The Gilded Age and
Progressive Era
Hannah Rashdan, Darby Lawrence, Ramsey
Hashem, Drake Scott
“It is a time when one's spirit is subdued and sad, one knows not why; when the
past seems a storm-swept desolation, life a vanity and a burden, and the future
but a way to death.”
-Mark Twain, 1873
The Forgettable Presidents
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Ulysses S. Grant
1869-1877
18th President
Republican
Former Civil War commander for the Union
War Heroics made him popular
The Railroad takes hold
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Transcontinental railroad commences building in 1865
o The Union Pacific Railroad began building in 1865
 westward from Omaha, Nebraska
 when Indians protested, they were killed or pushed out of land
 many people lost lives from working on the rails
o The Central Pacific Railroad
 eastward from Sacramento to Sierra, Nevada
 Many Chinese laborers worked relentlessly and lost their lives on
the rails with minimalistic pay
o The Northern Pacific Railroad
 New Orleans to San Francisco
The Railroad takes hold
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Cornelius Vanderbilt
o Welded together and expanded the older eastern networks
o offered superior railway service at lower rates
 amassed a fortune of $100 million
o Popularized the steel rail
 replaced the old iron tracks of the New York Central
with tougher metal
 safer and more economical
The Railroad takes hold
Benefits
Stimulated growth of other industries (steel, iron, coal, lumber, glass)
Helped cities grow
Helped increase westward expansion of America
Standard time zones were created to get everyone on correct time
Welded the West Coast more firmly to the union
Facilitated a flourishing trade with Asia
Corruption
Exercised more direct control over the lifes of more people than did the president
Absolute disregard for the public interest
Bribed judges and legislatures for their own benefits
Charged much higher rates to western farmers
Credit Mobilier Scandal 1868
o Union Pacific
o Bribed members of Congress
Represented corruption of period
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The Railroad takes hold
Effects on the American lifestyle
For the first time, a sprawling nation became united in a physical sense
Created and enormous domestic market for American raw materials and
manufactured goods
o beckoned to foreign and domestic investors
Spurred the amazing industrialization of the post- Civil War years
o opened up fresh markets for manufactured goods and sped raw
materials to factories
Stimulated mining and agriculture, especially in the West
Played a leading role in the great cityward movement of the last decades
of the 1800s
The maker of millionaires
o a raw new aristocracy replaced the old southern “lords of the lash”
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Corruption leads to
depression
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Credit mobilier scandal (1872)
o the Union Pacific Railroad formed the Credit mobilier construction
company and hired themselves at inflated prices
o distributed shares to key congressmen
o hurt President Grant because of his association with it
Panic of 1873:
o Overreaching promoters created too many businesses that the
existing markets could bear
o Bankers made too many imprudent loans to finance
Monopolists Emerge
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John D Rockefeller:
o Founded the Standard Oil Co. 1870
o gained a monopoly in the oil industry by buying
rival refineries and developing companies
for
distributing and
marketing its products around the globe
o had little mercy for competitors
 used whatever means necessary to beat competition
o Used trusts
Monopolists Emerge
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Andrew Carnegie:
o Founded the Carnegie Steel Company as steel
became crucial in the developing technologies
(Railroads, factories, etc)
o Monopolized the steel industry
o Carnegie built plants around the country,using
technology and methods that made manufacturing
steel easier,faster and more
productive
o later became a philanthropist and donated
much of his money to museums and
libraries
Monopolists Emerge
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JP Morgan:
o an American financier, banker, philanthropist and art
collector who dominated corporate finance and
industrial consolidation
o 1892 Morgan arranged the merger of Edison
General Electric and Thomson-Houston
Electric
Company to form General
Electric. After financing the
creation of the Federal Steel Company, he
merged in 1901 with the Carnegie Steel
Company
Monopolists Emerge
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Vertical Integration
o A process in which a company combines all phases of
manufacturing into one organization. (Ex. coal and iron mines,
ore freighters, rr lines)
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o Pioneered by Andrew Carnegie
Horizontal Consolidation
o A process in which a company buys out or merges with all
competing companies (JP Morgan bought out Carnegie steel
and other companies)
Monopolists Emerge
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Trusts
o A group of separate companies placed under the control of a single
managing board
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Critics called these practices unfair and the business leaders “Robber
Barons”
The Era of Good Stealings
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Black Friday (September 24, 1869)
o Two corrupt industrialists, Fisk and Gould, bid the price of gold
skyward until businesspeople became bankrupt
o Grant worked with the two
"Boss" Tweed
o Used bribery, graft, and fraudulent elections to earn money and power
The Forgettable Presidents
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Rutherford B. Hayes
1877-1881
19th President
Republican
Ended reconstruction in the first year of office
by withdrawing federal troops from the South
Marked the beginning of the Gilded Age
Labor Unions
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The purpose of a labor union was “strength in numbers.” Attempted to
gain better working conditions and pay
individual workers were powerless to battle single-handedly against giant
industries
mostly by laborers and NOT the middle class
o the middle class grew deaf to the outcry of the worker as they got
annoyed
Labor Unions
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The National Labor Union (1866)
o included skilled, unskilled, and farmers
o excluded Chinese and nominal effort to include women and blacks
