“Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”, three common goals immigrants came to America seeking with hopes of the promise to prosper and gain success. However, during the Gilded Age it seemed as though these were attainable only for the select few, while others left the land they knew to spend their lives toiling away in pursuit of the American dream, many never understanding how unattainable it really was. While the Gilded Age was a time of an industrial boom and a growing economy, those working by the sweat of their brow to make the success of this time possible, were not actually ever grasping this wealth, but rather putting right back into the pockets of the wealthy. The Gilded Age compromised the American Dream by limiting the chances of the immigrant working class, and thus creating a cycle of missed opportunities keeping the immigrants from progressing much further then when they came to America to begin with. Immigrants during this time period came to America seeking wealth for their family they had brought with them, or to send back to their families in their homeland. Whichever case it was immigrants spent the majority of their time working in the factories in hope for a better life than the one they gave up in coming to America. However, upon arriving immigrants soon realized that the home they left behind was not all that different than their new one. Immigrants came seeking the types of jobs that would give them Liberty and independence, leaving them only to find themselves just a working part in a large factory dependent on machines, rather than their own skills. Because the wages at this time were next to nothing, immigrants were forced to spend hours upon hours to make enough money to give what little s... ... middle of paper ... ...ed the requisites to benefit or use the library. And without these workers compromising their education, Carnegie would not have been able to achieve his success without low waged skilled workers working for hours on end. The Gilded Age, known for the economic boom and a time of great industrialization, along with the promises of America brought immigrants from all over seeking life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness though the many great opportunities that America had to offer. However, the opportunities that America had to offer were compromised by corruptions during this era, which were seen in the cities during this time. Once entered into the cycle that so many immigrant workers were stuck in, it was difficult to gain independence and to truly have lived out the American Dream, which brought these immigrants to America in the first place.
... many immigrants faced discrimination, thus leaving them no choice but to live in the slums of some areas and try fight their way up to success.
As technologies like steam developed industrialization was able to make use of the geography of the country. There was plenty of cheap land for farming so "American skilled workers tended to be both scarce and expensive" (Cowan 90) and it was necessary for people to create more efficient ways to work. Inventors created machines and methods that would require fewer people or people with fewer skills to compensate for the reduced labor force. This land rich environment lead to a working class that was for the most part transient. Men worked for a short time to make money to start up farms or businesses of their own. Women worked in factories to earn money to send home before they married and raised families. The American worker did not think of themselves as a permanent fixture in the factories, only as transient participant to earn what they need to move on to the next stages of their lives.
In the late nineteenth century known as the Gilded Age (or the Reconstruction period) and the early twentieth century known as the Progressive era, the nation went through great economic growth and social change. Beginning in the 1870s, there was rapid growth in innovations and big businesses. This could be because there was population growth and when there is population growth, there is a high demand for products and other necessities in order to strive in society. Many immigrants from Europe, mostly from the eastern and southern Europe, and Asia moved to American cities. Additionally, farmers from rural America desired to increase economic growth and since corporations ruled and political problems occurred, they decided to move into the cities.
In the early 1900’s there was a dramatic increase in the number of immigrants coming to the eastern shores of America. Many were pulled to America because of its economic opportunity, freedom, need for labor and its beautiful country. Immigrants were excited to come to America and were pushed from their home countries because of food shortages, overpopulation, war and political instability. This was going on in an important era in American history called the “gilded age”. It was a time of economic growth, and industrialization but also had high percentages of poverty mainly in urban environments. The majority of the immigrants intended to advance out west but actually settled in the eastern cities. In the book The Jungle, Jargis and his family moved to the Americas and hoped to live the “American Dream” but it was the exact opposite when they arrived. Jurgis, his wife Ona, and the rest of the Lithuanian family struggled with working conditions, living conditions, health problems, and maintaining a stable workplace. They were all dealt with disgusting conditions in the boarding houses and a brutal working environment in Packingtown. In 1905, when the book was written, there were very little government regulations, especially in the meat packing industry, which led to unsafe working conditions and sanitation issues.
Following the era of reconstruction came the Gilded Age, where African Americans were still treated as slaves, and minority immigrants struggled to achieve the American dream. Decades after the British Industrial Revolution, America had its own, with new industries such as railroad and oil companies sweeping over the economy. Many men, with no business experience, became millionaires, redefining the American dream. However, the wealthy businessmen of the Gilded Age were Robber Barons, opting to use corrupt and unethical business practices, such as bribery and “debt slavery”, to gain riches.
In the eyes of the early American colonists and the founders of the Constitution, the United States was to represent the ideals of acceptance and tolerance to those of all walks of life. When the immigration rush began in the mid-1800's, America proved to be everything but that. The millions of immigrants would soon realize the meaning of hardship and rejection as newcomers, as they attempted to assimilate into American culture. For countless immigrants, the struggle to arrive in America was rivaled only by the struggle to gain acceptance among the existing American population.
