American history between 1870 and 1900. This term was coined by Mark Twain in the late 1800s. By this, he meant that this period was glittering on the surface but corrupt underneath ("Learn About the Gilded Age"). The Gilded Age is well known for its political scandals and extravagant displays of wealth. At the same time, this was an era of major achievements in the industry and economy, which significantly changed life of American people. The Gilded Age was followed by the Progressive Era which lasted from the 1890s to the 1920s. Progressive Era is well known for its economical, political, social reforms and technological inventions. In my opinion, The Gilded Age had a more significant impact upon the United States than the Progressive Era because it gave rise to new industries, created transportation and communication networks which provided the infrastructure for further development of technology in the Progressive Era.

    Read More

  • The Gilded Age

    942 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Gilded Age gets its name from a book by Mark Twain called The Gilded Age: a Tale of Today. It was written in 1873, and unfortunately was not that successful. While the Gilded Age conjures up visions of ostentatious displays of wealth and decorative parties, the over all topic was politics. The book gives an extremely negative assessment of the state of American democracy at that time. Which does not come as a huge surprise coming from Twain, who famously said "It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress.” So when faced with sweeping changes in the American economy after the Civil War, the American political system both nationally and locally dealt with these problems in the best way possible, by inevitably and incredibly becoming corrupt.

    Read More

  • The Gilded Age Analysis

    642 Words  | 2 Pages

    Expansive growth was the moniker that expressly defined the Gilded Age. Industry in all sectors, witnessed massive growth leading to the creation of an American economy. Due to the rapidly changing nature of industrialization, important men of both the public and private sectors attempted to institute their own controls over it. However, this transforming landscape integrated both economic and political changes, but also cultural and social interactions. In turn, those who controlled the flow of business would also steadily impact the American social scene by extension.

    Read More

  • Immigration During The Gilded Age

    659 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Gilded Age was was an era that saw rapid immigration. This along with an explosion of Americans moving from farms to the cities, causing more people migrating to urban areas than ever before. The growth of cities gave rise to powerful political machines, that stimulated the economy, and gave birth to an American middle class. It was a time of highs and lows.

    Read More

  • Impact Of The Market Revolution In 1800

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    Railroads opened new areas as settlement and stimulated the mining and manufacture. At the same time, the telegraph appeared. It brought uniform price of the country. Because of these improvements, many people migrated to west. The market revolution and westward expansion heightened the nation’s sectional divisions. The most dynamic feature of the American economy in the beginning of the nineteenth century was the rise of the Cotton Kingdom. But the increasing demand of cotton lead to larger number of slaves. For white people, westward expansion was a chance to get more freedom, but for black people, it means that they would have less freedom and their families will be broken. In the north, Market Revolution turned it to commercial system. Farmers focus on producing crops and livestocks. In some industries, the factory superseded traditional craft production. Both men and women could earn money by taking jobs from factories. Market Revolution changed the time concept of Americans. In cities, time of work and relax is divided clearly. Early New England textile mills largely relied on female and child labor.

    Read More

  • American History, 1865-1900

    1131 Words  | 3 Pages

    The years after the civil war left one half of America, the north, satisfied and the other half, the south, mostly dissatisfied. Therefore the last third of the nineteenth century, 1865-1900, was a time period in which America was mending, repairing, improving, reshaping, and reconstructing its society, economy, culture, and policies. Basically it was changing everything it stood for. This continual change can be seen in the following events that took place during this time. These events are both causes and effects of why America is what it is today. These are some examples: the reconstruction of the south, the great movement towards the west, the agricultural revolution, the rise of industrialism, the completion of the transcontinental railroad, and America's growth to gaining world power. All of these are reasons and events that characterize America as being an ever-changing nation.

    Read More

  • The Market Revolution

    1044 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the late 1700’s, the United States was no longer a possession of Britain, instead it was a market for industrial goods and the world’s major source for tobacco, cotton, and other agricultural products. A labor revolution started to occur in the United States throughout the early 1800’s. There was a shift from an agricultural economy to an industrial market system. After the War of 1812, the domestic marketplace changed due to the strong pressure of social and economic forces. Major innovations in transportation allowed the movement of information, people, and merchandise.

    Read More

  • The Gilded Age

    1081 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mark Twain collaborated with Charles Dudley Warner on The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today. Published in 1973, as Twain’s earliest work of extended fiction, The Gilded Age gives a name to the period of opulence and corruption at the end of the 19th century. Portraying the superficial luxury of Washington and high society, the authors describe “The general laxity of the time, and the absence of a sense of duty toward any part of the community but the individual himself” (Twain 203). Twain’s The Gilded Age, like Wharton’s The Age of Innocence focuses on high society. Yet, the imperfections in the gilding betray the dramatic change of the period. Forces of corporatization, unionization, immigration, urbanization, populism, post-reconstruction racism and machine politics were among the drastic changes in American lifestyle churning beneath the brittle “gilded” surface.

    Read More

  • The Railroad Boom

    1300 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the last 40 years of the nineteenth century the United States became the worlds greatest economic power. The rapid rate of economic growth happened for a

    Read More

  • The Gilded Age Changed Everyday Life for Americans

    790 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Gilded Age changed everyday life for Americans. There were a lot of new inventions. They changed how people worked on farms to how they communicated with family and friends. People came from China and Europe to find a new life here. They left poverty to come here to find wealth. It wasn’t as easy as they thought it would be.

    Read More

More about American History: The Gilded Age America

Open Document