o won 8 hour workday for government workers
Colored National Labor Union
o organized by black workers
Racism prevented unions from working together
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The Knights of Labor (1869)
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Was the first union to accept workers of all races and gender, skilled and unskilled workers
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Campaigned for economic and social reform
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Pushed for 8 hour workday, equal pay for women
Haymarket Square (1886)
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Chicago police kill/injur several dozen strikers
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The Knights of Labor began to be associated with anarchists
Labor Unions
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The American Federation of Labor (1886)
o lead by Samuel Gompers
o composed of skilled craftsmen
By 1900 attitudes toward labor began to change
o the public began to concede the right of workers to organize, to
bargain collectively, and to strike
Labor Strikes
The Great Strike (1877)
in 1873, companies had reduced the pay of railroad workers by ten percent.
In 1877 they announced another ten percent reduction in the workers' pay, and also that railroad
employees would be required to use company hotels when away from home, which meant a
further reduction in real wages. On top of this, they decided to reduce the work-force - which
meant unemployment for some and intensified labor for those remaining.
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The Haymarket Riot (1886)
Knights of Labor strike in support of the eight-hour day at McCormick Reaper Manufacturing
Company
it was assumed that an anarchist threw the bomb and raids were conducted on all known radical
groups, including trade union leaders- sentenced to execution
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Labor Strikes
Homestead Strike (1892)
5,000 steelworkers struck Andrew Carnegie's steel plant near Pittsburg PA.
A pitched battle erupted between the strikers and Pinkertons hired by plant manager Henry Clay
Frick who had been hired to protect the strikebreakers.
7,000 state troopers were sent in by Governor Pattison; the steel mill was reopened by
strikebreakers
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Pullman Strike (1894)
Eugene Debs , leader of the American Railway Union , led the strike by refusing to handle
railroads using Pullman cars, encouraging other unions to join.
The strike was ended by a court injunction, based on the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, after which
President Cleveland sent in 10,000 federal troops (because of "interference" with the US mail),
who along with 2,000 state troops smashed the ARU
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Labor Strikes & the Supreme
Court
Major supreme court decision:
In re Debs (1895)
o Debs’ writ of habeas corpus to the Supreme Court was denied on the
basis of a broad interpretation of the commerce clause and the federal
government’s obligation to deliver the mail
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The Forgettable Presidents
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James Garfield
March 1881-September 1881
20th President
Republican
Assassinated after less than 4 months
American lifestyles
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America move to the city
o cities grew up and out-skyscrapers
o Americans were becoming commuters- needed transportation to and
fro work
o Americans created a huge mass of waste
o Criminals flourish
o cities represented “the best and the worst combined”
o Sums:
 filthy, especially after the perfection of the “dumbbell” tenement
architectural plan that minimized the amount of air and light
o those in cities generally live together by ethnicity
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American lifestyle
Women
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group most profoundly affected by new industrial age
worked “women jobs”; began working into industry by recent
inventions
o typewriter, telephone switchboard
o earned less than men
working for middle-class women meant delayed marriages and
smaller families
o most women worked because of economic necessity
Accentuated class divisions
Lifestyles in the Factories
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The concept of time was revolutionized as now people follow the works
hours, not the clock of nature
long, hard, arduous hours
many died from the terrible conditions of the factories
The Forgettable Presidents
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Chester A. Arthur
1881-1885
21st President
Republican
Took office after Garfield’s assassination
Pushed for intervention in Latin America
Civil Service Reform Hurts
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Pendleton Act of 1883:
o "the Magna Carta of civil service reform"
o made compulsory campaign contributions from federal employees
illegal
o Established the Civil Service Commission
 Make appointments to federal jobs on basis of competitive exams
 This hurt because:
A new breed of "boss" emerged, although less skilled
Drove politicians into "marriages" with big businesses,
instead of temporary contracts
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Old Immigrants
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Immigrants before 1880
Mainly from the British Isles and Western Europe (Germany, scandinavia,
etc)
o Fair skinned, anglo saxon
o protestant
o high literacy
o fit easily into representative government because of their previous
governments
New Immigrants
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Immigrants after 1880
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Mainly from southern and eastern Europe
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orthodox/Jewish; faced religious persecution
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previous country of origin had little history of a democracy
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Italians, Croats, Slovaks, Greeks, Poles
people had lived in despotism
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illiterate
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moved mainly to cities
o high birth rate; brought culture with them
“America fever” captures Europe
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the population of the old world increased exponentially with the introduction of the potato.