When most people think about immigration to the United States, they think of the U.S. as being the “land of opportunity,” where they will be able to make all of their dreams come true. For some people, immigration made their lives richer and more fulfilled. This however, was not always the case. A place that is supposed to be a “Golden Land” (Marcus 116) did not always welcome people with open arms. Even after people became legal citizens of the United States, often times the natural born Americans did not treat the immigrants as equals but rather as outsiders who were beneath them in some way. In some situations, people’s lives were made worse by coming to the “land of opportunity.” Often times people were living no better than they were in their own countries not able to make ends meet, just to live in the United States. Virtually all immigrants during the 1900’s had the same dream, to become successful and provide for their families as citizens of the United States, but they soon found out that the life in their new country was not going to be easy.
In the early 1900’s immigration was less and more complicated then today. It was easier to get in and harder to make a living. In “The Sun From America” by Isaac Singer it took time to make a living in America.
Over-production in rural areas due to these new production technologies meant many left for big cities in hope of a new life. This sweeping shift in American life, although disrupting the centuries-old ways of many communities, was presenting opportunities rich with hope for many people. Individuals who had traditionally struggled to earn enough to live on as farmers were now able to learn a vast array of trades and move into developing cities such as New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Detroit. Americans, however, were not the only people banking on this prospect of the urbanized and prosperous American Dream. From far corners of the world, as far as China and Europe, floods of immigrants in hopes of improving their peasant lives from back in their old country. The American workforce was forever changed between the years of 1875 and 1910. Old and new immigrants more times than not faced intense friction and squabbles, and in a sense fought to re-define what it meant to be an American. Old world ideologies about identity, religion, and politics were to gradually give way to a new and encompassing national identity of American pluralism. They came seeking liberation from the stifling class systems and monarchies of the old world, as peasants and small craftsmen, they could never even hope to own their land let alone make a decent living for themselves. These
During the latter part of the 19th century, many laborers faced numerous problems. Some of these problems included, “mechanization of industry, emergence of giant corporations, nationalization of labor, public sentiment greatly admired the ‘Captains of Industry,’ and immigration” (Farless). After years of knowledge, man was introduced to machines. When machines played a part in the latter part of the 19th century, it caused trouble with the laborers. These new machines would replace laborers, which meant more laborers were remaining unemployed and that there were lower wages (Farless). Another problem laborers faced were the introduction to immigrants. Immigrants were coming to the United States of America from foreign land to work. With these immigrants, it kept the wages low because the immigrants were new inexpensive labor (Farless).
One of the most significant factors of immigration for America during the Gilded age was the creation of ethnic neighbourhoods. Since most of the immigrants were unskilled, they tended to find a job in growing factories located closer to the centre of the cities. The American culture was very different from the cultures in which the immigrants were raised, mainly because the Americans had noticeably different values from the rest of the world. Therefore, most of the immigrants experienced a culture shock. The language was a huge barrier to the majority of the immigrants too, because that was their main way of communication. Furthermore, the lack of language skills increased the impact of the culture shock that they were already experiencing.
The late nineteenth century is an era often referred to as the “Gilded Age.” This term was coined my Mark Twain and suggests that there was a glittering layer of prosperity that covered the poverty and corruption that existed in much of society. This term proves to be exceptionally accurate in characterizing this era. During this time period, the United States was transforming into the largest industrial power in the world. Several key factors are necessary for an industrial economy to take root including a stable labor supply, technology, capital, and raw materials. One of the most important factors was the abundant labor supply. This abundant supply of labor was supplemented by the arrival of hundreds of thousands of immigrants between 1865-1900.
That was the starting point for many people, both Americans and immigrants to strive for their definition of happiness and riches. As stated by Laurence Shames in “The More Factor”, “This has been the American trinity form the very start. The frontier was the backdrop and also the raw material for the streak of economic booms. The booms became the goad and also the justification for the myriad gambles and for American’ famous optimism. The optimisms’, in turn, shaped the schemes and visions that were sometimes noble, sometimes appalling, always bold (27).Not only did the Gold Rush open the doors to diversity; it was also adopted as the country’s identity. Naturally America is now known as the great melting pot as a metaphor that translates that people from all back grounds traveled to the West for the hopes of becoming rich. Laurence Shames quote has many similarities to the Gold Rush period because they both describe of the hopes of starting all over and having opportunities to get wealthy. As long as all immigrants worked hard together panning out gold with optimism of getting rich and putting their differences aside it embedded more on reflection of the American
The Gilded Age was an era of rapid economic growth, especially in the North and West. As American wages were much higher than those in Europe, especially for skilled workers, the period saw an influx of millions of European immigrants. The end of the civil war sets the stage for a new era in American History. The triumph of northern industrial capitalism over the rural agriculture of the south unleashed a period of economic growth, that would forever alter the way Americans lived and how they saw the world. Former enslaved people would then struggle for a foothold in a society still largely closed to them. Meanwhile the increasing number of immigrants exerted pressure on a nation that both welcomed and excluded the immigrants. American democracy
During the gilded age the American economy skyrocketed. Business was booming. There was no shortage of labor, for both adults and children worked long arduous days. Factories were being built, and with them more and more jobs. Naturally, this would attract those from countries in which jobs were harder to come by and then attain. Meaning what? Immigrants. During the gilded age, the United States saw a massive influx of immigrants. Immigrants made up a very very large part of the American labor force. “During the Gilded Age there were around 11.7 million people that came to America. From those 11.7 million immigrants 10.6 million of those immigrants came from Europe, which made up 90 percent of the immigration population. The Canadians made