The Gilded Age
in American
History
1865-1896
What impact did the
Gilded Age have upon
the History of the
United States?
Gild
Pronunciation: gild
Function: Transition verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English
gyldan; akin to Old English gold gold
1: to overlay with or as if with a thin covering of
gold
2a: to give money to b: to given an attractive but
often deceptive appearance to c archaic: to make
bloody
Gild-ed adjective
Why would an era be
referred to as “Gilded?”
The Gilded Age
A Tale of Today
Book gave name to the
era
Time of gaudy excess
and a new class of
wealth, political
corruption and
conquest of the West
By Mark Twain and
Charles Dudley Warner
Washington Square North, New York City by Fernand Lungren
The Gilded Age
Railroad building
Reconstruction of the South
Industrialization of the United States
Settling of Western Frontier
Immigration (the “New Immigrants”)
Rise of large urban centers (big cities)
Political Corruption
Era of the Railroads
Transcontinental Railroad
completed on May 10, 1869.
Railroad building triggered the
industrial revolution
Railroad building required
steel, oil and other resources
provided by industry.
Railroads connected the ent
nation and eased travel
Aided the economic growth of
West
Railroad building provided
employment for new immigran
Railroads
Railroads were built
by using cheap
immigrant labor
Irish
Chinese
Railroads were built
across Native
American ancestral
lands
The Industrialization
of America
United States becomes a world
industrial power
Rise of dominant railroad, steel and o
industries.
Rise of Titans of Industry
Andrew Carnegie
Leland Stanford
John D. Rockefeller
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Dynamic era of new inventions and
commercial products
Light bulb, Kodak camera, typewriter etc
Thomas Edison
The Standard Oil Octopus
John D. Rockefeller’s company becomes a monopoly by
destroying all competition and gaining favorable
government policies.
Industrialization
Corrupt business practices
Monopolies destroy
competition
Workers wages low
Dangerous working
conditions.
Child labor, no restrictions.
Labor Unions emerging,
but lacked strength and
viewed as radical
Knights of Labor
American Federation of
Labor
Activity
Primary Source
Analysis
Within your group,
analyze the
documents.
Fill out the
corresponding sheets.
Review of Primary Sourc
Mullin
New Immigration
Millions of Europeans and
Asians immigrate from 1860s to
early 1920s.
Immigrants come to escape
poverty, old social orders and
religious persecution and to
find freedom and opportunity
in America.
New immigrants come from
regions that had not supplied
past immigrants, new cultural
traditions added.
America becomes the “Great
Melting Pot”
The New Immigrants
Settled in ethnic Ghettos
and slums in American
cities.
Lived in overpopulated
tenement houses.
New immigrants worked
jobs that paid the lowest
wages and did the toughest
work.
Nativism reemerged in
greater force in America
Nativism
The belief that NATIVE born Americans
are superior to foreigners.
Racist and xenophobic.
Does this still exist today?
The Growth of the Cities
Cities became centers of
American industry
New York
Boston
Detroit
Chicago
St. Louis
Kansas City
America boasted some of
the largest cities in the
world
Cities became cultural
centers.
Urbanization
Cities were overcrowded
People lived in slums
Tenement houses were
overcrowded
Unsanitary living conditions
Disease rampant
Crime rampant
Political bosses controlled city
politics
City governments were corrupt
and mismanaged
Cities were dirty, filthy and
trash-infested
Photographs by Jacob Riis, a Danish
immigrant who became a reformer
through journalism & photojournalism
Thesis Statement
What was the Industrial Revolution’s
impact on society and their working
conditions?
GIVE THREE EXAMPLES OF
YOUR IDENTIFIED IMPACT.
Due in file by end of class.
Graded.
The Rise of Industry
Mullin
Vocabulary
Key Content Terms:
Bessemer process,
horizontal
integration, vertical
integration, laissezfaire, social
Darwinism, Sherman
Antitrust Act
Social Studies
Terms: capitalism,
capital, corporation,
patents monopoly,
trust, entrepreneur,
philanthropist
Bessemer Process
The first
inexpensive industria
l process for the
mass-production
of steel.
Named after its
inventor.
Horizontal Integration v
Vertical Integration
Horizontal
Integration: The
combining of many
firms engaged in the
same type of business
into one large
corporation
Vertical Integratio
A single company
owns and controls
the entire process
from raw materials
the manufacture an
sale of the finished
product
Laissez-faire
A policy or attitude of
letting things take
their own course,
without interfering.