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America was seen as the land of opprotunity and freedom for religion
 savage persecution of Jews in Europe
Once in the United States, many immigrants lived and worked in the most strenuous jobs
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especially in “sweatshops”
New Immigrants
Chinese
Major influx of chinese immigrants, esp from 1870-1880
Viewed as cheap, efficient and expendable labor
Lived in very inclusive communities, faced a lot of racism
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Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882:
o prohibit further chinese immigrants
o represents the racism the Americans viewed Chinese with and the
growing fear of immigrants
New Immigrants
Italians
Huge influx from 1880-1920
Came from the more poorer areas of Italy and intended to bring money
back to Italy from America (half of them did)
clustered in tight knit communities
mainly Industrial laborers
o remained in blue collar jobs
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Immigrant-phobia
Nativism: (“Know-Nothings” revived)
Became exceptionally profound in the 1880s
Viewed the new immigrants as religiously exotic hordes and gave them
rude receptions
o seen as “inferior”- racism a major player
Blamed immigrants for the degradation of urban government
Created the American Protective Association 1887 (APA)- urged voting
against roman catholic candidates
Congress passes first restrictions against inpouring immigrants
o 1882, prevented paupers, criminals, and convicts from entering
o expanded later to include the “undesirables” (prostitutes, polygamists,
alcoholics, etc)
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The Forgettable Presidents
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Grover Cleveland
1885-1889
22nd President
Democrat
Stood for hard work and civil service
Opposed high tariffs and free silver
Railroads influence
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President Cleaveland in 1887 allowed for land grants to the railroads
o Huge criticism as it was seen as “giveaway” of a birthright to greed
corporations
o government received big benefits
 long term preferntial rates for postal service and military traffic
 granting land was a “cheap” way to subsidize a transportation
system (avoided new taxes for direct cash grants)
Americans were initially slow to combat the economic injustice
o dedicated to free enterprise and the principle that competition is the
soul of trade, they cherished the tradition
o “American Dream”- anyone can become a millionaire
Depression of 1870s force farmers to protest against railroads
Railroads influence
Stopping the railroad corruption:
Major supreme court decision:
Wabash Case (1886)
o The decision of the Illinois Court was reversed and the decreed that individual
states had no power to regulate interstate commerce act- only the federal
government can regulate
 lead to the passage of the Interstate Commerce Act
prohibited rebates and pools and required the railroads to publish
their rates openly
forbade unfair discrimination against shippers
set up the Interstate Commerce Commission
o made to administer and enforce this new legislation
***First large-scale attempt by Washington to regulate business in the interest of
society at large***
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Prevailing ideologies
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Many during this time believed in the “survival-of-the-fittest” theories of
Charles Darwin
o this concluded that “millionaires are a product of natural selection”
 invoked contempt for the poor, hence those who stayed poor
must be lazy and lacking in enterprise
The Gospel of Wealth
o written by Andrew Carnegie in 1889
o he stated that the wealthy, entrusted with society’s riches, had to
prove themselves morally responsible
The Forgettable Presidents
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Benjamin Harrison
1889-1893
23rd President
Grandson of William Henry Harrison
Republican
President during first billion dollar congress
Graft Continues
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The Billion Dollar Congress:
o Lead by Thomas Reed, HOR speaker
o Passed the McKinley Tariff Act of 1890
 raised the average duty on imports to almost fifty percent, an act
designed to protect domestic industries from foreign competition
 helped big industrialists, not the people
Attempts to stop monopoly
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Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890
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Law outlawing a combination of companies that restrained interstate trade or commerce;
important to prevent monopolies; forbade trusts
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Did not make any distinction between “good” trusts and “bad” trusts
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bigness not badness, was the sin
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Not initially enforced properly.
