The Gilded Age 1865-1900
Gilded Age 1870-1900 Post-Reconstruction America Phrase coined by Mark Twain; used to represent America during this time Also, think of a beautiful, shiny, red apple that is rotten on the inside
This was America during this time period (1870-1900) On the outside, golden, shiny, beautiful: Expanding economy, population growth Extravagant displays of wealth by America s upper class
The Biltmore Cornelius Vanderbilt, railroad and shipping Captain of Industry, built the largest home in North America,
Hiding the rotten inside: Robber Barons used political corruption, scandals, greed, child labor, poor housing, racial discrimination, etc. to make tremendous profits. Progressivism tried to raise living standards and correct the wrongs.
Industrializatio n Immigration Urbanization The Gilded Age Discrimination in the South & West Political Corruption
Life in the 1860s No indoor electric lights No refrigeration No indoor plumbing Kerosene or wood to heat Wood stoves to cook with Horse and buggy In 1860, most mail from the East Coast took ten days to reach the Midwest and three weeks to get to the West Coast. A letter from Europe to a person on the frontier could take several months to reach its destination. Life in the 1900s US Gov t issued 400,000 patents electricity Refrigerated railroad cars Sewer systems and sanitation Increased productivity made live easier and comfortable. Power stations, electricity for lamps, fans, printing presses, appliances, typewriters, etc. New York to San Francisco to 10 days using railroad. 1.5 million telephones in use all over the country Western Union Telegraph was sending thousands of messages daily throughout the country.
Natural Resources Capital / $ US Government support Desire: Creative inventors and industrialists Transportation System Labor force (immigrants)
Oil Mining Sugar Steel Meatpacking Beef/Cattle Construction Telegraph Telephone Railroad Marketing Sewing Machine Vacuums Typewriters Automobile Salt Coal Agricultural
May 10, 1869 at Promontory, Utah The Wedding of the Rails Central Pacific and Union Pacific
Inexpensive, mass produced Steel invented in 1856 Andrew Carnegie led US Steel, Skyscrapers revolutionized the building industry.. Major city skylines would be dotted with this new type of building as the 1900 s begin. Railroads, bridges, farm machinery, barbed wire
BETWEEN 1860 TO 1900 Elevator---1852 Bessemer Process---1852 Sewing Machine---1853 Dynamite---1867 Typewriter---1868 Levi Blue Jeans/Basketball---1873 Telephone---1876 Phonograph Recorded music) ---1878 Light bulb and cash register---1879 Gasoline automobile and skyscraper---1885 New York City---first city to have electricity--1890 Radio---1895 Subway---1897 X-ray---1900 Between 1800 to 1900, US Govt. issued 500,000 patents
Some other inventions created during Gilded Age Coca-Cola (1886) Streetcars (1888) Record Player (1877) Skyscraper (1885) Airplane (1903)
Thomas Alva Edison Wizard of Menlo Park
Wizard of Menlo Park Edison Inventions helped to shape modern society More than 1,000 inventions patented Light bulb Phonograph Incandescent electric lamp Starter for automobiles that eliminated hand crank Batteries Perfected stock ticker New York City first city to powered by electricity The motion picture camera and projector First used hello as phone greeting Helped Alexander G. Bell with the telephone
The Airplane Wilbur Wright Orville Wright Kitty Hawk, NC December 7, 1903
Model T Automobile Henry Ford I want to pay my workers so that they can afford my product!
Ford Model T Prices & Sales The assembly line using repetitive tasks and interchangeable parts made an increasing number of cars and decreasing prices.
BETWEEN 1860 TO 1900 Specialty stores----sold single line of goods Department stores---combined specialty stores Chain stores---stores with branches in cities Mail catalog stores New ways to advertise Montgomery Wards, J.C. Penney, Macy s, Sears and Roebuck and Woolworths
Causes of Rapid Industrialization 1. Steam Revolution from burning coal powered machinery in the 1830s-1850s. 2. The Railroad fueled the growing US economy: Transported products cheaply across great distances The key to opening the West. Aided the development of other industries.
Causes of Rapid Industrialization 3. Technological innovations. Bessemer and open hearth process for mass producing steel Refrigerated railroad cars Edison o Wizard of Menlo Park o light bulb, phonograph, motion pictures.
Causes of Rapid Industrialization 4. Unskilled & semi-skilled labor from farms and immigrants for factory work. 5. Abundant capital ($ for investment). 6. New, talented group of businessmen [entrepreneurs] and advisors. 7. US Market growing (more people to sell to) as its population increased. 8. Government willing to help at all levels to stimulate economic growth 9. Abundant natural resources like coal, iron ore, oil, lumber, gold and silver.
John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil (Corporation) Stanford Oil Company became a corporation in selling stocks that were purchased by shareholders. The money for the stocks were then used as an investment to expand the corporation. It gained a monopoly or control in the oil industry by putting its competitors out of business through corrupt or dishonest methods. Eventually, the US government to passed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to increase competition and reduce oil prices.
Sherman Anti-Trust Act The Sherman Antitrust Act was a law passed by Congress in 1890 that was designed to combat the monopolies. Industrial corporations and trusts were free to form monopolies that drove out competition. Price fixing was commonplace. Finally, the government instituted a degree of legal regulation with the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. This is the beginning of the Federal government s role in limiting what businesses can do and protecting citizens.
Immigrants and Nativists Millions of immigrants left Europe to move to the US between 1870-1920. As their influence and numbers grew, some Americans wanted to keep foreigners out and limit their impact on the US culture.
The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was the first law to limit immigrants and reflected the prejudice by nativists against the Chinese and later the Japanese. What shall we do with our boys is the title. Why are the Americans portrayed sitting on the corner while the Chinese man is doing so much work?
Assembly Lines, Industrialization Corporations Urbanization: Growing cities with factories and immigrants Immigration and Nativists The Gilded Age Discrimination in the South & West: Nativists Jim Crow, the Chinese, Catholics, etc. Political Corruption Monopolies, Trusts, Robber Baron