Social Darwinism
Philosophy stated
that only the
strongest and the
fittest would survive
and flourish in
society, while the
weak and unfit
should be allowed to
die.
Sherman Antitrust Act
First federal action
against monopolies, it
was signed into law
and was extensively
used by Theodore
Roosevelt for trustbusting
A Trust is an entity
created to hold assets
for the benefit of
certain persons or
entities, with a
trustee managing the
trust (and often
holding title on
behalf of the trust).
Capitalism vs. Capital
Capitalism: an
economic system in
which individuals
and corporations, not
the government, own
production and
profit.
Strict
noninterference of
the government in
business affairs.
Capital: buildings,
machinery, tools, and
other goods that
create products or
services for the
people.
Patents vs. Monopolies
Patent: set of
exclusive rights
granted by the gov to
an inventor for a
limited period of time
in exchange for a the
production of that
good.
Monopolies: the
exclusive possession
or control of the
supply or trade in a
commodity or service
Entrepreneur vs.
Philanthropist
Entrepreneur: a
person who organizes
and operates a
business or
businesses, taking on
greater than normal
financial risks in
order to do so.
Philanthropist: a
person who seeks to
promote the welfare
of others, especially
by the generous
donation of money to
good causes.
Graph Analysis
Working with a
partner, graph all the
data on your
worksheet.
Answer the
corresponding
questions.
Due at the end of
class.
PUT IN BINDERS!
New Growth
Mullin
Settlement of the West
Railroad building conn
farmers in West with E
markets
Land availability on the
Great Plains for farmin
Cattle ranching and mi
industries thrive in the
Growth of Western citi
Golden Age of the Cow
Homestead Act
A special act of Congress (1862) that made public
lands in the West available to settlers without
payment, usually in lots of 160 acres, to be used as farm
Dawes Act
adopted by Congress in 1887, authorized the
President of the United States to survey Ameri
Indian tribal land and divide it into allotments
individual Indians.
Those who accepted allotments and lived separ
from the tribe would be granted United States
citizenship.
“Move On!”
Has the native American no rights that the naturalized
American is bound to respect?
Conquering the Western Frontier
Seizing lands from
Native Americans;
Forcing Indians onto
reservations; Indian
Wars
Railroad scheme to
possess the best
available lands;
Railroads take
advantage of farmers &
set high shipping rates.
Conquering the
Western Frontier.
Farmers took large acreages of land to produce enough
crop to make a profit; Lands of Great Plains difficult t
farm; farmers interests not addressed by the
government.
Conflict between farmers and ranchers over land use.
Lawlessness throughout.
Cattle & Mining boom towns
Introductory
Paragraph
How did Western
Expansion destroy
Indian tribal life?
Due at the end of
class.
MAKE THESIS
STATEMENT
SPECIFIC
INCLUDE
SPECIFIC
FACTS/REFEREN
CES.
Conclusion of the
Gilded Age
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Politics in the Gilded Age
Age of Republican presidents
One Democrat, twice removed.
Grover Cleveland.
Political promise for African
Americans
Civil Service Reform
Pendleton Act
Farmers seeking a voice in the
political system
National Grange & Populists
Government aid to railroad
and industrial growth
Key issues were monetary
system, the tariff and civil
service reform.
The “forgettable” presidents &
political corruption
Ineffective presidential leadership
Political corruption and scandals
Era of Good Stealings
Government ties to big business
No regulation of business practices
Kickbacks to political officials
Failure to secure goals of
reconstruction
Treatment of Native Americans
Farm protest from South and
West fail to unite
Emergence and end of Populism
Impact of the Gilded Age
on United States History
Prepared the United
States for its future as
an imperial power.
Settlement of the West and the
closing of the frontier, turned
the attention of the nation to
newer frontiers- overseas
territories.
Influx of new immigrants
added new ingredients into
American culture.
The descendants of these new
immigrants would be future leaders and
major personalities in the United States.
The growth of American industry
would help make the United States
a global industrial power and
further the engine of economic
progress of the 20th century.
The corrupt business and
political practices of the era
called for reform.
The
discrimination
against African
Americans,
Native
Americans, new
immigrants,
and women
lead to a
greater call for
civil rights
protections.
The Gilded Age set the
stage for the Emergence
of Modern America.
The Gilded Age laid the foundation
for the United States of the 20th
Century, a SUPERPOWER!
Activity and Essay
List the pros and cons of the Gilded Age.
Essay: Was the development of the
Gilded Age good for the United States?
Explain why/why not.
4 PARAGRAPHS.
GIVE SPECIFIC EVIDENCE
Use your notes.