Unrest and Issues During the Gilded Age

Commonly referred to as the Gilded Age, the end of the nineteenth century was a period of social issues and political unrest. Following a period of Reconstruction after the Civil War, the Gilded Age was ridden with problems surrounding the countries recovery. Presidents such as Ulysses Grant and Rutherford Hayes were viewed fraudulent and incompetent leaders for the nation. Meanwhile, Congress was mostly ruled by large enterprises, allowing for little political representation of the masses. Additionally, the nation was plagued by an overwhelming amount of social issues including child labor, immigration, women and minorities, and rapid urbanization. Overpopulation was particularly troublesome for the state of democracy as most voters were

Known as a period of political scandal, many politicians engaged in bribes, lies, and abuse of power to further a political, social, and often personal agenda. The typical corrupt leader "will sell his vote for a dollar [...] turns with indifference from the voice of honesty and reason [...] his unalienable right may be valuable to him for the bribe he gets out of it" (166). Such politicians are an injustice to society because as they are elected by the people, they must act towards the betterment of the people, rather than for themselves. Furthermore, those who elect this politician to office merely underestimate their political and social responsibility because they "want the feeling that their own interests are connected with those of the community, and in the weakness or absence of moral and political duty" (167). Thus, under the control of the ruthless politician and the reckless voter, the true essence of democracy is

Similar to the corrupt politician portrayed in Parkman's essay, Donald Trump exudes the qualities of a "wretched, wire-pulling demagogue, who is as ignorant as the constituents that choose him" (167-8). The phenomenon behind his success in the 2016 parallels that of corrupt politicians during the Gilded Age. Disgruntled, uneducated masses throw their support at Trump in an effort to rise in social class. However, they mindlessly disregard that Trump is the embodiment of the wealthy upper class which controls much of the issues that upset them. Despite the many political indecencies that Trump has committed, such as acting racist or making outlandish unconstitutional promises, he retains support from many who, similar to Parkman's Gilded Age, "throw their cap up at the claptrap declamation of some lying knave [who] turns from the voice of honesty and reason" (166). Furthermore, his unbelievable attention from news outlets can be paralleled by Parkman's other quality of a corrupt leader who dutifully protects the rights of Americans because it allows "pulpit, platform, and press, to condone his vices" (166). Evidently, the corrupt politician can make promises to a vulnerable nation that are far from plausible, acting as a source of unrest, rather than a calming and reassuring force. As the Gilded Age was ridden with corruption and social turmoil, Parkman understood the