Gilded Age Dbq Analysis

The Gilded age was considered one of the most prosperous eras of American history. Many public spaces, such as universities and libraries, were built. This, however came at the expense of the American population, many of them living in poverty and despair. Due to the economic policies the big businesses followed, the political control these big businesses had, and the harsh response by the people, big businesses were detrimental to the American society as a whole.
Big businesses implemented harsh economic policies so that their owners could maintain a wealthy lifestyle at the expense of the factory workers. Since these Gilded area was mostly constituted of monopolies, these businesses could control the price of goods as they were the only producers

in that field. For instance, as seen in document 7, the index prices of food prices after the ban of monopolies harshly dropped from around 80 to 50. Furthermore, big businesses had control over the wages, and often workers were fired if they didn’t work enough, which was an inhumane policy. As seen in document 1, the big businesses could indeed control the wage of their workers. However, the wealthy thought that it was good that they were the ones properly controlling the economy and the influx of money. Many of them were indeed philanthropists, often funding public universities. As seen in document 4, which is an excerpt of “wealth,” written by Andrew Carnegie, the author believes that indeed big businesses, or their owners, know how to distribute wealth. The document also mentions that the wealthy do anything in their power to help the poor.
Big businesses often controlled the government, allowing the passing of laws that could benefit the wealthy.

This is well pictured in document three, which depicts big businesses as big, fat businessmen sitting in the back of the Senate. Above the businessmen there is a sign that reads “This is a Senate of the monopolists and for the monopolists.” This was mostly true. For instance, the little regulation railroad companies faced despite the lower class begging for management due to the high shipping costs is a clear example of when the government was paid off. Big businesses also controlled the law. They could postpone trials, and even pardon corrupt criminals. This is thoroughly mentioned in document 1, in which McNeill states “He(the big businesses) can delay trial on a suit at law, and postpone judgement

indefinitely.”
The general response of the public clearly demonstrated why big businesses were harming the American public. People started to work in factories, and were often forced to overdo their shifts. As seen in document 2, people were like soldiers in the military. They would do whatever they were told, and had little say in the final product. However, this did not go forever. Eventually, the American public responded fiercely. For instance, document 6 is a clear example of what the general populus was tired of and what they needed. This often included higher wages, shorter work hours, and healthcare for injured workers. Labor unions, despite them being illegal, were fully supportive of these basic rights. Unions such as the Knights of Labor fought for these rights for everyone, including migrants and women. Other labor unions, such as the American Federation of Labor, sought to fit the “labor union” criteria while trying to be more “politically correct.” The People’s Party was a rising political party with a strong presidential candidate who shared the same ideas as the labor unions. Document 5 shows the party’s ideals and it is similar to those in document 6. Finally, it is important to mention the Granger movements in the South and West. The high fees of railroad shipping and the gold standard were both detrimental to their respective economies. The Granger movement looked to lower the railroad fees and to destroy the gold standard by introducing silver. The gold standard deflated prices in general, and this was not good for farmers as their goods were worth less.
In conclusion, despite big companies donating great sums of money to fund public areas, their corrupt control of the government, the harsh economic policies that they implemented, and the overwhelming response by the American public, are all reasons why big governments were harmful to everyone.

Many think that big companies were good in every way. People who support monopolies say that they were good as the money was controlled by the people and not the government. This is true to some extent, as many wealthy businessmen funded public areas. However, they are wrong. As seen in document 7, the prices of essential goods greatly dropped over time, which allowed people to spend more money on personal goods and services. In the end, a government that strictly controls the public is no better than a government that controls its

citizens.