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Proved highly ineffective
 too many legal loopholes and no “teeth”
Major supreme court decision
US v. EC Knight Co. (1895)
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The E.C. Knight Company was a combination controlling over 98 percent of the sugar-refining
business
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The court found the Sherman Anti trust act constitutional but said it did not apply to
manufacturing.
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The effect of this decision was to seriously impair enforcement of the anti-trust laws and put most
monopolies beyond the reach of federal control.
The Forgettable Presidents
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Grover Cleveland (again!)
1893-1897
24th President
Democrat
Only president to serve two non-consecutive terms
Very Noble and Honest
Intervened with Pullman Strike to keep railroads
moving
Hawaii Issues
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Many farmers from the United States moved to Hawaii to plant sugar
January 17, 1893- US sugar planters revolt, overthrow Queen
Liliuokalani in coup d’etat, led by Sanford Dole
At the time, US had Pearl Harbor Naval Base, also had high sugar
imports from Hawaii
Grover Cleveland sent a US minister to Hawaii to restore the Queen
under Hawaii’s 1887 constitution but Dole refused to give up seat
William McKinley negotiated a treaty with Republic of Hawaii in 1897
Pearl Harbor played a big part in the Spanish American War
Hawaii was annexed in 1898, Hawaiians got US citizenship
The Gilded Age Presidents
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William McKinley
1897-1901
25th President
Republican
Ensured Gold Standard
President during Spanish-American War
Assassinated, Teddy Roosevelt took over
Death marked end of the Gilded Age
The Spanish- American
War
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Started in Cuban struggle for independence in Spain, 1895
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Yellow Journalism played a big role in generating US sympathy for Cuban
rebels
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Maine Explosion on Feb 15, 1898- US suspected Spain of doing it, caused
tension
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US demanded Cuba’s independence, withdrawal of Spain and US wasn’t
interested in annexation
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Spain declared war on April 24, US declared war on 25th
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George Dewey led US navy into Manila Bay in Philippines, destroyed Spanish
fleet
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US “rough riders” including Teddy Roosevelt fought
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Santiago, Cuba surrendered on July 17th
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Treaty of Paris signed on December 10, 1898: Spain had no claim to Cuba,
US got Guam, Puerto Rico, and Philippines all for $20 million
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Ended expansionism of Spain
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US became a world power, led to arguments over what to do with Philippines
and debate over expansionism
Postwar Conflicts
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In 1899, Aguinaldo led a Filipino rebellion against the United
States
600,000 Filipinos died
US broke up rebellion in 1901
US appeared to be no less oppressive than Spanish
Spanish-American War: 10 weeks, 400 deaths. PhilippineAmerican War: 3 years, 4,000 Americans died
A lot of anti-imperialist views, US was meant to be freeing
Cuba, not controlling it
General public supported McKinley’s expansionism though
Platt Amendment in 1901- US troops out of Cuba by 1902
Boxer Rebellion
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China was occupied by several different nations,
“spheres of influence”
Sec. of State John Hay suggested Open Door Policy
Chinese nationalists attacked Western Occupants in
China in 1900, known as the “Boxers”
Rebels were subdued, China was forced to pay $330
million to the US
Marked the first time US invaded without goals of
getting territory
The Progressive
Presidents
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Theodore Roosevelt
1901-1909
26th President
Republican
Part of Rough Riders during Spanish-American War
Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty in 1903- US got control of Panama Canal
from Panama
Roosevelt Corollary- Extended Monroe Doctrine, US would be police of
Western Hemisphere, would intervene in Latin America in the event of
wrongdoing
Won Nobel Prize in 1906 for negotiating end to Russo-Japanese War
Sent Great White Fleet around world in 1907 to show power
President Roosevelt
Roosevelt Corollary
-Germany and Britain sent ships to blockade Venezuela
- roosevelt felt that they were offensive and we needed to help defend
Venezuela
- made the us the police of Latin America
the great white fleet
-believed that a strong navy was crucial for a strong defence
-convinced congress to add battleships and in 1907 he proposed sending them
out and in 1909 they traveled around the world to show their power.
