The Gilded Age
All nations pride themselves in the richness of their history and the United States of America is of no exception. One of the most remarkable and meaningful moments of American History is found in the Gilded Age. The phrase ‘Gilded Age’ was relatively coined by two American icons, Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner. However, they phrased this period in negative light in regards to the just ended Civil War. Nevertheless, true to the adage the darkest hour comes before dawn, the Gilded Age was a period of time that saw the mesmeric rise of a nation from the ashes of war.
The Gilded Age occurred in between the years 1865 and 1900 or thereabouts. This period coincided with ongoing industrialization in the world. The USA was not left behind, the early 1870s had seen the nation emerge as an industrial power. Resources were being harnessed in full potential in the country. Given the makings of the Civil War, the country had made humungous strides in technological advancements. This had a domino effect on the country’s industrialization rebirth. The advances made in technology boosted the up and coming industries to a whole new level.
1868 was a paramount year in women history. This was the year the typewriter was finalized to perfection. This was a noteworthy technological advancement as it opened the floodgates of new employment opportunities significantly for women. Women had been afforded a great chance to prove their worth in the growing economy. The jobs for women also marked an evolution of sorts in old age saga of gender parity; this time saw the popular movement referred to as ‘The Woman Movement’ gain relevancy. Through this group, women were able to access more jobs whilst championing for their rights. Therefor...
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...rse. In all truth, the Gilded Age proved to be a decisive yet defining moment in the growth of one of the most premier nations in the world.
Works Cited
Mary Beth Norton, David M. Katzman, David W. Blight, Howard Chudacoff, Fredrik Logevall. “A People and A Nation: A History of the United States.” Boston: Cenage Learning. 2009. Print.
The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. “Post-Reconstruction through the Gilded Age, 1875 through 1900,” Web. 13 Feb 2014
“The Gilded Age and The Progressive Era.” Web. 13 Feb 2014.
“The Gilded Age Summary and Analysis.” Web. 13 Feb 2014.
U.S History. “36. The Gilded Age.” Web. 13 Feb 2014
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.
In the words of Thomas Jefferson, “A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circlue of our felicities.” (Jefferson, 1801) This idea echoed far beyond it’s time and into the minds and hearts of the Populist’s, and became the center and the driving force of the Progressive era. During the gilded age railroads were being built, Industrialization was rising, the population of United States was increasing dramatically; and corporate businesses were becoming extremely powerful. The gilded age was known for its corruption and business domination, it wasn’t until the Populist movement when people started to fight back and also not until the Progressive movement when people started changing the government system.
Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.
Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to live in this world and country during the transition from a rural; agriculture society to an economic nation rise of an industrialized society? Well that is exactly what the people of the Gilded Age experienced. It was a time of a dramatic business and political practice. In order for the business’s to rise there soon became a great amount of separation towards the people and the country. This caused our society to experience a stressful time and made it very difficult for ideas and concepts to equal out. Throughout this specific document there are four sources that were written by different individuals. Each and every source has an explanation and an overview of the times in the Gilded Age.
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
The Gilded Age was known as the Second Industrial Revolution because there was change in the economy, politics, and society. Most of the change was occurring because of the growth of large companies. The in the 1900s up to the 1920s, the companies started to decrease in power but not all since Henry Ford was being successful because of his automobile company that allowed the people to move more, and think differently depending on their sexuality. Even though Ford was successful, the businesses still didn’t run the people anymore, the people started to control the government more.
Zinn, H. (1980). A people's history of the united states. (2003 ed.). New York, NY: HarperCollins.
The exact period of time in which the Gilded Age occurred is ever-debatable, but most historians can at least agree that it started within the 20 years after the Civil War ended and lasted until the early 1920s. (West) The Gilded Age itself was characterized by the beginnings of corporations and corrupt political machines. Policies such as the General Incorporation Laws allowed business to grow larger more easily, and with less red tape involved. New technology allowed faster and more efficient production, but this explosive growth of industry called for not only more resources, but new business practices and leaders as well. (Moritz 10-12)
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.
Henretta, James A., Rebecca Edwards, and Robert Self. America: A Concise History.( Boston: Bedford, St. Martin's, 2006),
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.
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.
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.
The Gilded Age was about how after the Civil War all of the wartime factories were still there but not needed. These factories were then changed to peacetime factories, and America’s economy doubled in size causing immigrants to come from all over the world. As Jane Addams built the Hull House, she helped tons of those new immigrants adapt to the American lifestyle. The Hull House’s official mission statement was to “provide a center for a higher civic and social life, to institute and maintain educational and philanthropic enterprises, and to investigate and improve the conditions in the industrial districts of
The Glided age was a era of rapid economic growth. But in time the Gilded Age was expanded to include the period from the end of Reconstruction to the early twentieth century. Once it was considered to be merely a transitional era between Reconstruction and the Progressive Movement. But now it is regarded as covering the period during which we have the beginnings of modern America our modern industrialization and urban society. This helps give an explanation for the glided age of what it was about and the main purposes. Simply stating that it was a time of good work and money growth but also a time of little poverty.