Russo- Japanese War
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War broke out in 1904, Russia and Japan fought over Manchuria and
Korea
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Teddy Roosevelt offered to mediate peace process
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Two sides met with TR at Portsmouth, NH, Treaty of Portsmouth was
arranged, Manchuria returned to China
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Roosevelt got Nobel Peace Prize for efforts- first president to win it
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Russia unhappy, felt like the US robbed them of victory
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Japan felt it hadn’t been awarded enough, led to anti-US sentiment in
Japan
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Caused tense relations with Japan, Japan was a new world power
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Japanese immigrants faced with discrimination
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Gentleman’s agreement of 1907- US would end separate schooling
if Japan stopped immigration
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Roosevelt sent Great White Fleet to show power
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1908- Root-Takahira agreement- respect between US and Japan
US lost all isolationist appearances
Darwinism
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Charles Darwin On the Origin of Species, generated high controversy on
its publication
o set forth the “survival of the fittest”
o cast doubt on the Bible
 conservatives condemned the Darwinians
 modernists refuse to accept the Bible in its entirety
Halting Industrialists’ Powers
Major Supreme Court decision:
Northern Securities Company v. United States (1904)
o The Supreme Court ruled that a holding company formed solely to eliminate competition
between the 2 railroads was in violation of the anti-trust laws because it unreasonably
restrained commerce.
o The federal government now had the authority to regulate any conspiracy which sought to
eliminate competition between otherwise competitive railroads.
o The government’s policy of trust busting helped restore competition in the American
economy
Muller v. Oregon (1908)
o Protective legislation limiting the hours women could work
o Later became a NEGATIVE when it was used to discriminate against women in the
workplace
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The Progressive
Presidents
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William Howard Taft
1909-1913
27th President
Republican
Prominent Trust Buster
Used Dollar Diplomacy- invest money in Latin
America and East Asia to boost US political
interests abroad
Became Chief Justice after Presidency
The Progressive
Presidents
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Woodrow Wilson
1913-1921
28th President
Democrat
Passed Federal Reserve Act
Passed Clayton Antitrust Act
President during WWI
Minorities
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African-Americans faced unemployment, eviction, and physical harm when
they tried to assert their rights, esp. in Democratic South
Jim Crow Laws (1890's)
o Systematic state-level legal codes of segregation
o Enacted literacy requirements, voter registration and poll taxes
Minorities
Major supreme court decisions:
Plessy v Ferguson (1896)
o "separate but equal" was constitutional under the 14th amendment of
'equal protection'
U.S. v Wong Kim Ark (1898)
o Guarantee citizenship to all persons born in the U.S.
o "Birthright Citizenship", specifically helped Chinese
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Platt Amendment
The Platt Amendment made the conditions for the withdrawal of United States
troops remaining in Cuba at the end of the Spanish-American war and
defined the terms of Cuban-U.S relations.
Terms of Amendment
Cuba could not make a treaty with other countries
Cuba had to allow the U.S the ability to lease naval stations and ports
Cuba’s depts had to stay low
U.S had the right to intervene and protect Cuba
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16th Amendment
The 16th amendment is an important amendment that allows the federal
United States government to collect an income tax from all
Americans.These taxes then went to being spent on the military, building
roads and bridges, and enforcing our laws.
17th Amendment
The 17th amendment declared that 2 U.S senators will be provided by each
state by popular vote and that each senator would serve a term of 6 years.
The Jungle
The Jungle was written by Upton Sinclair and was published February 26,
1906. The novel portrayed the lives of immigrants in the U.S in Chicago
and similar industrialized cities. The book was most known for its exposure
of health violations and unsanitary practices in the American meatpacking
industry.
The Influence of Sea Power Upon
History
The Influence of Sea Power was written by Alfred Thayer Mahan and
published sometime in the year of 1890. The book concentrated highly on
the history of naval warfare and its role during the 17th and 18th centuries.
It also discusses the factors needed to support and achieve sea power
dominance with emphasis on having the largest and most powerful fleet.
Yellow Journalism
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Yellow journalism or the yellow press is a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate
well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers. The
techniques used may include exaggerations of news events or sensationalism.
The term originated during the American Gilded Age of the late nineteenth century with the
circulation battles between Joseph Pulitzer's New York World and William Randolph Hearst's
New York Journal. The battle peaked from 1895 to about 1898. Both papers were accused by
critics of sensationalizing the news in order to drive up circulation, although the newspapers did
serious reporting as well.
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison was the inventor of many things during this period including the
photograph and the light bulb. He invented the photograph December 6th in
1877 when he was 30 years old. The light bulb was invented October 21st in
1879. He later then worked towards making electricity available to the general
public and even started his own electricity company.
Telephone
29 year old Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone February 14th in
1876. The telephone presented a way of communicating to others over
thousands of miles away and the opportunity of connecting with others
worldwide and a cheaper way to send messages.